Leviticus 10–20

10TH CHAPTER

Improper Conduct for Priests

¹Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took an incense burner and put burning coals and incense in it. Then in the Lord’s presence they offered this unauthorized fire. ²A fire flashed from the Lord and burned them, and they died in the presence of the Lord. 

³Moses said to Aaron, “This is exactly what the Lord said: 

‘I will show my holiness among those who come to me. 

I will show my glory to all the people.’ ” 

Aaron was speechless. 

⁴Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle, Uzziel. He told them, “Come and take your relatives away from in front of the holy place. Take them outside the camp.” ⁵So they came and took them away to a place outside the camp, as Moses told them. The dead men were still in their linen robes. 

⁶Moses told Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: “Do not mourn by leaving your hair uncombed or tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die and the Lord will become angry with the whole congregation. All the other Israelites may cry over the fire the Lord sent, but you may not. ⁷You must not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or else you, too, will die, because the Lord has anointed you with his oil.” They obeyed Moses. 

Proper Conduct for Priests

⁸The Lord spoke to Aaron, ⁹“You and your sons must not drink any wine or liquor when you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a permanent law for generations to come. ¹⁰Teach them the difference between what is holy and what is unholy, what is clean and what is unclean.^a11Also teach the Israelites all the laws that I gave them through Moses.” 

¹²Moses told Aaron and his surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering left over from the offering by fire to the Lord. Make unleavened bread, and eat it next to the altar because it is very holy. ¹³Eat it in a holy place because it is the part of the offering by fire to the Lord that belongs to you and your children. That is the command I received. ¹⁴Also eat the breast presented ⸤to the Lord⸥ and the thigh that was given as a contribution. You and your sons and daughters may eat them in a clean place because they are your part of the fellowship offerings from the Israelites. ¹⁵They will bring the thigh given as a contribution, the breast presented ⸤to the Lord⸥, and the fat that is to be burned and present them to the Lord. These parts will belong to you and your children. This will be a permanent law, as the Lord has commanded.” 

Eleazar and Ithamar Sacrifice the Offering for Sin

¹⁶Moses tried to find out what had happened to the male goat that was supposed to be the offering for sin. To his surprise, it had already been burned. So he became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s surviving sons. ¹⁷He asked them, “Why didn’t you eat the offering for sin in the holy place? It is very holy and was given to you to take away the sins of the congregation and to make peace with the Lord for them. ¹⁸Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you certainly should have eaten it there, as I commanded.” 

¹⁹Aaron answered Moses, “Today they sacrificed their offering for sin and their burnt offering in the Lord’s presence, and look what happened to me. If I had eaten the offering for sin today, would the Lord have approved?” 

²⁰When Moses heard this, he was satisfied. 

11TH CHAPTER

Laws About Animals the Israelites May and May Not Eat—Deuteronomy 14:3–20

¹The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ²“Tell the Israelites: Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat: ³all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud. ⁴However, from those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs, these are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. (Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁵You must never eat rock badgers. (Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁶You must never eat rabbits. (Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁷You must never eat pigs. (Because pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud, they are also unclean.) ⁸Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you. 

⁹“Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water which you may eat—anything in the seas and streams that has fins and scales. ¹⁰However, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting. ¹¹They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies disgusting. ¹²Every creature in the water without fins or scales is disgusting to you. 

¹³“Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, ¹⁴kites, all types of buzzards, ¹⁵all types of crows, ¹⁶ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons, ¹⁷little owls, cormorants, great owls, ¹⁸barn owls, pelicans, ospreys, ¹⁹storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats. 

²⁰“Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. ²¹However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground. ²²You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper. ²³Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. 

²⁴“Regarding the creatures mentioned above, this is how you would become unclean: Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁵Whoever carries any part of their dead bodies must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. ²⁶All animals whose hoofs are not completely divided or that don’t chew their cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them is unclean. ²⁷All four-legged animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁸Those who carry the dead body of any of these animals must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you. 

²⁹“The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you—moles, mice, and all types of lizards: ³⁰geckos, monitors, lizards, skinks, and chameleons. ³¹Among all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ³²When the dead body of one of these creatures falls on something, that thing will be unclean. It may be a wooden article, clothing, leather, a sack, or anything used for any purpose. It should be put in water and will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean ⸤again⸥. 

³³“If any of these creatures falls into a piece of pottery, break the pottery because everything in it is unclean. ³⁴If water ⸤from that pottery⸥ touches any food, the food is unclean. Any liquid that you drink from that pottery is unclean. ³⁵Anything on which their dead bodies fall is unclean. If it is an oven or a stove, smash it. It is unclean and will remain unclean for you. ³⁶However, a spring or a cistern holding water will remain clean. But anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean. ³⁷If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean. ³⁸But if water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you. 

³⁹“When any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰Those who eat any of its dead body must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. Those who carry its dead body away will wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. 

⁴¹“Any creature that swarms on the ground is disgusting and must not be eaten. ⁴²Don’t eat any creature with many legs that goes on its belly or on the ground like a four-legged animal, or any creature that swarms on the ground. Consider them disgusting. ⁴³Don’t become disgusting by eating anything that swarms on the ground. Never allow yourselves to become unclean because of them. 

⁴⁴“Here is the reason: I am the Lord your God. You must live holy lives. Be holy because I am holy. Never become unclean by touching anything that swarms or crawls on the ground. ⁴⁵Here is the reason ⸤again⸥: I am the Lord. I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. Be holy because I am holy. 

⁴⁶“These are the instructions about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground. ⁴⁷These instructions help you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat.” 

12TH CHAPTER

Instructions for Women after Childbirth

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, ²“Tell the Israelites: When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days. This is the same number of days she is unclean for her monthly period. ³The boy must be circumcised when he is eight days old. ⁴Then she must stay at home for 33 days in order to be made clean from her bleeding. She must not touch anything holy or go into the holy place until the days needed to make her clean are over. 

⁵“When a woman gives birth to a girl, she will be unclean as in her monthly period. However, she will be unclean for two weeks. Then she must stay at home for 66 days in order to be made clean from her bleeding. 

⁶“When the days needed to make her clean are over, she must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a mourning dove as an offering for sin. She must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷The priest will offer them in the Lord’s presence to make peace with the Lord for her. Then she will be clean from her flow of blood. 

“These are the instructions for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. ⁸If she cannot afford a lamb, she must use two mourning doves or two pigeons. One will be the burnt offering and the other the offering for…