LEVITICUS - Chapter 21

And YAHWEH said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: 'None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

'They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. They shall be holy to their Elohim and not profane the name of their Elohim, for they offer the offerings of YAHWEH made by fire, and the bread of their Elohim; therefore they shall be holy.

'They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his Elohim. Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your Elohim. He shall be holy to you, for I YAHWEH, who sanctify you, am holy. The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

'He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes; nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his Elohim; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his Elohim is upon him: I am YAHWEH.

'And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I YAHWEH sanctify him.'"

And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron, saying: 'No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his Elohim. For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to YAHWEH. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his Elohim. He may eat the bread of his Elohim, both the most holy and the holy; only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I YAHWEH sanctify them.'"

And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

Chapter 22

Then YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they do not profane My holy name by what they dedicate to Me: I am YAHWEH. Say to them: 'Whoever of all your descendants throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the children of Israel dedicate to YAHWEH, while he has uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am YAHWEH.

'Whatever man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or has a discharge, shall not eat the holy offerings until he is clean. And whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or a man who has had an emission of semen, or whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be—the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat the holy offerings unless he washes his body with water. And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat the holy offerings, because it is his food.

'Whatever dies naturally or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am YAHWEH.

'They shall therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I YAHWEH sanctify them.

'No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing. But if the priest buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food. If the priest's daughter is married to an outsider, she may not eat of the holy offerings. But if the priest's daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father's house as in her youth, she may eat her father's food; but no outsider shall eat it.

'And if a man eats the holy offering unintentionally, then he shall restore a holy offering to the priest, and add one-fifth to it. They shall not profane the holy offerings of the children of Israel, which they offer to YAHWEH, or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I YAHWEH sanctify them.'"

And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: 'Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, who offers his sacrifice for any of his vows or for any of his freewill offerings, which they offer to YAHWEH as a burnt offering—you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats. Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to YAHWEH, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to YAHWEH, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to YAHWEH. Either a bull or a lamb that has any limb too long or too short you may offer as a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

'You shall not offer to YAHWEH what is bruised or crushed, or torn or cut; nor shall you make any offering of them in your land. Nor from a foreigner's hand shall you offer any of these as the bread of your Elohim, because their corruption is in them, and defects are in them. They shall not be accepted on your behalf.'"

And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying: "When a bull or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted as an offering made by fire to YAHWEH. Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her and her young on the same day. And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to YAHWEH, offer it of your own free will. On the same day it shall be eaten; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am YAHWEH.

"Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am YAHWEH. You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am YAHWEH who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your Elohim: I am YAHWEH."

Chapter 23

And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of YAHWEH, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.

'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of YAHWEH in all your dwellings.

'These are the feasts of YAHWEH, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.

'On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is YAHWEH's Passover.

'And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to YAHWEH; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to YAHWEH for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.'"

And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before YAHWEH, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to YAHWEH. Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to YAHWEH, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

'And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to YAHWEH. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to YAHWEH. And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to YAHWEH, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to YAHWEH. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before YAHWEH, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to YAHWEH for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am YAHWEH your Elohim.'"

Then YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to YAHWEH.'"

And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying: "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to YAHWEH. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before YAHWEH your Elohim. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath."

Then YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to YAHWEH. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to YAHWEH. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to YAHWEH. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

'These are the feasts of YAHWEH which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to YAHWEH, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day—besides the Sabbaths of YAHWEH, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to YAHWEH.

'Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of YAHWEH for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before YAHWEH your Elohim for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to YAHWEH for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am YAHWEH your Elohim.'"

So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of YAHWEH.

HalleluYah!