Leviticus 23:1-25

Laws of Religious Festivals

1 The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, '¹The LORD'S appointed times which you shall ²proclaim as holy convocations -My appointed times are these:

3 '³For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.

4 'These are the ⁴appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them

5 '⁵In the first month, on the fourteenth * day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover.

6 'Then on the fifteenth * day of the same month there is the ⁶Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.

7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall ⁷not do any laborious work.

8 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.' "

9 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and ⁸reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.

11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 'Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD.

13 'Its ⁹grain offering shall then be two-tenths * of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine.

14 'Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, ¹⁰you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places

15 '¹¹You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths.

16 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a ¹²new grain offering to the LORD.

17 'You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths * of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked ¹³with leaven as first fruits to the LORD.

18 'Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull * * of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

19 'You shall also offer ¹⁴one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings

20 'The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the priest.

21 'On this same day you shall ¹⁵make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no * laborious ¹⁶work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations

22 '¹⁷When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' "

23 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

24 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, '¹⁸In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a ¹⁹reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

25 'You shall ²⁰not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.' "

Leviticus 23:1-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 23

In this chapter an account is given of the several holy days, times, and seasons, appointed by God, under the general names of feasts and holy convocations; and first of the sabbath, Le 23:1-4; then of the passover and feast of unleavened bread, Le 23:5-8; to which is annexed the sheaf of the firstfruits, Le 23:9-14; after that of the feast of weeks or pentecost, Le 23:15-22; and of the feast of trumpets, Le 23:23-25; and of the day of atonement, Le 23:26-32; and of the feast of tabernacles, Le 23:33-44.

Cross References

• 1. Lev 23:4, 37, 44; Numbers 29:39
• 2. Leviticus 23:21
• 3. Exodus 20:9, 10; Exodus 23:12; Exodus 31:13-17; Exodus 35:2, 3; Leviticus 19:3; Deuteronomy 5:13, 14
• 4. Exodus 23:14; Leviticus 23:2
• 5. Exodus 12:18, 19; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1; Joshua 5:10
• 6. Exodus 12:14-20; Exodus 23:15; Exodus 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:3-8
• 7. Lev 23:8, 21, 25, 35, 36
• 8. Exodus 23:19; Exodus 34:26
• 9. Leviticus 6:20
• 10. Exodus 34:26; Numbers 15:20, 21
• 11. Numbers 28:26-31; Deuteronomy 16:9-12
• 12. Numbers 28:26
• 13. Leviticus 2:12; Leviticus 7:13
• 14. Leviticus 4:23; Numbers 28:30
• 15. Leviticus 23:2, 4
• 16. Leviticus 23:7
• 17. Leviticus 19:9, 10; Deuteronomy 24:19; Ruth 2:15
• 18. Numbers 29:1
• 19. Numbers 10:9, 10
• 20. Leviticus 23:21

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "between the two evenings"
• [b]. I.e. Approx one gal.
• [c]. I.e. Approx one bu
• [d]. Lit "sabbath rest"