Leviticus 9–10

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 Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “You must not let your hair hang loosely, and you must not tear your garments, so that^t you will not die and he^u will be angry with all the community. But^v your brothers, all the house of Israel, may weep because of the burning that Yahweh caused,^{w 7}but^x you must not go out from the entrance to^y the tent of assembly lest you die, because Yahweh’s anointing oil is on you.” So^z they did according to Moses’ word.

Lasting Statutes

⁸Then^a Yahweh spoke to Aaron, saying, ⁹“You and your sons with you may not drink wine or^b strong drink when you come to the tent of assembly, so that^c you will not die—it is a lasting statute for your^d generations— ¹⁰and to distinguish between the holy and the unholy,^e as well as^f between the unclean and the clean, ¹¹and to teach the Israelites^g all the rules that Yahweh has spoken to them through^h Moses.”

¹²Thenⁱ Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “As for the remaining parts,^j take the remainder of the grain offering from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire and eat it, the unleavened bread, beside the altar, because it is a most holy thing.^{k 13}And you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your allotted portion and the allotted portion of your sons from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire, for so I have been commanded. ¹⁴And the wave offering’s breast section and the upper thigh of the contribution offering you^l must eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, because they are given as your allotted portion and your sons’ allotted portion from the sacrifices of the Israelites’^m fellowship offerings. ¹⁵They must bring the thigh of the contribution offering and the breast section of the wave offering in addition to the offerings made by fire, consisting of the fat portions, to wave as a wave offering beforeⁿ Yahweh; and it will be for you and for your sons with you as a lasting rule, just as Yahweh had commanded.”

The Problem of the Uneaten Sin Offering

¹⁶Then^o Moses sought all over for the goat of the sin offering and behold, it was burned up. So^p he was angry with Aaron’s remaining sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, ¹⁷“Why did you not eat the sin offering on the sanctuary’s site, because it is a most holy thing?^q And he gave it to you to remove the community’s guilt, to make atonement for them before^r Yahweh. ¹⁸Look, its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary.^s Certainly you should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”

¹⁹So^t Aaron said to Moses, “Look, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before^u Yahweh, and things such as these have happened to me, and if I were to eat a sin offering today, would it have been good in Yahweh’s eyes?” ²⁰When^v Moses heard, it^w was good in his eyes.