Through the Bible – Day 38

₁The LORD said to Moses:

₄Moses obeyed the LORD, and when everyone had come together, ₅he said, “We are here to follow the LORD's instructions.”

₆After Moses told Aaron and his sons to step forward, he made them wash themselves. ₇He put the priestly shirt and robe on Aaron and wrapped the sash around his waist. Then he put the sacred apron on Aaron and fastened it with the finely woven belt. ₈Next, he put on Aaron the sacred breastpiece that was used in learning what the LORD wanted his people to do. ₉He placed the turban on Aaron's head, and on the front of the turban was the narrow strip of thin gold as a sign of his dedication to the LORD.

₁₀Moses then dedicated the sacred tent and everything in it to the LORD by sprinkling them with some of the oil for ordination. ₁₁He sprinkled the bronze altar seven times, and he sprinkled its equipment, as well as the large bronze bowl and its base. ₁₂He also poured some of the oil on Aaron's head to dedicate him to the LORD. ₁₃At last, Moses dressed Aaron's sons in their shirts, then tied sashes around them and put special caps on them, just as the LORD had commanded.

₁₄Moses led out the bull that was to be sacrificed for sin, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. ₁₅After it was killed, Moses dipped a finger in the blood and smeared some of it on each of the four corners of the bronze altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the altar. This purified the altar and made it a fit place for offering the sacrifice for sin. ₁₆Moses then took the fat on the bull's insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and sent them up in smoke on the altar fire. ₁₇Finally, he took the skin and the flesh of the bull, together with the food still in its stomach, and burnt them outside the camp, just as the LORD had commanded.

₁₈Moses led out the ram for the sacrifice to please the LORD. After Aaron and his sons had laid their hands on its head, ₁₉Moses killed the ram and splattered its blood against the four sides of the altar. _20-21Moses had the animal cut up, and he washed its insides and hind legs. Then he laid the head, the fat, and the rest of the ram on the altar and sent them up in smoke with a smell that pleased the LORD. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded.

₂₂Moses led out the ram for the ceremony of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head, ₂₃and it was killed. Moses smeared some of its blood on Aaron's right ear lobe, some on his right thumb, and some on the big toe of his right foot. ₂₄Moses did the same thing for Aaron's sons, before splattering the rest of the blood against the four sides of the altar. ₂₅He took the animal's fat tail, the fat on its insides, and the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and the right hind leg. ₂₆Then he took from a basket some of each of the three kinds of bread that had been made without yeast and had been dedicated to the LORD.

₂₇Moses placed the bread on top of the meat and gave it all to Aaron and his sons, who lifted it up to show that it was dedicated to the LORD. ₂₈After this, Moses placed it on the fires of the altar and sent it up in smoke with a smell that pleased the LORD. This was part of the ordination ceremony. ₂₉Moses lifted up the choice ribs of the ram to show that they were dedicated to the LORD. This was the part that the LORD had said Moses could have.

₃₀Finally, Moses sprinkled the priestly clothes of Aaron and his sons with some of the oil for ordination and with some of the blood from the altar. So Aaron and his sons, together with their priestly clothes, were dedicated to the LORD.

₃₁Moses said to Aaron and his sons:

₃₆Aaron and his sons obeyed everything that the LORD had told Moses they must do.

₁Eight days later Moses called together Aaron, his sons, and Israel's leaders. ₂Then he said to Aaron:

₅After the animals and the grain had been brought to the front of the sacred tent, and the people were standing there in the presence of the LORD, ₆Moses said:

₈Aaron stepped up to the altar and killed the bull that was to be the sacrifice for his sins. ₉His sons brought him the blood. He dipped a finger in it, smeared some on the four corners of the bronze altar, and poured out the rest at its foot. ₁₀But he sent up in smoke the fat, the kidneys, and the lower part of the liver, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₁₁Then Aaron burnt the skin and the flesh outside the camp.

₁₂After Aaron had killed the ram that was sacrificed to please the LORD, Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against all four sides of the altar. ₁₃They brought him each piece of the animal, including the head, and he burnt them all on the altar. ₁₄He washed the insides and the hind legs and also sent them up in smoke.

₁₅Next, Aaron sacrificed the goat for the sins of the people, as he had done with the sacrifice for his own sins. ₁₆And so, he burnt this sacrifice on the altar in the proper way. ₁₇He also presented the grain sacrifice and burnt a handful of the flour on the altar as part of the morning sacrifice.

₁₈At last, he killed the bull and the ram as a sacrifice to ask the LORD's blessing on the people. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against the four sides of the altar. ₁₉His sons placed all the fat, as well as the kidneys and the lower part of the liver ₂₀on top of the choice ribs. ₂₁Then Aaron burnt the fat on the altar and lifted up the ribs and the right hind leg to show that these were dedicated to the LORD. This was done just as the LORD had instructed Moses.

₂₂Aaron held out his hand and gave the people his blessing, before coming down from the bronze altar where he had offered the sacrifices. ₂₃He and Moses went into the sacred tent, and when they came out, they gave the people their blessing. Then the LORD appeared to the people in all his glory. ₂₄The LORD sent fiery flames that burnt up everything on the altar, and when everyone saw this, they shouted and fell to their knees to worship the LORD.

₁Nadab and Abihu were two of Aaron's sons, but they disobeyed the LORD by burning incense to him on a fire pan, when they were not supposed to. ₂Suddenly the LORD sent fiery flames and burnt them to death. ₃Then Moses told Aaron that this was exactly what the LORD had meant when he said:

Aaron was speechless.

₄Moses sent for Mishael and Elzaphan, the two sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel. Then he told them, “Take these two dead relatives of yours outside the camp far from the entrance to the sacred tent.” ₅So they dragged the dead men away by their clothes.

₆Then Moses told Aaron and his other two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar:

Aaron and his two sons obeyed Moses.

₈The LORD said to Aaron:

₁₂Moses told Aaron and his two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar:

₁₆When Moses asked around and learnt that the ram for the sin sacrifice had already been burnt on the altar, he became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar and said, ₁₇“Why didn't you eat the meat from this sacrifice in an acceptable place? It is very holy, and the LORD has given you this sacrifice to remove Israel's sin and guilt. ₁₈Whenever an animal's blood isn't brought into the sacred tent, I commanded you to eat its meat in an acceptable place, but you burnt it instead.”

₁₉Their father Aaron replied, “Today two of my sons offered the sacrifice for sin and the sacrifice to please the LORD, and look what has happened to me! Would the LORD have approved if I had eaten the sacrifice for sin?”

₂₀Moses was satisfied with Aaron's reply.