Knox Bible

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And the Lord spoke to Moses

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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.

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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.

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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,

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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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And the Lord spoke to Moses

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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,

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

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

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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;

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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.

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

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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.

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

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And the Lord gave Moses this message:

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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.

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

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

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

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

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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,

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