Leviticus 22 - Modern English Version (MEV)

Holy Offerings

22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to Aaron and to his sons that they should be very respectful with the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they do not defile My holy name with those things which the people have consecrated to Me: I am the Lord.

3 Say to them: Whoever from your offspring through your generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel have dedicated to the Lord, while he has uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the Lord.

4 If a man of the offspring of Aaron is a leper or has a discharge, he shall not eat of the holy offerings until he is clean. And whoever touches anything that is unclean by contact with the dead or a man who had an emission of semen, 5 or whoever touches any crawling thing whereby he may be made unclean, or a man from whom he may receive uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has, 6 the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy things unless he washes his body with water. 7 When the sun goes down, he shall be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his food. 8 That which dies of itself or is torn by animals he shall not eat, becoming unclean by it: I am the Lord.

9 They shall therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin from it and therefore die if they defile it: I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

10 There shall be no outsider[a] who eats of a holy thing, whether a foreign guest of the priest or a hired servant, he shall not eat of a holy offering. 11 But if a priest buys a person with his money, the person acquired shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house shall eat of his food. 12 If the priest’s daughter marries an outsider, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things. 13 But if the 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 outsider may eat of it.

14 If a man eats the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall add a fifth of the value to it and shall give the holy thing to the priest. 15 They shall not defile the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer to the Lord, 16 and cause them to suffer and to bear the iniquity of guilt when they eat their holy things, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

Acceptable Offerings

17 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: Whoever from the house of Israel or from the foreigners in Israel who offers his burnt offering for any vows or freewill offerings that he offers to the Lord, 19 then if it is to be accepted for you, the offering shall be a male without blemish, a bull, sheep, or goat. 20 But whatever has a blemish you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill his vow or a freewill offering, whether from the herd or flock, to be accepted it shall be perfect, with no blemish on it. 22 Blind, or disabled, or maimed, or having an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer these to the Lord, nor make a food offering by fire on the altar to the Lord. 23 A herd animal or a flock animal that has a limb that is too long or short you may offer for a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted. 24 You shall not offer to the Lord an animal that is bruised or crushed or torn or cut; nor shall you make any offering of them in your land. 25 Nor from a foreigner shall you offer an animal as the food of your God, because a blemish is in them from their mutilation. They shall not be accepted for you.

26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 When an ox, or a sheep, or a goat is born, then it shall be seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted for a food offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 But you shall not slaughter on the same day an ox or a sheep and her young.

29 When you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it so that it may be accepted. 30 On the same day it shall be eaten. You shall leave none of it until the next day: I am the Lord.

31 Therefore you shall keep My commandments and do them: I am the Lord. 32 You shall not defile My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the children of Israel: I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 22:10 Or stranger.