The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Leviticus 22
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to separate
themselves fromtheholy things ofthe children ofIsrael, which they make holy to me,
and that they not profane my holy name. I
am Yahweh.
3 “Tell them, ‘If anyone of all your offspring throughout your
generations approaches the holy things which the children of
Israel make holy to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall
be cut off from before me. I am Yahweh.
4 “ ‘Whoever of the offspring of Aaron is
a leper or has a discharge shall not eat of
the holy things until he is clean. Whoever
touches anything that is unclean by the
dead, or a man who has a seminal emission,
5 or whoever touches any creeping thing
by which he may be made unclean, or a
man from whom he may become unclean,
whatever uncleanness he has
6 the person that touches any such shall
be unclean until the evening, and shall not
eat of the holy things unless he bathes his
body in water.
7 When the sun is down, he shall be
clean; and afterward he shall eat of the
holy things, because it is his bread.
8 He shall not eat that which dies of itself
or is torn by animals, defiling himself by it.
I am Yahweh.
9 “ ‘They shall therefore follow my commandment, lest they bear sin for it and die
in it, if they profane it. I am Yahweh who
sanctifies them.
10 “ ‘No stranger shall eat of the holy
thing: a foreigner living with the priests,
or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy
thing.
11 But if a priest buys a slave, purchased
by his money, he shall eat of it; and those
who are born in his house shall eat of his
bread.
12 If a priest’s daughter is married to an
outsider, she shall not eat of the heave
offering of the holy things.
13 But if a priest’s daughter is a widow,
or divorced, and has no child, and has
returned to her father’s house as in her
youth, she may eat of her father’s bread;
but no stranger shall eat any of it.
14 “ ‘If a man eats something holy unwittingly, then he shall add the fifth part of its
value to it, and shall give the holy thing to
the priest.
15 The priests shall not profane the holy
things of the children of Israel, which they
offer to Yahweh,
16 and so cause them to bear the iniquity
that brings guilt when they eat their holy
things; for I am Yahweh who sanctifies
them.’ ”
17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
18 “Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and
to all the children of Israel, and say to
them, ‘Whoever is of the house of Israel, or
of the foreigners in Israel, who offers his
offering, whether it is any of their vows or
any of their free will offerings, which they
offer to Yahweh for a burnt offering:
19 that you may be accepted, you shall
offer a male without defect, of the bulls, of
the sheep, or of the goats.
20 But you shall not offer whatever has
a defect, for it shall not be acceptable for
you.
21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace
offerings to Yahweh to accomplish a vow,
or for a free will offering of the herd or of
the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted.
It shall have no defect.
22 You shall not offer what is blind, is
injured, is maimed, has a wart, is festering,
or has a running sore to Yahweh, nor make
an offering by fire of them on the altar to
Yahweh.
23 Either a bull or a lamb that has any
deformity or lacking in his parts, that you
may offer for a free will offering; but for a
vow it shall not be accepted.
24 You must not offer to Yahweh that
which has its testicles bruised, crushed,
broken, or cut. Youmustnot do this inyour
land.
25 You must not offer any of these as
the bread of your God from the hand of
a foreigner, because their corruption is in
them. There is a defect in them. They shall
not be accepted for you.’ ”
26 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
27 “Whenabull, a sheep, or a goatisborn,
it shall remain seven days with its mother.
From the eighth day on it shall be accepted
for the offering of an offering made by fire
to Yahweh.
28 Whether it is a cow or ewe, you shall
not kill it and its young both in one day.
29 “When you sacrifice a sacrifice of
thanksgiving to Yahweh, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.
30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you
shall leave none of it until the morning. I
am Yahweh.
31 “Therefore you shall keep my commandments, and do them. I am Yahweh.
32 You shall not profane my holy name,
butI will be made holy among the children
of Israel. I am Yahweh who makes you
holy,
33 who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, to be your God. I am Yahweh.”