Chapter 6
Daily Sacrifices.[a] 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “If anyone sins against the Lord by lying to a neighbor concerning a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or by robbery, or by defrauding a neighbor, 3 or by finding something that was lost and lying about it and swearing a false oath, in any of these things that men do, and thereby sin, 4 when someone sins this way and has become guilty, he shall restore the stolen property that he took, or what he obtained through violence, or the deposit that was entrusted to him, or the lost object that he found, 5 or anything about which he falsely swore an oath. He shall add a fifth to it and give it to the person to whom it belongs on the day of his guilt offering. 6 He shall bring a guilt offering to the priest, a ram without defect from the flock which is the value of the price of a guilt offering. 7 The priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord and he shall be forgiven of any of the things a person may do and thereby become guilty.”
Regulations for the Priests
Instructions for Burnt Offerings. 8 The Lord said to Moses, 9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law for burnt offerings. The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until the morning. The fire on the altar will be kept burning. 10 The priest shall wear his linen garment and have his linen undergarments over his flesh. He shall collect the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and he will place them beside the altar. 11 Then he will take off those clothes and put on others and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12 The fire on the altar will be kept burning; it will not be extinguished. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall lay burnt offerings on it and burn the fat of the peace offerings upon it. 13 The fire must always be kept burning on the altar. It must never go out.
14 For Cereal Offerings.“This is the law concerning cereal offerings. The sons of Aaron shall offer them to the Lord in front of the altar. 15 The priest will take a handful of fine flour from it with the oil and all of the incense that is on the offering, and he shall burn all of it on the altar as a memorial portion, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. 16 Aaron and his sons will eat whatever is left over from the cereal offering. They will eat it unleavened, in a holy place, in the courtyard of the meeting tent. 17 It must not be baked with leaven. I have assigned it to them as their portion of my offerings by fire. It is a most holy thing, like the sin offerings and the guilt offerings. 18 Every male from among the children of Aaron may eat it. This will be a perpetual statute for all of your generations concerning the Lord’s offerings by fire. Whoever touches them shall be holy.”[b]
19 The Lord said to Moses, 20 “Aaron and his sons are to make the following offerings to the Lord on the day that they are anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular cereal offering, half in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It will be prepared in a pan with oil. You will bring it well mixed, in baked pieces, like a cereal offering. It shall be a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. 22 That priest from among the sons of Aaron who is anointed to succeed him shall also make this offering. It is a perpetual statute. It shall all be burned in honor of the Lord. 23 Every cereal offering made by a priest shall be burned. It cannot be eaten.”
24 For Sin Offerings. The Lord said to Moses, 25 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them the following: ‘This is the law for sin offerings. The animal being offered for the sin offering shall be slain in the place where burnt offerings are slain, before the Lord. It is most holy. 26 The priest who offered it as a sin offering shall eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the meeting tent.[c] 27 Whatever touches the meat shall be holy. If some of the blood is spattered on some clothing, the clothing on which it is spattered shall be washed in a holy place. 28 The earthen vessel in which it is boiled is to be broken. If it has been cooked in a bronze vessel, that will be scoured and rinsed in water. 29 Every male of the priestly family may eat it; it is a most holy thing. 30 But no sin offering will be eaten when its blood was brought into the meeting tent to make atonement in the sanctuary. It will be entirely burned in fire.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 6:1 Sacrifices were offered twice a day in the Jerusalem temple, at sunrise and sunset. It was a duty of the priests to keep the fire going constantly, signifying that worship should never cease.
- Leviticus 6:18 Whatever is offered to God is transformed and becomes holy. This applies to persons, places, and material things.
- Leviticus 6:26 The sacrifice is only effective if the priest eats the meat that has been made holy through the sacrifice.