Leviticus 1-7

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Burnt Offering

1 The Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When any of you bring an offering of livestock to the Lord, you shall bring your offering from the herd or from the flock.^(A)

³ “If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you shall offer a male without blemish; you shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, for acceptance on your behalf before the Lord.^{(B) 4} You shall lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be acceptable on your behalf as atonement for you.^{(C) 5} The bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer the blood, dashing the blood against all sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.^{(D) 6} The burnt offering shall be flayed and cut up into its parts. ⁷ The sons of the priest Aaron shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.^{(E) 8} Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the parts, with the head and the suet, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, ⁹ but its entrails and its legs shall be washed with water. Then the priest shall turn the rest into smoke on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire^[a] of pleasing odor to the Lord.^(F)

¹⁰ “If your gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, your offering shall be a male without blemish. ¹¹ It shall be slaughtered on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar.^{(G) 12} It shall be cut up into its parts, with its head and its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, ¹³ but the entrails and the legs shall be washed with water. Then the priest shall offer the rest and turn it into smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire^[b] of pleasing odor to the Lord.

¹⁴ “If your offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, you shall choose your offering from turtledoves or pigeons.^{(H) 15} The priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and turn it into smoke on the altar, and its blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.^{(I) 16} He shall remove its entrails close to its tail feathers and throw it at the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes.^{(J) 17} He shall tear it open by its wings without severing it. Then the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire^[c] of pleasing odor to the Lord.^(K)

Grain Offerings

2 “When anyone presents a grain offering to the Lord, the offering shall be of choice flour; the worshiper shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it^{(L) 2} and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. After taking from it a handful of the choice flour and oil, with all its frankincense, the priest shall turn this token portion into smoke on the altar, an offering by fire^[d] of pleasing odor to the Lord.^{(M) 3} And what is left of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons, a most holy part of the offerings by fire^[e] to the Lord.^(N)

⁴ “When you present a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be of choice flour: unleavened cakes mixed with oil or unleavened wafers spread with oil. ⁵ If your offering is grain prepared on a griddle, it shall be of choice flour mixed with oil, unleavened; ⁶ break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. ⁷ If your offering is grain prepared in a pan, it shall be made of choice flour in oil. ⁸ You shall bring to the Lord the grain offering that is prepared in any of these ways, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall take it to the altar. ⁹ The priest shall remove from the grain offering its token portion and turn this into smoke on the altar, an offering by fire^[f] of pleasing odor to the Lord.^{(O) 10} And what is left of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire^[g] to the Lord.^(P)

¹¹ “No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you must not turn any leaven or honey into smoke as an offering by fire^[h] to the Lord.^{(Q) 12} You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of choice products, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing odor.^{(R) 13} All your grain offerings you shall season with salt; you shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt of the covenant with your God; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.^(S)

¹⁴ “If you bring a grain offering of first fruits to the Lord, you shall bring as the grain offering of your first fruits crushed new grain from fresh ears, roasted in fire.^{(T) 15} You shall add oil to it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. ¹⁶ And the priest shall turn a token portion of it into smoke—some of the crushed grain and oil with all its frankincense; it is an offering by fire^[i] to the Lord.^(U)

Offerings of Well-Being

3 “If the offering is a sacrifice of well-being, if you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you shall offer one without blemish before the Lord.^{(V) 2} You shall lay your hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall dash the blood against all sides of the altar.^{(W) 3} You shall offer from the sacrifice of well-being, as an offering by fire^[j] to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is around the entrails,^{(X) 4} the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. ⁵ Then Aaron’s sons shall turn these into smoke on the altar, with the burnt offering that is on the wood on the fire, as an offering by fire^[k] of pleasing odor to the Lord.^(Y)

⁶ “If your offering for a sacrifice of well-being to the Lord is from the flock, male or female, you shall offer one without blemish.^{(Z) 7} If you present a sheep as your offering, you shall bring it before the Lord^{(AA) 8} and lay your hand on the head of the offering. It shall be slaughtered before the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar.^{(AB) 9} You shall present its fat from the sacrifice of well-being, as an offering by fire^[l] to the Lord: the whole fatty tail, which shall be removed close to the backbone, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is around the entrails, ¹⁰ the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which you shall remove with the kidneys.^{(AC) 11} Then the priest shall turn these into smoke on the altar as a food offering by fire^[m] to the Lord.^(AD)

¹² “If your offering is a goat, you shall bring it before the Lord ¹³ and lay your hand on its head; it shall be slaughtered before the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar. ¹⁴ You shall present as your offering from it, as an offering by fire^[n] to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is around the entrails, ¹⁵ the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which you shall remove with the kidneys. ¹⁶ Then the priest shall turn these into smoke on the altar as a food offering by fire^[o] for a pleasing odor.

“All fat is the Lord’s.^{(AE) 17} It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your settlements: you must not eat any fat or any blood.”^(AF)

Purification Offerings

4 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites, saying: When anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done and does any one of them:^(AG)

³ “If it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull of the herd as a purification offering to the Lord.^{(AH) 4} He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull; the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord.^{(AI) 5} The anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting.^{(AJ) 6} The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. ⁷ The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is in the tent of meeting before the Lord, and the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.^{(AK) 8} He shall remove all the fat from the bull of purification offering: the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is around the entrails,^{(AL) 9} the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys, ¹⁰ just as these are removed from the ox of the sacrifice of well-being. The priest shall turn them into smoke upon the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹ But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, as well as its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung— ¹² all the rest of the bull—he shall carry out to a clean place outside the camp, to the ash heap, and shall burn it on a wood fire; at the ash heap it shall be burned.^(AM)

¹³ “If the whole congregation of Israel errs unintentionally, and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done and incur guilt,^{(AN) 14} when the sin that they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a purification offering and bring it before the tent of meeting.^{(AO) 15} The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord.^{(AP) 16} The anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting, ¹⁷ and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the curtain.^{(AQ) 18} He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting, and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He shall remove all its fat and turn it into smoke on the altar. ²⁰ He shall do with the bull just as is done with the bull of purification offering; he shall do the same with this. The priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.^{(AR) 21} He shall carry the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the purification offering for the assembly.

²² “When a ruler sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the Lord his God ought not to be done and incurs guilt,^{(AS) 23} once the sin that he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a male goat without blemish.^{(AT) 24} He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat; it shall be slaughtered at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord; it is a purification offering. ²⁵ The priest shall take some of the blood of the purification offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.^{(AU) 26} All its fat he shall turn into smoke on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of well-being. Thus the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.^(AV)

²⁷ “If anyone of the ordinary people among you sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done and incurs guilt,^{(AW) 28} when the sin that you have committed is made known to you, you shall bring a female goat without blemish as your offering, for the sin that you have committed.^{(AX) 29} You shall lay your hand on the head of the purification offering; the purification offering shall be slaughtered at the place of the burnt offering.^{(AY) 30} The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ He shall remove all its fat, as the fat is removed from the sacrifice of well-being, and the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar for a pleasing odor to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven.

³² “If the offering you bring as a purification offering is a sheep, you shall bring a female without blemish.^{(AZ) 33} You shall lay your hand on the head of the purification offering; it shall be slaughtered as a purification offering at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴ The priest shall take some of the blood of the purification offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵ You shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the sheep is removed from the sacrifice of well-being, and the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire^[p] to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the sin that you have committed, and you shall be forgiven.^(BA)

5 “When any of you sin in that you have heard a public adjuration to testify and, although able to testify as one who has seen or learned of the matter, do not speak up, you are subject to punishment.^{(BB) 2} Or when any of you touch any unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean livestock or the carcass of an unclean swarming thing, and are unaware of it, you have become unclean and are guilty.^{(BC) 3} Or when you touch human uncleanness—any uncleanness by which one can become unclean—and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall be guilty. ⁴ Or when any of you utter aloud a rash oath for a bad or a good purpose, whatever people utter in an oath and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall in any of these be guilty. ⁵ When you realize your guilt in any of these, you shall confess the sin that you have committed,^{(BD) 6} and you shall bring to the Lord, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, a female from the flock, a sheep or a goat, as a purification offering, and the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for your sin.

⁷ “But if you cannot afford a sheep, you shall bring to the Lord, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a purification offering and the other for a burnt offering.^{(BE) 8} You shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the purification offering, wringing its head at the nape without severing it.^{(BF) 9} He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the purification offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a purification offering.^{(BG) 10} And the second he shall offer for a burnt offering according to the regulation. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the sin that you have committed, and you shall be forgiven.^(BH)

¹¹ “But if you cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, you shall bring as your offering for the sin that you have committed one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a purification offering; you shall not put oil on it or lay frankincense on it, for it is a purification offering.^{(BI) 12} You shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall scoop up a handful of it as its memorial portion and turn this into smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire^[q] to the Lord; it is a purification offering. ¹³ Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for whichever of these sins you have committed, and you shall be forgiven. As with the grain offering, the rest shall be for the priest.”^(BJ)

Offerings with Restitution

¹⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁵ “When any of you commit a trespass and sin unintentionally against any of the holy things of the Lord, you shall bring, as your guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.^{(BK) 16} And you shall make restitution for the holy thing in which you were remiss and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. The priest shall make atonement on your behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and you shall be forgiven.^(BL)

¹⁷ “If any of you sin without knowing it, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, you have incurred guilt and are subject to punishment.^{(BM) 18} You shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, or the equivalent, as a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the error that you committed unintentionally, and you shall be forgiven.^{(BN) 19} It is a guilt offering; you have incurred guilt before the Lord.”

6 ^[r]The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “When any of you sin and commit a trespass against the Lord by deceiving a neighbor in a matter of a deposit or a pledge or by robbery or if you have defrauded a neighbor^{(BO) 3} or have found something lost and lied about it—if you swear falsely regarding any of the various things that one may do and sin^(BP)— ⁴ when you have sinned and recognize your guilt and would restore what you took by robbery or by fraud or the deposit that was committed to you or the lost thing that you found ⁵ or anything else about which you have sworn falsely, you shall repay the principal amount and add one-fifth to it. You shall pay it to its owner when you recognize your guilt.^{(BQ) 6} And you shall bring to the priest, as your guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering.^{(BR) 7} The priest shall make atonement on your behalf before the Lord, and you shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and incur guilt thereby.”^(BS)

Instructions concerning Sacrifices

^8 [s]The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons: This is the rule of the burnt offering. The burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth upon the altar all night until the morning, while the fire on the altar shall be kept burning. ¹⁰ The priest shall put on his linen vestments after putting on his linen undergarments next to his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.^{(BT) 11} Then he shall take off his vestments and put on other garments and carry the ashes out to a clean place outside the camp. ¹² The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out. Every morning the priest shall add wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat pieces of the offerings of well-being. ¹³ A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out.

¹⁴ “This is the rule of the grain offering: The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, in front of the altar.^{(BU) 15} They shall take from it a handful of the choice flour and oil of the grain offering, with all the frankincense that is on the offering, and they shall turn its memorial portion into smoke on the altar as a pleasing odor to the Lord. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons shall eat what is left of it; it shall be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.^{(BV) 17} It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings by fire;^[t] it is most holy, like the purification offering and the guilt offering.^{(BW) 18} Every male among the descendants of Aaron shall eat of it, as their perpetual due throughout your generations, from the Lord’s offerings by fire;^[u] anything that touches them shall become holy.”^(BX)

¹⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁰ “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.^{(BY) 21} It shall be made with oil on a griddle; you shall bring it well soaked, as a grain offering of baked^[v] pieces, and you shall present it as a pleasing odor to the Lord.^{(BZ) 22} And so the priest, anointed from among Aaron’s descendants as a successor, shall prepare it; it is the Lord’s—a perpetual due—to be turned entirely into smoke. ²³ Every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly burned; it shall not be eaten.”

²⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁵ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the rule of the purification offering. The purification offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy.^{(CA) 26} The priest who offers it as a purification offering shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting.^{(CB) 27} Whatever touches its flesh shall become holy, and when any of its blood is spattered on a garment, you shall wash the bespattered part in a holy place.^{(CC) 28} A clay vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken, but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water.^{(CD) 29} Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it is most holy.^{(CE) 30} But no purification offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting for atonement in the holy place; it shall be burned with fire.^(CF)

7 “This is the rule of the guilt offering; it is most holy.^{(CG) 2} At the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered, they shall slaughter the guilt offering, and its blood shall be dashed against all sides of the altar.^{(CH) 3} All its fat shall be offered: the fatty tail, the fat that covers the entrails, ⁴ the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which shall be removed with the kidneys.^{(CI) 5} The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as an offering by fire^[w] to the Lord; it is a guilt offering. ⁶ Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.^(CJ)

⁷ “The guilt offering is like the purification offering; the same rule applies to them: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.^{(CK) 8} So, too, the priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone shall keep the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered. ⁹ And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it.^{(CL) 10} But every other grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron equally.

Further Instructions

¹¹ “This is the rule of the sacrifice of well-being that one may offer to the Lord. ¹² If you offer it for thanksgiving, you shall offer with the thank offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour well soaked in oil. ¹³ With your thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being you shall bring your offering with cakes of leavened bread. ¹⁴ From this you shall offer one cake from each offering, as a gift to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who dashes the blood of the offering of well-being.^{(CM) 15} And the flesh of your thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being shall be eaten on the day it is offered; you shall not leave any of it until morning.^{(CN) 16} But if the sacrifice you offer is a votive offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that you offer your sacrifice, and what is left of it shall be eaten the next day,^{(CO) 17} but what is left of the flesh of the sacrifice shall be burned up on the third day. ¹⁸ If any of the flesh of your sacrifice of well-being is eaten on the third day, it shall not be acceptable, nor shall it be credited to the one who offers it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall incur guilt.^(CP)

¹⁹ “Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burned up. As for other flesh, all who are clean may eat such flesh. ²⁰ But those who eat flesh from the Lord’s sacrifice of well-being while in a state of uncleanness shall be cut off from their people.^{(CQ) 21} When any one of you touches any unclean thing—human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature—and then eats flesh from the Lord’s sacrifice of well-being, you shall be cut off from your people.”^(CR)

²² The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “Speak to the Israelites: You shall eat no fat of ox or sheep or goat.^{(CS) 24} The fat of an animal that died or was torn by wild animals may be put to any other use, but you must not eat it. ²⁵ If any one of you eats the fat from an animal of which an offering by fire^[x] may be made to the Lord, you who eat it shall be cut off from your people. ²⁶ You must not eat any blood whatever, either of bird or of animal, in any of your settlements.^{(CT) 27} Any one of you who eats any blood shall be cut off from your people.”

²⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁹ “Speak to the Israelites: Any one of you who would offer to the Lord your sacrifice of well-being must yourself bring to the Lord your offering from your sacrifice of well-being.^{(CU) 30} Your own hands shall bring the Lord’s offering by fire;^[y] you shall bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be raised as an elevation offering before the Lord. ³¹ The priest shall turn the fat into smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons.^{(CV) 32} And the right thigh from your sacrifices of well-being you shall give to the priest as an offering; ³³ the one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the offering of well-being shall have the right thigh for a portion. ³⁴ For I have taken the breast of the elevation offering and the thigh that is offered from the Israelites, from their sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the Israelites.^{(CW) 35} This is the portion allotted to Aaron and to his sons from the offerings made by fire^[z] to the Lord, once they have been brought forward to serve the Lord as priests; ³⁶ these the Lord commanded to be given them, when he anointed them, as a perpetual due from the Israelites throughout their generations.”

³⁷ This is the rule of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the purification offering, the guilt offering, the offering of ordination, and the sacrifice of well-being,^{(CX) 38} which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, when he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.^(CY)