Leviticus 22–23

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 service. Do not do any regular work on that day. ⁸On each of the seven days bring an offering that is made to me with fire. On the seventh day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day.’ ”

The First Share of Israel’s Crops Belongs to the Lord

⁹The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁰“Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, bring an offering to me. Gather your crops. Bring the first bundle of grain to the priest. ¹¹He must lift the grain up and wave it in front of me. Then I will accept it from you. The priest must wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

¹²“ ‘On the day he waves the grain for you, you must sacrifice a burnt offering to me. It must be a lamb that does not have any flaws. It must be a year old. ¹³You must bring it together with its grain offering. The grain offering must be 16 cups of fine flour. Mix it with olive oil. It is an offering that is made to me with fire. It has a pleasant smell. You must offer a drink offering along with the burnt offering. It must be a quart of wine.

¹⁴“ ‘You must not eat any bread until the very day you bring your offering to me. You must not eat any grain that has been cooked or any of your first grain until that time. That is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.

The Feast of Weeks

¹⁵“ ‘The day you brought the grain for the wave offering was the day after the Sabbath. Count off seven full weeks from that day. ¹⁶Count off 50 days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath. On that day bring me an offering of your first grain. ¹⁷Bring two loaves of bread that are made with 16 cups of fine flour. They must be baked with yeast. Bring them to me as a wave offering from the first share of your crops. That applies no matter where you live.

¹⁸“ ‘Together with the bread, bring seven male lambs. Each lamb must be a year old. It must not have any flaws. Also bring one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to me. They will be offered together with their grain offerings and drink offerings. They are an offering that is made with fire. They give a pleasant smell to me.

¹⁹“ ‘Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. Also sacrifice two lambs for a friendship offering. Each of the lambs must be a year old. ²⁰The priest must lift the two lambs up and wave them in front of me as a wave offering. He must offer them together with the bread that is made out of the first share of your crops. They are a sacred offering to me. They will be given to the priest.

²¹“ ‘On that same day tell the people that they must come together for a special service. They must not do any regular work. That is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.

²²“ ‘Suppose you are gathering your crops. Then do not harvest all the way to the edges of your field. And do not pick up the grain you missed. Leave some for poor people and outsiders. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

The Feast of Trumpets

²³The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²⁴“Say to the people of Israel, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you must have a day of rest. It must be a special service that is announced with trumpet blasts. ²⁵Do not do any regular work on that day. Instead, bring an offering that is made to me with fire.’ ”

The Day When Sin Is Paid For

²⁶The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²⁷“The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when sin is paid for. Come together for a special service. Do not eat any food. Bring an offering that is made to me with fire. ²⁸Do not do any work on that day. It is the day when…