Leviticus 22

Holiness and the Priests

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they z abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they a dedicate to me, so that they do not b profane my holy name: I am the Lord. 3 Say to them, 'If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while c he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord. 4 None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a d discharge may eat of the holy things e until he is clean. f Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or g a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 and h whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or i a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be - 6 the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has j bathed his body in water. 7 When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because k they are his food. 8 l He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the Lord.' 9 They shall therefore keep my charge, m lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: n I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

10 o "A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired servant shall eat of a holy thing, 11 but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave 1 may eat of it, and p anyone born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and q returns to her father's house, r as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food; yet no lay person shall eat of it. 14 s And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add t the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest. 15 They u shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the Lord, 16 and so cause them m to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: n for I am the Lord who sanctifies them."

Acceptable Offerings

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, v When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord, 19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a w male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 x You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. 21 And when anyone y offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord z to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. 22 Animals a blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or b an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food c offering on the altar. 23 You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part d too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted. 24 Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the Lord; you shall not do it within your land, 25 neither shall you offer as e the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a f blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you."

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 g "When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the Lord. 28 But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep h and her young in one day. 29 And when you sacrifice a i sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; j you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the Lord.

31 k "So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord. 32 l And you shall not profane my holy name, that m I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. n I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt o to be your God: I am the Lord."

  1. Cross References
    Numbers 6:3
    He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
  2. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:3
    Say to them, 'If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.
    Exodus 28:38
    It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
    Deuteronomy 15:19
    All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.
  3. Cross References
    Numbers 18:32
    And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.'
    Leviticus 18:21
    You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
  4. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:20
    But the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the Lord 's peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people.
  5. Cross References
    Leviticus 15:2
    Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.
  6. Cross References
    Leviticus 14:2
    This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest.
    Leviticus 15:13
    And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes. And he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean.
  7. Cross References
    Numbers 19:11
    Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.
  8. Cross References
    Leviticus 15:16
    If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening.
  9. Cross References
    Leviticus 11:24
    And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
    Leviticus 11:43 - 44
    You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them.
  10. Cross References
    Leviticus 15:7
    And whoever touches the body of the one with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
    Leviticus 15:19
    When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.
  11. Cross References
    Hebrews 10:22
    Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
    Leviticus 15:5 - 11
    And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
  12. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:22
    He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things.
    Numbers 18:11
    This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
    Numbers 18:13
    The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
    Leviticus 3:11
    And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering to the Lord.
  13. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:24
    The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it.
  14. Cross References
    Exodus 28:43
    And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
    Leviticus 19:17
    You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
  15. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:8
    You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.
    Leviticus 21:15
    That he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.
    Leviticus 21:23
    But he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
  16. Cross References
    Leviticus 24:9
    And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord 's food offerings, a perpetual due.
    1 Samuel 21:6
    So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
    Matthew 12:4
    How he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
    Mark 2:26
    How he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?
    Luke 6:4
    How he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?
  17. Cross References
    Numbers 18:11
    This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
    Numbers 18:13
    The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
  18. Cross References
    Genesis 38:11
    Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house, till Shelah my son grows up" - for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father's house.
    Ruth 1:8
    But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
  19. Cross References
    Leviticus 10:14
    But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons' due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel.
    Numbers 18:11
    This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
    Numbers 18:19
    All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.
  20. Cross References
    Leviticus 4:2
    Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord 's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them.
    Leviticus 5:15 - 16
    If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.
    Leviticus 5:18
    He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven.
  21. Cross References
    Leviticus 27:13
    But if he wishes to redeem it, he shall add a fifth to the valuation.
    Leviticus 27:15
    And if the donor wishes to redeem his house, he shall add a fifth to the valuation price, and it shall be his.
    Leviticus 27:19
    And if he who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth to its valuation price, and it shall remain his.
  22. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:8
    And everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.
    Numbers 18:32
    And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.
  23. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:9
    They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
  24. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:9
    They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
  25. Cross References
    Leviticus 1:2 - 3
    Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.
    Leviticus 1:10
    If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish.
    Numbers 15:14
    And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he shall do as you do.
  26. Cross References
    Leviticus 1:3
    If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord.
    Leviticus 1:10
    If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish.
  27. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:21
    But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or bli...
    Deuteronomy 17:1
    You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an...
    Malachi 1:8
    When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is t...
    Malachi 1:14
    Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock...
    Hebrews 9:14
    How much more will the blood of Christ, who thr...
    1 Peter 1:19
    But with the precious blood of Christ, like tha...
  28. Cross References
    Leviticus 3:1
    If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
    Leviticus 3:6
    If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
  29. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:16
    But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow o...
    Numbers 15:3
    And you offer to the Lord from the herd or from...
    Numbers 15:8
    And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering o...
    Deuteronomy 23:21
    If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you sha...
    Deuteronomy 23:23
    You shall be careful to do what has passed your...
    Psalms 61:8
    So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I ...
    Psalms 65:1
    Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to yo...
    Ecclesiastes 5:4 - 5
    When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying ...
  30. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:20
    You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.
    Leviticus 21:18
    For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long.
    Malachi 1:8
    When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.
  31. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:20
    Or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.
  32. Cross References
    Leviticus 1:9
    But its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
    Leviticus 1:13
    But the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
    Leviticus 3:3
    And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails.
    Leviticus 3:5
    Then Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
  33. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:18
    For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long.
  34. Cross References
    Leviticus 3:11
    And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering to the Lord.
  35. Cross References
    Malachi 1:14
    Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.
  36. Cross References
    Exodus 22:30
    You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
  37. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 22:6
    If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.
  38. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:12
    If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.
    Psalms 107:22
    And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
    Psalms 116:17
    I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.
    Amos 4:5
    Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!" declares the Lord God.
  39. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:15
    And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.
  40. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:37
    And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the Lord.
    Numbers 15:40
    So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
    Deuteronomy 4:40
    Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.
  41. Cross References
    Leviticus 18:21
    You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
  42. Cross References
    Leviticus 10:3
    Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord has said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace.
  43. Cross References
    Leviticus 20:8
    Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
  44. Cross References
    Exodus 6:7
    I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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