Chapter 3
Peace Offerings.[a] 1 “If the offering is a peace offering, if someone offers a young cow, whether it be male or female, it is to be without defect. He shall offer it to the Lord. 2 He shall lay his hand on the head of the offering and slay it at the entrance to the meeting tent. The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood around the altar. 3 From the peace offering he shall offer up the following as a burnt offering to the Lord: the fat above and surrounding the entrails, 4 the two kidneys and their fat, the fat around the loins, and the lobe of the liver that he will detach along with the kidneys. 5 The sons of Aaron shall burn it on the altar, on the burnt offering[b] that is on the burning wood. It is a burnt offering, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.
6 “If one’s peace offering to the Lord is from the flock, whether it be male or female, it is to be without defect. 7 If he presents a lamb as an offering, he shall offer it before the Lord. 8 He shall lay his hand on the head of the victim and slay it in front of the meeting tent. The sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around the altar. 9 From the peace offering he shall offer up the following as a burnt offering to the Lord: the fat, the entire fat of the tail, cutting it away from the end of the backbone, the fat around the entrails and all that is above them, 10 the two kidneys with their fat and the fat around the loins, and the lobe of the liver that he will detach along with the kidneys. 11 Then the priest shall burn them on the altar as food offered up to the Lord by fire.
12 “If his offering is a goat, he shall offer it before the Lord. 13 He shall lay his hand on its head and slay it in front of the meeting tent. The sons of Aaron will sprinkle its blood around the altar. 14 From it he will offer up the following as a burnt offering to the Lord: the fat covering and above its entrails, 15 its two kidneys with their fat, the fat around the loins, and the lobe of the liver that he will detach along with the kidneys. 16 Then the priest shall burn them on the altar as food offered to the Lord by fire. All fat belongs to the Lord.
17 “It will be a perpetual statute throughout all your generations in all of your dwellings: you must not eat fat or blood.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 3:1 The fat and the blood, which were connected with the mystery of life, were reserved for the Lord, the absolute master of life itself; the better morsels were reserved for the priests, and the remainder was taken by the offerer to be eaten by his family. By means of this sacred meal, the believer entered into a communion with the divinity; the sacrifice was therefore called a peace offering. It could be offered either in thanksgiving or in petition. This kind of sacrifice was celebrated on every sacred solemnity.
- Leviticus 3:5 On the burnt offering: the daily presentation of peace offerings was ritually prescribed to be placed on top of the burnt offerings signifying fellowship with God and the priest.