Leviticus 22

Sundry Rules for Priests

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the Lord. 3Say to them, ‘1If any man among all your 2descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the Lord. 43No man of the 4descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. 5And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if 6a man has a seminal emission, 5or 7if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; 6a 8person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his 9body in water. 7But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for 10it is his 11food. 8He shall not eat 12an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, becoming unclean by it; I am the Lord. 9They shall therefore keep 13My charge, so that 14they will not bear sin because of it and die thereby because they profane it; I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

10‘15No 16layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat of the holy gift. 1117But if a priest buys a 18slave as his property with his money, 19that one may eat of it, and those who are born in his house may eat of his 20food. 12If a priest’s daughter is married to a 21layman, she shall not eat of the 22offering of the gifts. 13But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or divorced, and has no child and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s 23food; 24but no 25layman shall eat of it. 1426But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy gift to the priest. 1527They shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they offer to the Lord, 16and so cause them 28to bear 29punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

Flawless Animals for Sacrifice

17Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18“Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘30Any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their 31votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they present to the Lord for a burnt offering-- 1932for you to be accepted--it must be a male without defect from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats. 2033Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. 21When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord 34to 35fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 22Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the Lord. 23In respect to an ox or a lamb which has an 36overgrown or stunted member, you may present it for a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. 24Also 37anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the Lord, or 38sacrifice in your land, 25nor shall you accept any such from the hand of a foreigner for offering 39as the 40food of your God; for their corruption is in them, they have a defect, they shall not be accepted for you.’”

26Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27“When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall 41remain 42seven days 43with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted as a sacrifice of an offering by fire to the Lord. 2844But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day. 29When you sacrifice 45a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30It shall be eaten on the same day, you shall leave none of it until morning; I am the Lord. 3146So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.

32“You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 3347who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord.”