NUMBERS 35

Cities for the Levites

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho, saying,

2 “Command the Israelites to give to the Levites cities to live in from the inheritance of their possession; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities.

3 The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their livestock.

4 “The pasture lands around the cities which you shall give to the Levitesshall reachfrom the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits (1,500 ft.) around.

5 You shall also measure outside the city on the east, south, west, and north sides two thousand cubits (3,000 ft.), with the city in the center. This shall belong to the Levites as pasture lands for the cities.

Cities of Refuge

6 [Among] the cities which you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall provide for the one who commits manslaughter to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities [to the Levites].

7 So you shall give to the Levites forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasture lands.

8 As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the Israelites, from the largertribesyou shall take many and from the smallertribesfew; eachtribeshall give [at least some] of its cities to the Levites in proportion to [the size of] its inheritance which it possesses.”

9 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

10 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When you cross the Jordan [River] into the land of Canaan,

11 then you shall select for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge, so that the one who kills any person unintentionally may escape there.

12 ~‘The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who has caused the death of another will not be killed until he has had a [fair] trial before the congregation.

13 ~‘The cities which you are to provide shall be your six cities of refuge.

14 ~‘You shall provide three cities on this [east] side of the Jordan [River], and three [more] cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be the cities of refuge.

15 ~‘These six cities shall be a refuge for the Israelites and for the stranger and the resident alien among them; so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may escape there.

16 ‘But if he struckhis victim down [intentionally] with an iron object so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

17 ~‘If he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a stone in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

18 ~‘Or if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a wooden object in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

19 ~‘The blood avenger shall himself put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.

20 ~‘But if he pushed his victim out of hatred or threw something at him with malicious intent, and he died,

21 or if, in enmity, he struck the victim down with his hand, and he died, the one that struck the victim shall certainly be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 ‘But if he pushed the victim suddenly, not in enmity, or threw anything at him without malicious intent,

23 or without seeing him hit him [accidentally] with a stone object that could kill him, and he died, and [the offender] was not his enemy nor intending to harm him,

24 then the congregation shall judge between the offender and the blood avenger according to these ordinances.

25 ~‘The congregation shall rescue the offender from the hand of the blood avenger and return him to his city of refuge, [the place] to which he had escaped; and he shall live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the sacred oil.

26 ~‘But if at any time the one guilty of manslaughter comes outside the border of his city of refuge to which he fled,

27 and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills the offender, the blood avenger will not be guilty of murder,

28 because the offender should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the high priest’s death the offender shall return to the land of his possession.

29 ‘These things shall be a statute for you throughout your generations wherever you may be.

30 ‘If anyone kills a person [intentionally], the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of [two or more] witnesses; but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of [only] one witness.

31 ~‘Moreover, you shall not accept a ransom [in exchange] for the life of a murderer guiltyand sentencedto death; but he shall certainly be put to death.

32 ~‘You shall not accept a ransom for him who has escaped to his city of refuge, so that he may return to live in his [own] land before the death of the high priest.

33 ~‘So you shall not polluteanddefile the land in which you live; for [the shedding of innocent] blood pollutesanddefiles the land. No atonement (expiation) can be made for the land for the [innocent] blood shed in it, except by the blood (execution) of him who shed it.

34 ~‘You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I live, for I, the Lord, live among the people of Israel.’”

NUMBERS 36

Inheritance by Marriage

1 The leaders of the fathers’householdsof the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, approached and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’householdsof the Israelites,

2 and they said, “The Lordcommanded my lord [Moses] to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the Lordto give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.

3 But if the daughters marry any of the men from any of theothertribes of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken away from that of our fathers (tribal ancestors) and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so it will be taken away from our allotted inheritance.

4 When the [year of] Jubilee of the Israelites comes, then their inheritance will be added [permanently] to that of the tribe to which they belong; so their inheritance will be taken away from that of the tribe of our fathers (tribal ancestors).”

5 Then Moses commanded the Israelites in accordance with the word of the Lord, saying, “The statement of the tribe of the sons of Joseph is correct.

6 This is what the Lordcommands regarding the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.’

7 So no inheritance of the Israelites shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for every one of the Israelites shall hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers (tribal ancestors).

8 Every daughter who possesses an inheritance [of land] in any one of the tribes of the Israelites shall marry [only] a man whose family is of her father’s tribe, so that the Israelites may each possess the inheritance of his fathers (tribal ancestors).

9 So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, but each of the tribes of the Israelites shall hold to its own inheritance.”

10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lordcommanded Moses.

11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers.

12 They married into the families of the descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.

13 These are the commandments and the ordinances (judgments) which the Lordcommanded through Moses to the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.

LEVITICUS 1

The Law of Burnt Offerings

1 The Lordcalled to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,

2 “Speak to thechildren of Israel and say to them, ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of [domestic] animals from the herd (cattle, oxen) or from the flock (sheep, goats).

3 ~‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting so that he may be accepted before the Lord.

4 ~‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], that it may beaccepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

5 ~‘He shall kill the young bull before the Lord; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

6 ~‘Then he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

7 ~‘The sons of Aaron the [high] priest shall put fire on the altar [of burnt offering] and arrange wood on the fire.

8 ~‘Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat, on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar.

9 ~‘But he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering. It is an offering by fire, a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.

10 ‘But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, as a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without blemish.

11 ~‘He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

12 ~‘He shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar.

13 ~‘But he shall wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.

14 ‘But if his offering to the Lordis a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring turtledoves or young pigeons as his offering.

15 ~‘The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

16 ~‘He shall remove itscrop with its feathers and throw it next to the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes.

17 ~‘Then he shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.

LEVITICUS 2

The Law of Grain Offerings

1 ‘Whenanyone presents a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour [olive] oil over it and put frankincense on it.

2 ~‘He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. Out of it he shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall offer this up in smoke on the altar [of burnt offering] as the memorial portion of it. It is an offering by fire, a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.

3 ~‘What is left of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings to the Lordby fire.

4 ‘When you bring an offering of grain baked in the oven, it shall beunleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.

5 ~‘If your offering is grain baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine unleavened flour, mixed with oil.

6 ~‘You are to break it into pieces, and you shall pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

7 ~‘Now if your offering is grain cooked in a lidded pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

8 ~‘When you bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord, it shall be presented to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar [of burnt offering].

9 ~‘The priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar. It is an offering by fire, a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.

10 ~‘What is left of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings to the Lordby fire.

11 ‘No grain offering that you bring to the Lordshall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven [which symbolizes the spread of sin] or any honey [which, like leaven, is subject to fermentation] in any offering by fire to the Lord.

12 ~‘As an offering of first fruits you may offer them [leaven and honey] to the Lord, but they shall not go up [in smoke] on the altar as a sweetandsoothing aroma.

13 ~‘You shall season every grain offering with salt so that the salt (preservation) of the covenant of your God will not be missing from your grain offering. You shall offer salt with all your offerings.

14 ‘If you bring a grain offering of early ripened things to the Lord, you shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, crushed grain of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things.

15 ~‘You shall put oil on it and lay incense on it; it is a grain offering.

16 ~‘The priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of the crushed grain and part of its oil with all its incense; it is an offering by fire to the Lord.

LEVITICUS 3

The Law of Peace Offerings

1 ‘If a man’s offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.

2 ~‘He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice] and kill it at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.

3 ~‘From the sacrifice of the peace offerings, an offering by fire to the Lord, he shall present the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails,

4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and thelobe of the liver which he shall remove with the kidneys.

5 ~‘Aaron’s sons shall offer it up in smoke on the altar [placing it] on the burnt offering which is on the wood that is on the fire. It is an offering by fire, a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.

6 ~‘If his peace offering to the Lordis an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer the animal without blemish.

7 ~‘If he offers a lamb as his offering, then he shall present it before the Lord,

8 and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it before the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

9 ~‘From the sacrifice of peace offerings he shall bring as an offering by fire to the Lord, its fat, the entire fat tail which he shall remove close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails,

10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

11 ~‘The priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as food, an offering by fire to the Lord.

12 ‘If his offering is a goat, he shall present it before the Lord,

13 and he shall lay his hand on its head [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

14 ~‘Then he shall present from it as his offering, an offering by fire to the Lord: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails,

15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver which he shall remove with the kidneys.

16 ~‘The priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as food. It is an offering by fire, a sweetandsoothing aroma; all the fat is the Lord’s.

17 ~‘It is a permanent statute for your generations wherever you may be, that you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”

LEVITICUS 4

The Law of Sin Offerings

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the Lordhas commanded not to be done, and commits any of them–

3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer to the Lorda young bull without blemish as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

4 ~‘He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord, and shall lay his hand on the bull’s head [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice] and kill the bull before the Lord.

5 ~‘Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the Tent of Meeting;

6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lordin front of the veil (curtain) of the sanctuary.

7 ~‘The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the Lordin the Tent of Meeting. All therest of theblood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of the burnt offering which is at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

8 ~‘He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering–the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails,

9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys

10 (just as these are removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings), and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering.

11 ~‘But the hide of the bull and all its meat, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its refuse,

12 that is,all the rest ofthe bull, he is to bring outside the camp to a clean place where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on a fire of wood. Where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13 ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they have done any one of the things which the Lordhas commanded not to be done, and they become guilty;

14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the congregation shall offer a young bull of the herd as a sin offering and bring it before the Tent of Meeting.

15 ~‘Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord[to transfer symbolically the congregation’s guilt to the sacrifice], and they shall kill the bull before the Lord.

16 ~‘The anointed priest is to bring some of the bull’s blood to the Tent of Meeting,

17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil [which screens off the Holy of Holies and the ark of the covenant].

18 ~‘He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar [of incense] which is before the Lordin the Tent of Meeting; and he shall pour out allthe rest ofthe blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

19 ~‘He shall remove all its fat from the bull and offer it up in smoke on the altar.

20 ~‘He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; that is what he shall do with this. So the priest shall make atonement for [the sin of] the people, and they will be forgiven.

21 ~‘Then the priest is to bring the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the congregation.

22 ‘When a rulerorleader sins and unintentionally does any one of the things the Lordhis God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty,

23 if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring a goat, a male without blemish as his offering.

24 ~‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the male goat [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord; it is a sin offering.

25 ~‘Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; andthe rest ofits blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

26 ~‘And he shall offer all its fat up in smoke on the altar like the fat from the sacrifice of peace offerings; so the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 ‘If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing any of the things the Lordhas commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty,

28 if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he shall bring a goat, a female without blemish as his offering for the sin which he has committed.

29 ~‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], and kill it at the place of the burnt offering.

30 ~‘The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and shall pour out allthe rest ofits blood at the base of the altar.

31 ~‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

32 ‘If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish.

33 ~‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], and kill it as a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.

34 ~‘The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and allthe rest ofthe blood of the lamb he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

35 ~‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the Lord. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to the sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

LEVITICUS 5

The Law of Guilt Offerings

1 ‘If anyone sins after he hears apublic adjuration (solemn command to testify) when he is a witness, whether he has seen or [otherwise] known [something]–if he fails to report it, then he will bear his guiltandbe held responsible.

2 ~‘Or if someone touches any [ceremonially] unclean thing–whether the carcass of an unclean wild animal or the carcass of an unclean domestic animal or the carcass of unclean creeping things–even if he is unaware of it, he has become unclean, and he will be guilty.

3 ~‘Or if he touches human uncleanness–whatever kind it may be–and he becomes unclean, but he is unaware of it, when he recognizes it, he will be guilty.

4 ~‘Or if anyone swears [an oath] thoughtlesslyorimpulsivelyaloud that he will do either evil or good, in whatever manner a person may speak thoughtlesslyorimpulsively with an oath, but he is unaware of it, when he recognizes it, he will be guilty in one of these.

5 ~‘So it shall be when a person is guilty in one of these, that he shall confess the sin he has committed.

6 ~‘He shall bring his guilt offering to the Lordfor the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

7 ‘But if hecannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as his guilt offering for his sin to the Lord, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.

8 ~‘He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering, and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but shall not sever it [completely].

9 ~‘He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.

10 ~‘The second [bird] he shall prepare as a burnt offering, according to the ordinance. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for the sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him.

11 ‘But if he cannot afford to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for his sin the tenth part of anephah of fine flour as a sin offering; he shall not put [olive] oil or incense on it, for it is a sin offering.

12 ~‘He shall bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire to the Lord; it is a sin offering.

13 ~‘In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in one of these things, and it will be forgiven him; thenthe restshall be for the priest, like the grain offering.’”

14 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

15 “If a person commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally against the holy things of the Lord, then he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, valued by you in shekels of silver, that is, the shekel of the sanctuary, as a guilt offering.

16 He shall make restitution for the sin which he has committed against the holy thing, and shall add a fifth [of the ram’s value] to it, and give it to the priest. The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.

17 “Now if anyone sins and does any of the things which the Lordhas forbidden, though he was not aware of it, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.

18 He is then to bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him regarding the error which he committed unintentionally and did not know it, and he shall be forgiven.

19 It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the Lord.”

LEVITICUS 6

Guilt Offerings

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “When anyone sins and acts unfaithfully against the Lordby deceiving his neighbor (companion, associate) in regard to a deposit or a security entrustedto him, or through robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor,

3 or has found what was lost and lied about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins in regard to any one of the things a man may do–

4 then if he has sinned and is guilty, he shall restore what he took by robbery, or what he got by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him, or the lost thing which he found,

5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely; he shall not only restore it in full, but shall add to it one-fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day of his guilt offering.

6 Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, as valued by you, as a guilt offering.

7 The priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt.”

The Priest’s Part in the Offerings

8 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: the burnt offeringshall remainon the hearththat ison the altar all night until morning and the fire is to be kept burning on the altar.

10 ~‘The priest is to put on his linen robe, with his linen undergarments next to his body. Then he shall take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar and put them beside the altar.

11 ~‘Then he shall take off his garments and put on something else, and take the ashes outside the camp to a (ceremonially) clean place.

12 ~‘The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not [be allowed to] go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and offer the fat portions of the peace offerings up in smoke on it.

13 ~‘The fire shall be burning continually on the altar; it shall not [be allowed to] go out.

14 ‘Now this is the law of the grain offering: the sons of Aaron shall present it before the Lordin front of the altar.

15 ~‘One of them shall take up from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering with its oil and all the incense that is on the grain offering, and he shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, a sweetandsoothing aroma, as the memorial offering to the Lord.

16 ~‘What is left of it Aaron and his sons are to eat. It shall be eaten as unleavened bread in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.

17 ~‘It shall not be baked with leaven [which represents corruption or sin]. I have given it as their share of My offerings by fire; it ismost holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.

18 ~‘Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it [as his share]; it is a permanent ordinance throughout your generations, from offerings by fire to the Lord.Whatever touches them will become consecrated (ceremonially clean).’”

19 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

20 “This is the offering which Aaron and his sons are to present to the Lordon the day when he is anointed: the tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.

21 It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle. When it is well stirred, you shall bring it. You shall present the grain offering in baked pieces as a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.

22 The priest from among the sons of Aaron who is anointed in his place shall offer it. By a permanent statute it shall be entirely offered up in smoke to the Lord.

23 So every grain offering of the priest shall be burned entirely. It shall not be eaten.”

24 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

25 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: the sin offering shall be killed before the Lordin the [same] place where the burnt offering is killed; it is most holy.

26 ~‘The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.

27 ~‘Whatever touches its meat will become consecrated (ceremonially clean). When any of its blood splashes on a garment, you shall wash what was splashed on in a holy place.

28 ~‘Also the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then that vessel shall be scoured and rinsed in water.

29 ~‘Every male among the priests may eat this offering; it is most holy.

30 ~‘But no sin offering from which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place shall be eaten; it shall be [completely] burned in the fire.

LEVITICUS 7

The Priest’s Part in the Offerings

1 ‘This is the law of the guilt offering; it is most holy.

2 ~‘In the place where they kill the burnt offering they are to kill the guilt offering, and he shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

3 ~‘Then he shall offer all its fat, the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails,

4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

5 ~‘The priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a guilt offering.

6 ~‘Every male among the priests may eat it; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

7 ~‘The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is one law for [both of] them: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it for himself.

8 ~‘The priest who presents any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the hide of the burnt offering which he has presented.

9 ~‘Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in the oven and everything that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who presents it.

10 ~‘Every grain offering, mixed with [olive] oil or dry, all the sons of Aaron may have, one as well as another.

11 ‘Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the Lord:

12 ~‘If one offers it as asacrificial meal ofthanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.

13 ~‘With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread.

14 ~‘Of this he shall present one [cake] from each offering as a contribution to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.

15 ‘The meat of the sacrifice of thanksgiving presented as a peace offering shall be eaten on the day that it is offered; none of it shall be left until morning.

16 ~‘But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day that which remains of it may be eaten;

17 but what is left over from the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be [completely] burned in the fire.

18 ~‘If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is ever eaten on the third day, then it will not be accepted, and the one who brought it will not be credited with it. It shall be an abhorred (offensive) thing; the one who eats it shall bear his own guilt.

19 ‘The meat that comes in contact with anything that is unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned in the fire. As for other meat, everyone who is [ceremonially] clean may eat it.

20 ~‘But the one who eats meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the Lord, in his uncleanness, that person shall becut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].

21 ~‘When anyone touches any unclean thing–human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any uncleandetestable thing–and then eats the meat of the sacrifice of the Lord’speace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].’”

22 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

23 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall not eat any fat from an ox, a sheep, or a goat.

24 ~‘The fat of an animal which dies [of natural causes] and the fat of one which is torn [to pieces by a predator] may be put to any other use, but under no circumstances are you to eat it.

25 ~‘For whoever eats the fat of the animal from which an offering by fire is presented to the Lord, that person who eats shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].

26 ~‘Moreover, you are not to eat any blood [of any kind], whether of bird or animal, in any of your dwelling places.

27 ~‘Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.’”

28 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

29 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lordshall bring his offering to the Lordfrom the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

30 ~‘With his own hands he is to bring offerings by fire to the Lord; he shall bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be presented as a wave offering before the Lord.

31 ~‘The priest shall offer up the fat in smoke on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons.

32 ~‘You shall give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

33 ~‘The son of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh as his portion.

34 ~‘For I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering from the Israelites, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their perpetual portion from the Israelites.

35 ‘This is theconsecratedportion from the offerings by fire to the Lordthat was designated for Aaron and his sons on the day he presented them to serve as priests to the Lord.

36 ~‘The Lordcommanded this to be given to the priests by the Israelites on the day that He anointed them. It istheirportion perpetually throughout their generations.’”

37 This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the consecration (ordination) offering, and the sacrifice of peace offerings,

38 which the Lordcommanded Moses at Mount Sinai on the day He commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord, in the Wilderness of Sinai.

LEVITICUS 8

The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments [which are symbols of their office], and the anointing oil, and the bull for the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;

3 and assemble the entire congregation at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.”

4 Moses did as the Lordcommanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

5 Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lordhas commanded us to do.”

6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

7 He put the undertunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him in the robe, and put theephod (an upper vestment) on him. He tied the [skillfully woven] band of the ephod around him, with which he secured it to Aaron.

8 Moses then put the breastpiece on Aaron, and he put in the breastpiece the Urim and the Thummim [the sacred articles the high priest used when seeking God’s will concerning the nation].

9 He also put the turban on Aaron’s head, and on it, in the front, Moses placed the golden plate, the holy crown, just as the Lordhad commanded him.

10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.

11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.

12 Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.

13 Next Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward, put undertunics on them, belted them with sashes, and bound caps on them, just as the Lordhad commanded Moses.

14 Then he brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull.

15 Next Moses killed it and took the blood and with his finger putsome of itaround on the horns of the altar and purified it [from sin]. Then he poured out therest of theblood at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it.

16 He took all the fat that was on the entrails, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses offered them up in smoke on the altar.

17 But the bull (the sin offering) and its hide, its meat, and its refuse he burned in the fire outside the camp, just as the Lordhad commanded Moses.

18 He brought the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

19 Moses killed it and sprinkled the blood around on the altar.

20 When he had cut the ram into pieces, Moses offered up the head, the pieces, and the fat in smoke.

21 After he had washed the entrails and the legs in water, Moses offered up the whole ram in smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a sweetandsoothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord, just as the Lordhad commanded Moses.

22 Then he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration (ordination), and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

23 Moses killed it and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

24 He also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, and the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet; and Moses sprinkled therest of theblood around on the altar.

25 He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh;

26 and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer and put them on the fat and on the right thigh;

27 and he put allthese thingsin Aaron’s hands and his sons’ hands and presented them as a wave offering before the Lord.

28 Then Moses took these things from their hands and offered them up in smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. They were a consecration (ordination) offering for a sweetandsoothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.

29 Moses also took the breast and presented it as a wave offering before the Lord; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecration (ordination), just as the Lordhad commanded Moses.

30 So Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and their garments with him; so Moses consecrated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

31 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting and eat it there together with the bread that is in the basket of the consecration (ordination) offering, just as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’

32 And what remains of the meat and of the bread you shall burn in the fire.

33 You shall not go outside the doorway of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration (ordination) are ended; for it will take seven days to consecrate you.

34 As has been done this day, so the Lordhas commanded to do for your atonement.

35 You shall remain day and night for seven days at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, doing what the Lord has required you to do, so that you will not die; for so I (Moses) have been commanded.”

36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lordhad commanded through Moses.