Leviticus 10

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

10Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu^a took their censers,^b put fire in them^c and added incense;^d and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord,^e contrary to his command.^{f 2}So fire came out^g from the presence of the Lord and consumed them,^h and they died before the Lord.^{i 3}Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:

“ ‘Among those who approach me^j

I will be proved holy;^k

in the sight of all the people

I will be honored.^l’ ”

Aaron remained silent.

⁴Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan,^m sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel,ⁿ and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp,^o away from the front of the sanctuary.^p” ⁵So they came and carried them, still in their tunics,^q outside the camp, as Moses ordered.

⁶Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,^r “Do not let your hair become unkempt^as and do not tear your clothes,^t or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community.^u But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn^v for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. ⁷Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting^w or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil^x is on you.” So they did as Moses said.

⁸Then the Lord said to Aaron, ⁹“You and your sons are not to drink wine^y or other fermented drink^z whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance^a for the generations to come, ¹⁰so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,^{b 11}and so you can teach^c the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.^d”

¹²Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering^e left over from the food offerings prepared without yeast and presented to the Lord and eat it beside the altar,^f for it is most holy. ¹³Eat it in the sanctuary area,^g because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings presented to the Lord; for so I have been commanded.^{h 14}But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breastⁱ that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place;^j they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings. ¹⁵The thigh^k that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the fat portions of the food offerings, to be waved before the Lord as a wave offering.^l This will be the perpetual share for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering^bm and found that it had been burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, ¹⁷“Why didn’t you eat the sin offeringⁿ in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt^o of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord. ¹⁸Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place,^p you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.^q”

¹⁹Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering^r before the Lord, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the Lord have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?” ²⁰When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.