Leviticus
22
- The LORD said to Moses,
- "Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with
respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will
not profane my holy name. I am the LORD.
- "Say to them: 'For the generations
to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes
near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that
person must be cut off from my presence. I am the LORD.
- "'If a descendant of Aaron has an infectious
skin disease or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until
he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by
a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen,
- or if he touches any crawling thing that
makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness
may be.
- The one who touches any such thing will
be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless
he has bathed himself with water.
- When the sun goes down, he will be clean,
and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.
- He must not eat anything found dead or torn
by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the LORD.
- "'The priests are to keep my requirements
so that they do not become guilty and die for treating them with contempt.
I am the LORD, who makes them holy.
- "'No one outside a priest's family
may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker
eat it.
- But if a priest buys a slave with money,
or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.
- If a priest's daughter marries anyone other
than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions.
- But if a priest's daughter becomes a widow
or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father's
house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No unauthorized person,
however, may eat any of it.
- "'If anyone eats a sacred offering
by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add
a fifth of the value to it.
- The priests must not desecrate the sacred
offerings the Israelites present to the LORD
- by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings
and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment. I am the LORD, who makes them
holy.'"
- The LORD said to Moses,
- "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to
all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any of you -- either an Israelite
or an alien living in Israel -- presents a gift for a burnt offering to the
LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering,
- you must present a male without defect from
the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.
- Do not bring anything with a defect, because
it will not be accepted on your behalf.
- When anyone brings from the herd or flock
a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill
offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable.
- Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the
injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores.
Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by
fire.
- You may, however, present as a freewill
offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be
accepted in fulfillment of a vow.
- You must not offer to the LORD an animal
whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in
your own land,
- and you must not accept such animals from
the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will
not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.'"
- The LORD said to Moses,
- "When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born,
it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it
will be acceptable as an offering made to the LORD by fire.
- Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its
young on the same day.
- "When you sacrifice a thank offering
to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf.
- It must be eaten that same day; leave none
of it till morning. I am the LORD.
- "Keep my commands and follow them.
I am the LORD.
- Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged
as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy
- and who brought you out of Egypt to be your
God. I am the LORD."
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