Leviticus 22
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name [in those things] which they hallow unto me: I [am] the LORD.
“Tell Aaron and his sons to greatly respect the sacred offerings that the Israeli people bring to me; by doing that you will respect me [MTY], Yahweh.
3 Say unto them, Whosoever [he be] of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I [am] the LORD.
“Tell them that for all future time, if any of their descendants comes near to the sacred offerings that the Israeli people dedicate to me while he is unfit to work for me, that person will no longer be allowed to work for me. I, Yahweh, [am commanding this].
4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron [is] a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing [that is] unclean [by] the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;
“If any descendant of Aaron has a contagious skin disease or a discharge from his sexual organs, he is not allowed to eat any of the sacred offerings until he is cured. He will also be unfit for his work if he touches anything which has become unacceptable to me because it has touched a corpse, or if he touches anyone who as an emission of semen,
5 Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
or if he touches anything that crawls on the ground, or if he touches any person who causes him to be unfit for his work.
6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.
Any priest who touches such things must bathe, and he must not touch anyone else until that evening.
7 And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it [is] his food.
After the sun sets, he will be permitted to eat some of the sacred offerings that are for him to eat.
8 That which dieth of itself, or is torn [with beasts], he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I [am] the LORD.
He must not eat anything that is found dead or that has been killed by wild animals, because if he did that, he would be unfit to work for me. I, Yahweh [am commanding those things].
9 They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them.
“The priests must obey my commandments in order that they will not become guilty and die as a result of (despising/not obeying) them.
10 There shall no stranger eat [of] the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat [of] the holy thing.
“Anyone who is not a member of a priest’s family is not permitted to eat any of a sacred offering, and no one who is visiting the priest or whom the priest has hired is permitted to eat it.
11 But if the priest buy [any] soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.
But if a priest buys a slave, or if a slave is born in his house, that slave is permitted to eat such food.
12 If the priest’s daughter also be [married] unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.
If a priest’s daughter marries a man who is not a priest, she no longer is permitted to eat the sacred food.
13 But if the priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.
But if a priest’s daughter who has no children becomes a widow or becomes divorced, if she returns to her father’s house to live there like she did when she was young, she may eat the same food that her father eats. But no other person is permitted to eat any of it.
14 And if a man eat [of] the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth [part] thereof unto it, and shall give [it] unto the priest with the holy thing.
“If anyone who is not permitted to eat a sacred offering eats it without realizing that it is sacred, he must pay the priest for the offering, and pay him an extra one-fifth of its value.
15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD;
When the priests bring offerings to me, the sacred offerings that the Israeli people bring to them, they must not treat those offerings as though they are not sacred
16 Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
by allowing those who are not priests to eat any of those offerings. If they did that, they would become guilty and must make a payment. I am Yahweh, the one who causes those offerings to be sacred.”
17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
18 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever [he be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israeli people and tell them that I command this: ‘If any of you Israelis or foreigners who live in Israel brings to me an animal that will be completely burned [on the altar], either as a result of a solemn promise that you made to me or to be an offering that is given voluntarily,
19 [Ye shall offer] at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.
it must be an animal that has no defects, in order that it will be accepted by me.
20 [But] whatsoever hath a blemish, [that] shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
Do not bring any animals that have defects, because I will not accept them as an offering from you.
21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish [his] vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
[Similarly], when someone brings from his cattle or sheep or goats an offering to maintain fellowship with me, either to fulfill a promise that he made to me or to be a voluntary offering, in order that I will accept it, it must have no defects [DOU] or blemishes.
22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.
Do not offer to me animals that are blind or injured or maimed/crippled, or any animal that has warts or a festering sore [DOU].
23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer [for] a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
You may present to me to be a voluntary offering an ox or a sheep that is injured or stunted, but it will not be accepted to fulfill a promise made to me.
24 Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make [any offering thereof] in your land.
You must not offer to me animals whose testicles are bruised or crushed or torn or cut. You must not injure the testicles of any animal in your land,
25 Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption [is] in them, [and] blemishes [be] in them: they shall not be accepted for you.
and you must not accept such animals that are sold/given to you by a foreigner. You must not offer them to me as a sacrifice for me. Such animals will not be accepted by me, because they are deformed or have defects.’”
26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
27 When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
“When a calf or lamb or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. After that, it will be acceptable as an offering to me that will be burned.
28 And [whether it be] cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.
Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its baby on the same day.
29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer [it] at your own will.
“Then you sacrifice an animal to thank [me for what I have done], sacrifice it in a way that is acceptable to me.
30 On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I [am] the LORD.
The meat must be eaten on that day; do not leave any of it until the next morning. I, Yahweh, [am the one who am commanding this].
31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I [am] the LORD.
“Obey all my commands [DOU]. I, Yahweh, [am commanding them];
32 Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I [am] the LORD which hallow you,
do not dishonor me [MTY] [by disobeying them]. You Israeli people must acknowledge that I, Yahweh, am holy, and I am the one who causes you to be holy.
33 That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I [am] the LORD.
And I am the one who brought you out of Egypt in order to show that that I, Yahweh, am [and will always be] your God.”
