Restrictions against the Unclean
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the Israelites, which they have consecrated to me, that they do not profane my holy name. I am the Lord.
3 Tell them, ‘If anyone of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things which the Israelites consecrate to the Lord while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.
4 Whoever, among 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 made unclean by a corpse, or a man who has an emission of semen, 5 or whoever touches any creeping thing, or any unclean thing, the touching of which is defiling, 6 that person who touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening. He shall not eat of the holy things until he has bathed 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 food.
8 That which dies by itself or is torn by beasts, he shall not eat and defile himself by it. I am the Lord.
9 They shall therefore keep my ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die if they have profaned it: I am the Lord who sanctifies.
10 No stranger shall eat of the sacred offering: neither a foreigner living with the priests, nor a hired servant, may eat of the sacred offering. 11 But if a priest buys a slave, purchased with 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 may not eat of the heave offering of the sacred offerings.
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 food, but no stranger shall eat any of it.
14 If a man eats something holy unwittingly, then he shall add twenty percent of its worth to it and give the sacred offering to the priest. 15 The priests shall not profane the sacred offering of the Israelites, which they offer to the Lord, 16 and so cause them to bear the iniquity that brings guilt when they eat their sacred offering, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’ ”
Worthy Offerings
17 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the Israelites and say to them, ‘Whoever is of the house of Israel, or of the foreigners in Israel, who presents his offering, whether it is any of their vows or any of their free will offerings, which they offer to the Lord for a burnt offering, 19 must offer a male without defect, of the bulls, of the sheep, or of the goats, to be accepted. 20 But you shall not offer whatever has a defect, for it shall not be accepted on your behalf.
21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill 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, injured, or maimed, or has a wart, is festering, or has a running sore to the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to the Lord.
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 the Lord that which has its testicles bruised, crushed, broken, or cut. You must not do this in your own 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 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother. From the eighth day on it shall be acceptable for an offering made by fire to the Lord. 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 thanksgiving offering to the Lord, 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 the Lord.
31 Therefore you shall keep my commandments and do them. I am the Lord. 32 You shall not profane my holy name, but I will be made holy among the Israelites. I am the Lord who makes you holy, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am the Lord.”