Chapter 22

And the Lord spoke to Moses

giving him this command for Aaron and his sons: They must beware what use they make of the offerings brought by Israel; they must not profane the honour of these consecrated things; of things consecrated to the Lord.

Tell them, tell all who follow, that if any of their race comes near these sacred offerings in a state of defilement, he is lost to my service; the service of the Lord.

Any of Aaron’s race who is a leper, or has a running at the reins, must cease to have any share of the hallowed food, until he is cured. Anyone of them who has touched a thing defiled by death, or has lost the seed of procreation,

or perhaps has touched some creeping animal, or anything whose touch defiles,

remains unclean till sundown, so that he must not share the holy food. Not till he has bathed in water,

and waited for the sun to go down, may he enjoy his privilege of sharing in it.

The priests must not defile themselves by eating anything that falls dead, or has been a prey of a wild beast; they are the Lord’s priests.

They must observe my commands, and commit no fault; death shall overtake them, there in my sanctuary, if they profane it. It is I, the Lord, who have set them apart.

No one that is not of their family may share the holy food, no guest the priest entertains, no hired servant of his;

only a slave bought with his money or born in his house has the privilege.

If a priest’s daughter marries out of her clan, she loses her right to these hallowed offerings;

but if she becomes a widow, or is rejected by her husband and comes home childless, she may eat with her family as when she was still a maid. It is only those who belong to another clan that may not share it.

If anyone partakes of the holy food through inadvertence, he must go to the sanctuary and make restitution to the priest of the same quantity, with a fifth part added.

There must be no profaning what the sons of Israel have offered to their God;

they will be held to account for it, if they eat this holy food. It is I, the Lord, who have set my priests apart.

And the Lord spoke to Moses

bidding him tell Aaron and his sons and all Israel: When any Israelite, or any alien dwelling among you, would offer the Lord burnt-sacrifice, either in payment of a vow, or out of devotion,

and must present it through your hands, it must be a male victim, ox or sheep or goat, without blemish.

If it has any blemish, it is unacceptable, and must not be offered.

And anyone who makes the Lord a welcome-offering, either in payment of a vow or out of devotion, must offer an ox or a sheep that is without blemish, if it is to be acceptable. It must have no blemish of any sort;

if it is blind, or crippled, or scarred, disfigured by blisters or scab or mange, you must not offer it to the Lord, or burn it on the Lord’s altar.

Ox or sheep that has ears or tail cut off may be offered out of devotion, but not in payment of a vow.

No beast that has suffered crushing or bruising or gelding may be offered to the Lord; there must be no such custom in your country.

You must not offer to your God either bread or any other gift that comes from an alien;2 such gifts are tainted, there is a blemish in them, they shall find no acceptance with you.

And the Lord gave Moses this message:

Calf, or lamb, or kid, when it is newly born, must be allowed to suck for a whole week; only on the eighth day and afterwards may it be offered to the Lord.

Cow or ewe, the dam must not be slaughtered on the same day as its young.

When you sacrifice a victim to the Lord by way of welcome-offering, to win his favour,

you must eat it the same day, none must be left over till the morrow; the Lord will have his precepts observed.

Remember these commandments of mine, and live by them; the Lord’s commandments.

Do not dishonour my holy name; it is among the sons of Israel that I would vindicate my holiness, I, the Lord, who have set you apart for myself,

and rescued you from the land of Egypt, so as to be your God; am I not the Lord?