The Message Bible MSG
King James Version KJV
1 God spoke to Moses,
1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 "Tell Aaron and his sons to treat the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate to me with reverence so they won't desecrate my holy name. I am God.
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Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.
3 "Tell them, From now on, if any of your descendants approaches in a state of ritual uncleanness the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate to God, he will be cut off from my presence. I am God.
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Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.
4 "Each and every one of Aaron's descendants who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge may not eat any of the holy offerings until he is clean. Also, if he touches anything defiled by a corpse, or has an emission of semen,
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What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;
5 or is contaminated by touching a crawling creature, or touches a person who is contaminated for whatever reason
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Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
6 - a person who touches any such thing will be ritually unclean until evening and may not eat any of the holy offerings unless he has washed well with water.
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The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.
7 After the sun goes down he is clean and may go ahead and eat the holy offerings; they are his food.
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And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.
8 But he must not contaminate himself by eating anything found dead or torn by wild animals. I am God.
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That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD.
9 "The priests must observe my instructions lest they become guilty and die by treating the offerings with irreverence. I am God who makes them holy.
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They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them.
10 "No layperson may eat anything set apart as holy. Nor may a priest's guest or his hired hand eat anything holy.
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There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
11 But if a priest buys a slave, the slave may eat of it; also the slaves born in his house may eat his food.
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But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.
12 If a priest's daughter marries a layperson, she may no longer eat from the holy contributions.
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If the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.
13 But if the priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and without children and returns to her father's household as before, she may eat of her father's food. But no layperson may eat of it.
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But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.
14 "If anyone eats from a holy offering accidentally, he must give back the holy offering to the priest and add twenty percent to it.
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And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.
15 "The priests must not treat with irreverence the holy offerings of the Israelites that they contribute to God
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And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD;
16 lest they desecrate themselves and make themselves guilty when they eat the holy offerings. I am God who makes them holy."
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Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
17 God spoke to Moses,
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
18 "Tell Aaron and his sons and all the People of Israel, Each and every one of you, whether native born or foreigner, who presents a Whole-Burnt-Offering to God to fulfill a vow or as a Freewill-Offering,
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Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;
19 must make sure that it is a male without defect from cattle, sheep, or goats for it to be acceptable.
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Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.
20 Don't try slipping in some creature that has a defect - it won't be accepted.
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But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
21 Whenever anyone brings an offering from cattle or sheep as a Peace-Offering to God to fulfill a vow or as a Freewill-Offering, it has to be perfect, without defect, to be acceptable.
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And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
22 Don't try giving God an animal that is blind, crippled, mutilated, an animal with running sores, a rash, or mange. Don't place any of these on the Altar as a gift to God.
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Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.
23 You may, though, offer an ox or sheep that is deformed or stunted as a Freewill-Offering, but it is not acceptable in fulfilling a vow.
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Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
24 Don't offer to God an animal with bruised, crushed, torn, or cut-off testicles. Don't do this in your own land
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Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.
25 but don't accept them from foreigners and present them as food for your God either. Because of deformities and defects they will not be acceptable."
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Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.
26 God spoke to Moses:
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
27 "When a calf or lamb or goat is born, it is to stay with its mother for seven days. After the eighth day, it is acceptable as an offering, a gift to God.
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When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
28 Don't slaughter both a cow or ewe and its young on the same day.
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And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.
29 When you sacrifice a Thanksgiving-Offering to God, do it right so it will be acceptable.
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And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.
30 Eat it on the same day; don't leave any leftovers until morning. I am God.
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On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I am the LORD.
31 "Do what I tell you; live what I tell you. I am God.
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Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD.
32 "Don't desecrate my holy name. I insist on being treated with holy reverence among the People of Israel. I am God who makes you holy
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Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,
33 and brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am God."
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That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD.
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.
The King James Version is in the public domain.