Leviticus 22:1-11 ▼

1 The LORD spoke to Moses: “

2 Tell Aaron and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy offerings of the Israelites that they have consecrated to Me, so they do not profane My holy name; I am Yahweh.

3 Say to them: If any man from any of your descendants throughout your generations is in a state of uncleanness yet approaches the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person will be cut off from My presence; I am Yahweh.

4 No man of Aaron’s descendants who has a skin disease or a discharge is to eat from the holy offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a dead person or by a man who has an emission of semen,

5 or whoever touches any swarming creature that makes him unclean or any person who makes him unclean—whatever his uncleanness—

6 the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening and is not to eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body with water.

7 When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the holy offerings, for that is his food.

8 He must not eat an animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts, making himself unclean by it; I am Yahweh.

9 They must keep My instruction, or they will be guilty and die because they profane it; I am Yahweh who sets them apart.”

10 No one outside a priest’s family is to eat the holy offering. A foreigner staying with a priest or a hired hand is not to eat the holy offering.

11 But if a priest purchases someone with his money, that person may eat it, and those born in his house may eat his food.