Leviticus 8–12

Installing the Priests

8Then^a Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of the unleavened bread, ³and summon all of the community to the entrance to^b the tent of assembly.” ⁴So^c Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him, and the community gathered by the entrance to^d the tent of assembly.

⁵Then^e Moses said to the community, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded to be done.”^f

⁶So^g Moses brought Aaron and his sons near, and he washed them with water. ⁷Then^h he put the tunic on him and tiedⁱ the sash around him; then^j he clothed him with the robe and put^k the ephod on him; then^l he tied the ephod’s waistband around him and fastened^m the ephodⁿ to him with it. ⁸Then^o he placed the breastpiece on him and put^p the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece; ⁹and he placed the turban on his head, and on the front of^q the turban he placed the gold rosette, the holy diadem, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

¹⁰Then^r Moses took the anointing oil and anointed^s the tabernacle and all that was in it, and he consecrated them. ¹¹And he spattered part of^t it on the altar seven times—thus^u he anointed the altar and all of its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. ¹²Then^v he poured out part of^w the anointing oil on Aaron’s head—thus^x he anointed him in order to consecrate him. ¹³Then^y Moses brought Aaron’s sons near and clothed^z them with tunics and tied^a a sash around each one,^b and he bound headbands on^c them, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

The Offerings for Consecration

¹⁴Then^d he brought forth the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering, ¹⁵and he slaughtered it, and Moses took the blood and put^e it with his finger on the altar’s horns all around and purified the altar; then^f he poured the blood out on the altar’s base—thus^g he consecrated it in order to make atonement for it.^{h 16}Thenⁱ he took all the fat that was on the inner parts^j and the lobe on the liver and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses turned them into smoke on the altar, ¹⁷but^k he burned the bull and its skin and its meat and its offal in the fire outside the camp,^l just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

¹⁸Then^m he brought the ram of the burnt offering near, and Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the ram’s head, ¹⁹and he slaughtered it. Thenⁿ Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar all around. ²⁰Then^o he cut the ram into pieces, and Moses turned into smoke the head and the pieces and the suet, ²¹but^p he washed the inner parts^q and the lower leg bones with water, and Moses turned into smoke all of the ram on the altar; it was a burnt offering as an appeasing fragrance, an offering made by fire for^r Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

²²Then^s he brought the second ram near, the ram of the consecration, and Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the ram’s head, ²³and he slaughtered it. Then^t Moses took some of^u its blood and put^v it on Aaron’s right ear lobe and on his right hand’s thumb and on his right foot’s big toe. ²⁴Then^w he brought Aaron’s sons near, and Moses put some of^x the blood on their right ear lobe and on their right hand’s thumb and on their right foot’s big toe, and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar all around.

²⁵Then^y he took the fat and the fat tail and all of the fat that was on the inner parts^z and the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and their fat and the right upper thigh; ²⁶and from the basket of the unleavened bread that was before Yahweh he took one ring-shaped unleavened bread and one ring-shaped bread with^a oil and one wafer, and he placed them on the fat parts^b and on the right upper thigh. ²⁷Then^c he put all of these^d on Aaron’s palms and on his sons’ palms, and he waved them as a wave offering before^e Yahweh. ²⁸Then^f Moses took them from upon their palms, and he turned them into smoke upon the burnt offering on the altar; they were a consecration offering as an appeasing fragrance—it was an offering made by fire for^g Yahweh. ²⁹Then^h Moses took the breast section, and he waved it as a wave offering beforeⁱ Yahweh from the ram of the consecration offering; it was Moses’ share, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Anointing the Priests and Their Garments

³⁰Then^j Moses took some of^k the anointing oil and some of^l the blood that was on the altar, and he spattered them on Aaron, on his garments, and on Aaron’s sons and on his sons’ garments with him—thus^m he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

³¹Thenⁿ Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat in the entrance to^o the tent of assembly, and there you must eat it and the bread that is in the basket of the consecration offering, just as I have commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons must eat it,’ ³²but^p the remainder of the meat and the bread you^q must burn in the fire. ³³And you must not go out from the entrance to^r the tent of assembly for seven days, until the day of fulfilling the days of your^s consecration, because it will take seven days to ordain you.^{t 34}Just as was done^u on this day, Yahweh commanded to be done^v in order to make atonement for you.^{w 35}And you^x must stay at the entrance to^y the tent of assembly day and night for seven days, and you^z shall keep the obligation from^a Yahweh, so you^b might not die, for thus I have been commanded.” ³⁶So^c Aaron and his sons did all the things that Yahweh had commanded through^d Moses.

Worship at the Tent of Assembly

9Then^a on the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and Israel’s elders, ²and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf^b as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without defect,^c and present them before^d Yahweh. ³Then^e you^f must speak to the Israelites,^g saying, ‘Take a he-goat^h as a sin offering and a bull calf and a male sheep, yearlingsⁱ without defect,^j as a burnt offering, ⁴and an ox and a ram as fellowship offerings to sacrifice before^k Yahweh, and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today Yahweh will appear to you.”^{l 5}So^m they took what Moses had commanded to the front ofⁿ the tent of assembly, and the whole community presented themselves, and they stood before^o Yahweh.

⁶Then^p Moses said, “This is the word that Yahweh commanded you^q to do so that^r the glory of Yahweh might appear to you.”^{s 7}Then^t Moses said to Aaron, “Approach^u the altar and sacrifice^v your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice^w the people’s offering and make atonement for them, just as Yahweh has commanded.”

⁸Then^x Aaron approached^y the altar, and he slaughtered the bull calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. ⁹Then^z Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and he put it on the altar’s horns, and he poured out the blood on the altar’s base. ¹⁰And the fat and the kidneys and the lobe from the sin offering’s liver^a he turned into smoke on the altar, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, ¹¹but^b the meat and the skin he burned with fire^c outside the camp.^d

¹²Then^e he slaughtered the burnt offering, and Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar all around; ¹³and they brought the burnt offering to him by its pieces, as well as^f the head, and he turned them into smoke on the altar; ¹⁴and he washed the inner parts^g and the lower leg bones, then^h he turned them into smoke upon the burnt offering on the altar.

¹⁵Thenⁱ he presented the people’s offering, and he took the goat of the sin offering, which was for the people, and he slaughtered it and offered^j it as a sin offering like the first one. ¹⁶Then^k he presented the burnt offering, and he sacrificed^l it according to the regulation. ¹⁷Then^m he presented the grain offering, and he filled his palm with some ofⁿ it, and he turned it into smoke on the altar besides the morning’s burnt offering. ¹⁸Then^o he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the fellowship offerings that are for the people, and Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar all around. ¹⁹And as for the fat portions from the ox and from the ram (the fat tail and the layer of fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver), ²⁰they placed the fat portions on the breast sections, and he turned the fat portions into smoke on the altar. ²¹Then^p Aaron waved the breast sections and the right upper thigh as a wave offering before^q Yahweh, just as Moses had commanded.

²²Then^r Aaron lifted his hand toward^s the people, and he blessed them, and he came down after^t sacrificing^u the sin offering and the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings. ²³Then^v Moses and Aaron entered the tent of assembly. When^w they came out, they blessed^x the people, and Yahweh’s glory appeared to all the people. ²⁴Then^y a fire went out from before^z Yahweh, and it consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And all the people saw it, so^a they shouted for joy, and they fell on their faces.

The Deaths of Nadab and Abihu

10And Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, and they put fire in them and placed incense on it;^a then^b they presented before^c Yahweh illegitimate fire, which he had not commanded them. ²So^d fire went out from before^e Yahweh, and it consumed them so that^f they died before^g Yahweh. ³Therefore^h Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke, saying, ‘Among those who are close to me I will show myself holy, and in the presence ofⁱ all the people I will display my glory.’ ”^j So^k Aaron was silent.

⁴Then^l Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and he said to them, “Come forward.^m Carry your brothers from the front ofⁿ the sanctuary to outside the camp.”^{o 5}So^p they came forward,^q and they carried them outside the camp^r in their tunics, just as Moses had ordered.

⁶Then^s…