Leviticus 24:1-14

1 God spoke to Moses:
2 "Order the People of Israel to bring you virgin olive oil for light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually.
3 Aaron is in charge of keeping these lamps burning in front of the curtain that screens The Testimony in the Tent of Meeting from evening to morning continually before God. This is a perpetual decree down through the generations.
4 Aaron is responsible for keeping the lamps burning continually on the Lampstand of pure gold before God.
5 "Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using about four quarts of flour to a loaf.
6 Arrange them in two rows of six each on the Table of pure gold before God.
7 Along each row spread pure incense, marking the bread as a memorial; it is a gift to God.
8 Regularly, every Sabbath, this bread is to be set before God, a perpetual covenantal response from Israel.
9 The bread then goes to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a Holy Place. It is their most holy share from the gifts to God. This is a perpetual decree."
10 One day the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites. A fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite.
11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name of God and cursed. They brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.
12 They put him in custody waiting for God's will to be revealed to them.
13 Then God spoke to Moses:
14 "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. Have all those who heard him place their hands on his head; then have the entire congregation stone him.

Leviticus 24:1-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 24

This chapter treats of the oil for the lamps, and the ordering of them, Le 24:1-4; of the making of the shewbread cakes, and the setting of them on the table, Le 24:5-9; and an Israelite having blasphemed the name of the Lord, and inquiry being made what should be done to him, he, and so any other person guilty of the same, is ordered to be stoned to death, Le 24:10-16; on occasion of which several laws are repeated concerning killing a man or a beast, or doing injury to any man, Le 24:17-23.

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.