^22:20You must not present anything that has a flaw,⁴⁰ because it will not be acceptable for your benefit.⁴¹^22:21If a man presents a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering⁴² or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable;⁴³ it must have no flaw.⁴⁴

^22:22“ ‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore,⁴⁵ or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash.⁴⁶ You must not give any of these as a gift⁴⁷ on the altar to the Lord. ^22:23As for an ox⁴⁸ or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted,⁴⁹ you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering.⁵⁰^22:24You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off;⁵¹ you must not do this in your land. ^22:25Even from a foreigner⁵² you must not present the food of your God from such animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed;⁵³ they will not be acceptable for your benefit.’ ”

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Footnotes

40 Heb “all which in it [is] a flaw.” Note that the same term is used for physical flaws of people in Lev 21:17–24. Cf. , , “blemish”; , , “defect”; “with physical defects.”
41 Heb “not for acceptance shall it be for you”; “it will not be accepted on your behalf” ( and both similar).
42 The meaning of the expression לְפַלֵּא־נֶדֶר (léfalle’-neder) rendered here “for a special votive offering” is much debated. Some take it as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., פלא piel and ; cf. , “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” ( פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלַא (pala’, “to be wonderful, to be remarkable”); cf. J. Milgrom, Numbers (), . B. A. Levine, Leviticus (), and , suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה [palah, “to set aside”]). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice arises as a special gift to God out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.
43 Heb “for acceptance”; “if it is to find acceptance.”
44 Heb “all/any flaw shall not be in it.”
45 Or perhaps “a wart” (cf. ; יַבֶּלֶת, but see the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], ).
46 See the note on above.
47 This term for offering “gift” is explained in the note on .
48 Heb “And an ox.”
49 Heb “and stunted” (see I קלט).
50 The freewill offering was voluntary, so the regulations regarding it were more relaxed. Once a vow was made, the paying of it was not voluntary (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [], , for very helpful remarks on this verse).
51 Compare Lev 21:20b.
52 Heb “And from the hand of a son of a foreigner.”
53 Heb “for their being ruined [is] in them, flaw is in them”; “are mutilated, with a blemish in them”; “are deformed and have defects.” The term מָשְׁחָתָם (moshkhatam, “their being ruined”) is a Muqtal form (= Hophal participle) from שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to ruin”). has plural בהם משׁחתים (“deformities in them”; cf. the translation). The Qumran Leviticus scroll (11QpaleoLev) has תים הם[…], in which case the restored participle would appear to be the same as , but there is no בְּ (bet) preposition before the pronoun, yielding “they are deformed” (see D. N. Freedman and K. A. Mathews, The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll, 41 and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], ).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar. You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted. Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the Lord; you shall not do it within your land, neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.’ ”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

You are not to present anything that has a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

“When a man presents a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or flock, it has to be unblemished to be acceptable; there must be no defect in it. You are not to present any animal to the Lord that is blind, injured, maimed, or has a running sore, festering rash, or scabs; you may not put any of them on the altar as a food offering to the Lord. You may sacrifice as a freewill offering any animal from the herd or flock that has an elongated or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable as a vow offering. You are not to present to the Lord anything that has bruised, crushed, torn, or severed testicles; you must not sacrifice them in your land. Neither you nor a foreigner are to present food to your God from any of these animals. They will not be accepted for you because they are deformed and have a defect.”

NLTNew Living Translation

Do not present an animal with defects, because the Lord will not accept it on your behalf.

“If you present a peace offering to the Lord from the herd or the flock, whether it is to fulfill a vow or is a voluntary offering, you must offer a perfect animal. It may have no defect of any kind. You must not offer an animal that is blind, crippled, or injured, or that has a wart, a skin sore, or scabs. Such animals must never be offered on the altar as special gifts to the Lord. If a bull or lamb has a leg that is too long or too short, it may be offered as a voluntary offering, but it may not be offered to fulfill a vow. If an animal has damaged testicles or is castrated, you may not offer it to the Lord. You must never do this in your own land, and you must not accept such an animal from foreigners and then offer it as a sacrifice to your God. Such animals will not be accepted on your behalf, for they are mutilated or defective.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

You shall not present any animal in which is a physical defect, because it shall not be acceptable for you. And if anyone brings a sacrifice of fellowship offerings for Yahweh to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the cattle or from the flock, it must be without defect to be acceptable; there must not be any physical defect in it. The blind or the injured or the maimed or the seeping or one with a skin disorder or one with a skin eruption—these you shall not present to Yahweh, nor shall you give from them an offering made by fire on the altar for Yahweh. As for an ox or sheep that is deformed or that is stunted, you may present it as a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. And you shall not present anything for Yahweh with bruised or shattered or torn or cut-off testicles, and you shall not sacrifice such in your land. And you shall not present your God’s food from any of these by the hand of a foreigner, because their deformity is in them; a physical defect is in them; they shall not be accepted for you.’ ”

KJV 1900King James Version

But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the Lord. Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.

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