Bible in 90 Days

Laws for the Offerings

1 Then the Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. ² He said, “Speak to the Israelites and tell them these things.”

Regulations for the Whole Burnt Offering

When any of you present an offering to the Lord, when it is from the livestock, you may present your offering from the herd or the flock.

³ If a person’s offering is a whole burnt offering^[a] selected from the herd, he shall present a male without blemish. He shall present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it^[b] will be accepted before the Lord. ⁴ He shall lay^[c] his hand on the head of the burnt offering so that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. ⁵ He shall slaughter the young bull^[d] before the Lord. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood and splash the blood against all the sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁶ They are to skin the burnt offering and cut it up into sections. ⁷ The sons of Aaron the priest are to stoke the fire on the altar and lay out wood on the fire. ⁸ Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, are to lay out the sections, together with the head and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. ⁹ Then they are to wash its inner organs and its lower legs with water. The priest shall send it all up in smoke on the altar as a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire,^[e] with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

¹⁰ If a person’s offering for a whole burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or from the goats, he shall present a male without blemish. ¹¹ He shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar in the presence of the Lord. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall splash its blood against all sides of the altar. ¹² When he has cut it into sections, together with its head and its fat, the priest is to lay them out on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. ¹³ Then he is to wash the inner organs and the lower legs with water. The priest shall present all of it and send it up in smoke on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴ If a person’s offering to the Lord for a whole burnt offering consists of birds, he shall present a turtledove or some kind of pigeon as his offering. ¹⁵ The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and send it up in smoke on the altar. Its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar. ¹⁶ He is to remove its digestive system by cutting off its tail feathers^[f] and throwing them into the place for the ashes at the east side of the altar. ¹⁷ He is to tear it open by its wings, without tearing it apart. Then the priest shall send it up in smoke on the altar, upon the wood that is on the fire. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Regulations for the Supplementary Grain Offerings

2 When a person brings a grain offering^[g] to the Lord, his gift shall be fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, place frankincense on it, ² and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He is to scoop out a handful of its fine flour and some of its oil, as well as all the frankincense. The priest shall turn its memorial portion into smoke on the altar, as an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ³ But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons, a most holy part from the Lord’s gifts.

⁴ When you present a grain offering that has been baked in an oven, it shall be fine flour made into unleavened round loaves mixed with oil or unleavened wafers coated with oil.

⁵ If your offering is a grain offering prepared on a flat griddle, it shall be fine flour mixed with oil, left unleavened. ⁶ Crumble it into bits and pour oil on it. It is a grain offering.

⁷ But if your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

⁸ You may bring to the Lord a grain offering made in any of these ways. It shall be presented to the priest, who shall deliver it to the altar. ⁹ The priest shall separate the memorial portion from the grain offering and send it up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁰ But the rest of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from the Lord’s gifts.

¹¹ No grain offering that you present to the Lord shall be made with yeast, because you must not send up in smoke as a gift to the Lord anything made with yeast or with honey or fruit syrup.^{[h] 12} You may present them as a firstfruit offering to the Lord, but they shall not be offered up on the altar as a pleasing aroma. ¹³ You are to season all your grain offerings with salt. You are not to leave out the salt of the covenant^[i] of your God from your grain offering. On all your offerings you must offer salt.

¹⁴ If you present a grain offering of first ripe grain to the Lord, you shall present fresh, undried grain roasted with fire, crushed kernels of the fresh barley, as a grain offering of your first ripe grain.^{[j] 15} You are to add oil to it and place frankincense on it. It is a grain offering. ¹⁶ The priest shall turn its memorial portion into smoke (some of its crushed kernels and oil, with all of its frankincense) as an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Regulations for the Fellowship Offering

3 When someone presents a sacrifice as a fellowship offering,^[k] if he presents it from the herd, either a male or a female, he shall present before the Lord an animal without blemish ² and lay his hand on the head of his offering. He shall slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons, the priests, are to splash the blood against all sides of the altar. ³ From the sacrifice of the fellowship offering he is then to present as an offering made by fire to the Lord these parts: the fat that surrounds the inner organs and all the fat on the inner organs, ⁴ the two kidneys with the fat around them on the muscles and sinews, and the protruding lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. ⁵ Aaron’s sons shall send it up in smoke on the altar. Place it on top of the burnt offering that is placed on the wood on the fire. Offer it as an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

⁶ If he presents a male or a female from the flock to the Lord as the sacrifice of a fellowship offering, he shall present an animal without blemish. ⁷ If he presents a sheep as his offering, he shall present it before the Lord ⁸ and lay his hand on the head of his offering. He shall slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against all sides of the altar. ⁹ Then he shall present the fat from the sacrifice of the fellowship offering as an offering made by fire to the Lord. Include all of the fat tail, which is cut off from the base of the spine, the fat that surrounds the inner organs, and all of the fat on the inner organs. ¹⁰ Also include the two kidneys with the fat around them on the muscles and sinews, as well as the protruding lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. ¹¹ The priest shall send it up in smoke on the altar as food, as an offering made by fire to the Lord.

¹² If his offering is a goat, he shall present it before the Lord ¹³ and lay his hand on its head. He shall slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against all sides of the altar. ¹⁴ He shall then present his offering from it as an offering made by fire to the Lord: the fat that covers the inner organs and all the fat around the inner organs, ¹⁵ as well as the two kidneys with the fat around them on the muscles and sinews, and the protruding lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. ¹⁶ The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as food, as an offering made by fire, with a pleasing aroma. All fat belongs to the Lord. ¹⁷ This is a permanent regulation throughout your generations in all your settlements: You must not eat any fat or any blood.

Regulations for the Sin Offering

4 The Lord again told Moses, ² “Tell these things to the Israelites.”

When a person sins unintentionally against any of the Lord’s commands by doing something which the Lord has prohibited, this is what you must do:

³ If it is the anointed priest who sins and thereby brings guilt on the people, for the sin that he has committed he shall present a young bull without blemish as a sin offering to the Lord. ⁴ He shall bring the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and lay his hand on the head of the bull. Then he shall slaughter the bull in the presence of the Lord. ⁵ The anointed priest shall take some of the blood from the bull and bring it into the Tent of Meeting. ⁶ The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood in front of the curtain of the Holy Place seven times in the presence of the Lord. ⁷ The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is in the Tent of Meeting, as a fragrant incense in the presence of the Lord. All the rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is in front of the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁸ He is to reserve all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the inner organs and all the fat that is around the inner organs, ⁹ the two kidneys with the fat that is around them on the muscles and sinews, and the protruding lobe of the liver, which he shall remove together with the kidneys. ¹⁰ It is to be reserved just as it is reserved from the cattle^[l] for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. Then the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar for burnt offerings. ¹¹ But the hide of the bull and all its meat, together with its head and its lower legs, its intestines and their contents— ¹² all the rest of the bull—he is to carry to a clean place outside the camp, to the ash dump, and burn it on a wood fire. It is to be burned on the ash dump.

¹³ If the whole community of Israel goes astray unintentionally and the offense is not noticed by the assembly, so that they violate one of the Lord’s commands by doing something that should not be done, but they later realize their guilt, ¹⁴ when the sin which they have committed has been made known to them, the assembly shall present a young bull as a sin offering and bring it before the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁵ The elders of the community shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord. ¹⁶ The anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the Tent of Meeting, ¹⁷ and the priest shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times on the curtain in the presence of the Lord. ¹⁸ He shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. All the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁹ He is to reserve all its fat and send it up in smoke on the altar. ²⁰ He is to perform the same procedure for this bull as he performed for the bull of the sin offering. He shall perform the same procedure for it.^[m] This is the way the priest is to make atonement for them, so that they may be forgiven. ²¹ The bull is to be carried outside the camp, and it is to be burned just as the first bull was burned. It is a sin offering for the assembly.

²² When a tribal leader sins by unintentionally disobeying any of the commands of the Lord his God and doing something that should not be done, and he then realizes his guilt, ²³ or the sin which he has committed has been made known to him, he shall bring a male goat without blemish as his offering. ²⁴ He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat. It is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings, and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings. ²⁶ He shall turn all its fat into smoke on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, so that he may be forgiven.

²⁷ If any common person from the land sins by unintentionally violating any of the Lord’s commands by doing something that should not be done, and he then realizes his guilt, ²⁸ or the sin that he committed has been made known to him, he shall bring a female goat without blemish as his offering for the sin that he has committed. ²⁹ He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering at the place for the burnt offering. ³⁰ Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. All the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ³¹ After he removes all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, the priest shall send it up in smoke on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him, so that he may be forgiven.

³² If he brings a sheep as his sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish. ³³ He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering in the place where he would slaughter the burnt offering. ³⁴ Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. All the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ³⁵ After he removes all its fat, just as the fat of the sheep was removed from the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, the priest shall send it up in smoke on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire to the Lord. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, so that he may be forgiven.

5 When a person sins because he did not speak up, even though he was an eyewitness to a case or knew what happened, and he had even heard a curse pronounced against anyone who failed to testify, he is guilty.^[n]

² When a person touches something unclean, whether it is the carcass of an unclean wild animal or the carcass of unclean livestock or the carcass of an unclean swarming creature, but he does not realize it, he nevertheless is unclean, and he is liable.^[o]

³ When a person touches human impurity, any impurity^[p] by which one becomes unclean, but at first he does not realize it, but later becomes aware of it, he is nevertheless unclean, and he is liable.

⁴ Or when a person rashly utters an oath, whether for an evil purpose or a good purpose—no matter what anyone may rashly utter as an oath—even though he does not realize it at first, when he finds out about it later, he is liable in any one of these cases.^[q]

⁵ When he realizes his liability in one of these cases, he shall confess the sin of which he is guilty. ⁶ As his penalty for the sin of which he is guilty, he shall bring to the Lord a female from the flock (a sheep or a goat) as a sin offering, so that the priest may make atonement for him for his sin. ⁷ But if he cannot afford a sheep or goat, he shall bring to the Lord as his penalty for that sin two turtledoves or two pigeons: one for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. ⁸ He shall bring them to the priest. First, the priest shall offer the one for the sin offering by wringing its head from its neck without severing it. ⁹ He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is to be drained at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰ Then he shall perform the procedure for the second sacrifice according to the regulation for a whole burnt offering. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him from the sin of which he is guilty, so that he may be forgiven.

¹¹ If the person cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, he shall bring as his offering for his guilt two quarts^[r] of choice flour for a sin offering. He shall not add olive oil to it or put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. ¹² He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall scoop out a handful of it as its memorial portion and send it up in smoke on the altar, on top of the gifts made by fire for the Lord. It is a sin offering. ¹³ In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin of which he is guilty, so that he may be forgiven. Like the grain offering, it shall belong to the priest.

Regulations for the Restitution Offering

¹⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses:

¹⁵ When a person commits an offense by unintentionally sinning in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, he shall bring to the Lord as his restitution offering^[s] an unblemished ram from the flock or its equivalent amount in silver shekels by the sanctuary weight, as a restitution offering.^{[t] 16} He shall make restitution for the holy thing in regard to which he sinned, by adding one-fifth of its value and giving this amount to the priest. Then the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the restitution offering, so that he may be forgiven.

¹⁷ If, however, a person sins by doing anything against the Lord’s commands by doing something that should not be done, even though he is not aware of it, he is liable and shall bear the punishment for his guilt. ¹⁸ He shall bring an unblemished ram from the flock or its equivalent as a restitution offering to the priest. The priest shall make atonement for him for his unintentional sin, which he had committed unknowingly, so that he may be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a restitution offering. He has indeed made restitution to the Lord.^[u]

6 The Lord spoke to Moses and told him these things:^[v]

² If a person sins and commits an offense against the Lord by deceiving his fellow citizen about a deposit or an investment or something stolen, or if he has extorted something from his fellow citizen, ³ or if he has found something that was lost and he pretended it was his, or if he swears falsely about any offense that a person may commit in connection with any of these sins— ⁴ when he has sinned and then admits his guilt, he shall return what he has stolen, or what he has extorted, or the deposit which was entrusted to him, or the lost thing that he has found, ⁵ or anything else about which he has sworn falsely. He shall repay it in its entirety and then add one-fifth of its value to the payment. He shall pay this to its owner when he admits his liability. ⁶ Then he shall bring to the priest as his penalty to the Lord an unblemished ram from the flock (or its equivalent^[w]) as a restitution offering. ⁷ The priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, so that he may be forgiven for whatever he has done to incur liability.

Additional Regulations for the Offerings

⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁹ “Command this law to Aaron and his sons.”

For Burnt Offerings

This is the law for the whole burnt offering. It concerns the part of the burnt offering that remains on the altar hearth all night until the morning, while the fire is kept burning on the altar.

¹⁰ After the priest has put on his linen garments and wears linen underclothes next to his flesh, he shall remove the fat-drenched ashes from the burnt offering that remains on the altar after the burning, and he shall place them beside the altar. ¹¹ When he has taken off his garments and put on other clothing, he shall carry the fat-drenched ashes outside the camp to a clean place. ¹² The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It is not to go out. Every morning the priest is to burn more wood on it, so that he may lay out the burnt offering on top of it and turn the fat parts of the fellowship offerings into smoke on top of it. ¹³ The fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar. It must not go out.

For Grain Offerings

¹⁴ This is the law for the grain offering.

The sons of Aaron shall present it before the Lord, in front of the altar. ¹⁵ One of them shall take a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and some of its olive oil, together with all the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and turn its memorial portion into smoke on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁶ Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the rest of it. It shall be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They shall eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁷ It shall not be baked with leavened dough. I have assigned it as their portion from my gifts. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the restitution offering. ¹⁸ Any male among Aaron’s descendants may eat it as his perpetual portion from the Lord’s gifts throughout your generations. Anyone who touches the offerings will be set apart as holy.^[x]

The Grain Offering of the Priest

¹⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses:

²⁰ This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall present to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: They shall bring two quarts of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It is to be prepared with oil on a griddle. You shall bring it well soaked^[y] and present pieces^[z] of the grain offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ²² The priest who has been anointed to succeed him from among his sons shall perform this sacrifice as a perpetual obligation to the Lord. It shall be turned entirely into smoke. ²³ So too every grain offering of a priest shall be a total sacrifice. It is not to be eaten.

The Offerings of the Israelites

²⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses and told him ²⁵ to tell Aaron and his sons these things.

The Sin Offering

This is the law for the sin offering.

The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord in the same place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. It is most holy. ²⁶ The priest who offers it as a sin offering shall eat it. It is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. ²⁷ Whoever touches its meat must be set aside as holy, and if any of its blood is spattered on any garment, you shall clean the spattered part in a holy place. ²⁸ Any clay pot in which it has been boiled is to be smashed. But if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot shall be scoured and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male among the priests may eat the offering. It is most holy. ³⁰ But no sin offering from which some of the blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting, to make atonement in the Holy Place, may be eaten. It must be burned with fire.

The Restitution Offering

7 This is the law for the restitution offering.

It is most holy. ² The restitution offering shall be slaughtered in the same place where the whole burnt offering is slaughtered. The priest shall splash its blood against all sides of the altar. ³ All the fat from it is to be presented: the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, ⁴ the two kidneys with the fat that is around them on the muscles and sinews, and the protruding lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. ⁵ Then the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a restitution offering. ⁶ Any male among the priests may eat it. It is to be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.

⁷ The restitution offering is like the sin offering. The same law applies to both: It shall belong to the priest who makes atonement with it. ⁸ Also the priest who presents anyone’s burnt offering shall keep the hide of the burnt offering that he has presented. ⁹ Any grain offering that is baked in an oven and any offering that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it. ¹⁰ Any grain offering that has been mixed with oil or is dry shall belong to all the sons of Aaron alike.

The Fellowship Offering

¹¹ And this is the law for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering that is presented to the Lord.

¹² If anyone presents it for thanksgiving, then, in addition to what he is offering as the thank offering, he shall present round unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and ring-shaped loaves made of well-soaked fine flour, mixed with oil.^{[aa] 13} In addition to the sacrifice of his fellowship offering that was presented as a thank offering, he shall present round loaves of leavened bread with his offering. ¹⁴ From this he shall present one of each kind as an offering elevated to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering. ¹⁵ The meat from the sacrifice of his fellowship offering for thanksgiving is to be eaten on the day that it is presented. None of it is to be left until morning.

¹⁶ But if the sacrifice that he offers is an offering to fulfill a vow or a voluntary^[ab] offering, it may be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice. Whatever is left of it may also be eaten the next day, ¹⁷ but whatever meat is left on the third day is to be burned with fire. ¹⁸ Indeed, if any of the meat from the sacrifice of his fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, the one who presented it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to him. It will be regarded as rotten meat. Any person who eats any of it shall bear his guilt.

¹⁹ Meat that touches anything that is ceremonially unclean must not be eaten. It must be burned with fire. As for the other meat from the fellowship offering, anyone who is clean may eat such meat. ²⁰ But the person who eats the meat from the sacrifice of his fellowship offering to the Lord while in a state of uncleanness will be cut off from his people. ²¹ If a person touches any unclean thing, whether it is human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any detestable creature, and then eats some of the meat from the sacrifice of a fellowship offering which belongs to the Lord, that person will be cut off from his people.

Prohibited Food: Fat and Blood

²² The Lord spoke to Moses and told him ²³ to tell the Israelites these things:

You shall not eat any fat from any cattle, sheep, or goats. ²⁴ The fat of an animal that has died naturally or has been mauled by wild animals may be put to any other use, but you must never eat it. ²⁵ Indeed, if anyone eats the fat from any kind of animal which someone may present as an offering made by fire to the Lord, the person who eats it will be cut off from his people.

²⁶ You must not eat any blood from birds or animals in any of the places where you settle. ²⁷ Any person who eats any blood will be cut off from his people.

The Priest’s Portion of the Fellowship Offering

²⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses ²⁹ and told him to tell the Israelites these things:

Anyone who presents his sacrifice as a fellowship offering to the Lord shall bring some of his fellowship sacrifice as an offering to the Lord. ³⁰ His own hands must bring the gifts made by fire to the Lord. He shall bring the fat on the breast in order to offer the breast as a wave offering to the Lord. ³¹ The priest shall turn the fat into smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons. ³² You shall give the right thigh to the priest as an elevated offering from your fellowship sacrifices. ³³ The right thigh shall be the portion that belongs to the son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering. ³⁴ For from the Israelites I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the elevated offering^[ac] from their fellowship sacrifices, and I have assigned them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the Israelites as a perpetual regulation.

³⁵ This is the assigned share for Aaron and the assigned share for his sons from the offerings made to the Lord by fire^[ad] from the day when he presents them to serve the Lord as priests. ³⁶ It is the share which the Lord commands the Israelites to give them from the day when he anoints them. It is a permanent regulation throughout their generations.

The Conclusion of the Offering Regulations

³⁷ These are the laws for the whole burnt offerings, the grain offerings, the sin offerings, the restitution offerings, the ordination offerings, and the sacrifice of the fellowship offerings, ³⁸ which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, when he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord, in the Wilderness of Sinai.

The Ordination of the Priests

8 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Take Aaron and his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, ³ and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”

⁴ Moses did as the Lord had commanded him. When the whole congregation had assembled at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, ⁵ Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do.”

⁶ Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. ⁷ He put the tunic on him, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, put the special vest on him, wrapped the decorated band of the vest around him, and tied the vest to him with the band. ⁸ He placed the pouch on him and put the Urim and Thummim into the pouch. ⁹ Then he placed the turban on his head, and he placed the gold medallion, the holy crest, on the front of the turban just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁰ Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Dwelling and everything in it, to consecrate them. ¹¹ He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar with all its utensils and the basin with its pedestal, to consecrate them. ¹² He poured out some of the anointing oil on the head of Aaron and anointed him to consecrate him.

¹³ Then Moses presented the sons of Aaron, clothed them with tunics, fastened a sash around them, and put small pointed turbans on them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁴ After the bull for the sin offering had been presented, Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering. ¹⁵ After it had been slaughtered, Moses took the blood, and with his finger he smeared it all around the horns of the altar, purifying the altar. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. In this way he consecrated the altar by making atonement for it. ¹⁶ Then, taking all the fat around the inner organs and the protruding lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, Moses sent them up in smoke on the altar. ¹⁷ But the bull, with its hide, its flesh, and its manure, was burned with fire outside the camp, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁸ After the ram for the whole burnt offering had been presented, Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram’s head. ¹⁹ After it had been slaughtered, Moses splashed the blood against all sides of the altar. ²⁰ After the ram had been cut into sections, Moses turned the head, the cut-up sections, and the fat into smoke. ²¹ After the inner organs and the legs had been washed with water, Moses turned all of the ram into smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²² Then the second ram, the ram of ordination,^[ae] was presented. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram’s head, ²³ and it was slaughtered. Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁴ After he had presented Aaron’s sons, Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then Moses splashed the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. ²⁵ Next he took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat around the inner organs, the protruding lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat—and the right thigh. ²⁶ From the basket of unleavened bread that was placed before the Lord, he took one round loaf of unleavened bread, one round loaf of bread made with olive oil, and one wafer, and he placed them on top of the fat and the right thigh. ²⁷ He put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and he raised them as an offering that is waved before the Lord. ²⁸ Then Moses took them out of their palms and sent them up in smoke on top of the burnt offering on the altar. They were an ordination offering for a pleasing aroma. It was an offering by fire to the Lord. ²⁹ Moses took the breast and presented it as an offering that was waved before the Lord. It was the portion for Moses from the ram of ordination, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰ After Moses had taken some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, he sprinkled them on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons as well. In this way he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons as well.

³¹ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons: “Boil the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. You shall eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination, just as I commanded when I said,^[af] ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ ³² What is left over from the meat and the bread you shall burn with fire. ³³ You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the period of your ordination is completed, because it will take seven days to ordain you. ³⁴ The Lord has commanded what has been done on this day to make atonement for you, ³⁵ while you stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days. You shall keep the Lord’s vigil, so that you do not die, since this is what I have been commanded.” ³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord had commanded through Moses.

The Inauguration of the Sacrifices

9 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering, both without blemish, and present them before the Lord. ³ Then speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering. Also take a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without blemish, for a burnt offering. ⁴ As a fellowship offering take one of the cattle^[ag] and a ram to be sacrificed before the Lord, and take a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the Lord will appear to you.’”

⁵ They took what Moses had commanded to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Then the whole congregation approached and stood before the Lord. ⁶ Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the Glory of the Lord may appear to you.” ⁷ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and present your sin offering and your burnt offering. Make atonement for yourself and for the people. Then present the offering for the people. Make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.”

⁸ Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. ⁹ Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him. After he had dipped his finger in the blood, he put it on the horns of the altar, and he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ¹⁰ Then he turned the fat, the kidneys, and the protruding lobe of the liver from the sin offering into smoke upon the altar, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹¹ But the meat and the hide were burned with fire outside the camp.

¹² After he slaughtered the burnt offering, Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he splashed it against all sides of the altar. ¹³ They brought the whole burnt offering to him, piece by piece, including the head, and he turned them into smoke on the altar. ¹⁴ He washed the inner organs and the legs and turned them into smoke on top of the whole burnt offering that was on the altar.

¹⁵ Then he presented the offering for the people. He took the male goat for the sin offering for the people, slaughtered it, and made a sin offering with it as he had done with the first one for himself. ¹⁶ He then presented the whole burnt offering and carried out the offering according to the regulations. ¹⁷ Next he presented the grain offering. Taking a handful of it, he sent it up in smoke on the altar, in addition to the morning burnt offering. ¹⁸ When he had slaughtered the offering of one of the cattle and of the ram as the people’s sacrifice for fellowship offerings, Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, which he splashed against all sides of the altar, ¹⁹ and the fat pieces from the offering of the ox and the ram—the broad tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys, and the protruding lobe of the liver. ²⁰ They laid the fat pieces on the breasts, and he turned the fat pieces into smoke on the altar.

²¹ Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the Lord, just as Moses had commanded. ²² Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. After he had presented the sin offering, the whole burnt offering, and the fellowship offerings, he came down from the altar. ²³ Then Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the Glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat pieces on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell on their faces.

The Penalty for Nadab’s and Abihu’s Disobedience

10 Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his incense pan, put coals on it, and laid incense on it, and they presented unauthorized fire in the Lord’s presence, which was not according to his command. ² Then fire came out from the Lord’s presence and consumed them. This is how they died in the Lord’s presence.

³ Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord said: ‘I must be treated as holy by those who are near me. I will be glorified in the sight of all the people.’” But Aaron remained silent.

⁴ Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them, “Come forward and carry your cousins^[ah] outside the camp, away from the sanctuary.” ⁵ They came forward and carried them outside the camp by their tunics, just as Moses had ordered.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons: “Do not dishevel your hair and do not tear your garments, so that you will not die, and so that wrath does not come down on the whole congregation. But your relatives,^[ai] all the household of Israel, may weep because of the blazing fire that the Lord has ignited. ⁷ You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, because the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did as Moses had ordered.

⁸ The Lord spoke to Aaron: ⁹ “When you enter the Tent of Meeting, you and your sons shall not drink any wine or beer,^[aj] so that you will not die. This is a permanent regulation throughout your generations. ¹⁰ You must distinguish between what is holy and what is common, what is unclean and what is clean, ¹¹ and you must teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.”

¹² Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons: “Take the grain offerings that are left over from the offerings for the Lord made by fire,^[ak] and eat them as unleavened bread beside the altar, for they are most holy. ¹³ You shall eat them in a holy place, because they are your allotment and the allotment for your sons from offerings for the Lord made by fire, for that is what I have been commanded. ¹⁴ But you and your sons, and your daughters as well, may eat the breast that is waved and the thigh that is elevated in any clean place, for they have been assigned as something due to you and to your children as your allotment from the sacrifices of the fellowship offerings of the Israelites. ¹⁵ In addition to the offerings made by fire from the fat pieces, they are to bring the thigh that is elevated and the breast that is waved in order to wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. They shall be a permanent allotment for you and for your children with you, just as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶ When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering, he discovered that it had already been burned. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and said, ¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the proper place in the sanctuary? It is certainly most holy since the Lord has given it to you for bearing the guilt of the community by making atonement for them in the Lord’s presence. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary, you definitely should have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded.”

¹⁹ Aaron replied to Moses, “Even though they presented their sin offering and whole burnt offering in the Lord’s presence today, such things have happened to me! Would the Lord have approved if I had eaten the sin offering today?”

²⁰ When Moses heard this, he approved.

Instructions About Clean and Unclean Meat

11 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them ² to tell the Israelites these things.

These are the animals that you may eat:

Of all the mammals on land, ³ you may eat any that have hoofs with splits in the hoofs and that rechew their food.^{[al] 4} But you are not to eat the following, which only rechew their food or only have hoofs: The camel, although it rechews its food, has no hoofs. It is unclean for you. ⁵ Do not eat the rock badger, for although it rechews its food, it has no hoofs. It is unclean for you. ⁶ Do not eat the hare, for although it rechews its food, it has no hoofs. It is unclean for you. ⁷ Do not eat the pig, for although it has hoofs with splits in the hoofs, it does not rechew its food. It is unclean to you. ⁸ You shall not eat any of their meat or touch their carcasses. They are unclean for you.^[am]

⁹ These are the creatures that you may eat from all those that live in water: You may eat anything from the water that has fins and scales, whether from the seas or the streams. ¹⁰ But everything else in the seas or in the streams that does not have fins and scales, every swarming creature in the water and every other living creature in the water, is detestable to you ¹¹ and shall remain detestable to you. You shall not eat any of their meat, and you shall detest their carcasses. ¹² Every creature in the water that does not have fins or scales is detestable to you.

¹³ You shall detest the following among the birds. They shall not be eaten. These are detestable: the eagle, the black vulture, the bearded vulture, ¹⁴ the red kite and black kites of every kind, ¹⁵ ravens and crows of every kind, ¹⁶ the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, all species of hawks, ¹⁷ the tawny owl, the fisher owl, the screech owl, ¹⁸ the white owl, and the scops owl, the osprey, ¹⁹ the stork and all species of herons, the hoopoe, and the bat.^[an]

²⁰ All winged swarming insects that walk on all fours^[ao] are detestable for you. ²¹ But among all the winged swarming insects that walk on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which they leap off the ground. ²² Of them you may eat the following: all species of locusts, all species of bald locusts, all species of crickets, and all species of grasshoppers. ²³ But all other winged swarming insects that have four feet are detestable for you.

²⁴ By any of the following you will make yourselves unclean (anyone who touches their carcasses will remain unclean until sunset,^{[ap] 25} and anyone who picks up any part of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset):

²⁶ All animals that have hoofs without splits between the hoofs or that do not rechew their food are unclean for you. Anyone who touches them will become unclean.

²⁷ All animals that walk on their paws and go on all fours are unclean for you. Anyone who touches their carcasses will remain unclean until sunset, ²⁸ and whoever picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset. They are unclean for you.

²⁹ These are the most unclean for you of the creatures that swarm on the ground: the rat, the mouse, and all species of large lizards, ³⁰ the gecko, the spotted lizard, the lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.^{[aq] 31} These are the most unclean for you of the creatures that swarm. Whoever touches any of these when they are dead will remain unclean until sunset.

Transferred Uncleanness

³² Any article made of wood or fabric or leather or sackcloth on which any of these fall when they are dead will become unclean. Any article that may be used for any task is to be put in water and remain unclean until sunset. Then it will be clean. ³³ You must smash any clay pot into which any of them falls. Everything in it will become unclean. ³⁴ If any water from the pot touches any food that may be eaten, the food will become unclean, and if any drink that may be drunk is in any clay pot which the unclean thing touches, it will become unclean. ³⁵ Anything else on which the carcass of any of them falls will become unclean. An oven or stove must be broken up. They are unclean and will remain unclean for you. ³⁶ But a spring or a cistern with a reservoir of water will remain clean, even though anyone who touches the carcass will become unclean. ³⁷ If the carcass of any of them falls upon any seed grain that is about to be sown, the seed is clean, ³⁸ but if water has been added to the seed and the carcass of any of them falls on it, it will become unclean for you.

³⁹ If an animal that you may eat has died, anyone who touches its carcass will remain unclean until sunset. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats any part of its carcass must wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset. Anyone who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset. ⁴¹ Any swarming creature that swarms on the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. ⁴² You shall not eat any swarming creature that swarms on the ground, anything that goes on its belly, and anything that goes on all fours, or anything that has many legs, because these creatures are detestable. ⁴³ You shall not make yourself detestable^[ar] with any creature that swarms, nor shall you make yourself unclean with them, so that you become unclean by them, ⁴⁴ for I am the Lord your God. Set yourselves apart, therefore, so that you may be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourself unclean with any swarming creature that crawls on the ground, ⁴⁵ for I am the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. You therefore shall be holy, for I am holy.

⁴⁶ This is the law concerning land animals, flying creatures, all living things that move in the water, and all living things that swarm on the ground, ⁴⁷ so that you can distinguish between what is unclean and what is clean, as well as between animals that may be eaten and animals that may not be eaten.

Impurity From Childbirth

12 The Lord spoke to Moses and told him ² to tell the Israelites these things:

When a woman produces offspring^[as] and gives birth to a male, she will become unclean for seven days just as she is unclean during the time of her monthly period. ³ On the eighth day, the foreskin of his flesh^[at] shall be circumcised. ⁴ She will remain in the process of being purified from her flow of blood for thirty-three days. She shall not touch any holy thing nor enter the sanctuary until her period of purification is complete.

⁵ If she gives birth to a female, she will become unclean for two weeks as she does during her monthly period. She shall remain in the process of being purified from her flow of blood for sixty-six days.

⁶ At the completion of her time of purification for either a son or a daughter, she shall bring a lamb in its first year as a whole burnt offering and a pigeon or turtledove as a sin offering to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁷ He shall present it before the Lord and make atonement for her, so that she may be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman who gives birth to a male or female.

⁸ If, however, she cannot afford a sheep or a goat, she may bring two turtledoves or two pigeons, one as a whole burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. The priest shall make atonement for her, so that she will be clean.

The Diagnosis of Impurity From Skin Diseases

13 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:

² When a person has a discoloration or a scab or a shiny patch^[au] on the skin of his body,^[av] which may become an outbreak of an impure skin disease^[aw] on the skin of his body, he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who are priests. ³ The priest shall examine the infection on the skin of his body. If the hair on the infection has turned white and if the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an outbreak of an impure skin disease. After the priest has examined it, he shall declare it unclean.^[ax]

⁴ But if there is a white shiny patch on the skin of his body that does not appear to be any deeper than the skin and if its hair has not turned white, the priest shall quarantine the person with the infection for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day the priest shall examine him, and if, in his judgment, the infection has stayed the same and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days a second time. ⁶ On the seventh day the priest shall examine him a second time. If the infection has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall declare it clean. It is only a scab. After he washes his clothes, he will be clean. ⁷ But if the scab on his skin spreads after he has shown himself to the priest for his purification, he shall show himself to the priest once again. ⁸ The priest shall examine him. If the scab has spread on the skin, the priest shall declare him unclean. It is an impure skin disease.

⁹ When a person has an outbreak of a skin disease, he shall be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest shall examine him. If there is white discoloration in the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is a sore of raw flesh in the discoloration, ¹¹ it is a persistent skin disease on his body. The priest shall declare him unclean. He shall not hold him in quarantine, because he is unclean.

¹² But if the disease breaks out all over the skin, so that a diseased condition covers all the skin with the infection, from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, ¹³ then the priest shall examine him. If the condition covers the whole of his body, he shall declare the infected area clean, since the whole of it has turned white. He is clean. ¹⁴ But as soon as raw flesh reappears on him, he becomes unclean. ¹⁵ The priest shall examine the raw flesh and declare it unclean. The raw flesh is unclean. It is an impure skin disease. ¹⁶ If, however, the raw flesh once again turns white, he shall come to the priest again. ¹⁷ The priest shall examine it. If the infected area has turned white, the priest shall declare the infection clean. He is clean.

¹⁸ When someone’s body has a boil on the skin that has healed, ¹⁹ and a white discoloration or shiny, reddish-white patch develops on the site of the boil, he shall show himself to the priest. ²⁰ The priest shall examine him. If the infection appears deeper than the skin and if its hair has turned white, the priest shall declare him unclean. It is an outbreak of an impure skin disease. It has broken out in the boil. ²¹ But if the priest examines it and finds that the hair in it is not white, and it is not deeper than the skin, but it has faded, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days. ²² If the outbreak spreads on the skin, the priest shall declare him unclean. It is an infection. ²³ But if the shiny patch remains the same and it does not spread, it is the scar of a boil. The priest shall declare him clean.

²⁴ When someone’s body has a burn on the skin, and the sore from the burn becomes a shiny, reddish-white or white patch, ²⁵ the priest shall examine it. If the hair in the shiny patch has turned white and it appears to be deeper than the skin, it is an impure skin disease. It has broken out in the burn. The priest shall declare him unclean. It is an outbreak of an impure skin disease. ²⁶ But if the priest examines it and finds that the hair in the shiny patch is not white or it is not deeper than the skin, but it has faded, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day the priest shall examine it. If it should spread on the skin, the priest shall declare him unclean. It is an outbreak of a skin disease. ²⁸ But if the patch remains the same, without spreading on the skin, and if it has faded, it is the discoloration from a burn. The priest shall declare him clean, because it is the scar of a burn.

²⁹ When a man or a woman has an outbreak on the head or on the chin, ³⁰ the priest shall examine the outbreak. If it appears deeper than the skin and if the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall declare the person unclean. It is a lesion.^[ay] It is an impure skin disease of the head or the chin. ³¹ If the priest examines the infected area of the sore and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest shall quarantine the person who has the outbreak of the sore for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the priest shall examine the infected area. If the lesion has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and if the outbreak appears no deeper than the skin, ³³ the man shall shave himself, without shaving the infected area. The priest shall quarantine the person with the lesion a second time for seven days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the priest shall examine the lesion. If the lesion has not spread on the skin and it appears no deeper than the skin, the priest shall declare him clean. After he washes his clothes, he will be clean. ³⁵ If, however, the lesion spreads on the skin after his purification, ³⁶ the priest shall examine it. If the lesion has spread on the skin, the priest does not need to look for the yellow hair. The person is unclean. ³⁷ But, if in the priest’s judgment the lesion has stayed the same and black hair has grown in it, the lesion is healed. That person is clean. The priest shall declare him clean.

³⁸ When a man or a woman has many shiny white patches on the skin of his or her body, ³⁹ the priest shall examine that person. If the patches on the skin of the body are a faded white, it is a rash that has broken out on the skin. That person is clean.

⁴⁰ When a man loses hair from the top of his head, he is bald, but he is clean. ⁴¹ If he loses hair from his forehead, he has a receding hairline, but he is clean. ⁴² But if he has a reddish-white infection on his bald crown or on his bald forehead, it is an impure skin disease that has broken out on his bald head or on his bald forehead. ⁴³ The priest shall examine it. If the discoloration of the infection is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead and it looks like the disease on the skin of the body, ⁴⁴ he has an impure skin disease. He is unclean. The priest shall declare him completely unclean. It is an infection on his head.

⁴⁵ The person with the skin disease who has an infection on him must wear torn clothes and let his hair be disheveled. He must cover his upper lip and cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” ⁴⁶ For as long as the infection is on him he shall remain unclean. He is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

Contamination of Clothing

⁴⁷ When an outbreak of mold^[az] occurs on any piece of clothing, on woolen or linen cloth, ⁴⁸ on the warp or the woof^[ba] of linen or wool, on leather or anything made of leather, ⁴⁹ and if the contamination^[bb] on the cloth or the leather, or in the warp or the woof, or on any article made of leather is bright yellow-green or bright red, it is an outbreak of mold. It shall be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest shall examine the contaminated area and shall quarantine the contaminated article for seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day he shall examine the contaminated article. If the contamination has spread on the cloth, or in the warp or the woof, or on the leather, or on any article that is made of leather, the contamination is a persistent^[bc] mold. It is unclean. ⁵² He must burn the clothing and the warp or the woof, whether it is made of wool or of linen, or whether it is any article made of leather that has the contamination on it. Because it has a persistent mold, it must be burned in fire. ⁵³ But if the priest examines it and discovers that the contamination has not spread on the clothing, or in the warp or the woof, or on any leather article, ⁵⁴ the priest shall command that the material with the contamination on it is to be washed, and he shall quarantine it for seven days a second time. ⁵⁵ Then after the contaminated material has been laundered, and the priest examines it, even if he discovers that the contamination has not changed its appearance and the contamination has not spread, it is unclean. You must burn it in fire, whether the rot is on its front or its back. ⁵⁶ But if the priest examines it and discovers that the contamination has faded after it has been washed, he shall tear it out of the clothing or the leather or the warp or the woof. ⁵⁷ If it reappears in the clothing or the warp or the woof or any leather article, it is a new outbreak. You must burn the material with the contamination on it with fire. ⁵⁸ If, however, the contamination vanishes from the clothing, or the warp or the woof, or any leather article that you wash, it shall be washed a second time; then, it will be clean.

⁵⁹ These are the laws about a contamination of mold in woolen or linen clothing, in the warp or the woof, or on any leather article, in order to determine whether it is clean or unclean.

Purification for People With a Skin Disease

14 The Lord spoke to Moses:

² This is the law for the purification^[bd] of a person with an impure skin disease:

When it is reported to the priest, ³ the priest shall go outside the camp. The priest shall examine him. If the area infected by the skin disease has become healthy, ⁴ the priest shall command that two clean wild birds, some cedar wood, some scarlet yarn, and some hyssop be taken for the person who is being purified. ⁵ The priest shall command that one bird be slaughtered in an earthen pot over water from a flowing source.^{[be] 6} After taking the live bird, along with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop, he shall dip them, along with the live bird, into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the water from a flowing source. ⁷ He shall sprinkle the blood seven times on the person who is being purified from the skin disease. When he has declared him clean, he shall release the live bird into the open country. ⁸ The person who is being purified shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water; then, he will be clean. After that he may enter the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days.

⁹ On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair. He shall shave his head, his chin, his eyebrows, and all the rest of his hair. He shall wash his clothes and bathe in water; then, he will be clean.

¹⁰ On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one yearling ewe without blemish, six quarts^[bf] of fine flour for a grain offering mixed with olive oil, and one cup^[bg] of olive oil. ¹¹ The priest who performs the purification shall make the person who is being purified stand in front of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, together with the other objects. ¹² The priest shall take one of the male lambs, bring it forward as a restitution offering, together with the cup of olive oil, and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord. ¹³ The lamb shall be slaughtered in the sanctuary, at the place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered, because the restitution offering is like the sin offering. It belongs to the priest. It is most holy.

¹⁴ The priest shall take some of the blood of the restitution offering and put it on the right ear lobe of the person who is being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵ The priest shall take some of the olive oil from the cup and pour it into the palm of the priest’s left hand. ¹⁶ Then the priest shall dip his right finger into some of the olive oil that is in his left palm and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ Then the priest shall put some of the olive oil that remains in his palm on the right ear lobe of the person who is being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the restitution offering. ¹⁸ The priest shall put the rest of the olive oil that is in his palm on the head of the person who is being purified. Then the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord. ¹⁹ The priest shall present the sin offering to make atonement for the person being purified from his impurity.

After that, the burnt offering is to be slaughtered, ²⁰ and the priest shall offer up the whole burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him so that he will be clean.

²¹ If, however, the unclean person is poor and he cannot afford all these items, he shall take one male lamb as a restitution offering to be waved to make atonement for him, two quarts^[bh] of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, and one cup of olive oil, ²² as well as two turtledoves or two pigeons (whichever are within his means), one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.

²³ On the eighth day he shall bring them to the priest for his purification at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting in the presence of the Lord. ²⁴ The priest shall take the lamb for the restitution offering and the cup of olive oil, and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. ²⁵ After the lamb for the restitution offering has been slaughtered, the priest shall take some of the blood of the restitution offering and place it on the lobe of the right ear of the person who is being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ After the priest has poured out some of the olive oil on the palm of the priest’s left hand, ²⁷ the priest shall use his right finger to sprinkle some of the olive oil from his left palm before the Lord seven times. ²⁸ The priest shall also put some of the olive oil from his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot—on the same places as the blood of the restitution offering. ²⁹ Then the priest shall put the rest of the olive oil that is in his palm on the head of the person who is being purified by making atonement for him before the Lord. ³⁰ The priest shall then offer one of the turtledoves or pigeons that are within the person’s means— ³¹ whichever he can afford—one as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering, together with the grain offering. This is how the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person being purified.

³² These are the laws for anyone who has an outbreak of skin disease on him and whose means are insufficient at the time of his purification.