The Bible

The Bible › Leviticus

Leviticus 6

1Yahweh spoke to Moses: 2“If a person sins and acts unfaithfully against Yahweh by deceiving their neighbor about a deposit or something entrusted to them, or by robbery, or by defrauding their neighbor, 3or if they find something lost and deny it, swearing falsely about any of the things a person may do and so sin— 4when they sin and incur guilt, they must return what they took by robbery or fraud, the deposit entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, 5or anything about which they swore falsely. They must repay it in full, adding a fifth of its value. They must give it to its owner on the day they bring their reparation offering. 6They must bring to Yahweh as their reparation offering a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, to the priest. 7The priest will make atonement for them before Yahweh, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that incurred guilt.”

8Yahweh spoke to Moses: 9“Command Aaron and his sons: This is the instruction for the burnt offering. The burnt offering must remain on the altar’s hearth all night until morning, and the altar fire must be kept burning on it. 10The priest must put on his linen garment, with linen undergarments against his body. He must remove the ashes left when the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11He must take off his garments and put on other garments, then carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest must burn wood on it, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat of the peace offerings on it as an offering. 13Fire must be kept burning continually on the altar; it must not go out.

14“This is the instruction for the grain offering. Aaron’s sons must present it before Yahweh, in front of the altar. 15The priest must scoop out a handful of its fine flour and its oil, along with all the frankincense on the grain offering, and burn its memorial portion as an offering on the altar, a pleasing aroma to Yahweh. 16Aaron and his sons must eat the remainder. It must be eaten unleavened in a holy place; they must eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. 17It must not be baked with leaven. I have given it to them as their portion of my offerings by fire. It is most holy, like the purification offering and the reparation offering. 18Every male among Aaron’s descendants may eat it, as a lasting statute throughout your generations, from Yahweh’s offerings by fire. Whatever touches them will become holy.”

19Yahweh spoke to Moses: 20“This is the offering Aaron and his sons must present to Yahweh on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half in the morning and half in the evening. 21It must be prepared on a griddle with oil. Bring it well soaked; present it in baked pieces as a grain offering, a pleasing aroma to Yahweh. 22The anointed priest who succeeds him from among his sons must prepare it. As a lasting statute, it must be burned entirely as an offering to Yahweh. 23Every grain offering of a priest must be entirely burned as an offering; it must not be eaten.”

24Yahweh spoke to Moses: 25“Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the instruction for the purification offering. The purification offering must be slaughtered before Yahweh in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. It is most holy. 26The priest who presents it as a purification offering must eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. 27Whatever touches its flesh will become holy. If some of its blood splashes onto a garment, you must wash the affected part in a holy place. 28A clay vessel in which it is boiled must be broken. If it is boiled in a bronze vessel, the vessel must be scoured and rinsed with water. 29Every male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy. 30But no purification offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place may be eaten. It must be burned in the fire.”

Translation notes 9

6:1–30 — Verse numbering. These verses correspond to Hebrew 5:20–6:23. English 6:1–7 continues the reparation instructions; English 6:8 begins the next set of instructions to Aaron and his sons.

6:2 — Against Yahweh and a neighbor. The text treats fraudulent handling of another person’s property and false swearing as unfaithfulness against Yahweh. “Something entrusted” represents an expression whose precise legal category is uncertain; proposals include a pledge, a security deposit, or property placed in someone’s care.

6:5 — Day of the reparation offering. Literally, “on the day of his guilt/reparation.” The wording is understood here as the day the offender brings the required offering. It has also been understood as the day the person acknowledges or incurs guilt. Repayment and the additional fifth are explicit in either case.

6:9–13 — Kept burning. The repeated commands about maintaining the fire are present in Hebrew. The ashes are first placed beside the altar and later carried outside the camp after a change of garments.

6:18, 27 — Will become holy. The Hebrew can describe holiness passing through contact or require that whoever or whatever touches the sacred offering already be holy. The reading retains “will become holy,” with the alternative “must be holy.” This concerns the offering’s sacred status and handling; it does not say that touching it makes a person morally virtuous.

6:20 — On the day he is anointed. The text connects this offering with anointing and also calls it “regular,” assigning morning and evening portions. Verse 22 applies it to the succeeding anointed priest. The wording has prompted different understandings of whether it is an inauguration offering, an ongoing obligation, or both; the reading retains the phrases that create the question.

6:21 — Well soaked; baked pieces. The rare preparation terms are uncertain. Alternatives include thoroughly mixing or scalding the flour and making broken pieces. The griddle, oil, divided offering, and burning of the whole offering remain clear.

6:27 — You must wash. The reading follows the pointed Hebrew’s direct instruction. The ancient Greek instead has “it must be washed.” An edited Samaritan Hebrew text differs in its consonants as well. The reading retains the pointed Hebrew’s active instruction. Neither reading removes the requirement to wash the blood-marked material in a holy place.

6:30 — Must not be eaten. This distinguishes offerings whose blood is taken inside the tent from offerings the priests may eat. The instructions should not be flattened into either “all purification offerings are eaten” or “all are burned outside.”