Bible in 90 Days
The Burnt Offering
1 The Lord ·called to [summoned] Moses and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent, saying, 2 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘When you bring an offering [L of livestock] to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from the herd or flock.
3 “‘If the offering is a whole burnt offering from the herd, it must be a male ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. The person must take the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent so that the Lord will accept the offering. 4 He must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [C to identify with the animal that served as a substitute], and ·the Lord will accept it to remove the person’s sin so he will belong to God [L it will be acceptable as atonement/expiation for him]. 5 He must ·kill [slaughter] the young bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, must bring its blood and ·sprinkle [dash] it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 6 After that he will skin the ·animal [L whole burnt offering] and cut it into pieces. 7 The [L sons of Aaron, the] priests, when they have ·put [arranged] wood and fire on the altar, 8 [L the sons of Aaron, the priests,] are to ·lay [arrange] the head, the ·fat [suet], and other pieces on the wood that is on the fire of the altar. 9 The animal’s inner organs and legs must be washed with water. Then the priest must ·burn all the animal’s parts [L turn it into smoke] on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
10 “‘If the ·burnt offering [L offering; gift] is a sheep or a goat from the flock [C acceptable if the worshiper could not afford a bull], it must be a male ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. 11 The person must ·kill [slaughter] the animal on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 12 The person must cut the animal into pieces, and the priest must ·lay [arrange] them, with the head and ·fat [suet], on the wood that is on the fire of the altar. 13 The person must wash the animal’s inner organs and legs with water, and then the priest must ·burn all its parts [L turn it into smoke] on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
14 “‘If the ·whole burnt offering [offering; gift] for the Lord is a bird [C presumably because the worshiper could not afford an animal from the herd or flock], it must be a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest will bring it to the altar and ·pull [wring] off its head, which he will ·burn [L turn into smoke] on the altar; its blood must be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 The priest must remove the bird’s crop [C a part of its digestive system] and its contents and throw them on the east side of the altar, where the ashes are. 17 Then he must tear the bird open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. The priest must ·burn the bird [L turn it into smoke] on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
The Grain Offering
2 “‘When anyone offers a ·grain [L gift; tribute; C this offering of grain, called a gift offering, was not considered an atonement for sin] offering to the Lord, that ·offering [gift] must be made from ·fine [choice] flour. The person must pour oil on it, put ·incense [frankincense] on it, 2 and then take it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest must take a handful of the ·fine [choice] flour and oil and all the incense, and ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar as a memorial portion. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 3 The rest of the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering will belong to Aaron and the priests; it is a most ·holy [sacred] part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord.
4 “‘If you bring a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering that was baked in the oven, it must be made from ·fine [choice] flour. It may be ·loaves made without yeast [unleavened cakes] and mixed with oil, or it may be ·wafers made without yeast [unleavened wafers] that have oil ·poured [spread] over them. 5 If your grain offering is cooked on a griddle, it must be made, ·without yeast [unleavened], of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with oil. 6 ·Crumble it [Break it in pieces] and pour oil over it; it is a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering. 7 If your ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering is cooked in a pan, it must be made from ·fine [choice] flour and oil. 8 Bring the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering made ·of these things [or in any of these ways] to the Lord. Give it to the priest, and he will take it to the altar. 9 He will take out the memorial portion [2:2] from the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering and ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar, as an offering made by fire. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 10 The rest of the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering belongs to Aaron and the priests. It is a most ·holy [sacred] part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire.
11 “‘Every ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering you bring to the Lord must be made without ·yeast [L leaven], because you must not ·burn [L turn into smoke] any ·yeast [leaven] or honey [C both of them ferment in fire, a form of decay] in an offering made by fire to the Lord. 12 You may bring yeast and honey to the Lord as ·an offering [gift] from the first harvest, but they must not be ·burned [L raised up] on the altar as a pleasing smell. 13 You must also put salt on all your ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings. Salt stands for your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with God that will last forever; do not leave salt out of your ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering. You must add salt to all your offerings [C salt would endure the fire, thereby representing the eternal covenant].
14 “‘If you bring a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering from the first harvest to the Lord, bring crushed heads of new grain ·roasted [parched] in the fire. 15 Put oil and ·incense [frankincense] on it; it is a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering. 16 The priest will ·burn [L turn into smoke] the memorial portion of the crushed grain and oil, with the ·incense [frankincense] on it. It is an offering by fire to the Lord.
The Fellowship Offering
3 “‘If a person’s ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [C demonstrated fellowship because the meat was to be eaten by the worshipers] to the Lord is from the herd, it may be a male or female, but it must ·have nothing wrong with it [be unblemished]. 2 The person must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [1:4] and ·kill [slaughter] it at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, must ·sprinkle [dash] the blood on all sides of the altar. 3 From the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering he must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must offer the fat of the animal’s inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), 4 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 5 Then the priests will ·burn these parts [L turn these into smoke] on the altar, on the whole burnt offering that is on the wood of the fire. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
6 “‘If a person’s ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering to the Lord is ·a lamb or a goat [L from the flock], it may be a male or female, but it must ·have nothing wrong with it [be unblemished]. 7 If he offers a lamb, he must bring it before the Lord 8 and ·put [lay] his hand on its head [1:4]. Then he must ·kill [slaughter] the animal in front of the Meeting Tent, and the ·priests [L sons of Aaron] must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 9 From the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must bring the fat, the whole fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat of the inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), 10 both kidneys with the fat that is on them, near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 11 Then the priest will ·burn these parts [L turn them into smoke] on the altar as food; it will be an offering made by fire to the Lord.
12 “‘If a person’s ·offering [gift] is a goat, he must offer it before the Lord 13 and ·put [lay] his hand on its head [1:4]. Then he must ·kill [slaughter] it in front of the Meeting Tent, and the priests must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 14 From this ·offering [gift] the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must offer all the fat of the goat’s inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), 15 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 16 The priest will ·burn these parts [L turn them into smoke] on the altar as food. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. All the fat belongs to the Lord [see v. 17].
17 “‘This ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] will continue for people ·from now on [forever], ·wherever you live [L in all your habitations/settlements]: You must not eat any fat [C perhaps considered the location of an animal’s strength; 7:22–25] or ·blood [C the source of life; 7:26–27; 17:10; 19:26; Gen. 9:4; Deut. 12:16, 23; 15:23].’”
The Sin Offering
4 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel this: ‘When a person sins ·by accident [unintentionally; inadvertently; C in contrast to a deliberate sin; Num. 15:22–31] ·and does some things the Lord has commanded not to be done [L in any of the Lord’s commandments/regulations], ·that person must do these things [L and does any one of them]:
3 “‘If the ·appointed [L anointed] priest sins so that he brings guilt on the people, then he must offer a young bull to the Lord, ·one that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished], as a ·sin [or purification; C the offering would purify the offerer of the effects of sin] offering for the sin he has done. 4 He will bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent in front of the Lord, ·put [lay] his hand on its head [1:4], and ·kill [slaughter] it before the Lord. 5 Then the ·appointed [L anointed] priest must bring some of the bull’s blood into the Meeting Tent. 6 The priest is to dip his finger into the blood and ·sprinkle [dash] it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain of the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary]. 7 The priest must also put some of the blood on the ·corners [L horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of incense that stands before the Lord in the Meeting Tent. The rest of the blood he must pour out at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 8 He must remove all the fat from the bull of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering—the fat on and around the inner organs, 9 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver which he will remove with the kidneys. 10 (He must do this in the same way the fat is removed from the bull of the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offering [3:3–4].) Then the priest must ·burn [L turn into smoke] the animal parts on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the priest must carry off the skin of the bull and all its meat, along with the rest of the bull—its head, legs, intestines, and other inner organs. 12 He must take it outside the camp to the special clean [C in a ritual sense] place where the ashes are poured out. He must burn it on a wood fire on the pile of ashes.
13 “‘If the whole ·nation [congregation; assembly] of Israel sins ·accidentally [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] ·without knowing it [L and the matter is hidden from the eyes of the assembly/crowd] and does something the Lord has commanded not to be done, they are guilty. 14 When they learn about the sin they have done, they must offer a young bull as a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] and bring it before the Meeting Tent. 15 The elders of the ·group of people [congregation; assembly] must ·put [lay; 1:4] their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord, and it must be ·killed [slaughtered] before the Lord. 16 Then the ·appointed [L anointed] priest must bring some of the bull’s blood into the Meeting Tent. 17 Dipping his finger in the blood, he must ·sprinkle [dash] it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain. 18 Then he must put some of the blood on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar that is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent. The priest must pour out the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 19 He must remove all the fat from the animal and ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar; 20 he will do the same thing with this bull that he did with the first bull of the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. In this way the priest ·removes the sins of the people so they will belong to the Lord and [L atones for them and they will] be forgiven. 21 Then the priest must carry the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as he did with the first bull. This is the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] for the whole ·community [assembly; crowd].
22 “‘If a ·ruler [leader; prince] sins ·by accident [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] and does something the Lord his God has commanded must not be done, he is guilty. 23 When he learns about his sin, he must bring a male goat that ·has nothing wrong [is unblemished] with it as his ·offering [gift]. 24 The ·ruler [leader; prince] must ·put [lay; 1:4] his hand on the goat’s head and ·kill [slaughter] it in the place where they ·kill [slaughter] the whole burnt offering before the Lord; it is a ·sin [purification] offering [4:3]. 25 The priest must take some of the blood of the ·sin [purification] offering [4:3] on his finger and put it on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar of burnt offering. 26 He must ·burn [L turn into smoke] all the goat’s fat on the altar in the same way he ·burns [L turns into smoke] the fat of the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offerings [3:3–4]. In this way the priest ·removes the ruler’s sin so he belongs to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
27 “‘If any ·person in the community [ordinary/private/lay person; L of the people of the land] sins ·by accident [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] and does something which the Lord has commanded must not be done, he is guilty. 28 When the person learns about his sin, he must bring a female goat ·that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished] as an ·offering [gift] for his sin. 29 He must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [1:4] and ·kill [slaughter] it at the place of the whole burnt offering. 30 Then the priest must take some of the goat’s blood on his finger and put it on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the goat’s blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar. 31 Then the priest must remove all the goat’s fat in the same way the fat is removed from the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offerings [3:3–4]. He must ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar as a smell pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest ·will remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
32 “‘If this person brings a lamb as his ·offering [gift] for sin, he must bring a female ·that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished]. 33 He must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [1:4] and ·kill [slaughter] it as a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] in the place where the whole burnt offering is ·killed [slaughtered]. 34 The priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering on his finger and put it on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the lamb’s blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar. 35 Then the priest must remove all the lamb’s fat in the same way that the lamb’s fat is removed from the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offerings [3:3–4]. He must ·burn the pieces on the altar [L turn them into smoke] on top of the offerings made by fire for the Lord. In this way the priest ·will remove that person’s sins so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
Special Types of Accidental Sins
5 “‘If a person ·is ordered to tell in court [L hears a public oath and he has been a witness of] what he has seen or what he knows and he does not ·tell the court [L make it known], he is guilty of sin.
2 “‘Or someone might touch something unclean, such as the dead body of an unclean wild animal or an unclean farm animal or an unclean crawling animal [11:24–28, 32–40]. Even if he does not know that he touched it, he will still be unclean and guilty of sin.
3 “‘Someone might touch human uncleanness—anything that makes someone unclean—and not know it. But when he learns about it, he will be guilty.
4 “‘Or someone might make a promise before the Lord ·without thinking [rashly]. It might be a [rash] promise to do something bad or something good; it might be about anything. Even if he forgets about it, when he remembers, he will be guilty [Deut. 23:22–23; Eccl. 5:4].
5 “‘When anyone is guilty of any of these things, he must ·tell how he sinned [L confess his sin]. 6 He must bring an offering to the Lord as a penalty for sin; it must be a female lamb or goat from the flock. The priest will ·perform the acts to remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord [L make atonement for his sin].
7 “‘But if the person cannot afford a lamb, he must bring two ·doves [turtledoves] or two young pigeons to the Lord as the penalty for his sin. One bird must be for a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3], and the other must be for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. 8 He must bring them to the priest, who will first offer the one for the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. He will ·pull [wring] the bird’s head from its neck, but he will not ·pull it completely off [sever it]. 9 He must ·sprinkle [dash] the blood from the ·sin [purification] offering [4:3] on the side of the altar, and then he must pour the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar; it is a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. 10 Then the priest must offer the second bird as a whole burnt offering, as the ·law [regulation] says [1:14–17]. In this way the priest ·will remove the person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
11 “‘If the person cannot afford two ·doves [turtledoves] or two pigeons, he must bring about ·two quarts of [L one-tenth of an ephah of] ·fine [choice] flour as an ·offering for sin [purification offering; 4:3]. He must not put oil or ·incense [frankincense] on the flour, because it is a ·sin [or purification] offering. 12 He must bring the flour to the priest. The priest will take a handful of the flour as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire to the Lord; it is a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. 13 In this way the priest ·will remove the person’s sins so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he will be forgiven]. What is left of the sin offering belongs to the priest, like the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:10].’”
The Penalty Offering
14 The Lord said to Moses, 15 “If a person ·accidentally [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] sins and ·does something against [is unfaithful/disloyal toward] the holy things of the Lord, he must bring from the flock a male sheep ·that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished]. This will be his ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering to the Lord. Its value in silver must be correct as set by the Holy Place measure. It is a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 16 That person must pay for the sin he did against the holy thing, adding one-fifth to its value. Then he must give it all to the priest. In this way the priest will ·remove the person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord [make atonement for him], by using the male sheep as the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. And ·the Lord will forgive the person [L he will be forgiven].
17 “If a person sins and does something the Lord has commanded not to be done, even if he does not know it, he is still guilty. He is responsible for his sin. 18 He must bring the priest a male sheep from the flock, one that ·has nothing wrong with it [is unblemished] and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. Though the person sinned without knowing it, with this offering the priest will ·remove the sin so the person will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [make atonement for him and he will be forgiven]. 19 The person is guilty of doing wrong, so he must give the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering to the Lord.”
6 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “A person might sin against the Lord ·by doing one of these sins [L and be unfaithful/disloyal]: He might lie about ·what happened to something he was taking care of for someone else [L a deposit], or ·he might lie about a promise he made [L a pledge]. He might steal something or cheat someone. 3 He might find something that had been lost and then lie about it. He might make a promise before the Lord about something and not mean it, or he might do some other sin. 4 If he does any of these things, he is guilty of sin. He must bring back whatever he stole or whatever he took by cheating. He must bring back the ·thing he took care of for someone else [deposit]. He must bring back what he found and lied about 5 or what he made a false promise about. He must pay the full price plus an extra one-fifth of the value of what he took. He must give the money to the true owner on the day he brings his ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 6 He must bring his penalty to the priest—a male sheep from the flock, ·one that does not have anything wrong with it [unblemished] and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering to the Lord. 7 Then the priest will ·perform the acts to remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [make atonement for him and he will be forgiven] for the sins that made him guilty.”
The Whole Burnt Offering
8 The Lord said to Moses, 9 “Give this command to Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons]: ‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instruction] about the whole burnt offering [1:1–17]: The burnt offering must stay on the [L hearth of the] altar all night until morning, and the altar’s fire must be kept burning. 10 The priest must put on his linen robe and linen underclothes next to his body. Then he will remove the ashes from the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. 11 Then he must take off those clothes and put on others and carry the ashes outside the camp to a special clean [C in a ritual sense] place. 12 But the fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not be ·allowed to go out [extinguished]. The priest must put more firewood on the altar every morning, place the whole burnt offering on the fire, and ·burn [L turn into smoke] the fat of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1]. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar ·all the time [perpetually]; it must not ·go out [be extinguished].
The Grain Offering
14 “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1]: The ·priests [L sons of Aaron] must bring it to the Lord in front of the altar. 15 The priest must take a handful of ·fine [choice] flour, with the oil and all of the ·incense [frankincense] on it, and ·burn the grain offering [L turn it into smoke] on the altar as a memorial offering to the Lord. Its smell is pleasing to him. 16 Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons] may eat what is left, but it must be eaten ·without yeast [unleavened] in a holy place. They must eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. 17 It must not be ·cooked [baked] with ·yeast [leaven]. I have given it as their ·share [portion] of the offerings made to me by fire; it is most holy, like the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] and the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7]. 18 Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it as his ·share of the offerings [perpetual due; decree] made to the Lord by fire, ·and this will continue from now on [L throughout your generations]. Whatever touches these offerings shall become holy.’”
19 The Lord said to Moses, 20 “This is the ·offering [gift] Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons] must bring to the Lord on the day they ·appoint Aaron as high priest [L anoint him]: They must bring ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour for a ·continual [perpetual] ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1], half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 21 The ·fine [choice] flour must be mixed with oil and cooked on a griddle. Bring it when it is well ·mixed [or soaked]. Present the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] that is ·broken into pieces [or partly baked; or folded], and it will be a smell that is pleasing to the Lord. 22 One of the priests ·appointed [anointed] to take Aaron’s place as high priest must make the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1]. It is a ·rule [statute; ordinance; regulation] forever that the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] must be completely burned to the Lord. 23 Every grain offering made by a priest must be completely ·burned [L turned into smoke]; it must not be eaten.”
The Sin Offering
24 The Lord said to Moses, 25 “Tell Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons]: ‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering: The ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering must be ·killed [slaughtered] in front of the Lord in the same place the whole burnt offering [ch. 1] is ·killed [slaughtered]; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering must eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. 27 Whatever touches the meat of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering ·must be [or will become] ·holy [consecrated; set apart], and if the blood is ·sprinkled [spattered] on any clothes, you must wash them in a holy place. 28 The clay pot the meat is ·cooked [boiled] in must be broken, or if a bronze pot is used, it must be scrubbed and rinsed with water. 29 Any male in a priest’s family may eat the offering; it is most holy. 30 But if the blood of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering is taken into the Meeting Tent and used to ·remove sin [make atonement] in the Holy Place, that ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering must be burned with fire. It must not be eaten.
The Penalty Offering
7 “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7], which is most holy: 2 The ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering must be ·killed [slaughtered] where the whole burnt offering is ·killed [slaughtered; ch. 1]. Then the priest must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 3 He must offer all the fat from the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering—the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, 4 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. 5 The priest must ·burn [L turn into smoke] all these things on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 6 Any male in a priest’s family may eat it. It is most holy, so it must be eaten in a holy place.
7 “‘The ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7] is like the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] in that the ·teachings [laws; instructions] are the same for both. The priest who ·offers the sacrifice to remove sins [makes atonement with it] will ·get the meat for food [L have it]. 8 The priest who offers the burnt offering [ch. 1] may also have the skin from it. 9 Every ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] that is baked in an oven, cooked on a griddle, or baked in a dish belongs to the priest who offers it. 10 Every ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1], either dry or mixed with oil, belongs to the priests, and ·all priests [L sons of Aaron] will share alike.
The Fellowship Offering
11 “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] a person may offer to the Lord: 12 If he brings the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] to show his thanks, he should also bring loaves of bread made without ·yeast [leaven] that are mixed with oil, wafers made without ·yeast [leaven] that have oil poured over them, and loaves of ·fine [choice] flour that are ·mixed [or soaked] with oil. 13 He must also offer loaves of bread made with ·yeast [leaven] along with his ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1], which he gives to show thanks. 14 One of each kind of ·offering [gift] will be for the Lord; it will be given to the priest who ·sprinkles [dashes] the blood of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering. 15 When the fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] is given to thank the Lord, the meat from it must be eaten the same day it is offered; none of it must be left until morning.
16 “‘If a person brings a ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] ·just to give a gift to God [as a freewill offering] or because of a ·special promise to him [votive offering; C in fulfillment of a vow], the sacrifice should be eaten the same day he offers it. If there is any left, it may be eaten the next day. 17 If any meat from this sacrifice is left on the third day, it must be burned ·up [L with fire]. 18 Any meat of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering eaten on the third day will not be accepted, nor will the sacrifice count for the person who offered it. It ·will become unclean [is an abomination], and anyone who eats the meat will be guilty of sin.
19 “‘People must not eat meat that touches anything unclean [C in a ritual sense]; they must burn this meat with fire. Anyone who is clean may eat other meat. 20 But if anyone is unclean and eats the meat from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] that belongs to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people.
21 “‘If anyone touches something unclean [C in a ritual sense]—uncleanness that comes from people, from an animal, or from some ·hated thing [or swarming creature]—touching it will make him unclean. If he then eats meat from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] that belongs to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people.’”
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘You must not eat any of the fat from cattle, sheep, or goats [3:17]. 24 If an animal is found dead or torn by wild animals, you may use its fat for other things, but you must not eat it. 25 If someone eats fat from an animal offering made by fire to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people. 26 No matter where you live, you must not eat blood from any bird or animal. 27 Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from his people [3:17].’”
The Priests’ Share
28 The Lord said to Moses, 29 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘If someone brings a ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] to the Lord, he must give part of it as his sacrifice to the Lord. 30 He must carry that part of the gift in his own hands as an offering made by fire to the Lord. He must bring the fat and the breast of the animal to the priest, to be presented to the Lord as ·the priests’ share [L an elevation offering]. 31 Then the priest must ·burn [L turn into smoke] the fat on the altar, but the breast of the animal will belong to Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons]. 32 You must also give the right thigh from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] to the priest as a ·gift [L elevation offering]; 33 it will belong to the ·priest [L son of Aaron] who offers the blood and fat of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering. 34 I have taken the breast and the thigh from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1] of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], and I have given these parts to Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons] as ·their share for all time [an eternal regulation] from the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].’”
35 This is the portion that belongs to Aaron and his sons from the offerings made by fire to the Lord. They were given this share on the day they were presented to the Lord as priests. 36 On the day ·the Lord appointed the priests [L he anointed them], he commanded Israel to give this share to them, and it is ·to be given to the priests as their share [L an eternal regulation] ·from now on [L throughout their generations].
37 These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the whole burnt offering, the ·grain [gift; tribute] offering [2:1], the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering, the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7], the offering for ·the appointment of priests [ordination], and the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1]. 38 The Lord ·gave these teachings to [L commanded] Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to bring their ·offerings [gifts] to the Lord in the Sinai ·Desert [Wilderness].
Aaron and His Sons Appointed
8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Bring Aaron and his sons and their clothes, the special olive oil used ·in appointing people and things to the service of the Lord [for anointing], the bull of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and the two male sheep, and the basket of bread made without ·yeast [leaven]. 3 Then gather the ·people [L community; congregation; assembly] together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.” 4 Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the ·people [L community; congregation; assembly] met together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
5 Then Moses spoke to the ·people [L community; congregation; assembly] and said, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.” 6 Bringing Aaron and his sons forward, Moses washed them with water. 7 He put the inner robe [Ex. 28:39–41] on Aaron and tied the ·cloth belt [sash] around him. Then Moses put the outer robe [Ex. 28:31–41] on him and placed the ·holy vest [L ephod; Ex. 28:6–14] on him. He tied the ·skillfully woven belt [embroidered waist band] around him so that the ·holy vest [L ephod; Ex. 28:6–14] was tied to Aaron. 8 Then Moses put the ·chest covering [breastpiece; Ex. 28:15–30] on him and put the Urim and the Thummim [C devices, probably lots, that were used to discern God’s will; the name means “light and truth”; Ex. 28:30] in the chest covering. 9 He also put the turban on Aaron’s head. He put the ·strip of gold [rosette; medallion; plate; L flower], the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as the Lord commanded him to do [Ex. 28:36].
10 Then Moses ·put the special oil on [L took the anointing oil and anointed] the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and everything in it, ·making them holy for the Lord [consecrating/sanctifying them]. 11 He sprinkled some oil on the altar seven times, ·sprinkling [anointing] the altar [Ex. 27:1–8] and all its tools and the large bowl [Ex. 30:17–21] and its base. In this way he ·made them holy for the Lord [consecrated/sanctified them]. 12 He poured some of the ·special [anointing] oil on Aaron’s head [Ps. 133] to ·make Aaron holy for the Lord [consecrate/sanctify him]. 13 Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward. He put the inner robes [Ex. 28:39–41] on them, tied ·cloth belts [sashes] around them, and put ·headbands [headdresses] on them, as the Lord had commanded him.
14 Then Moses brought the bull for the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering, and Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head. 15 Moses ·killed [slaughtered] the bull, took the blood, and with his finger put some of it on all the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar, to ·make it pure [purify it]. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base] of the altar. In this way he ·made it holy [sanctified/consecrated it] and ·ready for service to God [L made atonement for it]. 16 Moses took all the fat from the inner organs of the bull, the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat that is on them, and he ·burned them [L turned them into smoke] on the altar. 17 But he took the bull’s skin, its meat, and its ·intestines [or dung] and burned them in a fire outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded him.
18 Next Moses brought the ·male sheep [ram] of the burnt offering [1:1–17], and Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head. 19 Then Moses ·killed [slaughtered] it and ·sprinkled [dashed] the blood on all sides of the altar. 20 He cut the male sheep into pieces and ·burned [L turned into smoke] the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 He washed the inner organs and legs with water and ·burned [L turned into smoke] the whole ·sheep [ram] on the altar as a burnt offering [1:1–17] made by fire to the Lord; its smell was pleasing to the Lord. Moses did these things as the Lord had commanded him.
22 Then Moses brought the other ·male sheep [ram], ·the one used in appointing Aaron and his sons as priests [L of ordination], and Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head. 23 Then Moses ·killed [slaughtered] the sheep and put some of its blood on the ·bottom [lobe] of Aaron’s right ear, some on the thumb of Aaron’s right hand, and some on the big toe of his right foot [Ex. 29:20]. 24 Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons close to the altar. He put some of the blood on the ·bottom [lobe] of their right ears, some on the thumbs of their right hands, and some on the big toes of their right feet. Then he ·sprinkled [dashed] blood on all sides of the altar. 25 He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat on the inner organs, the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, both kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh. 26 From the basket of bread made without ·yeast [leaven] that is put before the Lord each day [Ex. 25:30], Moses took a loaf of bread, a loaf made with oil, and a wafer. He put these pieces of bread on the fat and right thigh of the ·male sheep [ram]. 27 All these things he put in the hands of Aaron and his sons and ·presented [raised] them as an [L elevation] offering before the Lord. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and ·burned them [L turned them into smoke] on the altar on top of the burnt offering [1:1–17]. So this was the offering ·for appointing Aaron and his sons as priests [for ordination]. It was an offering made by fire to the Lord, and its smell was pleasing to him. 29 Moses also took the breast and ·presented [raised] it as an [L elevation] offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ share of the ·male sheep used in appointing the priests [ram of ordination], as the Lord had commanded him.
30 Moses took some of the ·special [anointing] oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and he sprinkled them on Aaron and Aaron’s clothes and on Aaron’s sons and their clothes. In this way Moses made Aaron, his clothes, his sons, and their clothes ·holy for the Lord [consecrated; sanctified].
31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “I gave you a command, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat these things.’ So take the meat and basket of bread from the offering ·for appointing priests [of ordination]. Boil the meat at the door of the Meeting Tent, and eat it there with the bread. 32 If any of the meat or bread is left, burn it [L with fire]. 33 The time of ·appointing [ordination] will last seven days; you must not go outside the entrance of the Meeting Tent until that time is up. Stay there until the time of your ·appointing [ordination] is finished. 34 The Lord commanded the things that were done today to ·remove your sins so you will belong to him [make atonement for you]. 35 You must stay at the entrance of the Meeting Tent day and night for seven days. If you don’t obey the Lord’s commands, you will die. The Lord has given me ·these commands [this charge].”
36 So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses.
Aaron and His Sons Offer Sacrifices
9 On the eighth day after the time of appointing, Moses called for Aaron and his sons and for the elders of Israel. 2 He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf and a ·male sheep [ram] ·that have nothing wrong with them [unblemished], and offer them to the Lord. The calf will be a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering, and the male sheep will be a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. 3 Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and a calf and a lamb for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]; each must be one year old, and it must ·have nothing wrong with it [be unblemished]. 4 Also take a bull and a male sheep for ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1], along with a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] mixed with oil. Offer all these things to the Lord, because the Lord will appear to you today.’”
5 So all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] came to the front of the Meeting Tent, bringing the things Moses had commanded them to bring, and they stood before the Lord. 6 Moses said, “You have done what the Lord commanded, so you will see the Lord’s glory [C his manifest presence].”
7 Then Moses told Aaron, “Go to the altar and offer ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offerings and whole burnt offerings [1:1–17]. Do this to ·remove your sins and the people’s sins so you will belong to God [make atonement for you and the people]. Offer the sacrifices for the people and ·perform the acts to remove their sins for them so they will belong to the Lord [make atonement for them] as the Lord has commanded.”
8 So Aaron went to the altar and ·killed [slaughtered] the bull calf as a ·sin [purification; 4:3] offering for himself. 9 Then Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the ·corners [horns; 27:2] of the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base] of the altar. 10 Aaron took the fat, the kidneys, and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver from the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and ·burned them [L turned them into smoke] on the altar, in the way the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 The meat and skin he burned outside the camp.
12 Then Aaron ·killed [slaughtered] the animal for the whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. His sons brought the blood to him, and he ·sprinkled [dashed] it on all sides of the altar. 13 As they gave him the pieces and head of the burnt offering [1:1–17], Aaron ·burned them [L turned them into smoke] on the altar. 14 He also washed the inner organs and the legs of the burnt offering [1:1–17] and ·burned them [L turned them into smoke] on top of the burnt offering [1:1–17] on the altar.
15 Then Aaron brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat of the people’s ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and ·killed [slaughtered] it and offered it for the sin [or purification; 4:3] offering, just as he had done the first ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering.
16 Then Aaron brought the whole ·burnt offering [1:1–17] and offered it ·in the way that the Lord had commanded [L according to regulations]. 17 He also brought the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] to the altar. He ·took a handful of the grain [L filled his hand with a portion] and ·burned it [L turned it into smoke] on the altar, in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
18 Aaron also ·killed [slaughtered] the bull and the ·male sheep [ram] as the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1] for the people. His sons brought him the blood, and he ·sprinkled [dashed] it on all sides of the altar. 19 Aaron’s sons also brought to Aaron the fat of the bull and the ·male sheep [ram]—the fat tail, the fat covering the inner organs, the kidneys, and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver. 20 Aaron’s sons put them on the breasts of the bull and the sheep. Then Aaron ·burned [L turned into smoke] these fat parts on the altar. 21 He ·presented [raised] the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as ·the priests’ share of the [an elevation] offering, as Moses had commanded.
22 Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. When he had finished offering the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering, the burnt offering [1:1–17], and the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1], he stepped down from the altar.
23 Moses and Aaron went into the Meeting Tent. Then they came out and blessed the people, and the Lord’s glory [C his manifest presence] came to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the Lord and burned up the burnt offering [1:1–17] and fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and bowed facedown on the ground.
God Destroys Nadab and Abihu
10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their ·pans for burning incense [censers; firepans], put fire in them, and added incense; ·but they did not use the special fire Moses had commanded them to use in the presence of the Lord [L and they offered unholy/illicit/L strange fire such as he had not commanded them; C they failed, in some unknown way, to follow strict ritual protocol]. 2 So fire came down from the Lord and ·destroyed [consumed] Nadab and Abihu, and they died in front of the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord was speaking about when he said,
‘I ·must be respected as [or will show myself] holy
·by [or through] those who come near me;
before all the people
I must be ·given honor [glorified].’”
So Aaron did not say anything about the death of his sons.
4 Aaron’s uncle Uzziel had two sons named Mishael and Elzaphan. Moses said to them, “Come here and pick up your cousins’ bodies. Carry them outside the camp away from the front of the ·Holy Place [sanctuary].” 5 So Mishael and Elzaphan obeyed Moses and carried the bodies of Nadab and Abihu, still clothed in the special priest’s inner robes [Ex. 28:39–43], outside the camp.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Don’t show sadness by tearing your clothes or leaving your hair uncombed. If you do, you will die, and the Lord will be angry with all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly]. All the ·people [L house] of Israel, your relatives, may cry loudly about the Lord burning Nadab and Abihu, 7 but you must not even leave the Meeting Tent. If you go out of the entrance, you will die, because the ·Lord has appointed you to his service [L anointing oil of the Lord is on you].” So Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar obeyed Moses.
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons must not drink wine or ·beer [T strong drink; C an alcoholic beverage made from grain] when you go into the Meeting Tent. If you do, you will die. This ·law will continue [is a perpetual/eternal regulation] ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 10 You must keep what is holy separate from what is ·not holy [common]; you must keep what is clean separate from what is unclean [L in a ritual sense]. 11 You must teach the ·people [L sons/T children of Israel] all the ·laws [regulations] that the Lord gave to them through Moses.”
12 Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Eat the part of the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] that is left from the sacrifices offered by fire to the Lord, but do not add ·yeast [leaven] to it. Eat it near the altar because it is most holy. 13 You must eat it in a holy place, because this part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord ·belongs to you and [L is your due and the due of] your sons. I have been commanded to tell you this.
14 “Also, you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast and thigh of the ·fellowship [L elevation; C the offering was lifted to the Lord before it was eaten] offering that was presented to the Lord. You must eat them in a clean [C in a ritual sense] place; they are your ·share [due] of the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offerings [3:1] given by the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. 15 The people must bring the fat from their animals that was part of the offering made by fire, and they must ·present it to the Lord along with the thigh [L that is raised] and the breast of the ·fellowship [L elevation—see v. 14] offering. They will be ·the regular share of the offerings for you and [your due and the due of] your children, as the Lord has commanded.”
16 Moses ·looked for [made inquiry about] the goat of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering, but it had already been burned up. So he became very angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons. He said, 17 “Why didn’t you eat ·that goat [L the sin/or purification offering] in a holy place? It is most holy, and the Lord gave it to you to take away the guilt of the people, to ·remove their sins so they will belong to [make atonement for them before] the Lord. 18 You didn’t bring the goat’s blood inside the Holy Place. You were supposed to eat the goat in a holy place, as I commanded!”
19 But Aaron said to Moses, “Today they brought their ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] and burnt offering [1:1–17] before the Lord, but these terrible things have still happened to me! Do you think the Lord would ·be any happier [or think it right] if I ate the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] today?” 20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
Rules About What May Be Eaten
11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] this: ‘From among the land animals, these are the creatures you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has split hoofs completely divided and that chews the cud [C considered a normal land animal].
4 “‘Some animals only chew the cud or only have split hoofs, and you must not eat them. The camel chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean [C in a ritual sense] for you. 5 The rock badger chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 6 The rabbit chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 7 Now the pig has a split hoof that is completely divided, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat the meat from these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.
9 “‘Of the animals that live in the sea or in a river, if the animal has fins and scales, you may eat it [C considered a normal aquatic creature]. 10 But whatever lives in the sea or in a river and does not have fins and scales—including the things that ·fill [swarm] the water and all other things that live in it—·you should hate [L they are detestable/abominable]. 11 You must not eat any meat from them or even touch their dead bodies, because ·you should hate them [L they are detestable/abominable to you]. 12 ·You must hate [Detestable/Abominable to you is] any animal in the water that does not have fins and scales.
13 “‘Also, these are the birds you ·are to hate [should find detestable/abominable]. They are ·hateful [detestable; abominable] and should not be eaten. You must not eat eagles, vultures, black vultures, 14 kites, any kind of falcon, 15 any kind of raven, 16 horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk, 17 little owls, cormorants, great owls, 18 white owls, desert owls, ospreys, 19 storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or bats [C exact identification is sometimes uncertain, but all eat prey or carcasses and/or live in desolate places].
20 “‘Don’t eat insects that have wings and walk on all four feet; they also are ·to be hated [detestable/abominable to you; C their way of moving makes them abnormal insects].
21 “‘But you may eat certain insects that have wings and walk on four feet. You may eat those that have legs with joints above their feet so they can ·jump [leap]. 22 These are the insects you may eat: all kinds of locusts, winged locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers [C exact identification is uncertain]. 23 But all other insects that have wings and walk on four feet ·you are to hate [are detestable/abominable to you]. 24 Those insects will make you unclean [C in a ritual sense], and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these insects will become unclean until evening. 25 Anyone who picks up one of these dead insects must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
26 “‘Some animals have split hoofs, but the hoofs are not completely divided; others do not chew the cud. They are unclean for you, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 27 Of all the animals that walk on four feet, the animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean until evening. 28 Anyone who picks up their dead bodies must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; these animals are unclean for you.
29 “‘These ·crawling [swarming] animals [C animals that move close to the ground] are unclean for you: moles, rats, all kinds of great lizards, 30 geckos, crocodiles, lizards, sand reptiles, and chameleons [C identification of some of these animals is uncertain]. 31 These ·crawling [swarming] animals are unclean for you [C probably because they eat carrion or touch dead bodies]; anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening.
32 “‘If an unclean animal dies and falls on something, that item will also become unclean [C in a ritual sense]. This includes anything made from wood, cloth, leather, or rough cloth, regardless of its use. Whatever the animal falls on must be washed with water and be unclean until evening; then it will become clean again. 33 If the dead, unclean animal falls into a clay bowl, anything in the bowl will become unclean, and you must break the bowl. 34 If water from the unclean clay bowl gets on any food, that food will become unclean. 35 If any dead, unclean animal falls on something, it becomes unclean. If it is a clay oven or a clay baking pan, it must be broken into pieces. These things will be unclean; they are unclean for you.
36 “‘A spring or ·well that collects water [cistern] will stay clean [C in a ritual sense], but anyone who touches the dead body of any unclean animal will become unclean. 37 If a dead, unclean animal falls on a seed to be planted, that seed is still clean. 38 But if you put water on some seeds and a dead, unclean animal falls on them, they are unclean for you.
39 “‘Also, if an animal which you use for food dies, anyone who touches its body will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening. 40 Anyone who eats meat from this animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up the animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 “‘Every animal that ·crawls [swarms] on the ground is ·to be hated [detestable; abominable]; it must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat any of the animals that ·crawl [L walk] on the ground, including those that ·crawl [walk] on their stomachs, that walk on all four feet, or on many feet. They are ·to be hated [detestable; abominable]. 43 Do not make yourself unclean [C in a ritual sense] by these animals; you must not become unclean by them. 44 I am the Lord your God. ·Keep yourselves holy for me [L Sanctify/Consecrate yourselves and be holy] because I am holy. Don’t ·make yourselves unclean [defile yourselves] with any of these ·crawling [swarming] animals. 45 I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt to be your God; you must be holy because I am holy.
46 “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about all of the cattle, birds, and other animals on earth, as well as the animals ·in the sea [L that moves in the water] and those that ·crawl [swarm] on the ground. 47 These ·teachings [laws; teachings] help people know the difference between unclean animals and clean animals [C in a ritual sense]; they help people know which animals may be eaten and which ones must not be eaten.’”
Rules for New Mothers
12 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel this: ‘If a woman [L conceives; becomes pregnant and] gives birth to a son, she will become unclean [C in a ritual sense] for seven days, as she is unclean during her ·monthly period [menstruation; 15:19]. 3 On the eighth day the ·boy [L flesh of his foreskin] must be circumcised [Gen. 17:10–14]. 4 Then it will be thirty-three days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood. She must not touch anything that is holy or enter the ·Holy Tent [L sanctuary] until her time of ·cleansing [purification] is finished. 5 But if she gives birth to a daughter, the mother will be unclean for two weeks, as she is unclean during her ·monthly period [menstruation]. It will be sixty-six days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood.
6 “‘After she has a son or daughter and her days of ·cleansing [purification] are over, the new mother must bring certain sacrifices to the Meeting Tent. She must give the priest at the entrance a year-old lamb for a burnt offering [1:1–17] and a dove or young pigeon for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering. 7 He will offer them before the Lord to make her clean [C in a ritual sense] ·so she will belong to the Lord again [L to make atonement for her]; then she will be clean from her ·loss [flow] of blood. These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] for a woman who gives birth to a boy or girl.
8 “‘If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering [1:1–17] and one for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering. In this way the priest will make her clean [C in a ritual sense] ·so she will belong to the Lord again [L and make atonement for her], and she will be clean.’”
Rules About Skin Diseases
13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Someone might have on ·his skin [L the skin of his body; C and so throughout the passage] a swelling or a ·rash [eruption] or a bright spot. If the sore looks like ·a harmful skin disease [T leprosy; the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders], the person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of Aaron’s sons, the priests. 3 The priest must ·look at [examine] the sore on the person’s skin. If the hair in the sore has become white, and the sore seems deeper than the person’s skin, it is a harmful skin disease [13:2]. When he has finished ·looking at [examining] the person, the priest must announce that the person is unclean [C in a ritual sense; the principle of “wholeness” was disturbed by running sores or by a skin disease that partially covered the body; see 13:12–13].
4 “If there is a white spot on a person’s skin, but the spot does not seem deeper than the skin, and if the hair from the spot has not turned white, the priest must ·separate [confine; quarantine] that person from other people for seven days. 5 On the seventh day the priest must ·look at [examine] the person again. If he sees that the sore has not changed and it has not spread on the skin, the priest must keep the person ·separated [confined; quarantined] for seven more days. 6 On the seventh day the priest must ·look at [examine] the person again. If the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean [C in a ritual sense]. The sore is only a ·rash [eruption]. The person must wash his clothes, and he will become clean again.
7 “But if the ·rash [eruption] spreads again after the priest has announced him clean [C in a ritual sense], the person must come again to the priest. 8 The priest must ·look at [examine] him, and if the ·rash [eruption] has spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean; it is a harmful skin disease [13:2].
9 “If a person has a harmful skin disease [13:2], he must be brought to the priest, 10 and the priest must ·look at [examine] him. If there is a white swelling in the skin, and the hair has become white, and the skin looks raw in the swelling, 11 it is a harmful skin disease [13:2]. It is one he has had for a long time. The priest must announce that the person is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. He will not need to ·separate [confine; quarantine] that person from other people, because everyone already knows that the person is unclean.
12 “If the skin disease [13:2] spreads all over a person’s body, covering his skin from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, the priest must ·look at [examine] the person’s whole body. 13 If the priest sees that the disease covers the whole body and has turned all of the person’s skin white, he must announce that the person is clean [C in a ritual sense; he was clean because he was whole, uniformly covered by skin disease; 13:3].
14 “But when the person has ·an open sore [raw flesh], he is unclean [C in a ritual sense; because there was a break in the surface of his body, he was no longer whole]. 15 When the priest sees the ·open sore [raw flesh], he must announce that the person is unclean. The open sore is not clean; it is a harmful skin disease [13:2]. 16 If the ·open sore [raw flesh] becomes white again, the person must come to the priest. 17 The priest must ·look at [examine] him, and if the ·sores have [raw flesh has] become white, the priest must announce that the person with the ·sores [raw flesh] is clean. Then he will be clean.
18 “Someone may have a boil on his skin that is healed. 19 If in the place where the boil was, there is a white swelling or a bright red spot, this place on the skin must be shown to the priest. 20 And the priest must ·look at [examine] it. If the spot seems deeper than the skin and the hair on it has become white, the priest must announce that the person is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. The spot is a harmful skin disease [13:2] that has broken out from inside the boil. 21 But if the priest looks at the spot and there are no white hairs in it and the spot is not deeper than the skin and it has faded, the priest must ·separate [confine; quarantine] the person from other people for seven days. 22 If the spot spreads on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean; it is a disease that will spread. 23 But if the bright spot does not spread or change, it is only the scar from the old boil. Then the priest must announce that the person is clean.
24 “When a person gets a burn on his skin, if the ·open sore [raw flesh] becomes white or red, 25 the priest must ·look at [examine] it. If the white spot seems deeper than the skin and the hair at that spot has become white, it is a harmful skin disease [13:2]. The disease has broken out in the burn, and the priest must announce that the person is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. It is a harmful skin disease [13:2]. 26 But if the priest ·looks at [examines] the spot and there is no white hair in the bright spot, and the spot is no deeper than the skin and has faded, the priest must ·separate [confine; quarantine] the person from other people for seven days. 27 On the seventh day the priest must ·look at [examine] him again. If the spot has spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is a harmful skin disease [13:2]. 28 But if the bright spot has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is the swelling from the burn. The priest must announce that the person is clean, because the spot is only a scar from the burn.
29 “When a man or a woman gets a sore on the scalp or on the ·chin [or cheek; or beard], 30 a priest must ·look at [examine] the sore. If it seems deeper than the skin and the hair around it is thin and yellow, the priest must announce that the person is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. It is an ·itch [scaly patch; C perhaps eczema or ringworm], a harmful skin disease [13:2] of the head or ·chin [or cheek; or beard]. 31 But if the priest ·looks at [examines] it and it does not seem deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest must ·separate [confine; quarantine] the person from other people for seven days. 32 On the seventh day the priest must ·look at [examine] the ·sore [itch; scaly patch; 13:30]. If it has not spread, and there are no yellow hairs growing in it, and the ·sore [itch; scaly patch] does not seem deeper than the skin, 33 the person must shave himself, but he must not shave the ·sore place [itch; scaly patch]. The priest must ·separate [confine; quarantine] that person from other people for seven more days. 34 On the seventh day the priest must ·look at [examine] the ·sore [itch; scaly patch]. If it has not spread on the skin and it does not seem deeper than the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean [C in a ritual sense]. So the person must wash his clothes and become clean. 35 But if the ·sore [itch; scaly patch] spreads on the skin after the person has become clean, 36 the priest must ·look at [examine] him again. If the sore has spread on the skin, the priest doesn’t need to look for the yellowish hair; the person is unclean. 37 But if the priest thinks the sore has stopped spreading, and black hair is growing in it, the ·sore [itch; scaly patch; 13:30] has healed. The person is clean, and the priest must announce that he is clean.
38 “When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, 39 a priest must ·look at [examine] them. If the spots on the skin are dull white, the disease is only a harmless rash. That person is clean [C in a ritual sense].
40 “When anyone loses hair from his head and is bald, he is clean [C in a ritual sense]. 41 If he loses hair from the front of his head and has a bald forehead, he is clean. 42 But if there is a red-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is a skin disease [13:2] breaking out in those places. 43 A priest must ·look at [examine] that person. If the swelling of the sore on his bald head or forehead is red-white, like a skin disease that spreads, 44 that person has a skin disease [13:2]. He is unclean. The priest must announce that the person is unclean because of the sore on his head.
45 “If a person has a skin disease [13:2] that spreads, he must warn other people by shouting, ‘Unclean, unclean [C in a ritual sense]!’ His clothes must be torn at the seams, he must let his hair stay uncombed, and he must cover his ·mouth [L upper lip]. 46 That person will be unclean the whole time he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone outside the camp.
Rules About Mildew
47 “Clothing might have ·mildew [or mold; C the same Hebrew word as for “skin disease”; 13:2] on it. It might be clothing made of linen or wool 48 (either woven or knitted), or of leather, or something made from leather. 49 If the mildew [13:47] in the clothing, leather, or woven or knitted material is green or red, it is a spreading mildew. It must be shown to the priest. 50 The priest must ·look at [examine] the mildew, and he must put that piece of clothing in a ·separate [confined; quarantined] place for seven days. 51 On the seventh day he must ·look at [examine] the mildew [13:47] again. If the mildew has spread on the cloth (either woven or knitted) or the leather, no matter what the leather was used for, it is a mildew [13:47] that destroys; it is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 52 The priest must burn the clothing. It does not matter if it is woven or knitted, wool or linen, or made of leather, because the mildew is spreading. It must be burned.
53 “If the priest sees that the mildew [13:47] has not spread in the cloth (either knitted or woven) or leather, 54 he must order the people to wash that piece of leather or cloth. Then he must ·separate [confine; quarantine] the clothing for seven more days. 55 After the piece with the mildew has been washed, the priest must ·look at [examine] it again. If the mildew [13:47] still looks the same, the piece is unclean, even if the mildew has not spread. You must burn it in fire; it does not matter if the mildew is on one side or the other.
56 “But when the priest ·looks at [examines] that piece of leather or cloth, the mildew [13:47] might have faded after the piece has been washed. Then the priest must tear the mildew out of the piece of leather or cloth (either woven or knitted). 57 But if the mildew comes back to that piece of leather or cloth (either woven or knitted), the mildew is spreading. And whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. 58 When the cloth (either woven or knitted) or the leather is washed and the mildew [13:47] is gone, it must be washed again; then it will be clean [C in a ritual sense].
59 “These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about mildew [13:47] on pieces of cloth (either woven or knitted) or leather, to decide if they are clean or unclean [C in a ritual sense].”
Rules for Cleansing from Skin Diseases
14 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “These are the ·teachings [instructions; laws] for the time at which people who had a harmful skin disease [13:2] are made clean [C in a ritual sense].
“The person shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest must go outside the camp and ·look at [examine] the one who had the skin disease. If the skin disease is healed, 4 the priest will command that two living, clean birds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red string, and a hyssop plant [Ex. 12:22] be brought for cleansing the person with the skin disease.
5 “The priest must order one bird to be ·killed [slaughtered] in a clay bowl containing fresh water. 6 Then he will take the living bird, the piece of cedar wood, the red string, and the hyssop; all these he will dip into the blood of the bird that was ·killed [slaughtered] over the fresh water. 7 The priest will sprinkle the blood seven times on the person being cleansed from the skin disease [13:2]. He must announce that the person is clean [C in a ritual sense] and then go to an open field and let the living bird go free.
8 “The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water [C perhaps representing complete decontamination]. Then he will be clean and may go into the camp, though he must stay outside his tent for the first seven days. 9 On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—the hair from his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will be clean [C in a ritual sense].
10 “On the eighth day the person who had the skin disease must take two male lambs that ·have nothing wrong with them [are unblemished] and a year-old female lamb that ·has nothing wrong with it [is unblemished]. He must also take six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] and ·two-thirds of a pint [L three-tenths of an ephah] of olive oil. 11 The priest who is to announce that the person is clean [C in a ritual sense] must bring him and his sacrifices before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 12 The priest will take one of the male lambs and offer it with the olive oil as a ·penalty [guilt; reparation; 5:14–6:7] offering; he will present them before the Lord as an offering. 13 Then he will ·kill [slaughter] the male lamb in the holy place, where the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and the whole burnt offering are killed. The ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering is like the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering—it belongs to the priest and it is most holy.
14 “The priest will take some of the blood of the ·penalty [guilt; reparation; 5:14–6:7] offering and put it on the ·bottom [lobe] of the right ear of the person to be made clean. He will also put some of it on the thumb of the person’s right hand and on the big toe of the person’s right foot. 15 Then the priest will take some of the [L log of; C a liquid measure] oil and pour it into his own left hand. 16 He will dip a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left hand, and with his finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times before the Lord. 17 The priest will put some oil from his hand on the ·bottom [lobe] of the right ear of the person to be made clean, some on the thumb of the person’s right hand, and some on the big toe of the person’s right foot. The oil will go on these places on top of the blood for the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 18 He will put the rest of the oil that is in his left hand on the head of the person to be made clean [C in a ritual sense]. In this way the priest will make that person clean ·so he can belong to [L and make atonement for that person before] the Lord again.
19 “Next the priest will offer the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering to make that person clean ·so he can belong to the Lord again [L and make atonement]. After this the priest will ·kill [slaughter] the animal for the whole burnt offering [1:1–17], 20 and he will offer the burnt offering and ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] on the altar. In this way he will make that person clean [C in a ritual sense] ·so he can belong to the Lord again [L and make atonement for him].
21 “But if the person is poor and unable to afford these offerings, he must take one male lamb for a ·penalty [guilt; reparation; 5:14–6:7] offering. It will be presented to the Lord to make him clean [C in a ritual sense] ·so he can belong to the Lord again [L and make atonement for him]. The person must also take ·two quarts [L one tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with oil for a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1]. He must also take ·two-thirds of a pint [L a log; C a liquid measure] of olive oil 22 and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford. One bird is for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and the other for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. 23 On the eighth day the person will bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, before the Lord. 24 The priest will take the lamb for the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering and the oil, and he will present them as an offering before the Lord. 25 Then he will ·kill [slaughter] the lamb of the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering, take some of its blood, and put it on the ·bottom [lobe] of the right ear of the person to be made clean [C in a ritual sense]. The priest will put some of this blood on the thumb of the person’s right hand and some on the big toe of the person’s right foot. 26 He will also pour some of the oil into his own left hand. 27 Then with a finger of his right hand, he will sprinkle some of the oil from his left hand seven times before the Lord. 28 The priest will take some of the oil from his hand and put it on the ·bottom [lobe] of the right ear of the person to be made clean. He will also put some of it on the thumb of the person’s right hand and some on the big toe of the person’s right foot. The oil will go on these places on top of the blood from the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 29 The priest must put the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the head of the person to be made clean, to make him clean ·so he can belong to [L to make atonement for him before] the Lord again. 30 Then the priest will offer one of the doves or young pigeons, which the person can afford. 31 He must offer one of the birds for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and the other for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17], along with the grain [L gift; tribute; 2:1] offering. In this way the priest will make the person clean so he can ·belong to [make atonement before] the Lord again; he will become clean.
32 “These are the ·teachings [regulations; laws] for making a person clean [C in a ritual sense] after he has had a skin disease [13:2], if he cannot afford the regular sacrifices for becoming clean.”
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