1    2   The Lord spoke to Moses and said, Tell Aaron and his sons that they must be careful in the handling of the holy-gifts of the Israelites which they hallow to me, lest they profane my holy name. I am the Lord. 3   Say to them: Any man of your descent for all time who while unclean approaches the holy-gifts which the Israelites hallow to the Lord shall be cut off from my presence. 4   I am the Lord. No man descended from Aaron who suffers from a malignant skin-disease, or has a discharge, shall eat of the holy-gifts until he is cleansed. A man who touches anything which makes him unclean or who has an emission of semen, 5   a man who touches any vermin which makes him unclean or any human being who makes him unclean: 6   any person who touches such a thing shall be unclean till sunset and unless he washes his body shall not eat of the holy-gifts. 7   When the sun goes down, he shall be clean, and after that he may eat from the holy-gifts, because they are his food. 8   He shall not eat an animal that has died a natural death or has been mauled by wild beasts, thereby making himself unclean. I am the Lord. 9   The priests shall observe my charge, lest they make themselves guilty and die for profaning my name. 10   I am the Lord who hallows them. No unqualified person may eat any holy-gift; nor may a stranger lodging with a priest or a hired man eat a holy-gift. 11   A slave bought by a priest with his own money may do so, and slaves born in his household may also share his food. 12   When a priest's daughter marries an unqualified person, she shall not eat any of the contributions of holy-gifts; 13   but if she is widowed or divorced and is childless and comes back to her father's house as in her childhood, she shall share her father's food. No unqualified person may eat any of it.

14   When a man inadvertently eats a holy-gift, he shall make good the holy-gift to the priest, adding a fifth to its value. 15   The priests shall not profane the holy-gifts of the Israelites which they set aside for the Lord; 16   they shall not let men eat their holy-gifts and so incur guilt and its penalty, because I am the Lord who hallows them.

17    18   The Lord spoke to Moses and said, Speak to Aaron and his sons

The law of holiness and to all the Israelites in these words: When any man of the house of Israel or any alien in Israel presents, whether in fulfilment of a vow or for a freewill offering, such an offering as is presented to the Lord for a whole-offering so as to win acceptance for yourselves, 19   it shall be a male without defect, of cattle, sheep, or goats. 20   You shall not present anything which is defective, because it will not be acceptable on your behalf. 21   When a man presents a shared-offering to the Lord, whether cattle or sheep, to fulfil a special ^note vow or as a freewill offering, if it is to be acceptable it must be perfect; there shall be no defect in it. 22   You shall present to the Lord nothing blind, disabled, mutilated, with running sore, scab, or eruption, nor set any such creature on the altar as a food-offering to the Lord. 23   If a bull or a sheep is overgrown or stunted, you may make of it a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable in fulfilment of a vow. 24   If its testicles have been crushed or bruised, torn or cut, you shall not present it to the Lord; this is forbidden in your land.

25   You shall not procure any such creature from a foreigner and present it as food for your God. Their deformity is inherent in them, a permanent defect, and they will not be acceptable on your behalf.

26    27   The Lord spoke to Moses and said: When a calf, a lamb, or a kid is born, it must not be taken from its mother for seven days. From the eighth day onwards it will be acceptable when offered as a food-offering to the Lord. 28   You shall not slaughter a cow or sheep at the same time as its young. 29   When you make a thank-offering to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so as to win acceptance for yourselves; 30   it shall be eaten that same day, and none be left till morning. I am the Lord.

31   You shall observe my commandments and perform them. I am the Lord. 32   You shall not profane my holy name; I will be hallowed among the Israelites. 33   I am the Lord who hallows you, who brought you out of Egypt to become your God. I am the Lord.

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