< Leviticus 10 >
1 [Two of] Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took the pans in which they burned incense. They put some burning coals in them and put incense on top of the coals, but this fire was not acceptable [to Yahweh] because it was not the kind that he had commanded them to burn.
And the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and presented strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them.
2 So suddenly a fire from Yahweh appeared and burned them up [DOU] in the presence of Yahweh.
And there went out fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.
3 Then Moses/I said to Aaron, “That is what Yahweh predicted. He said, ‘Those priests who come near to me, I will show them that they must (respect me/treat me as being holy); in the presence of all the people I am the one who must be honored.’” But Aaron said nothing.
And Moses said to Aaron, This is what Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be hallowed in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron was silent.
4 Then Moses/I summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, who were the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Take [the corpses of] your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the Sacred Tent.”
And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
5 So they carried the corpses, which still had their special gowns on, outside the camp, [and buried them].
And they went near, and carried them in their vests out of the camp, as Moses had said.
6 Then Moses/I said to Aaron and his [other two] sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “[You are sad because Nadab and Abihu died, but you must act like you always do]. Do not allow the hair on your [heads] to remain uncombed, and do not tear your clothes. But your relatives and all your fellow Israelis are allowed to mourn for those whom Yahweh destroyed by fire.
And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar his sons, Your heads shall ye not uncover, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come on all the assembly; but your brethren, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which Jehovah hath kindled.
7 But you must not leave the entrance of the Sacred Tent [to join those who are mourning], because if you do that, you also will die, and Yahweh will punish [MTY] all the people of Israel. Do not forget that Yahweh has set you apart [MTY] to work for him here, [and he does not want you to become defiled by touching a corpse].” So they did what Moses/I told them to do.
And ye shall not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron,
And Jehovah spoke to Aaron, saying,
9 “You and your [two] sons [who are still alive] must not drink wine or other fermented drinks before you enter the Sacred Tent; if you do that, you will die. That is a command that you and your descendants must obey forever.
Thou shalt not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, and thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, lest ye die — [it is] an everlasting statute throughout your generations,
10 You must do that in order to learn what things are holy and what things are (not holy/common), and [from the things that are not holy] you must learn what things are acceptable to me and what things are not.
that ye may put difference between the holy and the unholy, and between unclean and clean,
11 And you must teach to the Israeli people all the laws that I gave to the Israeli people by telling them to Moses.”
and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah hath spoken to them by the hand of Moses.
12 Moses/I said to Aaron and his two sons who were still alive, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the offering made from grain that is left after a portion of it has been offered to Yahweh to be burned, and eat it alongside the altar. [It should not be eaten elsewhere], because it is very holy.
And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the oblation that is left of Jehovah's offerings by fire, and eat it with unleavened bread beside the altar; for it is most holy.
13 Eat it in a holy place; it is the share for you and your sons from the offerings that were burned; I have commanded that it be your share.
And ye shall eat it in a holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of Jehovah's offerings by fire; for so I am commanded.
14 But you and your sons and daughters are permitted to eat the breast and the thigh that were lifted up in front of Yahweh. Eat them in any place that is (holy/acceptable to him). They have been given to you and your descendants as your share of the offerings to enable the Israelis to maintain fellowship [with Yahweh].
And the breast of the wave-offering, and the shoulder of the heave-offering shall ye eat in a clean place, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee; for [as] thy due, and thy sons' due, are they given of the sacrifices of peace-offerings of the children of Israel.
15 The thigh and the breast that were lifted up in front of Yahweh must be brought with the portions of fat to be burned, to be lifted up in his presence. They will be the regular share for you and your descendants, as Yahweh has commanded.”
The shoulder of the heave-offering and the breast of the wave-offering shall they bring, with the fire-offering of the pieces of fat, to wave [them] as a wave-offering before Jehovah; and they shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, for an everlasting statute, as Jehovah has commanded.
16 When Moses/I inquired about the goat that had been sacrificed to enable the people to be forgiven by Yahweh for the sins they had committed, he/I found out that it had been completely burned. So he/I was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar and asked them,
And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and behold, it was burnt up: then he was wroth with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying,
17 “Why did you not eat near the Sacred Tent the meat of the offering for sin? It was very holy, and it was given to you to enable the Israeli people to no longer be guilty for their sins and to be forgiven for their sins.
Why have ye not eaten the sin-offering in a holy place? for it is most holy, and he has given it to you that ye might bear the iniquity of the assembly, to make atonement for them before Jehovah.
18 Since its blood was not taken into the holy place inside the Sacred Tent, you should have eaten the [meat of] the goat near the Sacred Tent, as I commanded.”
Lo, its blood was not brought in within the sanctuary: ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.
19 Aaron replied to Moses/me, “Today the people brought to Yahweh their offering to be forgiven for the sins they had committed, and the offering to be completely burned, [and surely that pleased Yahweh], but [think about the terrible thing] that happened to my other two sons! Would [RHQ] Yahweh have been pleased if I had eaten some of the offering to cause the people to become acceptable to God?”
And Aaron said to Moses, Behold, to-day have they presented their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before Jehovah; and such things have befallen me; and had I to-day eaten the sin-offering, would it have been good in the sight of Jehovah?
20 When Moses/I heard that, he/I was satisfied.
And Moses heard it; and it was good in his sight.