The priests must be careful with the holy_gifts
1The Lord said to Moses: 2‘You must tell Aaron and his sons that they must be careful with the holy_gifts that the Israelites have consecrated to Me. The priests must not take honour away from my holy name. I am the Lord. 3If any of your descendants is impure and comes near to the holy_gifts that the Israelites have consecrated to the Lord, then you must cut him off from my temple. I am the Lord.
4A man, a descendant of Aaron, is impure if he becomes leprous or if something wet comes out of his body. He must first become pure again before he may eat of the holy_gifts. A man becomes impure if semen comes out of his genitals or if he touches the body of a dead person. 5He will also become impure if he touches another man who is impure because he has touched an impure small animal or another person who is impure. 6If he touches any of these impure things or people, he will be impure until that night. He must first bathe before he may eat of the holy_gifts. 7He will be pure after the sun has gone down, and then he may eat of the holy_gifts because it is his food.
8If an animal has died or if a wild animal has killed it, then a priest may not eat that meat because then he will become impure. I am the Lord. 9The priests must always do what I want so that they do not become guilty and die because they have made the temple impure. I am the Lord, and I have consecrated them.
10Someone who is not a priest may not eat any holy_gift. A visitor who stays with the priest or a worker who has been hired to work for the priest may not eat the holy_gifts. 11If the priest has bought a slave or if the slave was born in his house, then the slave may eat the priest's food. 12A priest's daughter who is married to a man who is not a priest may not eat holy_gifts. 13If a priest's daughter is a widow or she is divorced from her husband and she does not have any children, and she comes to live in her father's house where she was when she was young, then she may eat her father's food. Someone who is not a priest may not eat this food. 14If someone does not know that the food is holy and eats it, then he must give a holy_gift to the priest and he must give one 5th more than the food he ate. 15The priests may not make the holy_gifts impure. They are the gifts that the Israelites have given to the Lord. 16If they eat holy food and make the holy_gifts impure, then they will be guilty and they must give a guilt-offering to the Lord. I am the Lord, and I have consecrated them.’
The offerings must be good
17The Lord said to Moses: 18‘You must tell Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites: If an Israelite or a stranger wants to sacrifice a vow-offering or he feels he wants to give a burnt-offering to the Lord, 19then he must give a healthy bull or ram and the Lord will accept it. 20But if the animal is not healthy, then you may not sacrifice it because the Lord will not accept it.
21If someone wants to sacrifice a meal-offering because of a promise that he has made to the Lord, or if he feels he wants to give an offering, then he must sacrifice a healthy ox or a sheep or a goat. The Lord will accept it if the animal is completely healthy. 22You may never sacrifice an animal to the Lord that is blind or has been hurt or has warts or a skin disease. You may not bring a sick animal to the altar to be a fire-offering. 23If you feel that you want to give an offering to the Lord, then you may give an ox or a sheep that is crippled or one that has a leg that is too long or too short. But you may not give an animal like that for a vow-offering. The Lord will not accept it. 24If an animal is emasculated or his sexual parts are cut or hurt or torn or wounded, then you may not sacrifice it to the Lord. You may not do it in your land. 25You may not accept an animal like that from someone who is a stranger and you may not sacrifice it to be food for your God, because the animal is crippled and not healthy. I will not accept it.’
26The Lord said to Moses: 27‘When a calf or a lamb is born, it must stay with its mother for 7 days. From the 8th day I will accept it as a burnt-offering for Me. 28But you may not kill a cow and its calf or a sheep and its lamb on the same day.
29When you sacrifice a thank-offering for Me, I will accept it 30if you eat all the meat on the same day, but you may not leave some of the meat for the next morning. I am the Lord. 31You must always do what my commandments say, because I am the Lord. 32You may not take away the honour of my holy name, and you must show the Israelites that I am holy. I am the Lord and I have consecrated you. 33I have saved you from the land of Egypt so that I can be your God. I am the Lord.’
