Leviticus 22

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, tell them to keep away from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they set apart to me. They must not profane my holy name. I am Yahweh.

“Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.

3 Say to them, 'If any of your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel have set apart to Yahweh, while he is unclean, that person must be cut off from before me: I am Yahweh.

Tell them that for the generations to come, if any of their descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.

4 None of the descendants of Aaron who has an infectious skin disease, or an infection flowing from his body, may eat any of the sacrifices made to Yahweh until he is clean. Whoever touches anything unclean through contact with the dead, or by contact with a man who has a flow of semen,

If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen,

5 or whoever touches any creeping animal that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever kind of uncleanness it may be—

or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be—

6 then the priest who touches anything unclean will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy things, unless he has bathed his body in water.

the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.

7 When the sun has set, he will then be clean. After sunset he may eat from the holy things, because they are his food.

When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for they are his food.

8 He must not eat anything found dead or killed by wild animals, by which he would defile himself. I am Yahweh.

He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD.

9 The priests must follow my instructions, or they will be guilty of sin and could die for profaning me. I am Yahweh who makes them holy.

The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

10 No one outside the priest's family, including guests of a priest or his hired servants, may eat anything that is holy.

No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it.

11 But if a priest buys any slave with his own money, that slave may eat from the things set apart to Yahweh. The priest's family members and slaves born in his house, they also may eat with him from those things.

But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.

12 If a priest's daughter married someone who is not a priest, she may not eat any of the holy contribution offerings.

If the priest’s daughter is married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred contributions.

13 But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or divorced, and if she has no child, and if she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat from her father's food. But no one who is not in the priestly family may eat from the priest's food.

But if a priest’s daughter with no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth. But no outsider may share it.

14 If a man eats a holy food without knowing it, then he must repay the priest for it; he must add one-fifth to it and give it back to the priest.

If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest.

15 The people of Israel must not profane the holy things that they have raised high and presented to Yahweh,

The priests must not profane the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD

16 and cause themselves to carry the sin that would make them guilty of eating the holy food, for I am Yahweh who makes them holy.'”

by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”

17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the people of Israel. Say to them, 'Any Israelite, or an alien living in Israel, when they present a sacrifice—whether it is to fulfill a vow, or whether it is a freewill offering, or they present to Yahweh a burnt offering,

“Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering,

19 if it is to be accepted, they must offer a male animal without blemish from the cattle, sheep, or goats.

must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf.

20 But you must not offer whatever has a blemish. I will not accept it on your behalf.

You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of fellowship offerings from the herd or the flock to Yahweh to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering, it must be unblemished to be accepted. There must be no defect in the animal.

When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable.

22 You must not offer animals that are blind, disabled, or maimed, or that have warts, sores, or scabs. You must not offer these to Yahweh as a sacrifice by fire on the altar.

You are not to present to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything with a running sore, a festering rash, or a scab; you must not put any of these on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD.

23 You may present as a freewill offering an ox or a lamb that is deformed or small, but an offering like that will not be accepted for a vow.

You may present as a freewill offering an ox or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow.

24 Do not offer any animal to Yahweh that has bruised, crushed, torn, or cut testicles. Do not do this within your land.

You are not to present to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut; you are not to sacrifice them in your land.

25 You must not present the bread of your God from the hand of a foreigner. Those animals are deformed and have defects in them, they will not be accepted for you.'”

Neither you nor a foreigner shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and flawed.’”

26 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

27 “When a calf or a sheep or a goat is born, it must remain seven days with its mother. Then from the eighth day on, it may be accepted as a sacrifice for an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

“When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD.

28 Do not kill a cow or ewe along with its young, both on the same day.

But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.

29 When you sacrifice a thank offering to Yahweh, you must sacrifice it in an acceptable way.

When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf.

30 It must be eaten on the same day that it is sacrificed. You must leave none of it until the next morning. I am Yahweh.

It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD.

31 So you must keep my commandments and carry them out. I am Yahweh.

You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am the LORD.

32 You must not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the people of Israel. I am Yahweh who makes you holy,

You must not profane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you,

33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am Yahweh.”

who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”