Leviticus 22

1 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Say to Aaron and to his sons that they are to be careful with the holy things of the children of Israel, so that they do not treat my holy name as common in anything the people make holy to me. I am the Lord. 3 Say to them: Through your generations, any man out of all your seed who comes near the holy things that the children of Israel make holy to the Lord while his uncleanness is on him — that soul will be destroyed from before me. I am the Lord your God. 4 And a man out of the seed of Aaron the priest who has leprosy or a discharge is not to eat of the holy things until he is made clean. And the same for one who touches any uncleanness of a dead person, or a man who has a flow of seed go out from him, 5 or who touches any unclean crawling creature that will defile him, or touches a person who will defile him with any uncleanness of his: 6 the soul who touches any of these will be unclean until evening. He is not to eat of the holy things unless he bathes his body in water 7 and the sun goes down; then he will be clean, and then he may eat of the holy things, because they are his bread. 8 He is not to eat an animal that died on its own or was torn by wild animals, and so be defiled by them. I am the Lord. 9 And they are to keep my charge, so that they do not take on sin because of the holy things and die because of them, if they treat them as common. I am the Lord God, who makes them holy.

10 And no outsider is to eat the holy things. A priest’s lodger or a hired man is not to eat the holy things. [a] 11 But if a priest buys a soul with his own silver, that person may eat of his bread; and those born in his house may also eat of his bread. 12 And if a priest’s daughter marries an outsider, she is not to eat of the firstfruits of the holy things. 13 And if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is put away, and has no children, and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s bread. But no outsider is to eat of it. 14 And a man who eats holy things without knowing is to add a fifth more to it and give the holy thing to the priest. 15 And they are not to treat as common the holy things of the children of Israel, which the people set apart for the Lord, 16 and so bring on themselves the lawlessness of wrongdoing by eating their holy things; for I am the Lord, who makes them holy.”

17 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 18 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to the whole gathering of Israel, and say to them: Any man of the children of Israel, or of the sons of the newcomers who have joined them in Israel, who brings his gifts for any promise they have made or anything they have chosen, whatever they bring to God for a whole burnt offering — 19 to be accepted for you, they are to be males without blemish, from the herds or from the sheep or from the goats. 20 Anything with a blemish on it they are not to bring to the Lord, because it will not be accepted for you. 21 And a man who brings a sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, in carrying out a vow or by his own choice, or at your feasts, from the herds or from the sheep — it is to be without blemish to be accepted; there is to be no blemish at all in it. 22 An animal that is blind, or broken, or has its tongue cut, or has warts, or a wild scab, or skin eruptions — these they are not to bring to the Lord, and you are not to give any of them as an altar offering on the altar to the Lord. [b] 23 And a young bull or a sheep with an ear cut off or its tail docked — you may slaughter those for yourself, but for your vow it will not be accepted. 24 An animal that is crushed, or bruised, or cut, or torn — you are not to bring these to the Lord, and you are not to do this in your land. [c] 25 And you are not to bring the gifts of your God from the hand of an outsider out of any of these, because they are damaged and there is a blemish in them. They will not be accepted for you.”

26 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 27 “A young bull or a sheep or a goat, when it is born, is to be seven days under its mother; and from the eighth day on it will be accepted as a gift, an altar offering to the Lord. 28 And a cow or a ewe — you are not to kill her and her young on one day. 29 And if you sacrifice a sacrifice, a vow of gladness to the Lord, sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you. 30 It is to be eaten that same day; you are not to leave any of the meat until morning. I am the Lord. 31 And you are to keep my commands and do them. 32 And you are not to treat the name of the Holy One as common, and I will be held holy among the children of Israel. 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.”