²⁰ The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered^(A) the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves.

¹¹ The Passover lambs were slaughtered,^(A) and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals.

²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices^(A) day after day, first for his own sins,^(B) and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all^(C) when he offered himself.^(D)

³⁴ The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings;^(A) so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated,^(B) for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.

¹⁵ They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated^(A) themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the Lord. ¹⁶ Then they took up their regular positions^(B) as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them by the Levites. ¹⁷ Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill^(C) the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs^[a] to the Lord.

²¹ Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover^(A) lamb.