Leviticus 22:5-15

5 and whoever touches a creeping thing by which he may be made unclean or a man from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be--
6 the person who touches any such shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water.
7 When the sun is down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because such are his food.
8 That which dies of itself or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, defiling himself by it: I am the LORD.'
9 They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the LORD who sanctify them.
10 "An outsider shall not eat of a holy thing. A sojourner of the priest's or a hired servant shall not eat of a holy thing;
11 but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave may eat of it; and those that are born in his house may eat of his food.
12 If a priest's daughter is married to an outsider she shall not eat of the offering of the holy things.
13 But if a priest's daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and returns to her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food; yet no outsider shall eat of it.
14 And if a man eats of a holy thing unwittingly, he shall add the fifth of its value to it, and give the holy thing to the priest.
15 The priests shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they offer to the LORD,

Leviticus 22:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 22

In this chapter several laws are delivered out, forbidding the priests to eat of holy things, when in any uncleanness, or at any time what dies of itself, or is torn of beasts, Le 22:1-9; also showing who belonging to the priests might or might not eat of the holy things, Le 22:10-16; and others requiring that whatever offerings were brought by the children, of Israel, they should be perfect and without blemish, Le 22:17-25; and also declaring what age a creature should be of when sacrificed, and the time when thank offerings were to be eaten, Le 22:26-30; concluding with an exhortation to observe the commands of God, and sanctify him, and not profane his name, Le 22:31-33.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.