Leviticus 22

1 The Lord told Moses,

The Lord also spoke to Moses saying:

2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to be dedicated when dealing with the holy offerings that the Israelites have dedicated to me, so that they don't dishonor my holy character. I am the Lord.

Speak to Aaron and to his sons, so that they may be careful of those things which have been consecrated for the sons of Israel, and so that they may not contaminate the name of the things sanctified to me, which they offer. I am the Lord.

3 Tell them: These rules apply for all future generations. If any of your descendants in an unclean state comes close to the holy offerings that the Israelites dedicate to honor the Lord, that person must be expelled from my presence. I am the Lord.

Say to them and to their posterity: Every man of your stock, who approaches toward those things which have been consecrated, and which the sons of Israel have brought forward to the Lord, in whom there is uncleanness, shall perish before the Lord. I am the Lord.

4 If one of Aaron's descendants has a skin disease or a discharge, he is not allowed to eat the holy offerings until he is clean. Anyone who touches anything made unclean by a dead body or by a man who has had a release of semen,

The man of the offspring of Aaron, who is a leper or who is suffering a flow of seed, shall not eat of those things which have been sanctified to me, until he is healed. Whoever will have touched what is unclean because of the dead, and he whose seed goes out from him, as if from sexual intercourse,

5 or anyone who touches an unclean animal or an unclean person, (whatever the uncleanness is),

and whoever has touched a creeping thing, or any kind of unclean thing, the touching of which is filthy,

6 anyone who touches anything like this will remain unclean until evening. He is not allowed to eat from the holy offerings unless he has washed himself with water.

shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat those things which have been sanctified. But when he has washed his flesh with water,

7 At sunset he will become clean, and then he is allowed to eat from the holy offerings because they provide his food.

and the sun has set, then, having been purified, he shall eat from what has been sanctified, because it is his food.

8 He must not eat anything that's died, or killed by wild animals, because that would make him unclean. I am the Lord.

Whatever dies on its own, and whatever has been seized by a wild beast, they shall not eat, nor shall they be polluted by these. I am the Lord.

9 The priests must do as I demand, so that they don't become guilty and die because they have not done so, treating my requirements with contempt. I am the Lord who makes them holy.

Let them observe my precepts, so that they may not fall under sin, and die in the Sanctuary, when they will have defiled it. I am the Lord, who sanctifies them.

10 Anyone who isn't part of a priest's family is not allowed eat the holy offerings. This also applies to a priest's guest or his paid worker.

No foreigner shall eat from what has been sanctified; a guest of the priests and a hired servant shall not eat from them.

11 However, if a priest uses his own money to buy a slave, or if a slave is born in the priest's household, then that slave is allowed to eat his food.

But whomever the priest has bought, and whoever has been born into his house, these shall eat from them.

12 If the priest's daughter gets married to a man who isn't a priest, she is not allowed to eat the holy offerings.

If the daughter of a priest has been married to any of the people, she shall not eat from what has been sanctified, nor from the first-fruits.

13 But if a priest's daughter without children is widowed or divorced and goes back to her father's house, she is allowed to eat her father's food as she did when she was growing up. But no one outside the priest's family can eat it.

But if she is a widow or divorced, and, being without children, she returns to her father’s house, she shall be nourished by her father’s foods, just as she was accustomed to do as a girl. No foreigner shall have the authority to eat from them.

14 Anyone who eats a holy offering by mistake must pay compensation by adding a fifth to its value, and give it all to the priest.

Whoever, through ignorance, eats from what has been sanctified shall add a fifth part to that which he ate, and he shall give it to the priest at the Sanctuary.

15 The priests must not make the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord unclean

And they shall not contaminate what has been sanctified from the sons of Israel, which they offer to the Lord,

16 by allowing the people to eat them and in so doing take upon themselves the punishment for guilt. For I am the Lord who makes them holy.”

lest perhaps they may suffer the iniquity of their offense, when they will have eaten what has been sanctified. I am the Lord, who sanctifies them.

17 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

18 “Tell Aaron, his sons and all the Israelites: If you or foreigner living with you wants to make a gift as a burnt offering to the Lord, whether it's to fulfill a promise or as a freewill offering, this is what you are to do.

Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: The man from the house of Israel, or from the newcomers who live with you, who would bring forward his oblation, either fulfilling his vows or offering spontaneously, whatever he brings forward as a holocaust for the Lord,

19 If it is to be accepted on your behalf you must offer a male without defects from the herds of cattle, sheep, or goats.

in order to be offered through you, shall offer an immaculate male from the oxen, or from the sheep, or from the goats.

20 Don't present anything with a defect because it won't be accepted on your behalf.

If it has a blemish, you shall not offer it, and it shall not be acceptable.

21 If you want to present a peace offering to the Lord from the herd or flock to fulfill a promise or as a freewill offering, in order to be acceptable the animal must be perfect, completely without defects.

The man who will have offered a victim of peace offerings to the Lord, either fulfilling his vows or offering spontaneously, whether of oxen, or of sheep, shall offer what is immaculate, so that it may be acceptable. There shall be no blemish in it.

22 Don't present to the Lord an animal that is blind, injured, or damaged in some way, or has warts, skin sores, or scabs. Don't place any animal that has these on the altar as a food offering to the Lord.

If it is blind, or if it is broken, or if it has a scar, or if it is has a boil, or a skin disease or infection, you shall not offer these to the Lord, nor shall you burn any of these upon the altar of the Lord.

23 However, you can present a freewill offering of a bull or sheep that has a leg that is too long or too short, but not if it is a sacrifice to fulfill a promise.

An ox or a sheep, having an amputated ear or tail, you are able to offer voluntarily, but a vow is not able to be fulfilled by these.

24 Don't present to the Lord an animal with testicles that are accidentally or deliberately damaged. You are not allowed to sacrifice any of these damaged animals in your land.

You shall not offer to the Lord any animal which has the testicles bruised, or crushed, or cut and taken away, and you shall not cause any of these things in your land.

25 Nor are you allowed to accept such animals from a foreigner to be damaged and defective.”

From the hand of a foreigner, you shall not offer bread to your God, nor anything else that he would choose to give; for all this has been corrupted and blemished. You shall not accept them.

26 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

27 “When a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must stay with its mother for seven days. After eight days it can be accepted as a food offering to the Lord.

An ox, a sheep, or a goat, when they have been born, shall be under the udder of their mother for seven days. But on the eighth day and thereafter, they are able to be offered to the Lord.

28 However, don't kill a bull or a sheep and its young on the same day.

Whether it is an ox, or a sheep, they shall not be immolated on the same day with their newborns.

29 When you present a thank offering to the Lord, make sure to do so in a way that it will be accepted on your behalf.

If you immolate a victim as an act of thanksgiving to the Lord, so that he may be pleased,

30 It has to be eaten on the same day. Don't leave any of it until morning. I am the Lord.

you shall eat it on the same day; none of it shall remain until morning on the next day. I am the Lord.

31 Keep my rules and put them into practice. I am the Lord.

Observe my commandments, and do them. I am the Lord.

32 Don't disgrace my holy character. I must be accepted as holy by you. I am the Lord who makes you holy.

Do not pollute my holy name, so that I may be sanctified in the midst of the sons of Israel. I am the Lord, who sanctifies you,

33 I am the one who led you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

and who led you away from the land of Egypt, so that I may be to you as God. I am the Lord.