Leviticus 21–23

Rules for Priests

21The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron. Tell them, ‘A priest must not make himself “unclean” by going near the dead body of any of his people. ²But he can go near the body of a close relative. It could be his mother, father, son, daughter or brother. ³He can also go near a sister who is not married. She would have depended on him because she did not have a husband. The priest can make himself “unclean” by going near her body. ⁴But he must not make himself “unclean” by going near the bodies of people who were only related to him by marriage. Going near them would make him “unclean.”

⁵“ ‘Priests must not shave any part of their heads. They must not shave off the edges of their beards. They must not make cuts on their bodies when someone dies.

⁶“ ‘Priests must be holy. They must be set apart for me. I am their God. They must not treat my name as if it were not holy. They must be holy because they bring offerings that are made to me with fire. That is my food.

⁷“ ‘They must not get married to women who are “unclean” because they are prostitutes. They must not marry women who are divorced from their husbands. That is because priests are holy. They are set apart for me. I am their God. ⁸Consider them as holy, because they offer up food to me. Consider them as holy, because I am holy. I am the Lord. I make you holy.

⁹“ ‘Suppose a priest’s daughter makes herself “unclean” by becoming a prostitute. Then she brings shame on her father. She must be burned to death.

¹⁰“ ‘The high priest is the one among his brothers whose head has been anointed with olive oil. He has been appointed to wear the priest’s clothes.

“ ‘When someone dies, the high priest must not let his hair hang loose. He must not tear his clothes to show how sad he is. ¹¹He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself “unclean,” even if his father or mother dies. ¹²He must not leave my sacred tent to take part in burying a body. That would bring shame on the tent. My anointing oil has set the high priest apart. I am the Lord.

¹³“ ‘The woman the high priest gets married to must be a virgin. ¹⁴He must not marry a widow or a woman who is divorced. He must not marry a woman who is “unclean” because she is a prostitute. He must only get married to a virgin. She must come from his own people. ¹⁵If he marries a virgin, he makes the children he has by her “clean.” I am the Lord. I make him holy.’ ”

¹⁶The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁷“Speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘For all time to come, no man in your family line who has any flaws can come near to offer food to me.

¹⁸“ ‘No man who has any flaws can come near. No man who is blind or disabled can come. No man whose body is scarred or twisted can come. ¹⁹No man whose foot or hand is disabled can come. ²⁰No man whose back is bent can come. No man who is too short can come. No man who has anything wrong with his eyes can come. No man who has boils or running sores can come. No man whose sex glands are crushed can come.

²¹“ ‘No man in the family line of the priest Aaron who has any flaws can come near me. He can’t come to bring the offerings that are made to me with fire. If he has any flaws, he must not come near to offer food to me. ²²He can eat the holy food. He can also eat my very holy food. ²³But because he has a flaw, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar. If he does, he will make my sacred tent “unclean.” I am the Lord. I make everything holy.’ ”

²⁴So Moses told all of those things to Aaron and his sons. He also told them to all of the people of Israel.

22The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²“Here is what I want you to tell Aaron and his sons. Tell them to treat the sacred offerings with respect. They are the offerings the people of Israel set apart to honor me. So Aaron and his sons must never treat my name as if it were not holy. I am the Lord.

³“Say to them, ‘Suppose a man in your family line is “unclean.” And suppose he comes near the sacred offerings. They are the offerings the people of Israel set apart to honor me. That man must be cut off from serving me as a priest. That applies for all time to come. I am the Lord.

⁴“ ‘Suppose a man in Aaron’s family line has a skin disease. Or suppose liquid waste is flowing out of his body. Then he can’t eat the sacred offerings until he is made pure and clean.

“ ‘Suppose he touches something that has been made “unclean” by coming near a dead body. Or suppose he touches someone who has semen flowing from his body. Then he will not be “clean.” ⁵Or suppose he touches any crawling thing that makes him “unclean.” Or suppose he touches any person who makes him “unclean.” It does not matter what he touches that is “unclean.” It will make him “unclean.”

⁶“ ‘The one who touches anything of that kind will be “unclean” until evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has taken a bath. ⁷When the sun goes down, he will be “clean.” After that, he can eat the sacred offerings. They are his food.

⁸“ ‘He must not eat anything that is found dead or torn apart by wild animals. If he does, it will make him “unclean.” I am the Lord.

⁹“ ‘The priests must do what I require. But suppose they make fun of what I require. Then they will become guilty and die. I am the Lord. I make them holy.

¹⁰“ ‘Only a member of a priest’s family can eat the sacred offering. The guest of a priest can’t eat it. A priest’s hired worker can’t eat it either.

¹¹“ ‘But suppose a priest buys a slave with money. Or suppose a slave is born in his house. Then that slave can eat the sacred food.

¹²“ ‘Suppose a priest’s daughter gets married to someone who is not a priest. Then she can’t eat any of the food that is brought as a sacred gift. ¹³But suppose the priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced. She does not have any children. And she returns to live in her father’s house, where she lived when she was young. Then she can eat her father’s food. But a person who does not belong to a priest’s family can’t eat any of it.

¹⁴“ ‘Suppose someone eats a sacred offering by mistake. Then he must pay back the priest for the offering. He must also add a fifth of its value to it.

¹⁵“ ‘The priests must not allow the sacred offerings to become “unclean.” They are the offerings the people of Israel bring to me. ¹⁶The priests must not allow the offerings to become “unclean” by letting the people eat them. If they do, they will bring guilt on the people. They will have to pay for what they have done. I am the Lord. I make them holy.’ ”

Sacrifices the Lord Does Not Accept

¹⁷The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁸“Speak to Aaron and his sons. Speak to all of the people of Israel. Tell them, ‘Suppose any of you brings a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord. It does not matter whether you are an Israelite or an outsider who lives in Israel. It does not matter whether you bring the offering to keep a promise or because you choose to give it. ¹⁹You must bring a male animal that does not have any flaws if you want the Lord to accept it from you. It does not matter whether it is from your cattle, sheep or goats. ²⁰Do not bring an animal that has any flaws. If you do, the Lord will not accept it from you.

²¹“ ‘Suppose any of you brings an animal for a friendship offering to the Lord. Then it must not have any flaws at all. If it does, the Lord will not accept it. It does not matter whether the animal is from your herd or flock. It does not matter whether you bring it to keep a promise or because you choose to give it. ²²Do not offer a blind animal to the Lord. Do not bring an animal that is hurt or wounded. And do not offer one that has warts or boils or running sores. Do not place any of them on the altar as an offering that is made to the Lord with fire.

²³“ ‘But suppose you bring an offering you choose to give. Then you can bring an ox or a sheep whose body is twisted or too small. But the Lord will not accept it if you offer it to keep a promise.

²⁴“ ‘You must not offer the Lord a male animal whose sex glands have been hurt. The glands also must not be crushed, torn or cut. You must not offer that kind of animal in your own land. ²⁵And you must not accept that kind of animal from someone who comes from another land. You must not offer it as food for your God. He will not accept it from you. Its body is twisted and has flaws.’ ”

²⁶The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²⁷“When a calf, lamb or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, I will accept it as an offering that is made to me with fire. ²⁸Do not kill a cow and its calf on the same day. Do not kill a female sheep and its lamb on the same day.

²⁹“Sacrifice a thank offering to me in the right way. Then I will accept it from you. ³⁰You must eat it that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the Lord.

³¹“Obey my commands. Follow them. I am the Lord. ³²Do not treat my name as if it were not holy. The people of Israel must recognize me as the holy God. I am the Lord. I make you holy. ³³I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

23The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²“Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, ‘Here are my appointed feast days. They are the appointed feast days of the Lord. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred feasts.

The Sabbath Day

³“ ‘There are six days when you can work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath. You must rest on it. Come together on that sacred day. You must not do any work on it. No matter where you live, it is a Sabbath day in my honor.

Passover and Unleavened Bread

⁴“ ‘Here are my appointed feasts. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred feasts at their appointed times. ⁵My Passover begins when the sun goes down on the 14th day of the first month.

⁶“ ‘My Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of that month. For seven days you must eat bread that is made without yeast. ⁷On the first day you must come together for a special…