Leviticus 22:1–16

The Use of Holy Offerings

²²The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²“Direct Aaron and his sons to deal carefully with the sacred donations of the Israelites, which they dedicate to me, so that they may not profane my holy name: I am the Lord.^{* 3}Say to them, ‘If anyone among all your offspring throughout your generations comes near the sacred donations, which the Israelites dedicate to the Lord, while he is in a state of uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.’^{* 4}No one of Aaron’s offspring who has a defiling skin disease or suffers a discharge may eat of the sacred donations until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse or a man who has had an emission of semen,^{* 5}and whoever touches any swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or any human being by whom he may be made unclean—whatever his uncleanness may be^*—⁶the person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening and shall not eat of the sacred donations unless he has washed his body in water. ⁷When the sun sets he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food. ⁸That which died or was torn by wild animals he shall not eat, becoming unclean by it: I am the Lord.^{* 9}They shall keep my charge, so that they may not incur guilt and die because of it for having profaned them: I am the Lord; I sanctify them.^*

¹⁰“No layperson shall eat of the sacred donations. No bound or hired servant of the priest shall eat of the sacred donations,^{* 11}but if a priest acquires anyone by purchase, the person may eat of them, and those who are born in his house may eat of his food. ¹²If a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the sacred donations, ¹³but if a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced, without offspring, and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food. No layperson shall eat of it.^{* 14}If a man eats of the sacred donation unintentionally, he shall add one-fifth of its value to it and give the sacred donation to the priest.^{* 15}No one shall profane the sacred donations of the Israelites, which they offer to the Lord, ¹⁶causing them to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, by eating their sacred donations, for I am the Lord; I sanctify them.”^*