The Burnt Offering
1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent. The Lord said, 2 “Tell the people of Israel: ‘When you bring an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering one of the cattle. Or you may bring one of the sheep or goats.
3 “‘If anyone offers a whole burnt offering from the cattle, it must be a male. It must have nothing wrong with it. The person must take the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. Then the Lord will accept the offering. 4 The person must put his hand on the animal’s head. Then the Lord will accept that burnt offering. It will remove the person’s sin so he will belong to God. 5 The person must kill the young bull before the Lord. Then the priests must bring its blood to the altar. They must sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar. This is the altar at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 6 The person will cut the skin from that animal. Then he will cut the animal into pieces. 7 The priests must put wood and fire on the altar. 8 They must lay the head, the fat and other pieces on the wood. That wood is on the fire on the altar. 9 The priest must wash the animal’s inner organs and legs with water. Then the priest must burn all the animal’s parts on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire. And its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
10 “‘The burnt offering may be a sheep or goat. It must be a male animal that has nothing wrong with it. 11 The person must kill the animal on the north side of the altar. This is to be before the Lord. Then the priests must sprinkle its blood on the altar. They must sprinkle it on all sides. 12 The person must cut the animal into pieces. Then the priest must lay the pieces with the head and fat on the wood. The wood is on the fire on the altar. 13 The person must wash the animal’s inner organs and legs with water. Then the priest must burn all its parts on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire. And its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
14 “‘The whole burnt offering may be a bird. It must be a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest will bring the offering to the altar. He will pull off the bird’s head. Then he will burn it on the altar. The bird’s blood must be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 The priest must remove the bird’s crop[a] and its contents. He must throw them on the east side of the altar. This is where they put the ashes from the altar. 17 Then the priest must tear the bird open by its wings. But he must not divide the bird into two parts. Then the priest must burn the bird on the altar. He must place it on the wood which is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1:16 crop A small bag inside a bird’s throat. When a bird eats, its food goes into this part first. There, the food is made soft before it goes into the stomach.