Unacceptable animal offerings
17 The LORD said to Moses:
18
Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites: Whenever someone from Israel's house or from the immigrants in Israel presents their offering to the LORD as an entirely burned offering—whether it is payment for a solemn promise or a spontaneous gift—
19
for it to be acceptable on your behalf, it must be a flawless male from the herd, the sheep, or the goats.
20
You must not present anything that has an imperfection, because it will not be acceptable on your behalf.
21
Whenever someone presents a communal sacrifice of well-being to the LORD from the herd or flock—whether it is payment for a solemn promise or a spontaneous gift—it must be flawless to be acceptable; it must not have any imperfection.
22
You must not present to the LORD anything that is blind or that has an injury, mutilation, warts, a rash, or scabs. You must not put any such animal on the altar as a food gift for the LORD.
23
You can, however, offer an ox or sheep that is deformed or stunted as a spontaneous gift, but it will not be acceptable as payment for a solemn promise.
24
You must not offer to the LORD anything with bruised, crushed, torn, or cut-off testicles. You must not do that in your land.
25
You are not allowed to offer such animals as your God's food even if they come from a foreigner. Because these animals have blemishes and imperfections in them, they will not be acceptable on your behalf.
Additional rules for sacrifice
26 The LORD said to Moses:
27
When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on it will be acceptable as an offering, a food gift for the LORD.
28
But you will not slaughter an ox or sheep and its offspring on the same day.
29
When you sacrifice a communal sacrifice of thanksgiving for the LORD, you must sacrifice it so that it will be acceptable on your behalf.
30
It must be eaten on the same day; you must not leave any of it until morning; I am the LORD.
31
You must keep my commands and do them; I am the LORD.
32
You must not make my holy name impure so that I will be treated as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD—the one who makes you holy
33
and who is bringing you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the LORD.