The Holy Bible

Regulations for Conduct of Priests

Lord said to Moses,  2  “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites dedicate to Me, so they do not profane My holy name. I am the Lord.

3 “Say to them: ‘If any of your descendants throughout the generations to come is in a state of uncleanness yet approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person will be cut off from My presence. I am the Lord.

4 ‘No one among Aaron’s descendants who has an infectious skin disease or a bodily discharge may eat of the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a dead person or a man who has had an emission of semen,  5  or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean or any person who makes him unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be.  6  The person who touches any such thing will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed his body in water.  7  When the sun sets, he will be clean; and afterward he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.  8  He must not eat an animal that dies naturally or was torn by wild animals, so becoming unclean by it. I am the Lord.

9 ‘They priests are to keep My requirements, so they do not incur guilt and die because they profaned something. I am the Lord who sets them apart as holy.

10  ‘No one outside the priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may guests staying with the priest or hired servants eat of the sacred offerings.  11  But if a priest buys a slave with his money, the slave may eat of it; and those who are born in his house may eat his food.  12  If a priest’s daughter is married to a man outside a priest’s family, she may not eat from the sacred contributions.  13  But if a priest’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food. But no unauthorised person may eat of it.

14  ‘If anyone eats of a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the sacred offering, with an additional one-fifth of its value added also.  15  The priests must not profane the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the Lord,  16  by allowing the people to eat of their sacred offerings, and so bring guilt upon them requiring the penalty of restitution. For I am the Lord who sets them apart as holy’.”

Acceptable Sacrifices

• The Lord required the Israelites to offer only ceremonially clean animals without defect for a sacrifice acceptable to God.

Bible illustration © Sweet Publishing

17  The Lord said to Moses,  18  “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites, and say to them: ‘When anyone of the house of Israel or of the foreign residents in Israel presents an offering, either for payment of a vow or a freewill offering to the Lord as a burnt offering,  19  you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf.  20  You must not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

21  ‘When anyone presents a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfil a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd the flock, it must be unblemished and without defect to be acceptable.  22  You are not to offer to the Lord any animal that is blind, injured, maimed, or anything with warts, a festering rash, or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar for an offering made to the Lord by fire.  23  You may, however, offer a freewill offering of an ox or a lamb that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it will not be accepted in fulfilment of a vow.

24  ‘You must not offer to the Lord anything with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut. You must not present them for an offering in your own land,  25  nor are you to accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner to offer them as food for your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects’.”

26  The Lord said to Moses,  27  “When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days, and from the eighth day on it will be acceptable as an offering made to the Lord by fire.  28  But you must not slaughter an animal from the herd or the flock and its young on the same day.  29  When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in the prescribed manner, so it will be accepted on your behalf.  30  It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the Lord.

31  “You must keep My commands and do them. I am the Lord. You must not profane My holy name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites.  32  I am the Lord, who sets you apart as holy.  33  I have brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”