February 7

Leviticus 21:1 — 23:32

 
21 And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “Talk to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and you must say to them, ‘For a deceased soul no one may defile himself among his people. 2 But for a blood relation of his who is close to him, for his mother and for his father and for his son and for his daughter and for his brother 3 and for his sister, a virgin who is close to him, who has not become a man’s, for her he may defile himself. 4 He may not defile himself for a woman possessed by an owner among his people so as to make himself profane. 5 They should not produce baldness upon their heads, and the extremity of their beard they should not shave, and on their flesh they should not make an incision. 6 They should prove themselves holy to their God, and they should not profane the name of their God, because they are those presenting Jehovah’s offerings made by fire, the bread of their God; and they must prove themselves holy. 7 A prostitute or a violated woman they should not take; and a woman divorced from her husband they should not take, because he is holy to his God. 8 So you must sanctify him, because he is one presenting the bread of your God. He should prove to be holy to you, because I Jehovah, who am sanctifying YOU, am holy.

9 “‘Now in case the daughter of a priest should make herself profane by committing prostitution, it is her father that she is profaning. She should be burned in the fire.

10 “‘And as for the high priest of his brothers upon whose head the anointing oil would be poured and whose hand was filled with power to wear the garments, he should not let his head go ungroomed, and he should not tear his garments. 11 And he should not come to any dead soul. For his father and his mother he may not defile himself. 12 He should also not go out from the sanctuary and not profane the sanctuary of his God, because the sign of dedication, the anointing oil of his God, is upon him. I am Jehovah.

13 “‘And for his part, he should take a woman in her virginity. 14 As for a widow or a divorced woman and one violated, a prostitute, none of these may he take, but he should take a virgin from his people as a wife. 15 And he should not profane his seed among his people, because I am Jehovah who is sanctifying him.’”

16 And Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your seed throughout their generations in whom there proves to be a defect may come near to present the bread of his God. 18 In case there is any man in whom there is a defect, he may not come near: a man blind or lame or with his nose slit or with one member too long, 19 or a man in whom there proves to be a fracture of the foot or a fracture of the hand, 20 or hunchback or thin or diseased in his eyes or scabby or having ringworms or having his testicles broken. 21 Any man of the seed of Aaron the priest in whom there is a defect may not approach to present Jehovah’s offerings made by fire. There is a defect in him. He may not approach to present the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God from the most holy things and from the holy things. 23 However, he may not come in near the curtain, and he may not approach the altar, because there is a defect in him; and he should not profane my sanctuary, for I am Jehovah who is sanctifying them.’”

24 Accordingly Moses spoke to Aaron and his sons and all the sons of Israel.

22  And Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they may keep themselves separate from the holy things of the sons of Israel and not profane my holy name in the things they are sanctifying to me. I am Jehovah. 3 Say to them, ‘Throughout YOUR generations any man of all YOUR offspring who comes near to the holy things, which the sons of Israel will sanctify to Jehovah, while his uncleanness is upon him, that soul must be cut off from before me. I am Jehovah. 4 No man of Aaron’s offspring when he is leprous or has a running discharge may eat of the holy things until he becomes clean, neither he who touches anyone unclean by a deceased soul or a man from whom there goes out a seminal emission, 5 nor a man who touches any swarming thing that is unclean for him or touches a man who is unclean for him as respects any uncleanness of his. 6 The soul who touches any such must be unclean until the evening and may not eat any of the holy things, but he must bathe his flesh in water. 7 When the sun has set, he must also be clean, and afterward he may eat some of the holy things, because it is his bread. 8 He should also not eat any body [already] dead or anything torn by wild beasts so as to become unclean by it. I am Jehovah.

9 “‘And they must keep their obligation to me, that they may not carry sin because of it and have to die for it because they were profaning it. I am Jehovah who is sanctifying them.

10 “‘And no stranger at all may eat anything holy. No settler with a priest nor a hired laborer may eat anything holy. 11 But in case a priest should purchase a soul, as a purchase with his money, he as such may share in eating it. As for slaves born in his house, they as such may share in eating his bread. 12 And in case the daughter of a priest should become a man’s who is a stranger, she as such may not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But in case the daughter of a priest should become a widow or divorced when she has no offspring, and she must return to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat some of her father’s bread; but no stranger at all may feed on it.

14 “‘Now in case a man eats a holy thing by mistake, he must then add the fifth of it to it and must give the holy thing to the priest. 15 So they should not profane the holy things of the sons of Israel, which they may contribute to Jehovah, 16 and actually cause them to bear the punishment of guiltiness because of their eating their holy things; for I am Jehovah who is sanctifying them.’”

17 And Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the sons of Israel, and you must say to them, ‘As for any man of the house of Israel or some alien resident in Israel who presents his offering, for any of their vows or for any of their voluntary offerings, which they may present to Jehovah for a burnt offering, 19 to gain approval for YOU it must be sound, a male among the herd, among the young rams or among the goats. 20 Anything in which there is a defect YOU must not present, because it will not serve to gain approval for YOU.

21 “‘And in case a man should present a communion sacrifice to Jehovah in order to pay a vow or as a voluntary offering, it should prove to be a sound one among the herd or the flock, in order to gain approval. No defect at all should prove to be in it. 22 No case of blindness or fracture or having a cut or wart or scabbiness or ringworm, none of these must YOU present to Jehovah, and no offering made by fire from them must YOU put upon the altar for Jehovah. 23 As for a bull or a sheep having a member too long or too short, you may make it a voluntary offering; but for a vow it will not be accepted with approval. 24 But one having the testicles squeezed or crushed or pulled off or cut off YOU must not present to Jehovah, and in YOUR land YOU should not render them up. 25 And any of all these from the hand of a foreigner YOU must not present as the bread of YOUR God, because their corruption is in them. There is a defect in them. They will not be accepted with approval of YOU.’”

26 And Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 27 “Should a bull or a young ram or a goat be born, then it must continue under its mother seven days, but from the eighth day and forward it will be accepted with approval as an offering, an offering made by fire to Jehovah. 28 As for a bull and a sheep, YOU must not slaughter it and its young one on the one day.

29 “And in case YOU should sacrifice a thanksgiving sacrifice to Jehovah, YOU should sacrifice it to gain approval for YOU. 30 On that day it should be eaten. YOU must not leave any of it until morning. I am Jehovah.

31 “And YOU must keep my commandments and do them. I am Jehovah. 32 And YOU must not profane my holy name, and I must be sanctified in the midst of the sons of Israel. I am Jehovah who is sanctifying YOU, 33 the One bringing YOU out of the land of Egypt to prove myself God to YOU. I am Jehovah.”

23 And Jehovah went on speaking to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you must say to them, ‘The seasonal festivals of Jehovah that YOU should proclaim are holy conventions. These are my seasonal festivals:

3 “‘Six days may work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convention. YOU may do no sort of work. It is a sabbath to Jehovah in all places where YOU dwell.

4 “‘These are the seasonal festivals of Jehovah, holy conventions, which YOU should proclaim at their appointed times: 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the two evenings is the passover to Jehovah.

6 “‘And on the fifteenth day of this month is the festival of unfermented cakes to Jehovah. Seven days YOU should eat unfermented cakes. 7 On the first day YOU will have a holy convention occur. No sort of laborious work may YOU do. 8 But YOU must present an offering made by fire to Jehovah seven days. On the seventh day there will be a holy convention. No sort of laborious work may YOU do.’”

9 And Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you must say to them, ‘When YOU eventually come into the land that I am giving YOU, and YOU have reaped its harvest, YOU must also bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of YOUR harvest to the priest. 11 And he must wave the sheaf to and fro before Jehovah to gain approval for YOU. Directly the day after the sabbath the priest should wave it to and fro. 12 And on the day of YOUR having the sheaf waved to and fro YOU must render up a sound young ram, in its first year, for a burnt offering to Jehovah; 13 and as its grain offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour moistened with oil, as an offering made by fire to Jehovah, a restful odor; and as its drink offering a fourth of a hin of wine. 14 And YOU must eat no bread nor roasted grain nor new grain until this very day, until YOUR bringing the offering of YOUR God. It is a statute to time indefinite for YOUR generations in all places where YOU dwell.

15 “‘And YOU must count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day of YOUR bringing the sheaf of the wave offering, seven sabbaths. They should prove to be complete. 16 To the day after the seventh sabbath YOU should count, fifty days, and YOU must present a new grain offering to Jehovah. 17 Out of YOUR dwelling places YOU should bring two loaves as a wave offering. Of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour they should prove to be. They should be baked leavened, as first ripe fruits to Jehovah. 18 And YOU must present along with the loaves seven sound male lambs, each a year old, and one young bull and two rams. They should serve as a burnt offering to Jehovah along with their grain offering and their drink offerings as an offering made by fire, of a restful odor to Jehovah. 19 And YOU must render up one kid of the goats as a sin offering and two male lambs, each a year old, as a communion sacrifice. 20 And the priest must wave them to and fro along with the loaves of the first ripe fruits, as a wave offering before Jehovah, along with the two male lambs. They should serve as something holy to Jehovah for the priest. 21 And YOU must make a proclamation on this very day; there will be a holy convention for yourselves. No sort of laborious work may YOU do. It is a statute to time indefinite in all YOUR dwelling places for YOUR generations.

22 “‘And when YOU people reap the harvest of YOUR land, you must not do completely the edge of your field when you are reaping, and the gleaning of your harvest you must not pick up. You should leave them for the afflicted one and the alien resident. I am Jehovah YOUR God.’”

23 And Jehovah went on speaking to Moses, saying: 24 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there should occur for YOU a complete rest, a memorial by the trumpet blast, a holy convention. 25 No sort of laborious work may YOU do, and YOU must present an offering made by fire to Jehovah.’”

26 And Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 27 “However, on the tenth of this seventh month is the day of atonement. A holy convention should take place for YOU, and YOU must afflict YOUR souls and present an offering made by fire to Jehovah. 28 And YOU must do no sort of work on this very day, because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for YOU before Jehovah YOUR God; 29 because every soul that will not be afflicted on this very day must be cut off from his people. 30 As for any soul that will do any sort of work on this very day, I must destroy that soul from among his people. 31 YOU must do no sort of work. It is a statute to time indefinite for YOUR generations in all places where YOU dwell. 32 It is a sabbath of complete rest for YOU, and YOU must afflict YOUR souls on the ninth of the month in the evening. From evening to evening YOU should observe YOUR sabbath.”