The Law of the Trespass Offering

‘Likewise (A)this is the law of the trespass offering (it is most holy): In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the trespass offering. And its blood he shall sprinkle all around on the altar. And he shall offer from it all its fat. The fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; and the priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a trespass offering. (B)Every male among the priests may eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. (C)It is most holy. (D)The trespass offering is like the sin offering; there is one law for them both: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. And the priest who offers anyone’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. Also (E)every grain offering that is baked in the oven and all that is prepared in the covered pan, or [a]in a pan, shall be the priest’s who offers it. 10 Every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to one as much as the other.

The Law of Peace Offerings

11 (F)‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the Lord: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers (G)anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. 13 Besides the cakes, as his offering he shall offer (H)leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering. 14 And from it he shall offer one cake from each offering as a heave offering to the Lord. (I)It shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering.

15 (J)‘The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning. 16 But (K)if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten; 17 the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire. 18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be (L)imputed to him; it shall be an (M)abomination to him who offers it, and the person who eats of it shall bear [b]guilt.

19 ‘The flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. And as for the clean flesh, all who are [c]clean may eat of it. 20 But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the (N)Lord, (O)while he is unclean, that person (P)shall be cut off from his people. 21 Moreover the person who touches any unclean thing, such as (Q)human uncleanness, an (R)unclean animal, or any (S)abominable[d] unclean thing, and who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the Lord, that person (T)shall be cut off from his people.’ ”

Fat and Blood May Not Be Eaten

22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: (U)‘You shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat. 24 And the fat of an animal that dies naturally, and the fat of what is torn by wild beasts, may be used in any other way; but you shall by no means eat it. 25 For whoever eats the fat of the animal of which men offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, the person who eats it shall be cut off from his people. 26 (V)Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. 27 Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.’ ”

The Portion of Aaron and His Sons

28 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 29 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: (W)‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offering to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offering. 30 (X)His own hands shall bring the offerings made by fire to the Lord. The fat with the breast he shall bring, that the (Y)breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. 31 (Z)And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the (AA)breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32 (AB)Also the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a heave offering from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat, shall have the right thigh for his part. 34 For (AC)the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever.’ ”

35 This is the consecrated portion for Aaron and his sons, from the offerings made by fire to the Lord, on the day when Moses presented them to [e]minister to the Lord as priests. 36 The Lord commanded this to be given to them by the children of Israel, (AD)on the day that He anointed them, by a statute forever throughout their generations.

37 This is the law (AE)of the burnt offering, (AF)the grain offering, (AG)the sin offering, (AH)the trespass offering, (AI)the consecrations, and (AJ)the sacrifice of the peace offering, 38 which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day when He commanded the children of Israel (AK)to offer their offerings to the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai.

Aaron and His Sons Consecrated(AL)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: (AM)“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and (AN)the garments, (AO)the anointing oil, a (AP)bull as the sin offering, two (AQ)rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; and gather all the congregation together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.”

So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lord commanded to be done.”

Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and (AR)washed them with water. And he (AS)put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him. Then he put the breastplate on him, and he (AT)put the [f]Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate. (AU)And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 (AV)Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to [g]consecrate them. 12 And he (AW)poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.

13 (AX)Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons and put tunics on them, girded them with sashes, and put [h]hats on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

14 (AY)And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons (AZ)laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering, 15 and Moses killed it. (BA)Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make [i]atonement for it. 16 (BB)Then he took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar. 17 But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord (BC)had commanded Moses.

18 (BD)Then he brought the ram as the burnt offering. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 19 and Moses killed it. Then he sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses (BE)burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 Then he washed the entrails and the legs in water. And Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice for a [j]sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord, (BF)as the Lord had commanded Moses.

22 And (BG)he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 23 and Moses killed it. Also he took some of (BH)its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he brought Aaron’s sons. And Moses put some of the (BI)blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 25 (BJ)Then he took the fat and the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; 26 (BK)and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh; 27 and he put all these (BL)in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord. 28 (BM)Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar, on the burnt offering. They were consecration offerings for a sweet aroma. That was an offering made by fire to the Lord. 29 And (BN)Moses took the (BO)breast and waved it as a wave offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ (BP)part of the ram of consecration, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 Then (BQ)Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.

31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, (BR)“Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32 (BS)What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire. 33 And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For (BT)seven days he shall consecrate you. 34 (BU)As he has done this day, so the Lord has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35 Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and (BV)keep the [k]charge of the Lord, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.” 36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses.

The Priestly Ministry Begins

It came to pass on the (BW)eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young (BX)bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, (BY)‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and (BZ)a grain offering mixed with oil; for (CA)today the Lord will appear to you.’ ”

So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of meeting. And all the congregation drew near and stood [l]before the Lord. Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded you to do, and the glory of the Lord will appear to you.” And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, (CB)offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. (CC)Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.”

Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him. And he dipped his finger in the blood, put it on the horns of the altar, and poured the blood at the base of the altar. 10 (CD)But the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe from the liver of the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 (CE)The flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp.

12 And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, (CF)which he sprinkled all around on the altar. 13 (CG)Then they presented the burnt offering to him, with its pieces and head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 (CH)And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

15 (CI)Then he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one. 16 And he brought the burnt offering and offered it (CJ)according to the [m]prescribed manner. 17 Then he brought the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, (CK)besides the burnt sacrifice of the morning.

18 He also killed the bull and the ram as (CL)sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people. And Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar, 19 and the fat from the bull and the ram—the fatty tail, what covers the entrails and the kidneys, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver; 20 and they put the fat on the breasts. (CM)Then he burned the fat on the altar; 21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved (CN)as a wave offering before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.

22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, (CO)blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, 24 and (CP)fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they (CQ)shouted and fell on their (CR)faces.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 7:9 on a griddle
  2. Leviticus 7:18 his iniquity
  3. Leviticus 7:19 pure
  4. Leviticus 7:21 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; Sam., Syr., Tg. swarming thing (cf. 5:2)
  5. Leviticus 7:35 serve
  6. Leviticus 8:8 Lit. Lights and the Perfections, Ex. 28:30
  7. Leviticus 8:11 set them apart for the Lord
  8. Leviticus 8:13 headpieces
  9. Leviticus 8:15 Lit. covering
  10. Leviticus 8:21 pleasing
  11. Leviticus 8:35 office
  12. Leviticus 9:5 in the presence of
  13. Leviticus 9:16 ordinance

Conflict over Circumcision

15 And (A)certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, (B)“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that (C)Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

So, (D)being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, (E)describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

The Jerusalem Council

Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: (F)“Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, (G)who knows the heart, [a]acknowledged them by (H)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, (I)and made no distinction between us and them, (J)purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God (K)by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But (L)we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus [b]Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had (M)worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had [c]become silent, (N)James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 (O)Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

16 ‘After(P) this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the [d]Lord who does all these things.’

18 [e]“Known to God from eternity are all His works. 19 Therefore (Q)I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who (R)are turning to God, 20 but that we (S)write to them to abstain (T)from things polluted by idols, (U)from [f]sexual immorality, (V)from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, (W)being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

The Jerusalem Decree

22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named (X)Barsabas,[g] and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

23 They wrote this letter by them:

The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,

To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 Since we have heard that (Y)some who went out from us have troubled you with words, (Z)unsettling your souls, [h]saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— 25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one [i]accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 (AA)men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 (AB)that you abstain from things offered to idols, (AC)from blood, from things strangled, and from (AD)sexual[j] immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.

Farewell.

Continuing Ministry in Syria

30 So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. 32 Now Judas and Silas, themselves being (AE)prophets also, (AF)exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. 33 And after they had stayed there for a time, they were (AG)sent back with greetings from the brethren to [k]the apostles.

34 [l]However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. 35 (AH)Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Division over John Mark

36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” 37 Now Barnabas [m]was determined to take with them (AI)John called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them (AJ)the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to (AK)Cyprus; 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, (AL)being [n]commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, (AM)strengthening the churches.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 15:8 bore witness to
  2. Acts 15:11 NU, M omit Christ
  3. Acts 15:13 stopped speaking
  4. Acts 15:17 NU Lord, who makes these things
  5. Acts 15:18 NU (continuing v. 17) known from eternity (of old).
  6. Acts 15:20 Or fornication
  7. Acts 15:22 NU, M Barsabbas
  8. Acts 15:24 NU omits saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”
  9. Acts 15:25 purpose or mind
  10. Acts 15:29 Or fornication
  11. Acts 15:33 NU those who had sent them
  12. Acts 15:34 NU, M omit v. 34.
  13. Acts 15:37 resolved
  14. Acts 15:40 committed

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