⇑  ⇐  Leviticus 22 (BEN) ⇒

1 And the Lord said to Moses, 2 Give orders to Aaron and to his sons to keep themselves separate from the holy things of the children of Israel which they give to me, and not to make my holy name common: I am the Lord, 3 Say to them, If any man of all your seed through all your generations, being unclean, comes near the holy things which the children of Israel make holy to the Lord, he will be cut off from before me: I am the Lord.

4 No man of the seed of Aaron who is a leper, or who has a flow from his body, may take of the holy food till he is clean. And any man touching anything which is unclean because of the dead, or any man whose seed goes from him; 5 Or anyone touching any unclean thing which goes flat on the earth, or someone by whom he may be made unclean in any way whatever; 6 Any person touching any such unclean thing will be unclean till evening, and may not take of the holy food till his flesh has been bathed in water; 7 And when the sun has gone down he will be clean; and after that he may take part in the holy food, because it is his bread. 8 That which comes to a natural death, or is attacked by beasts, he may not take as food, for it will make him unclean: I am the Lord.

9 So then, let them keep what I have put into their care, for fear that sin may come on them because of it, so causing their death because they have made it common: I am the Lord, who make them holy.

10 No outside person may take of the holy food, or one living as a guest in the priest's house, or a servant working for payment. 11 But any person for whom the priest has given money, to make him his, may take of it with him; and those who come to birth in his house may take of his bread. 12 And if the daughter of a priest is married to an outside person she may not take of the holy things which are lifted up as offerings. 13 But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or parted from her husband, and has no child, and has come back to her father's house as when she was a girl, she may take of her father's bread; but no outside person may do so.

14 And if a man takes the holy food in error, he will have to give the holy thing back to the priest, with the addition of a fifth part. 15 And they may not make common the holy things which the children of Israel give to the Lord, 16 So causing sin to come on them when they take their holy things for food: I am the Lord who make them holy.

17 And the Lord said to Moses, 18 Say to Aaron and to his sons and to all the children of Israel, If any man of the children of Israel, or of another nation living in Israel, makes an offering, given because of an oath or freely given to the Lord for a burned offering; 19 So that it may be pleasing to the Lord, let him give a male, without any mark, from among the oxen or the sheep or the goats. 20 But anything which has a mark you may not give; it will not make you pleasing to the Lord. 21 And whoever makes a peace-offering to the Lord, in payment of an oath or as a free offering, from the herd or the flock, if it is to be pleasing to the Lord, let it be free from any mark or damage. 22 Anything blind or broken or damaged or having any disease or any mark on it may not be offered to the Lord; you may not make an offering of it by fire on the altar to the Lord. 23 An ox or a lamb which has more or less than its natural parts, may be given as a free offering; but it will not be taken in payment of an oath. 24 An animal which has its sex parts damaged or crushed or broken or cut, may not be offered to the Lord; such a thing may not be done anywhere in your land.

25 And from one who is not an Israelite you may not take any of these for an offering to the Lord; for they are unclean, there is a mark on them, and the Lord will not be pleased with them. 26 And the Lord said to Moses, 27 When an ox or a sheep or a goat is given birth, let it be with its mother for seven days; and after the eighth day it may be taken as an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 A cow or a sheep may not be put to death with its young on the same day. 29 And when you make an offering of praise to the Lord, make it in a way which is pleasing to him. 30 Let it be used for food on the same day; do not keep any part of it till the morning: I am the Lord.

31 So then, keep my orders and do them: I am the Lord. 32 And do not make my holy name common; so that it may be kept holy by the children of Israel: I am the Lord who make you holy, 33 Who took you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God: I am the Lord.     ⇒