Leviticus

Ritual Purity in Offerings

The Holy Portion

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

^“Tell Aaron and his sons when they must refrain from the holy offerings of the people of Israel, so that they do not profane my holy name; for I am the one who makes them holy. I am the Lord.

Tell them this: Anyone who is a descendant of yours, in any generation, who approaches the holy offerings consecrated to the Lord by the people of Israel while in a state of uncleanness shall be cut off from my presence. I am the Lord.

Anyone in Aaron’s line who is afflicted with leprosy or has a discharge must not eat holy things until he is clean. Anyone who touches something made unclean by a dead body or has a seminal discharge,

or is made unclean by touching a creeping thing or someone who has communicated his own uncleanness of any kind,

in short, anyone who has had any such contact shall be unclean until evening and must not eat holy things until he has taken a bath.

At sunset, he will be clean and may then eat holy things, for these are his foods.

He must not eat an animal that has died a natural death or one killed by wild animals; he would become unclean by doing this. I am the Lord.

Let them follow these rules and avoid burdening themselves with sin, so they do not die because they have defiled this food. I am the Lord who makes them holy.

No layperson may eat any of the sacred offerings: neither the guest of a priest nor his hired servant.

But if the priest has acquired a slave through purchase, the slave may eat them. Similarly, anyone born in the household may eat a share of the food.

If a priest’s daughter marries someone who is not a priest, she may not eat the holy portion set aside;

but if she is widowed or divorced, and childless, and has returned to her father’s house as she did when she was young, she may eat her father’s food. No layperson may eat it;

if someone unintentionally eats a holy thing, he shall restore it to the priest with one-fifth added.

They must not desecrate the holy offerings that the people of Israel have set aside for the Lord.

If they eat them, they must make a guilt offering. I am the Lord who has sanctified these offerings.

Requirements for  Sacrificial Victims

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Tell this to Aaron, to his sons, and all the people of Israel:

This rule applies to any Israelite or stranger living in Israel who brings a burnt offering, either in fulfillment of a vow or as a voluntary gift. He must present a male ox, sheep, or goat that has no defects to be accepted.

You must not offer an animal with defects, as it will not make you acceptable.

If anyone offers the Lord a peace offering to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, the animal—from the herd or the flock—will not be pleasing to the Lord unless it is without any defect.

You must not offer to the Lord an animal that is blind, lame, mutilated, ulcerated, or suffering from a skin disease or sore. No part of such an animal shall be laid on the altar as a burnt offering to the Lord.

As a voluntary offering, you may offer an underdeveloped or deformed bull or lamb; however, these will not be accepted in payment of a vow.

Don’t offer the Lord an animal if its testicles have been bruised, crushed, removed, or cut. This is not permitted in your land,

and you are not to accept any such offer from the hands of a stranger as food for your God. Their deformity is a defect, and they would not make you acceptable.

Special Provisions

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“A calf, lamb, or kid shall stay with its mother for seven days after birth. From the eighth day, it will be acceptable as a burnt offering to the Lord.

No animal, whether cow or ewe, shall be slaughtered on the same day as its young.

If you offer a thanksgiving sacrifice to the Lord, do it so that He may be pleased.

You must eat it on the same day, and nothing should be left until morning. I am the Lord.

You must keep my commands and put them into practice. I am the Lord.

You must not profane my holy name, so that I may be proclaimed holy among the people of Israel; I, the Lord who sanctifies you.

I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God, I am the Lord.”