Leviticus 1-7
Expanded Bible
The Burnt Offering
1 The Lord ·called to [summoned] Moses and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent, saying, 2 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘When you bring an offering [L of livestock] to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from the herd or flock.
3 “‘If the offering is a whole burnt offering from the herd, it must be a male ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. The person must take the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent so that the Lord will accept the offering. 4 He must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [C to identify with the animal that served as a substitute], and ·the Lord will accept it to remove the person’s sin so he will belong to God [L it will be acceptable as atonement/expiation for him]. 5 He must ·kill [slaughter] the young bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, must bring its blood and ·sprinkle [dash] it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 6 After that he will skin the ·animal [L whole burnt offering] and cut it into pieces. 7 The [L sons of Aaron, the] priests, when they have ·put [arranged] wood and fire on the altar, 8 [L the sons of Aaron, the priests,] are to ·lay [arrange] the head, the ·fat [suet], and other pieces on the wood that is on the fire of the altar. 9 The animal’s inner organs and legs must be washed with water. Then the priest must ·burn all the animal’s parts [L turn it into smoke] on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
10 “‘If the ·burnt offering [L offering; gift] is a sheep or a goat from the flock [C acceptable if the worshiper could not afford a bull], it must be a male ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. 11 The person must ·kill [slaughter] the animal on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 12 The person must cut the animal into pieces, and the priest must ·lay [arrange] them, with the head and ·fat [suet], on the wood that is on the fire of the altar. 13 The person must wash the animal’s inner organs and legs with water, and then the priest must ·burn all its parts [L turn it into smoke] on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
14 “‘If the ·whole burnt offering [offering; gift] for the Lord is a bird [C presumably because the worshiper could not afford an animal from the herd or flock], it must be a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest will bring it to the altar and ·pull [wring] off its head, which he will ·burn [L turn into smoke] on the altar; its blood must be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 The priest must remove the bird’s crop [C a part of its digestive system] and its contents and throw them on the east side of the altar, where the ashes are. 17 Then he must tear the bird open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. The priest must ·burn the bird [L turn it into smoke] on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
The Grain Offering
2 “‘When anyone offers a ·grain [L gift; tribute; C this offering of grain, called a gift offering, was not considered an atonement for sin] offering to the Lord, that ·offering [gift] must be made from ·fine [choice] flour. The person must pour oil on it, put ·incense [frankincense] on it, 2 and then take it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest must take a handful of the ·fine [choice] flour and oil and all the incense, and ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar as a memorial portion. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 3 The rest of the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering will belong to Aaron and the priests; it is a most ·holy [sacred] part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord.
4 “‘If you bring a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering that was baked in the oven, it must be made from ·fine [choice] flour. It may be ·loaves made without yeast [unleavened cakes] and mixed with oil, or it may be ·wafers made without yeast [unleavened wafers] that have oil ·poured [spread] over them. 5 If your grain offering is cooked on a griddle, it must be made, ·without yeast [unleavened], of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with oil. 6 ·Crumble it [Break it in pieces] and pour oil over it; it is a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering. 7 If your ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering is cooked in a pan, it must be made from ·fine [choice] flour and oil. 8 Bring the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering made ·of these things [or in any of these ways] to the Lord. Give it to the priest, and he will take it to the altar. 9 He will take out the memorial portion [2:2] from the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering and ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar, as an offering made by fire. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 10 The rest of the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering belongs to Aaron and the priests. It is a most ·holy [sacred] part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire.
11 “‘Every ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering you bring to the Lord must be made without ·yeast [L leaven], because you must not ·burn [L turn into smoke] any ·yeast [leaven] or honey [C both of them ferment in fire, a form of decay] in an offering made by fire to the Lord. 12 You may bring yeast and honey to the Lord as ·an offering [gift] from the first harvest, but they must not be ·burned [L raised up] on the altar as a pleasing smell. 13 You must also put salt on all your ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings. Salt stands for your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with God that will last forever; do not leave salt out of your ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering. You must add salt to all your offerings [C salt would endure the fire, thereby representing the eternal covenant].
14 “‘If you bring a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering from the first harvest to the Lord, bring crushed heads of new grain ·roasted [parched] in the fire. 15 Put oil and ·incense [frankincense] on it; it is a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering. 16 The priest will ·burn [L turn into smoke] the memorial portion of the crushed grain and oil, with the ·incense [frankincense] on it. It is an offering by fire to the Lord.
The Fellowship Offering
3 “‘If a person’s ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [C demonstrated fellowship because the meat was to be eaten by the worshipers] to the Lord is from the herd, it may be a male or female, but it must ·have nothing wrong with it [be unblemished]. 2 The person must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [1:4] and ·kill [slaughter] it at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, must ·sprinkle [dash] the blood on all sides of the altar. 3 From the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering he must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must offer the fat of the animal’s inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), 4 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 5 Then the priests will ·burn these parts [L turn these into smoke] on the altar, on the whole burnt offering that is on the wood of the fire. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
6 “‘If a person’s ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering to the Lord is ·a lamb or a goat [L from the flock], it may be a male or female, but it must ·have nothing wrong with it [be unblemished]. 7 If he offers a lamb, he must bring it before the Lord 8 and ·put [lay] his hand on its head [1:4]. Then he must ·kill [slaughter] the animal in front of the Meeting Tent, and the ·priests [L sons of Aaron] must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 9 From the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must bring the fat, the whole fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat of the inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), 10 both kidneys with the fat that is on them, near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 11 Then the priest will ·burn these parts [L turn them into smoke] on the altar as food; it will be an offering made by fire to the Lord.
12 “‘If a person’s ·offering [gift] is a goat, he must offer it before the Lord 13 and ·put [lay] his hand on its head [1:4]. Then he must ·kill [slaughter] it in front of the Meeting Tent, and the priests must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 14 From this ·offering [gift] the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. He must offer all the fat of the goat’s inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them), 15 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 16 The priest will ·burn these parts [L turn them into smoke] on the altar as food. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. All the fat belongs to the Lord [see v. 17].
17 “‘This ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] will continue for people ·from now on [forever], ·wherever you live [L in all your habitations/settlements]: You must not eat any fat [C perhaps considered the location of an animal’s strength; 7:22–25] or ·blood [C the source of life; 7:26–27; 17:10; 19:26; Gen. 9:4; Deut. 12:16, 23; 15:23].’”
The Sin Offering
4 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel this: ‘When a person sins ·by accident [unintentionally; inadvertently; C in contrast to a deliberate sin; Num. 15:22–31] ·and does some things the Lord has commanded not to be done [L in any of the Lord’s commandments/regulations], ·that person must do these things [L and does any one of them]:
3 “‘If the ·appointed [L anointed] priest sins so that he brings guilt on the people, then he must offer a young bull to the Lord, ·one that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished], as a ·sin [or purification; C the offering would purify the offerer of the effects of sin] offering for the sin he has done. 4 He will bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent in front of the Lord, ·put [lay] his hand on its head [1:4], and ·kill [slaughter] it before the Lord. 5 Then the ·appointed [L anointed] priest must bring some of the bull’s blood into the Meeting Tent. 6 The priest is to dip his finger into the blood and ·sprinkle [dash] it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain of the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary]. 7 The priest must also put some of the blood on the ·corners [L horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of incense that stands before the Lord in the Meeting Tent. The rest of the blood he must pour out at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 8 He must remove all the fat from the bull of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering—the fat on and around the inner organs, 9 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver which he will remove with the kidneys. 10 (He must do this in the same way the fat is removed from the bull of the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offering [3:3–4].) Then the priest must ·burn [L turn into smoke] the animal parts on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the priest must carry off the skin of the bull and all its meat, along with the rest of the bull—its head, legs, intestines, and other inner organs. 12 He must take it outside the camp to the special clean [C in a ritual sense] place where the ashes are poured out. He must burn it on a wood fire on the pile of ashes.
13 “‘If the whole ·nation [congregation; assembly] of Israel sins ·accidentally [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] ·without knowing it [L and the matter is hidden from the eyes of the assembly/crowd] and does something the Lord has commanded not to be done, they are guilty. 14 When they learn about the sin they have done, they must offer a young bull as a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] and bring it before the Meeting Tent. 15 The elders of the ·group of people [congregation; assembly] must ·put [lay; 1:4] their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord, and it must be ·killed [slaughtered] before the Lord. 16 Then the ·appointed [L anointed] priest must bring some of the bull’s blood into the Meeting Tent. 17 Dipping his finger in the blood, he must ·sprinkle [dash] it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain. 18 Then he must put some of the blood on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar that is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent. The priest must pour out the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 19 He must remove all the fat from the animal and ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar; 20 he will do the same thing with this bull that he did with the first bull of the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. In this way the priest ·removes the sins of the people so they will belong to the Lord and [L atones for them and they will] be forgiven. 21 Then the priest must carry the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as he did with the first bull. This is the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] for the whole ·community [assembly; crowd].
22 “‘If a ·ruler [leader; prince] sins ·by accident [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] and does something the Lord his God has commanded must not be done, he is guilty. 23 When he learns about his sin, he must bring a male goat that ·has nothing wrong [is unblemished] with it as his ·offering [gift]. 24 The ·ruler [leader; prince] must ·put [lay; 1:4] his hand on the goat’s head and ·kill [slaughter] it in the place where they ·kill [slaughter] the whole burnt offering before the Lord; it is a ·sin [purification] offering [4:3]. 25 The priest must take some of the blood of the ·sin [purification] offering [4:3] on his finger and put it on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar of burnt offering. 26 He must ·burn [L turn into smoke] all the goat’s fat on the altar in the same way he ·burns [L turns into smoke] the fat of the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offerings [3:3–4]. In this way the priest ·removes the ruler’s sin so he belongs to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
27 “‘If any ·person in the community [ordinary/private/lay person; L of the people of the land] sins ·by accident [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] and does something which the Lord has commanded must not be done, he is guilty. 28 When the person learns about his sin, he must bring a female goat ·that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished] as an ·offering [gift] for his sin. 29 He must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [1:4] and ·kill [slaughter] it at the place of the whole burnt offering. 30 Then the priest must take some of the goat’s blood on his finger and put it on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the goat’s blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar. 31 Then the priest must remove all the goat’s fat in the same way the fat is removed from the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offerings [3:3–4]. He must ·burn it [L turn it into smoke] on the altar as a smell pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest ·will remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
32 “‘If this person brings a lamb as his ·offering [gift] for sin, he must bring a female ·that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished]. 33 He must ·put [lay] his hand on the animal’s head [1:4] and ·kill [slaughter] it as a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] in the place where the whole burnt offering is ·killed [slaughtered]. 34 The priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering on his finger and put it on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the lamb’s blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar. 35 Then the priest must remove all the lamb’s fat in the same way that the lamb’s fat is removed from the ·fellowship [peace; well-being] offerings [3:3–4]. He must ·burn the pieces on the altar [L turn them into smoke] on top of the offerings made by fire for the Lord. In this way the priest ·will remove that person’s sins so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
Special Types of Accidental Sins
5 “‘If a person ·is ordered to tell in court [L hears a public oath and he has been a witness of] what he has seen or what he knows and he does not ·tell the court [L make it known], he is guilty of sin.
2 “‘Or someone might touch something unclean, such as the dead body of an unclean wild animal or an unclean farm animal or an unclean crawling animal [11:24–28, 32–40]. Even if he does not know that he touched it, he will still be unclean and guilty of sin.
3 “‘Someone might touch human uncleanness—anything that makes someone unclean—and not know it. But when he learns about it, he will be guilty.
4 “‘Or someone might make a promise before the Lord ·without thinking [rashly]. It might be a [rash] promise to do something bad or something good; it might be about anything. Even if he forgets about it, when he remembers, he will be guilty [Deut. 23:22–23; Eccl. 5:4].
5 “‘When anyone is guilty of any of these things, he must ·tell how he sinned [L confess his sin]. 6 He must bring an offering to the Lord as a penalty for sin; it must be a female lamb or goat from the flock. The priest will ·perform the acts to remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord [L make atonement for his sin].
7 “‘But if the person cannot afford a lamb, he must bring two ·doves [turtledoves] or two young pigeons to the Lord as the penalty for his sin. One bird must be for a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3], and the other must be for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. 8 He must bring them to the priest, who will first offer the one for the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. He will ·pull [wring] the bird’s head from its neck, but he will not ·pull it completely off [sever it]. 9 He must ·sprinkle [dash] the blood from the ·sin [purification] offering [4:3] on the side of the altar, and then he must pour the rest of the blood at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar; it is a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. 10 Then the priest must offer the second bird as a whole burnt offering, as the ·law [regulation] says [1:14–17]. In this way the priest ·will remove the person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he is forgiven].
11 “‘If the person cannot afford two ·doves [turtledoves] or two pigeons, he must bring about ·two quarts of [L one-tenth of an ephah of] ·fine [choice] flour as an ·offering for sin [purification offering; 4:3]. He must not put oil or ·incense [frankincense] on the flour, because it is a ·sin [or purification] offering. 12 He must bring the flour to the priest. The priest will take a handful of the flour as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire to the Lord; it is a ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3]. 13 In this way the priest ·will remove the person’s sins so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [L makes atonement for him and he will be forgiven]. What is left of the sin offering belongs to the priest, like the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:10].’”
The Penalty Offering
14 The Lord said to Moses, 15 “If a person ·accidentally [inadvertently; unintentionally; 4:2] sins and ·does something against [is unfaithful/disloyal toward] the holy things of the Lord, he must bring from the flock a male sheep ·that has nothing wrong with it [unblemished]. This will be his ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering to the Lord. Its value in silver must be correct as set by the Holy Place measure. It is a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 16 That person must pay for the sin he did against the holy thing, adding one-fifth to its value. Then he must give it all to the priest. In this way the priest will ·remove the person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord [make atonement for him], by using the male sheep as the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. And ·the Lord will forgive the person [L he will be forgiven].
17 “If a person sins and does something the Lord has commanded not to be done, even if he does not know it, he is still guilty. He is responsible for his sin. 18 He must bring the priest a male sheep from the flock, one that ·has nothing wrong with it [is unblemished] and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. Though the person sinned without knowing it, with this offering the priest will ·remove the sin so the person will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [make atonement for him and he will be forgiven]. 19 The person is guilty of doing wrong, so he must give the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering to the Lord.”
6 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “A person might sin against the Lord ·by doing one of these sins [L and be unfaithful/disloyal]: He might lie about ·what happened to something he was taking care of for someone else [L a deposit], or ·he might lie about a promise he made [L a pledge]. He might steal something or cheat someone. 3 He might find something that had been lost and then lie about it. He might make a promise before the Lord about something and not mean it, or he might do some other sin. 4 If he does any of these things, he is guilty of sin. He must bring back whatever he stole or whatever he took by cheating. He must bring back the ·thing he took care of for someone else [deposit]. He must bring back what he found and lied about 5 or what he made a false promise about. He must pay the full price plus an extra one-fifth of the value of what he took. He must give the money to the true owner on the day he brings his ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 6 He must bring his penalty to the priest—a male sheep from the flock, ·one that does not have anything wrong with it [unblemished] and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering to the Lord. 7 Then the priest will ·perform the acts to remove that person’s sin so he will belong to the Lord, and the Lord will forgive him [make atonement for him and he will be forgiven] for the sins that made him guilty.”
The Whole Burnt Offering
8 The Lord said to Moses, 9 “Give this command to Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons]: ‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instruction] about the whole burnt offering [1:1–17]: The burnt offering must stay on the [L hearth of the] altar all night until morning, and the altar’s fire must be kept burning. 10 The priest must put on his linen robe and linen underclothes next to his body. Then he will remove the ashes from the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. 11 Then he must take off those clothes and put on others and carry the ashes outside the camp to a special clean [C in a ritual sense] place. 12 But the fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not be ·allowed to go out [extinguished]. The priest must put more firewood on the altar every morning, place the whole burnt offering on the fire, and ·burn [L turn into smoke] the fat of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1]. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar ·all the time [perpetually]; it must not ·go out [be extinguished].
The Grain Offering
14 “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1]: The ·priests [L sons of Aaron] must bring it to the Lord in front of the altar. 15 The priest must take a handful of ·fine [choice] flour, with the oil and all of the ·incense [frankincense] on it, and ·burn the grain offering [L turn it into smoke] on the altar as a memorial offering to the Lord. Its smell is pleasing to him. 16 Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons] may eat what is left, but it must be eaten ·without yeast [unleavened] in a holy place. They must eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. 17 It must not be ·cooked [baked] with ·yeast [leaven]. I have given it as their ·share [portion] of the offerings made to me by fire; it is most holy, like the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] and the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7]. 18 Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it as his ·share of the offerings [perpetual due; decree] made to the Lord by fire, ·and this will continue from now on [L throughout your generations]. Whatever touches these offerings shall become holy.’”
19 The Lord said to Moses, 20 “This is the ·offering [gift] Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons] must bring to the Lord on the day they ·appoint Aaron as high priest [L anoint him]: They must bring ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour for a ·continual [perpetual] ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1], half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 21 The ·fine [choice] flour must be mixed with oil and cooked on a griddle. Bring it when it is well ·mixed [or soaked]. Present the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] that is ·broken into pieces [or partly baked; or folded], and it will be a smell that is pleasing to the Lord. 22 One of the priests ·appointed [anointed] to take Aaron’s place as high priest must make the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1]. It is a ·rule [statute; ordinance; regulation] forever that the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] must be completely burned to the Lord. 23 Every grain offering made by a priest must be completely ·burned [L turned into smoke]; it must not be eaten.”
The Sin Offering
24 The Lord said to Moses, 25 “Tell Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons]: ‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering: The ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering must be ·killed [slaughtered] in front of the Lord in the same place the whole burnt offering [ch. 1] is ·killed [slaughtered]; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering must eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. 27 Whatever touches the meat of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering ·must be [or will become] ·holy [consecrated; set apart], and if the blood is ·sprinkled [spattered] on any clothes, you must wash them in a holy place. 28 The clay pot the meat is ·cooked [boiled] in must be broken, or if a bronze pot is used, it must be scrubbed and rinsed with water. 29 Any male in a priest’s family may eat the offering; it is most holy. 30 But if the blood of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering is taken into the Meeting Tent and used to ·remove sin [make atonement] in the Holy Place, that ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering must be burned with fire. It must not be eaten.
The Penalty Offering
7 “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7], which is most holy: 2 The ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering must be ·killed [slaughtered] where the whole burnt offering is ·killed [slaughtered; ch. 1]. Then the priest must ·sprinkle [dash] its blood on all sides of the altar. 3 He must offer all the fat from the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering—the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, 4 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the ·lower back muscle [loins], and the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. 5 The priest must ·burn [L turn into smoke] all these things on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering. 6 Any male in a priest’s family may eat it. It is most holy, so it must be eaten in a holy place.
7 “‘The ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7] is like the ·sin [or purification] offering [4:3] in that the ·teachings [laws; instructions] are the same for both. The priest who ·offers the sacrifice to remove sins [makes atonement with it] will ·get the meat for food [L have it]. 8 The priest who offers the burnt offering [ch. 1] may also have the skin from it. 9 Every ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1] that is baked in an oven, cooked on a griddle, or baked in a dish belongs to the priest who offers it. 10 Every ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [2:1], either dry or mixed with oil, belongs to the priests, and ·all priests [L sons of Aaron] will share alike.
The Fellowship Offering
11 “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] a person may offer to the Lord: 12 If he brings the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] to show his thanks, he should also bring loaves of bread made without ·yeast [leaven] that are mixed with oil, wafers made without ·yeast [leaven] that have oil poured over them, and loaves of ·fine [choice] flour that are ·mixed [or soaked] with oil. 13 He must also offer loaves of bread made with ·yeast [leaven] along with his ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1], which he gives to show thanks. 14 One of each kind of ·offering [gift] will be for the Lord; it will be given to the priest who ·sprinkles [dashes] the blood of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering. 15 When the fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] is given to thank the Lord, the meat from it must be eaten the same day it is offered; none of it must be left until morning.
16 “‘If a person brings a ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] ·just to give a gift to God [as a freewill offering] or because of a ·special promise to him [votive offering; C in fulfillment of a vow], the sacrifice should be eaten the same day he offers it. If there is any left, it may be eaten the next day. 17 If any meat from this sacrifice is left on the third day, it must be burned ·up [L with fire]. 18 Any meat of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering eaten on the third day will not be accepted, nor will the sacrifice count for the person who offered it. It ·will become unclean [is an abomination], and anyone who eats the meat will be guilty of sin.
19 “‘People must not eat meat that touches anything unclean [C in a ritual sense]; they must burn this meat with fire. Anyone who is clean may eat other meat. 20 But if anyone is unclean and eats the meat from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] that belongs to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people.
21 “‘If anyone touches something unclean [C in a ritual sense]—uncleanness that comes from people, from an animal, or from some ·hated thing [or swarming creature]—touching it will make him unclean. If he then eats meat from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] that belongs to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people.’”
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘You must not eat any of the fat from cattle, sheep, or goats [3:17]. 24 If an animal is found dead or torn by wild animals, you may use its fat for other things, but you must not eat it. 25 If someone eats fat from an animal offering made by fire to the Lord, he must be cut off from his people. 26 No matter where you live, you must not eat blood from any bird or animal. 27 Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from his people [3:17].’”
The Priests’ Share
28 The Lord said to Moses, 29 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘If someone brings a ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] to the Lord, he must give part of it as his sacrifice to the Lord. 30 He must carry that part of the gift in his own hands as an offering made by fire to the Lord. He must bring the fat and the breast of the animal to the priest, to be presented to the Lord as ·the priests’ share [L an elevation offering]. 31 Then the priest must ·burn [L turn into smoke] the fat on the altar, but the breast of the animal will belong to Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons]. 32 You must also give the right thigh from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] to the priest as a ·gift [L elevation offering]; 33 it will belong to the ·priest [L son of Aaron] who offers the blood and fat of the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering. 34 I have taken the breast and the thigh from the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1] of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], and I have given these parts to Aaron and ·the priests [L his sons] as ·their share for all time [an eternal regulation] from the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].’”
35 This is the portion that belongs to Aaron and his sons from the offerings made by fire to the Lord. They were given this share on the day they were presented to the Lord as priests. 36 On the day ·the Lord appointed the priests [L he anointed them], he commanded Israel to give this share to them, and it is ·to be given to the priests as their share [L an eternal regulation] ·from now on [L throughout their generations].
37 These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about the whole burnt offering, the ·grain [gift; tribute] offering [2:1], the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering, the ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offering [5:14–6:7], the offering for ·the appointment of priests [ordination], and the ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1]. 38 The Lord ·gave these teachings to [L commanded] Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to bring their ·offerings [gifts] to the Lord in the Sinai ·Desert [Wilderness].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
