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.

Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took each man his censer and placed therein fire, and put thereon incense, —and brought near before Yahweh strange fire, which he had not commanded them.

2 So suddenly a fire from Yahweh appeared and burned them up [DOU] in the presence of Yahweh.

Then came there forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed them, —and they died before Yahweh.

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.

Then said Moses unto Aaron—The very thing, that Yahweh spake, saying—In them that draw near to me, must I be hallowed, And before the faces of all the people, must I get myself honour, —And Aaron, was dumb.

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.”

Then called Moses unto Mishael, and unto Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, uncle of Aaron, —and said unto them—Draw near bear away your brethren from before the sanctuary, unto the outside of the camp.

5 So they carried the corpses, which still had their special gowns on, outside the camp, [and buried them].

So they drew near and bare them away, in their tunics, unto the outside of the camp, —as spake Moses.

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.

Then said Moses unto Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons—Your heads, ye may not bare and your garments, ye shall not rend so shall ye not die, neither against all the assembly, will he be wroth, —but let, your brethren the whole house of Israel, bewail the consuming fire wherewith Yahweh hath consumed.

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.

But, from the entrance of the tent of meeting, shall ye not go forth, lest ye die, for, the anointing oil of Yahweh is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron,

Then spake Yahweh unto 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.

Wine and strong drink, thou mayest not drink, —thou nor thy sons with thee when ye enter into the tent of meeting, so shall ye not die, —an age-abiding statute to 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 make a difference, between the sacred and the common, —and between the unclean and the 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 may teach the sons of Israel, —all the statutes which Yahweh hath spoken unto them, by the mediation 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.

Then spake Moses unto Aaron and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar his sons that were left, Take ye the meal-offering that is left of the altar-flames of Yahweh, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, —for, most holy, it is;

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.

therefore shall ye eat it in a holy place, for, thine by statute, and thy sons’ by statute, it is, from among the altar-flames of Yahweh, —for, so, am I 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 wave-breast, and the heave-shoulder, shall ye eat in clean place, thou, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, —for as thine by statute and thy sons’ by statute, have they been given, from among the peace-offerings of the sons 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 heave-shoulder and the wave-breast upon the altar-flames of the fat portions, shall they bring in, to wave as a wave-offering, before Yahweh, —so shall they be thine, and thy sons’ with thee, by an age-abiding statute, As Yahweh hath 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,

Now, as for the sin-bearing goat, Moses diligently sought it but lo! it had been burnt up, —then was he wroth against Eleazar and against 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.

Wherefore did ye not eat the sin-bearer in the holy place? for most, holy, it is, —and thee same, hath he given you that ye may bear the iniquity of the assembly, to put a propitiatory-covering over them before Yahweh.

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! the blood thereof had not been taken into the holy place, within, —ye should have, indeed eaten, it, in a holy place, 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?”

Then spake Aaron unto Moses—Lo! this very day, when they had brought near their own sin-bearer, and their own ascending-sacrifice, there befell me such things as these, —if, then, I had eaten of the sin-bearer this day, would it have been well-pleasing in the eyes of Yahweh?

20 When Moses/I heard that, he/I was satisfied.

And, when Moses heard that, then was it well-pleasing in his eyes.