Leviticus 22

Modern

Literal

Restrictions against the Unclean

¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

²“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.

²“Speak to Aaron and his sons, and they shall be separated from the holy things of the sons of Israel, lest they profane My holy name that they dedicate to Me. I am YHWH.

³Tell 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.

³Say to them throughout your generations: Any man of all your seed who goes near the holy things that the sons of Israel dedicate to YHWH, and his uncleanness is upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence. I am YHWH.

⁴If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease^a 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,

⁴Any man of the seed of Aaron and who is a leper or has a discharge—the holy offerings he shall not eat until that he is clean; and whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse or a man from whom a laying of seed goes out,

⁵or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be—

⁵or a man who touches any swarming thing that is unclean to him or any person who is unclean to him, whatever his uncleanness may be,

⁶the 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.

⁶then the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until the evening, and he shall not eat of the holy things, unless if he bathes his flesh with the water.

⁷When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for they are his food.

⁷And when the sun goes down, then he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because it is his food.

⁸He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD.

⁸A carcass or torn thing he shall not eat, to defile himself with it. I am YHWH.

⁹The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

⁹And they shall keep My ordinance and bear no sin for it that they die in it because they profane it. I am YHWH, sanctifying them.

¹⁰No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it.

¹⁰And not any outsider shall eat the holy thing; one who dwells with the priest and a hireling shall not eat the holy thing.

¹¹But 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.

¹¹And if a priest buys a person with his silver, he may eat it. And one who is born in his house, they may eat his food.

¹²If the priest’s daughter is married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred contributions.

¹²And the daughter of a priest, if she is married to an outsider, she may not eat of the holy contributions.

¹³But 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.

¹³And the daughter of a priest, if she is a widow or divorced and has no seed to her and has returned to the house of her father as in her youth, she may eat from the bread of her father, and no outsider shall eat it.

¹⁴If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest.

¹⁴And if a man eats the holy thing in error, then he shall add a fifth to it and he shall restore it to the priest with the holy thing.

¹⁵The priests must not profane the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD

¹⁵And they shall not profane the holy things of the sons of Israel, which they offer to YHWH,

¹⁶by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”

¹⁶or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy things. For I am YHWH, sanctifying them.”

Worthy Offerings

¹⁷Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹⁷And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁸“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,

¹⁸“Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel who offers his sacrifice for any of his vows or for any of his freewill offerings that they offer to YHWH as a burnt offering,

¹⁹must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf.

¹⁹you must offer freely an unblemished male of the herd from the sheep or from the goats.

²⁰You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

²⁰Anything that has a blemish in it, you shall not offer; for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf.

²¹When 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.

²¹And whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to YHWH to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, it must be perfect for acceptance; there shall not be any blemish on it.

²²You 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 a food offering to the LORD.

²²Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a running sore, or itch, or scab—these you shall not offer to YHWH, nor make of them a fire offering on the altar to YHWH.

²³You may present as a freewill offering an ox^a or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow.

²³And an ox or a lamb that has any limb too long or too short, you may offer as a freewill offering, and for a vow it shall not be accepted.

²⁴You 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.

²⁴And what is bruised, or crushed, or torn, or cut you shall not offer to YHWH. And in your land you shall not do it.

²⁵Neither 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.’”

²⁵And you shall not offer as the bread of your God from the hand of a son of a foreigner, from any of these, because their corruption is in them and defects are in them; they shall not be accepted on your behalf.’”

²⁶Then the LORD said to Moses,

²⁶And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

²⁷“When an ox,^a 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 a food offering presented to the LORD.

²⁷“When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, then it shall be seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted for an offering, a fire offering to YHWH.

²⁸But you must not slaughter an ox^a or a sheep on the same day as its young.

²⁸And an ox or a sheep—do not kill both her and her young in one day.

²⁹When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf.

²⁹And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to YHWH, offer it of your own free will.

³⁰It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD.

³⁰On that day it shall be eaten; you shall leave none of it until morning. I am YHWH.

³¹You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am the LORD.

³¹And you shall keep My commandments and perform them. I am YHWH.

³²You must not profane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you,

³²And you shall not profane My holy name, and I will be acknowledged as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. I am YHWH, sanctifying you,

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

³³the One bringing you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am YHWH.”