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Leviticus 10
Lexham English Bible

The Deaths of Nadab and Abihu

10 And Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, and they put fire in them and placed incense on it;[a] then[b] they presented before[c] Yahweh illegitimate fire, which he had not commanded them. 2 So[d] fire went out from before[e] Yahweh, and it consumed them so that[f] they died before[g] Yahweh. 3 Therefore[h] Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke, saying, ‘Among those who are close to me I will show myself holy, and in the presence of[i] all the people I will display my glory.’”[j] So[k] Aaron was silent.

4 Then[l] Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and he said to them, “Come forward.[m] Carry your brothers from the front of[n] the sanctuary to outside the camp.”[o] 5 So[p] they came forward,[q] and they carried them outside the camp[r] in their tunics, just as Moses had ordered.

6 Then[s] Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “You must not let your hair hang loosely, and you must not tear your garments, so that[t] you will not die and he[u] will be angry with all the community. But[v] your brothers, all the house of Israel, may weep because of the burning that Yahweh caused,[w] 7 but[x] you must not go out from the entrance to[y] the tent of assembly lest you die, because Yahweh’s anointing oil is on you.” So[z] they did according to Moses’ word.

Lasting Statutes

8 Then[aa] Yahweh spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “You and your sons with you may not drink wine or[ab] strong drink when you come to the tent of assembly, so that[ac] you will not die—it is a lasting statute for your[ad] generations— 10 and to distinguish between the holy and the unholy,[ae] as well as[af] between the unclean and the clean, 11 and to teach the Israelites[ag] all the rules that Yahweh has spoken to them through[ah] Moses.”

12 Then[ai] Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “As for the remaining parts,[aj] take the remainder of the grain offering from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire and eat it, the unleavened bread, beside the altar, because it is a most holy thing.[ak] 13 And you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your allotted portion and the allotted portion of your sons from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire, for so I have been commanded. 14 And the wave offering’s breast section and the upper thigh of the contribution offering you[al] must eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, because they are given as your allotted portion and your sons’ allotted portion from the sacrifices of the Israelites’[am] fellowship offerings. 15 They must bring the thigh of the contribution offering and the breast section of the wave offering in addition to the offerings made by fire, consisting of the fat portions, to wave as a wave offering before[an] Yahweh; and it will be for you and for your sons with you as a lasting rule, just as Yahweh had commanded.”

The Problem of the Uneaten Sin Offering

16 Then[ao] Moses sought all over for the goat of the sin offering and behold, it was burned up. So[ap] he was angry with Aaron’s remaining sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, 17 “Why did you not eat the sin offering on the sanctuary’s site, because it is a most holy thing?[aq] And he gave it to you to remove the community’s guilt, to make atonement for them before[ar] Yahweh. 18 Look, its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary.[as] Certainly you should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”

19 So[at] Aaron said to Moses, “Look, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before[au] Yahweh, and things such as these have happened to me, and if I were to eat a sin offering today, would it have been good in Yahweh’s eyes?” 20 When[av] Moses heard, it[aw] was good in his eyes.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 10:1 That is, the fire
  2. Leviticus 10:1 Or “and”
  3. Leviticus 10:1 Literally “to the faces of”
  4. Leviticus 10:2 Or “And”
  5. Leviticus 10:2 Literally “from to the faces of”
  6. Leviticus 10:2 Or “and”
  7. Leviticus 10:2 Literally “to the faces of”
  8. Leviticus 10:3 Or “And”
  9. Leviticus 10:3 Literally “upon the faces of”
  10. Leviticus 10:3 Or “I will be glorified”
  11. Leviticus 10:3 Or “And”
  12. Leviticus 10:4 Or “And”
  13. Leviticus 10:4 Or “Come near” or “Approach”
  14. Leviticus 10:4 Literally “the faces of”
  15. Leviticus 10:4 Literally “from an outside place of the camp”
  16. Leviticus 10:5 Or “And”
  17. Leviticus 10:5 Or “came near” or “approached”
  18. Leviticus 10:5 Literally “to from an outside place of the camp”
  19. Leviticus 10:6 Or “And”
  20. Leviticus 10:6 Or “and”
  21. Leviticus 10:6 That is, God
  22. Leviticus 10:6 Or “And”
  23. Leviticus 10:6 Literally “the burning that Yahweh burned”
  24. Leviticus 10:7 Or “and”
  25. Leviticus 10:7 Or “of”
  26. Leviticus 10:7 Or “And”
  27. Leviticus 10:8 Or “And”
  28. Leviticus 10:9 Or “and”
  29. Leviticus 10:9 Or “and”
  30. Leviticus 10:9 Plural
  31. Leviticus 10:10 Or “the common”
  32. Leviticus 10:10 Or “and”
  33. Leviticus 10:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  34. Leviticus 10:11 Literally “by the hand of”
  35. Leviticus 10:12 Or “And”
  36. Leviticus 10:12 Implied by plural form of noun and the immediate context
  37. Leviticus 10:12 Literally “a holiness of holinesses”
  38. Leviticus 10:14 Plural
  39. Leviticus 10:14 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  40. Leviticus 10:15 Literally “to the faces of”
  41. Leviticus 10:16 Or “And”
  42. Leviticus 10:16 Or “And”
  43. Leviticus 10:17 Literally “a holiness of holinesses”
  44. Leviticus 10:17 Literally “to the faces of”
  45. Leviticus 10:18 Or “to the sanctuary inside” or “to the sanctuary within”
  46. Leviticus 10:19 Or “And”
  47. Leviticus 10:19 Literally “to the faces of”
  48. Leviticus 10:20 Or “And”
  49. Leviticus 10:20 Or “and it”
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Leviticus 10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 10

Nadab and Abihu. 1 [a]Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers and, putting incense on the fire they had set in them,(A) they offered before the Lord unauthorized fire, such as he had not commanded. 2 Fire therefore came forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed them,(B) so that they died in the Lord’s presence. 3 Moses then said to Aaron, “This is as the Lord said:

Through those near to me I will be sanctified;
    in the sight of all the people I will obtain glory.”[b](C)

But Aaron said nothing. 4 [c]Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, with the order, “Come, carry your kinsmen from before the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” 5 So they drew near and carried them by means of their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had commanded.

Conduct of the Priests. 6 Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not dishevel your hair(D) or tear your garments,(E) lest you die and bring God’s wrath also on the whole community. While your kindred, the rest of the house of Israel, may mourn for those whom the Lord’s fire has burned up, 7 you shall not go beyond the entrance of the tent of meeting,(F) else you shall die; for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did as Moses told them.

8 The Lord said to Aaron: 9 When you are to go to the tent of meeting, you and your sons are forbidden, by a perpetual statute throughout your generations, to drink any wine or strong drink, lest you die.(G) 10 You must be able to distinguish between what is sacred and what is profane, and between what is clean and what is unclean;[d](H) 11 and you must be able to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given them through Moses.

The Eating of the Priestly Portions. 12 Moses said to Aaron and his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering[e] left over from the oblations to the Lord, and eat it beside the altar in the form of unleavened cakes, since it is most holy. 13 You must eat it in a sacred place because it is your and your sons’ due from the oblations to the Lord; such is the command I have received. 14 (I)The brisket of the elevated offering and the leg[f] of the contribution, however, you and your sons and daughters may eat, in a clean place; for these have been assigned to you and your children as your due from the communion sacrifices of the Israelites. 15 The leg of the contribution and the brisket of the elevated offering shall be brought in with the oblations of fat to be raised as an elevated offering before the Lord. They shall belong to you and your children as your due forever, as the Lord has commanded.”

16 Moses inquired closely about the goat of the purification offering[g] and discovered that it had all been burned. So he was angry with the surviving sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, and said, 17 (J)“Why did you not eat the purification offering in the sacred place, since it is most holy? It has been given to you that you might remove the guilt of the community and make atonement for them before the Lord. 18 Since its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten the offering in the sanctuary, as I was commanded.” 19 Aaron answered Moses, “Even though they presented their purification offering and burnt offering before the Lord today, still this misfortune has befallen me. Had I then eaten of the purification offering today, would it have been pleasing to the Lord?” 20 On hearing this, Moses was satisfied.

Footnotes

  1. 10:1–2 Nadab and Abihu are the older sons of Aaron (Ex 6:23–24). Their sin apparently involves using embers from an unapproved source instead of the altar (cf. 16:12). The fire that destroys them is the same type found in 9:24.
  2. 10:3 The explanation for the divine reaction indicates that improper cultic actions desecrate God and compromise God’s glory. Desecration evokes divine punishment (cf. Ex 28:43; Nm 4:15, 19–20). Those near to me: i.e., cultic officials.
  3. 10:4–5 Moses has lay people remove the bodies so that the priests can continue their cultic activities free of contamination by a corpse (cf. Nm 19).
  4. 10:10 Sacred and…profane…clean and…unclean: something or someone may be either sacred or profane (i.e., ordinary, not set apart), and at the same time clean or unclean. Priests would be particularly concerned about keeping what is unclean away from the sacred.
  5. 10:12–13 Grain offering: this is the grain offering of the people of 9:4, 17. Only the token offering had been offered; the rest was for the priests’ consumption.
  6. 10:14 Brisket…leg: these are from the Israelites’ communion sacrifices in 9:4, 18–21.
  7. 10:16–20 Goat of the purification offering: this is the people’s purification offering of 9:3, 15. Since its blood is not brought into the sanctuary, then, according to 6:17–23, this is the type of purification offering which is to be eaten by the priests in a holy place. Eleazar and Ithamar: they burned the entire goat of the people’s purification offering (9:15) instead of eating it in a sacred place (6:19) to remove ritually the sin of the community by the ingestion of the meat of the offering. Aaron’s defense of this action of his sons is somewhat vague: he merely alludes to the loss suffered in the death of Nadab and Abihu, without giving an explicit reason for Eleazar and Ithamar’s not eating the people’s purification offering, as required.
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Leviticus 10
New International Version

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’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.

4 Moses 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)” 5 So they came and carried them, still in their tunics,(Q) outside the camp, as Moses ordered.

6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,(R) “Do not let your hair become unkempt[a](S) 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. 7 Do 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.

8 Then 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(AA) for the generations to come, 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,(AB) 11 and so you can teach(AC) the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.(AD)”

12 Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering(AE) left over from the food offerings prepared without yeast and presented to the Lord and eat it beside the altar,(AF) for it is most holy. 13 Eat it in the sanctuary area,(AG) because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings presented to the Lord; for so I have been commanded.(AH) 14 But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast(AI) that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place;(AJ) they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings. 15 The thigh(AK) 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.(AL) This will be the perpetual share for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”

16 When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering[b](AM) 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 offering(AN) in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt(AO) of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord. 18 Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place,(AP) you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.(AQ)”

19 Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering(AR) 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?” 20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 10:6 Or Do not uncover your heads
  2. Leviticus 10:16 Or purification offering; also in verses 17 and 19
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Leviticus 10
New King James Version

The Profane Fire of Nadab and Abihu

10 Then (A)Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, (B)each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered (C)profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 So (D)fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. 3 And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying:

‘By those (E)who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.’ ”

So Aaron held his peace.

4 Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, (F)carry your brethren from [a]before the sanctuary out of the camp.” 5 So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.

6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not [b]uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and (G)wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, [c]bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. 7 (H)You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, (I)for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

Conduct Prescribed for Priests

8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: 9 (J)“Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, 10 that you may (K)distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 (L)and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

12 And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: (M)“Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made by fire to the Lord, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; (N)for it is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a (O)holy place, because it is your [d]due and your sons’ due, of the sacrifices made by fire to the Lord; for (P)so I have been commanded. 14 (Q)The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your (R)daughters with you; for they are your due and your sons’ (S)due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 (T)The thigh of the heave offering and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the offerings of fat made by fire, to offer as a wave offering before the Lord. And it shall be yours and your sons’ with you, by a statute forever, as the Lord has commanded.”

16 Then Moses made careful inquiry about (U)the goat of the sin offering, and there it was—burned up. And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, 17 (V)“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear (W)the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? 18 See! (X)Its blood was not brought inside [e]the holy place; indeed you should have eaten it in a holy place, (Y)as I commanded.”

19 And Aaron said to Moses, “Look, (Z)this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and such things have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, (AA)would it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord?” 20 So when Moses heard that, he was content.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 10:4 in front of
  2. Leviticus 10:6 An act of mourning
  3. Leviticus 10:6 weep bitterly
  4. Leviticus 10:13 portion
  5. Leviticus 10:18 The Most Holy Place when capitalized
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Leviticus 9
Leviticus 11
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