Leviticus 23

₁The LORD gave Moses ₂the following regulations for the religious festivals, when the people of Israel are to gather for worship. ₃You have six days in which to do your work, but remember that the seventh day, the Sabbath, is a day of rest. On that day do not work, but gather for worship. The Sabbath belongs to the LORD, no matter where you live. ₄Proclaim the following festivals at the appointed times.

₅The Passover, celebrated to honour the LORD, begins at sunset on the fourteenth day of the first month. ₆On the fifteenth day the Festival of Unleavened Bread begins, and for seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast. ₇On the first of these days you shall gather for worship and do none of your daily work. ₈Offer your food offerings to the LORD for seven days. On the seventh day you shall again gather for worship, but you shall do none of your daily work.

_9-10When you come into the land that the LORD is giving you and you harvest your corn, take the first sheaf to the priest. ₁₁He shall present it as a special offering to the LORD, so that you may be accepted. The priest shall present it the day after the Sabbath. ₁₂On the day you present the offering of corn, also sacrifice as a burnt offering a one-year-old male lamb that has no defects. ₁₃With it you shall present two kilogrammes of flour mixed with olive oil as a food offering. The smell of this offering is pleasing to the LORD. You shall also present with it an offering of one litre of wine. ₁₄Do not eat any of the new corn, whether raw, roasted, or baked into bread, until you have brought this offering to God. This regulation is to be observed by all your descendants for all time to come.

₁₅Count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath on which you bring your sheaf of corn to present to the LORD. ₁₆On the fiftieth day, the day after the seventh Sabbath, present to the LORD another new offering of corn. ₁₇Each family is to bring two loaves of bread and present them to the LORD as a special gift. Each loaf shall be made of two kilogrammes of flour baked with yeast and shall be presented to the Lord as an offering of the first corn to be harvested. ₁₈And with the bread the community is to present seven one-year-old lambs, one bull, and two rams, none of which may have any defects. They shall be offered as a burnt offering to the LORD, together with a grain offering and a wine offering. The smell of this offering is pleasing to the LORD. ₁₉Also offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a fellowship offering. ₂₀The priest shall present the bread with the two lambs as a special gift to the LORD for the priests. These offerings are holy. ₂₁On that day do none of your daily work, but gather for worship. Your descendants are to observe this regulation for all time to come, no matter where they live.

₂₂When you harvest your fields, do not cut the corn at the edges of the fields, and do not go back to cut the ears of corn that were left; leave them for poor people and foreigners. The LORD is your God.

_23-24On the first day of the seventh month observe a special day of rest, and come together for worship when the trumpets sound. ₂₅Present a food offering to the LORD and do none of your daily work.

_26-27The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when the annual ritual is to be performed to take away the sins of the people. On that day do not eat anything at all; come together for worship, and present a food offering to the Lord. ₂₈Do no work on that day, because it is the day for performing the ritual to take away sin. ₂₉Anyone who eats anything on that day will no longer be considered one of God's people. ₃₀And if anyone does any work on that day, the LORD himself will put him to death. ₃₁This regulation applies to all your descendants, no matter where they live. ₃₂From sunset on the ninth day of the month to sunset on the tenth observe this day as a special day of rest, during which nothing may be eaten.

_33-34The Festival of Shelters begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and continues for seven days. ₃₅On the first of these days come together for worship and do none of your daily work. ₃₆Each day for seven days you shall present a food offering. On the eighth day come together again for worship and present a food offering. It is a day for worship, and you shall do no work.

₃₇(These are the religious festivals on which you honour the LORD by gathering together for worship and presenting food offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and wine offerings, as required day by day. ₃₈These festivals are in addition to the regular Sabbaths, and these offerings are in addition to your regular gifts, your offerings in fulfilment of vows, and your freewill offerings that you give to the LORD.)

₃₉When you have harvested your fields, celebrate this festival for seven days, beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The first day shall be a special day of rest. ₄₀On that day take some of the best fruit from your trees, take palm branches and the branches of leafy trees, and begin a religious festival to honour the LORD your God. ₄₁Celebrate it for seven days. This regulation is to be kept by your descendants for all time to come. ₄₂All the people of Israel shall live in shelters for seven days, ₄₃so that your descendants may know that the LORD made the people of Israel live in simple shelters when he led them out of Egypt. He is the LORD your God.

₄₄So in this way Moses gave the people of Israel the regulations for observing the religious festivals to honour the LORD.