Study Desk

The LORD said to Moses,

"Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the LORD .

"Say to them: 'For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD , that person must be cut off from my presence. I am the LORD .

" 'If a descendant of Aaron has an infectious skin disease ^(F53) or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen,

or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be.

The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.

When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.

He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the LORD .

" 'The priests are to keep my requirements so that they do not become guilty and die for treating them with contempt. I am the LORD , who makes them holy. ^(F54)

" 'No one outside a priest's family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.

But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.

If a priest's daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions.

But if a priest's daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat any of it.

" 'If anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it.

The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD

by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment. I am the LORD , who makes them holy.' "