60 Bible Verses about priests

Jehovah said to Aaron: You, your sons, and your family will be responsible for any sins against the holy place. You and your sons will also be responsible for any sins you commit when you work as priests.

Make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron's sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor. Dress your brother Aaron and his sons in these clothes and anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart to serve me as priests. Make linen undergarments to cover them down to their thighs. read more.
Aaron and his sons must wear them when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to serve as priests in the holy place. They will be blameless and will not die. This is a long lasting law for him and his descendants.

Then ordain them, because they and their descendants will have a long lasting priesthood.

These are the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants from generation to generation, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before Jehovah, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name as long as they live.

Dress Aaron in the priestly garments and anoint him. Consecrate him so that he can serve me as priest. Bring his sons and put the shirts on them. Anoint them just as you anointed their father that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for generations to come.

Then ordain them, because they and their descendants will have a long lasting priesthood.

Make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron's sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor.

They also made the chief priest's turban and the other beautiful turbans out of fine linen. They made the undergarments and belt out of fine linen yarn.

Next, Moses dressed the sons of Aaron. He put shirts on them; put sashes around their waists, and tied caps on their heads, just as Jehovah commanded.

They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat.

Jehovah gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So do not go near a dead relative, except for your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her. read more.
As the head of your people, you should never become unclean. That would make you unholy. You should never mourn by shaving bald spots on your heads, shaving the edges of your beards, or slashing your bodies. Be God's holy men. Do not dishonor the name of your God. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. It is the food (bread) of your God.

He must not go near any dead bodies or become unclean, even for his father or mother. He must not leave the holy tent of his God. If he does, he will be dishonoring it, because he is dedicated with the anointing oil of his God. I am Jehovah.

Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings that the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am Jehovah.

None of the descendants of Aaron who has a dreaded skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the sacred offerings until he is ritually clean. Any priest is unclean if he touches anything that is unclean through contact with a corpse or if he has an emission of semen or if he has touched an unclean animal or person. Any priest who becomes unclean remains unclean until evening. Even then he may not eat any of the sacred offerings until he has taken a bath.

The priest will examine the sore. If the hairs in it have turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest will pronounce you unclean.

You must learn the difference (distinction) between what is holy and what is not holy and between the clean and the unclean.

Tell them: 'In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for Jehovah, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am Jehovah.

The king said to Doeg: You turn around and attack the priests. Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

The word of God increased. The number of the disciples greatly multiplied in Jerusalem. Even a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.

The people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and the idols, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Jehoiada put guards on duty at the Temple,

Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops. He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests.

He actually spoke against the altar: O altar, altar, this is what Jehovah says: 'A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you. He will burn human bones on you.'

He killed all the priests of the high places on the altars. Their bones were burned on the altars. Then the king went back to Jerusalem.

Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.

Jehovah (YHWH) allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim king of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar carried part of the vessels of the house of God into the Plain of Shinar [in Babylon]. He brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops. He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests.

There is danger that our trade will lose its good name. The temple of the great goddess Artemis (Diana) would then become useless. The goddess who is worshiped in all Asia would be robbed of her divine majesty.

They brought it into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon.

I hope Jehovah will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely Jehovah will forgive me!

You priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have corrupted the covenant I made with Levi (you).

Why did you not eat the sin offering in a sacred place? It is very holy! Jehovah gave it to you in order to take away the sin of the community.

Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Moses spoke to Aaron and his two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. He said: Take the grain offering that is left over from the food offered to Jehovah. Bake unleavened bread with it and eat it beside the altar. This is because this offering is very holy.

Any thing left is for Aaron and his sons to eat. It will be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place. They must eat it in the court of the Tent of Meeting.

Every male among the priests may eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place. It is very holy.

When the chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out: Impale him! Impale him! Pilate replied: Take him yourselves, and impale him for he has committed no crime!

In like manner the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked him.

The leaders judge for a bribe, and the priests teach for wages! The prophets predict for money yet they rely on Jehovah when they say: Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? No evil will come upon us.

Her prophets are insolent and treacherous persons. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary! They have done violence to the law.

The chief priests influenced the crowd, that he should release Barabbas to them instead.

The people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and the idols, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Jehoiada put guards on duty at the Temple,

Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops. He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests.

He actually spoke against the altar: O altar, altar, this is what Jehovah says: 'A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you. He will burn human bones on you.'

He killed all the priests of the high places on the altars. Their bones were burned on the altars. Then the king went back to Jerusalem.

Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.

The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him. They may wear them when they are anointed and ordained.

Aaron should dress in the priestly shirt and robe under the sacred vest. Put on the vest, the breast piece, and the sash.

Make sacred clothes for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.

the special clothes the holy clothes for the priest Aaron and the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests,

From the violet, purple, and bright red yarn they made special clothes worn for official duties in the holy place. They also made the holy clothes for Aaron. They obeyed Jehovah's instructions to Moses.

Now arise, and come to your resting place, Jehovah our God, you and the ark of your power. Clothe your priests, Jehovah God, with salvation. Let your godly ones rejoice in what is good.

Be God's holy men. Do not dishonor the name of your God. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. It is the food (bread) of your God.

The priests should teach the true knowledge of God. They are the messengers of Jehovah of Hosts. Therefore the people should learn (my will) the law from them.

Get out of her my people! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of Jehovah.

Let the priests who come near to Jehovah consecrate (purify) themselves, or else Jehovah will destroy them.

Joshua spoke to the priests: Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people. So they took the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people.

King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.

Moses sent young men to burn sacrifices to Jehovah. They sacrificed some cattle as peace offerings.

The priests entered Jehovah's temple to make it clean. They carried into the courtyard every unclean thing that they found in Jehovah's Temple. Then the Levites took the unclean items outside the city to the Kidron Brook.

Jethro was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses. He heard what Jehovah God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.

The priest will burn the fat on the altar. However, the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons. You will also give the priest the right thigh as a contribution. When any of Aaron's sons offer the blood and fat of the fellowship offering, the right thigh will belong to him as his share. read more.
I have taken the breast and thigh that was presented to me from the contribution offering from the Israelites. I have given them to the priest Aaron and his sons. This is a long lasting law for generations to come.

Every male among the priests may eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place. It is very holy. The same instructions apply to the offering for sin and the guilt offering. Both offerings belong to the priest to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah. The skin of the burnt offering belongs to the priest who sacrifices it. read more.
Every grain offering, whether baked in an oven or prepared in a skillet or a frying pan, belongs to the priest who offers it. Every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, will be shared equally by all of Aaron's sons.

The priest will take one of the shoulders from a boiled ram, one ring of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread and hand them to the Nazirites after they have shaved off their hair.

Jehovah said to Aaron: I have placed you in charge of all the contributions given to me. I have given you and your descendants all the holy gifts from the Israelites as your share. These contributions will be yours from generation to generation. That part of the most holy offerings that is not burned belongs to you. It may come from a grain offering, an offering for sin, or a guilt offering. Whatever is brought to me, as a most holy offering will belong to you and your sons. Eat it in a most holy place. Any male may eat it. You must consider it holy. read more.
The contributions that come as gifts taken from the offerings presented by the Israelites are also yours. I give these to you, your sons, and your daughters. They will be yours from generation to generation. Anyone in your household who is clean may eat them.

When cattle or sheep are sacrificed, the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jaw, and the stomach.

Never drink beer or wine when you or your sons enter the sacred tent. If you do, you will die right there! This is a long lasting law from generation to generation.

Anoint them just as you anointed their father that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for generations to come.

In addition, we make it clear to you, that it will be against the law to put any tax or payment in goods or forced payment on any of the priests or Levites, the music-makers, doorkeepers, Nethinim, or any servants of this house of God.

And the Tirshatha (governor) said that they were not to have the most holy things for their food, till a priest came to give decision by the Urim and Thummim.

Jehovah also said: This is what you must do in order to (consecrate) set Aaron and his sons apart to serve me as priests: Take a young bull that has no defects and two rams that have no defects.

Jehovah continued: Bring your brother Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar to you from all the Israelites. They will serve me as priests.

He showed me Joshua the high priest. Joshua was standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan was standing at his right hand to be his adversary.

Only the high priest enters the inner room. Once a year he entered with blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people.

Also Christ did not glorify himself to be made a high priest. It was God who said to him: You are my Son; I today have become your father.

The priest who is anointed with oil and wears the chief priest's clothes is chief over his brothers. He must never mourn by leaving his hair uncombed or by tearing his clothes.

As Solomon's father David had directed, he set up the divisions of priests for their service and the divisions of Levites for their appointed places. The Levites were to lead in praising Jehovah and to serve beside the priests by doing whatever needed to be done each day. Solomon also set up divisions of doorkeepers at every gate because this was what David, the man of God, had commanded.

The divisions of Aaron's descendants were as follows: Aaron's sons were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu died before their father died, and neither had any children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. David, Eleazar's descendant Zadok, and Ithamar's descendant Ahimelech divided Aaron's descendants into groups for service. read more.
Since Eleazar's descendants had more men who were family heads than Ithamar's descendants, they were divided so that Eleazar's descendants had sixteen family leaders and Ithamar's descendants had eight family leaders. Both groups were divided impartially by drawing lots so that there were officers for the holy place and officers for God among both Eleazar's and Ithamar's descendants. The scribe Shemaiah was a son of Nethanel and a descendant of Levi. Shemaiah recorded their names in the presence of the king, the princes, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the family leaders of the priests and Levites. One family was chosen for Eleazar, another for Ithamar. The first lot drawn was for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah, the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim, the fifth for Malchiah, the sixth for Mijamin, the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for Abijah, the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah, the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim, the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab, the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer, the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez, the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel, the twenty-first for Jachin, the twenty-second for Gamul, the twenty-third for Delaiah, the twenty-fourth for Maaziah. These were their priestly groups when they went to serve at Jehovah's temple. Their ancestor Aaron made these rules for them, as Jehovah God of Israel had commanded him.

Get yourselves ready with the family groups of your divisions, which are listed in the records of King David of Israel and the records of his son Solomon. Divide yourselves into groups. Then spread out throughout the Temple so that each family of worshipers will be able to get help from one of you.

The scribe Shemaiah was a son of Nethanel and a descendant of Levi. Shemaiah recorded their names in the presence of the king, the princes, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the family leaders of the priests and Levites. One family was chosen for Eleazar, another for Ithamar.

They drew lots as their relatives, Aaron's descendants, had done. They drew them in front of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the leaders of the families of the priests and Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same way as those of the youngest.

All the officials, the priests, and the people became increasingly unfaithful and followed all the disgusting practices of the nations. Although Jehovah made the Temple in Jerusalem holy, they made the Temple unclean.

Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.

They slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests sprinkled the blood with their hands while the Levites skinned the lambs.

Only you and your sons may do the work of priests, everything done at the altar and under the canopy. This is my gift to you: You may serve me as priests. Anyone else who comes near the holy place to do this work must die.

However when he became powerful, his pride destroyed him. He was unfaithful to Jehovah his God. He went into Jehovah's Temple to burn incense on the incense altar. Azariah the priest went in after him with eighty of Jehovah's courageous priests. They opposed King Uzziah. They said to him: Uzziah, you have no right to burn incense as an offering to Jehovah. That right belongs to the priests, Aaron's descendants, who have been given the holy task of burning incense. Get out of the holy place because you have been unfaithful. Jehovah God will not honor you for this. read more.
Uzziah held an incense burner in his hand. He became angry. As his anger with the priests grew, a skin disease broke out on his forehead. This happened in front of the priests in Jehovah's Temple as Uzziah was at the incense altar. When the chief priest Azariah and all the priests turned toward him, a skin disease was on his forehead. They rushed him away. Uzziah was in a hurry to get out because Jehovah had inflicted him with the disease. King Uzziah had a skin disease until the day he died. Since he had a skin disease, he lived in a separate house and was barred from Jehovah's Temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the royal palace and governed the country.

Korah son of Izhar, Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth dared to challenge Moses. Korah was a descendant of Kohath and Levi. Dathan, Abiram, and On were descendants of Reuben. These four men were joined by two hundred and fifty Israelite men, well known leaders of the congregation. The assembly chose them. They came together to confront Moses and Aaron. They said: You have gone far enough! Everyone in the whole congregation is holy. Jehovah is among them. Why do you set yourselves above Jehovah's assembly? read more.
When Moses heard this, he bowed with his face touching the ground. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: In the morning Jehovah will show who belongs to him, who is holy. He will have that person come near him. Only the person Jehovah chooses will be allowed to come near him. Korah, you and all your followers must do this tomorrow: Take incense burners, Put burning coals and incense in them in Jehovah's presence. Jehovah will choose the man who is holy. You have gone far enough! Moses also said to Korah: Listen, you sons of Levi! Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel? Jehovah has brought you near to do the work for his tent and stand in front of the community to serve them. He brought you and all the other Levites near. But now you demand to be priests. You and all your followers have joined forces against Jehovah! Who is Aaron that you should complain about him? Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab. But they said: We will not come! Is it not enough that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey only to kill us in the desert? Do you also have to order us around? You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us any fields and vineyards to own. Do you think you can still pull the wool over our eyes? We will not come. Moses became angry and said to Jehovah: Do not accept their offering. I have not taken anything from them, not even a donkey. And I have not mistreated any of them. Moses said to Korah: Tomorrow you and all your followers must come into Jehovah's presence. Aaron will also be there with you. Each man will take his incense burner and put incense in it. They will offer all two hundred and fifty incense burners to Jehovah. Then you and Aaron offer your incense burners. So each man took his incense burner. He put burning coals and incense in it and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Korah assembled all his followers who opposed Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The glory of Jehovah appeared to the entire group. Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron: Move away from these men. I will destroy them instantly. Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground and said: O God, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone! If one man sins, will you be angry with the entire congregation? Then Jehovah said to Moses: Tell the congregation: 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.' Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He said to the congregation: Move away from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you'll be swept away because of all their sins. So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came out and were standing at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children. Moses said: This is how you will know that Jehovah sent me to do all these things and that it wasn't my idea: If these men die a natural death like all other people Jehovah has not sent me. But if Jehovah does something totally new, if the ground opens up, swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive to their graves; then you will know that these men have treated Jehovah with contempt. When he finished speaking, the ground under them split, and the earth opened up to swallow them, their families, the followers of Korah, and all their property. They went down alive to their graves with everything that belonged to them. The ground covered them. They disappeared from the assembly. All the Israelites around them ran away when they heard their screams. They thought the ground would swallow them, also. Fire came from Jehovah and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.

He entered into the house of God, and he and his companions ate the showbread (holy bread), which it was not lawful for them to eat. It was only lawful for the priests.

The bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place. It is very holy, set apart from Jehovah's offering by fire. This is a long lasting law.

The high priest answered David: I do not have any ordinary bread here. But there is holy bread for the young men if they have not had sexual intercourse today. David answered the priest: Women have been kept away from us as usual when we go on a mission. The young men's bodies are kept holy even on ordinary campaigns. How much more then are their bodies holy today? The priest gave him holy bread. For he only had the bread of the presence that had been taken from Jehovah's presence and replaced with warm bread that day.

He put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on there. Then he said: Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. Do it a second time, and they did it a second time.

Samuel killed a young lamb and burned it whole as a sacrifice to Jehovah. Then he prayed to Jehovah to help Israel. Jehovah answered his prayer.

Gideon built an altar to Jehovah there and named it: Jehovah is Peace. (Jehovah-shalom) It is still standing at Ophrah and belongs to the clan of Abiezer. That night Jehovah told Gideon: Take your father's bull and another seven year old bull, tear down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the symbol of the goddess Asherah, that is beside it. Build a well-constructed altar to Jehovah your God on top of this mound. Take the second bull and burn it as a whole offering. Cut down the symbol of Asherah and use it for firewood. read more.
So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what Jehovah instructed him to do. He was afraid of his family and the people in town, so he did it at night.

Next, Moses dressed the sons of Aaron. He put shirts on them; put sashes around their waists, and tied caps on their heads, just as Jehovah commanded.

Aaron's sons should dress in their special shirts, caps and sashes.

Bring his sons and put the shirts on them.

Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who tries to do the priests' duties must be put to death.

He followed Jehovah's command given through Moses. The copper-covered altar will remind Israel that no one but a descendant of Aaron may come near to burn incense to Jehovah. Everyone else will die like Korah and his followers.

Only you and your sons may do the work of priests, everything done at the altar and under the canopy. This is my gift to you: You may serve me as priests. Anyone else who comes near the holy place to do this work must die.

Jehovah said to Aaron: You, your sons, and your family will be responsible for any sins against the holy place. You and your sons will also be responsible for any sins you commit when you work as priests.

Only you and your sons may do the work of priests, everything done at the altar and under the canopy. This is my gift to you: You may serve me as priests. Anyone else who comes near the holy place to do this work must die.

You and your sons alone must fulfill the responsibilities for the Holy Place and the altar. That way my anger will not again break out against the people of Israel.

From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent. Bethel was on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to Jehovah and called on the name of Jehovah.

Noah built an altar to Jehovah and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.

Jacob built an altar there and called it God of Bethel. That was the place where God appeared to him when he was running from Esau.

Do you not know that they who minister about holy things live off the things of the temple? And they who wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?

The Levitical priests including the entire tribe of Levi will receive no land or property of their own like the rest of the Israelites. They will eat what has been sacrificed to Jehovah. These sacrifices will be what they receive. They are to own no land, as the other tribes do. Their inheritance is the privilege of being Jehovah's priests, as Jehovah told them.

Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near. Jehovah your God has chosen them to serve him and to bless in the name of Jehovah. They will settle every dispute and every assault.

If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you should go to the place Jehovah your God chooses. Approach the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days. Inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. Act according to the terms of the verdict they declare to you from that place Jehovah chooses. Be careful to abide by all that they teach you. read more.
Act according to the verdict and the terms they tell you. Do not turn away from the word they declare to you. The man who acts presumptuously and does not listen to the priest or the judge will die. This way you will purge the evil from Israel. The priests and judges are there to serve Jehovah your God. Then all the people will hear and be afraid. They will not act presumptuously again.

If any of you have a sore on your skin or a boil or an inflammation that could develop into a dreaded skin disease, you shall be brought to the priest. The priest will examine the sore. If the hairs in it have turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest will pronounce you unclean. If the sore is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin around it and the hairs have not turned white, the priest will isolate you for seven days. read more.
The priest will examine you again on the seventh day. If in his opinion the sore looks the same and has not spread, he will isolate you for another seven days. The priest will examine you again on the seventh day. If the sore has faded and has not spread, he will pronounce you ritually clean. It is only a sore. You will wash your clothes and be ritually clean. If the sore spreads after the priest has examined you and pronounced you clean, you must return to the priest again. The priest will examine you again. If it has spread, he will pronounce you unclean. It is a dreaded skin disease. If any of you have a dreaded skin disease, you should be brought to the priest. He will examine you. If there is a white sore on your skin that turns the hairs white and is full of pus, it is a chronic skin disease. The priest will pronounce you unclean. There is no need to isolate you. You are obviously unclean. If the skin disease spreads and covers you from head to foot, the priest should examine you again. If he finds that it actually has covered the whole body, he will pronounce you ritually clean. If your whole skin has turned white you are ritually clean. The moment an open sore appears you are unclean. The priest will examine you again. If he sees an open sore, he will pronounce you unclean. An open sore means a dreaded skin disease. You are unclean. When the sore heals and becomes white again, you should go to the priest. He will examine you again. If the sore has turned white you are ritually clean. The priest will pronounce you clean. If you have a boil that has healed and if afterward a white swelling or a reddish-white spot appears where the boil was, you should go to the priest. The priest will examine you. If the spot seems to be deeper than the surrounding skin and the hairs in it have turned white, he will pronounce you unclean. It is a dreaded skin disease that has started in the boil. If the priest examines it and finds that the hairs in it have not turned white and that it is not deeper than the surrounding skin, but is light in color, the priest will isolate you for seven days. If the spot spreads the priest shall pronounce you unclean. You are diseased. If it remains unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar left from the boil. The priest will pronounce you ritually clean. In case any of you have been burned. If the raw flesh becomes white or reddish-white, the priest will examine it. If the hair on the affected area has turned white and the affected area looks deeper than the rest of the skin, an infectious skin disease has developed in the burn. The priest will pronounce you unclean. It is an infectious skin disease. But if the priest examines it and the hair in it is not white and the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put you in isolation for seven days. The priest will examine you again on the seventh day. If it is spreading it is a dreaded skin disease. The priest will pronounce you unclean. If the spot remains unchanged and does not spread and is light in color, it is not a dreaded skin disease. The priest will pronounce you ritually clean, because it is only a scar from the burn. When any of you, male or female, have a sore on your head or chin, the priest will examine it. If it seems to be deeper than the surrounding skin and the hairs in it are yellowish and thin, it is a dreaded skin disease. He will declare you unclean. If the priest examines you and finds the sore does not appear to be deeper than the surrounding skin, but there are still no healthy hairs in it, he will isolate you for seven days. The priest will examine the sore again on the seventh day. If it has not spread and there are no yellowish hairs in it and it does not seem to be deeper than the surrounding skin, you will shave the head accept the area around the sore. The priest will isolate you for another seven days. The priest will again examine the sore on the seventh day. If it has not spread and does not seem to be deeper than the surrounding skin, he will declare you ritually clean. You will wash your clothes. You will be clean. If the sore spreads after you have been pronounced clean, the priest will examine you again. If the sore has spread, he need not look for yellowish hairs. You are obviously unclean. If in the priest's opinion the sore has not spread and healthy hairs are growing in it, the sore has healed. The priest will pronounce you ritually clean. When you, male or female, have white spots on the skin, the priest shall examine you. If the spots are dull white, it is only a blemish that has broken out on the skin. You are ritually clean. Loss of hair makes one bald not unclean. Hair losses from the forehead or the back of the head do not make one unclean. If a reddish-white sore appears on the bald spot, it is a dreaded skin disease. The priest will examine you. If there is a reddish-white sore, the priest will declare you unclean. You have a dreaded skin disease on your head. If you have a dreaded skin disease, you must wear torn clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and call out: Unclean, unclean! You remain unclean as long as you have the disease. You must live outside the camp, away from others. When there is mildew on clothing, whether wool or linen, or on any woven piece of linen or wool cloth or on leather or anything made of leather, if it is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. The priest shall examine it and put the object away for seven days. He will examine it again on the seventh day. If the mildew has spread, the object is unclean. The priest will burn it, because it is a spreading mildew. It must be destroyed by fire. If the priest finds that the mildew has not spread on the object, he will order that it be washed and put away for another seven days. He shall examine it again and if the mildew has not changed color, even though it has not spread, it is still unclean. You must burn the object, whether the rot is on the front or the back. When the priest examines it again, the mildew has faded; he will tear it out of the clothing or leather. Then if the mildew reappears, it is spreading again, and the owner must burn the object. If he washes the object and the spot disappears, he should wash it again. It will be ritually clean. This is the law about mildew on clothing. Whether it is wool or linen, or on linen or wool cloth or on anything made of leather; this is how the decision is made as to whether it is ritually clean or unclean.

When you come to Canaan that I am going to give to you, mildew may appear in a house. The owner of that house must come and tell the priest that there is something that looks like mildew in his house. Before the priest examines the house, he will order everything taken out of it so that nothing in the house will become unclean. Then the priest will go inside to examine the house. read more.
He will examine the mildew area on the walls. If it is green and red in sunken areas that are deeper than the rest of the wall, the priest will go out to the door of the house and close up the house for seven days. The priest will go back and examine it again on the seventh day. If the mildew in the walls of the house has spread, he must order the stones that have the mildew to be torn out and thrown outside the city in an unclean place. He must have the entire inside of the house scraped. The plaster dust scraped off the walls must be dumped in an unclean place outside the city. The stones must be replaced, and the house must be plastered again. If the mildew breaks out again in the house after the stones have been removed and the house has been scraped and plastered, the priest will go and look. If it has spread, the house is unclean. It must be torn down, and its stones, its wood, and all its plaster must be carried out of the city to an unclean place.

Jehovah spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. He said: Tell the Israelites to give the Levites some cities from their own property. They must also give the Levites the pastureland around those cities. The Levites will have cities to live in and pastureland for their cattle, the flocks they own, and any other animals they have. read more.
The land around the cities that you give the Levites will extend fifteen hundred feet from the city wall. Outside the city measure off three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand feet on the south side, three thousand feet on the west side, and three thousand feet on the north side, with the city in the center. This will be their pastureland around the city. Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of refuge. You must allow murderers to escape to these cities. In addition, you must also give the Levites forty-two other cities. You will give a total of forty-eight cities with pastureland to the Levites. The cities you give the Levites from the property of the other Israelites must be given based on the amount of land each tribe owns. Take more cities from larger tribes and fewer from smaller tribes.

So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands. read more.
And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. These towns, which were distributed among the Kohathite clans, were thirteen in all.

They will teach your ordinances to Jacob, and your Law to Israel. They will burn incense before you, and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to your godly man, whom you tested at Massah and with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.

You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. They shall eat those things used for their atonement and their ordination and consecration. A layman shall not eat them, because they are holy.

Moses told Aaron and his sons: Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Take the meat and the bread in the basket of the ordination offering. Eat them there as I commanded when I said: 'Aaron and his sons will eat it.' You must burn all meat or bread that is left over.

Remove the ram's fat, the fat tail, the fat covering the internal organs, the fat attached to the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. From the basket of bread which has been offered to me, take one loaf of each kind: one loaf made with olive oil and one made without it and one thin cake. Put all this food in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them dedicate it to me as a special gift.

He took the fat from the tail, all the fat on the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh. He took a loaf of unleavened bread, a ring of bread made with olive oil. He took a wafer from the basket of unleavened bread in Jehovah's presence. He put them on the fat and the right thigh. He placed all these things in the hands of Aaron and his sons. Moses presented all these things to Jehovah as an offering.

Lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent. Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on its head there. Slaughter the bull near my altar in front of the tent. Use a finger to smear some of its blood on each of the four corners of the altar. Pour out the rest of the blood on the ground next to the altar. read more.
Take all the fat that covers the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. Burn the bull's meat, skin, and excrement outside the camp. It is an offering for sin. Take one of the rams and Aaron and his sons are to put their hands on its head. Slaughter the ram. Take its blood and sprinkle it all around the altar. Cut the ram in pieces. Wash its internal organs and its legs, and put them on top of the head and the other pieces. Burn the whole ram on the altar. It is burnt offering to Jehovah. The odor of this offering pleases me. Take the other ram and Aaron and his sons are to put their hands on its head.

Moses brought the young bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. Moses killed it and took some of the blood. Using his finger he put it on the projections at the corners of the altar, in order to dedicate it. He then poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. In this way he dedicated it and purified it. Moses took all the fat on the internal organs. He took the best part of the liver, and the kidneys with the fat on them, and burned it all on the altar. read more.
Finally, he took the skin and the flesh of the bull, together with the food still in its stomach, and burned them outside the camp, just as Jehovah commanded. Moses led out the ram for the sacrifice to please Jehovah. After Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head, Moses slaughtered the ram and splattered its blood against the four sides of the altar. The ram was cut into pieces. Moses burned the head with the other pieces and the fat. He washed the internal organs and the legs. Then Moses burned the whole ram on the altar as Jehovah commanded him. It was a burnt offering, a pleasant aroma, an offering by fire to Jehovah. He brought the second ram for the ordination offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram's head. Moses slaughtered it. He took some of the blood, and put it on Aaron's right ear lobe, on his right thumb, and on the big toe of his right foot.

Look, O Jehovah! Why are you punishing us like this? Women are eating the bodies of the children they loved! Priests and prophets are killed in the Temple!

If I go to the field, I see those killed because of war. If I go to the city, I see those sick because of famine. Prophets and priests wander through a land they have not heard of.'

Jehovah gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So do not go near a dead relative, except for your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her. read more.
As the head of your people, you should never become unclean. That would make you unholy. You should never mourn by shaving bald spots on your heads, shaving the edges of your beards, or slashing your bodies. Be God's holy men. Do not dishonor the name of your God. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. It is the food (bread) of your God. Never marry prostitutes, those who have lost their virginity, or divorced women because a priest is God's holy man. Be holy because you offer the food of your God. Be holy because I, Jehovah, am holy. I set you apart as holy. When a priest's daughter dishonors herself by becoming a prostitute, she dishonors her father. She must be burned. The priest who is anointed with oil and wears the chief priest's clothes is chief over his brothers. He must never mourn by leaving his hair uncombed or by tearing his clothes. He must not go near any dead bodies or become unclean, even for his father or mother. He must not leave the holy tent of his God. If he does, he will be dishonoring it, because he is dedicated with the anointing oil of his God. I am Jehovah. The anointed priest should marry a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, a woman who has lost her virginity, or a prostitute. He may only marry a virgin from his own people. He must not dishonor his children among his people because I, Jehovah, set him apart as holy.

[Jehovah God the Almighty speaks to the priests:] This command is for you. You must honor me by your actions. If you will not listen to what I say, and give glory and honor to my name, I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. I have already put a curse on you. Your blessings are cursed already because you do not take my command seriously. I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice! You will be taken away with the dung heap of your feasts. read more.
You will know I sent this commandment to you! This way my covenant with Levi will continue, said Jehovah of Hosts. My covenant was with him [Levi]. It was of life and peace. I gave them to him that he might reverence me. He respected me and stood in awe of my name. The law of truth was in his mouth. Unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness. He turned many away from iniquity. The priests should teach the true knowledge of God. They are the messengers of Jehovah of Hosts. Therefore the people should learn (my will) the law from them.

Do to Aaron and to his sons all that I have commanded you. Ordain them for seven days. Offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement each day. Purify the altar when you make atonement for it. Anoint it to consecrate it. Make atonement for the altar and consecrate it for seven days. Then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

You will not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days. Do not leave until the last day of your ordination is over. It will take seven days to ordain you.

Every firstborn male, human or animal that is brought to Jehovah is yours. But you must buy back every firstborn son and the firstborn male of any unclean animal. When they are one month old, you must buy them back at the fixed price of two ounces of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.

Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It will buy back those Israelites who outnumber the Levites.

Jehovah said to Aaron: I have placed you in charge of all the contributions given to me. I have given you and your descendants all the holy gifts from the Israelites as your share. These contributions will be yours from generation to generation.

I also give you the first of the produce they give Jehovah. It is the best of all the olive oil and the best of the new wine and fresh grain. The first of all produce harvested in their land that they bring to Jehovah are yours. Anyone in your household who is clean may eat it.

Woe to the oppressive city for she is rebellious and polluted (defiled)! She did not obey the voice of Jehovah. She would not accept correction (discipline). She did not trust Jehovah and draw close to her God. Her princes (rulers) within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing till the morning. read more.
Her prophets are insolent and treacherous persons. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary! They have done violence to the law.

[Jehovah God the Almighty speaks to the priests:] This command is for you. You must honor me by your actions. If you will not listen to what I say, and give glory and honor to my name, I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. I have already put a curse on you. Your blessings are cursed already because you do not take my command seriously. I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice! You will be taken away with the dung heap of your feasts. read more.
You will know I sent this commandment to you! This way my covenant with Levi will continue, said Jehovah of Hosts. My covenant was with him [Levi]. It was of life and peace. I gave them to him that he might reverence me. He respected me and stood in awe of my name. The law of truth was in his mouth. Unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness. He turned many away from iniquity. The priests should teach the true knowledge of God. They are the messengers of Jehovah of Hosts. Therefore the people should learn (my will) the law from them. You priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have corrupted the covenant I made with Levi (you). I caused you to be despised and low before all the people. You are contemptible and do not keep my ways. You show partiality when applying the law.

Never drink beer or wine when you or your sons enter the sacred tent. If you do, you will die right there! This is a long lasting law from generation to generation.

None of the priests may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard.

Jehovah said to Moses: Make two trumpets of hammered silver to use for calling the people together and for breaking camp. When long blasts are sounded on both trumpets, the whole community is to gather around you at the entrance to the tent of my presence. read more.
When only one trumpet is sounded, then only the leaders of the clans are to gather around you. When short blasts are sounded, the tribes camped on the east will move out. When short blasts are sounded a second time, the tribes on the south will move out. So short blasts are to be sounded to break camp, Long blasts are to be sounded to call the congregation together. Aaron's sons the priests are to blow the trumpets. The following rule is to be observed for all time to come. When there is war in your land and you defend yourselves against an enemy attack, sound the signal for battle on these trumpets. I, Jehovah your God, will help you and save you from your enemies. Joyful occasions such as your New Moon Festivals and your other religious festivals, you are to blow the trumpets when you present your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings. Then I will help you. I AM JEHOVAH YOUR GOD!

March around the city with all your armed men. Go around the city once per day for six days. Seven priests will carry before you seven trumpets of rams' horns along with the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times. The priests shall blow the trumpets.

The king spoke to Abiathar the priest: Go to your fields at Anathoth. You deserve death. But I will not put you to death now, because you carried the Ark of Jehovah God before David my father. You were with him in all his troubles.

Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of Jehovah and said to me: 'Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin. You have the right of possession and the redemption is yours. Buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of Jehovah. I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle's son. I weighed out the silver for him, seventeen shekels of silver.

Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to Jehovah.

Moses gave the levy that was Jehovah's offering to Eleazar the priest, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'You will take one-tenth of the Israelites' income that I am giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute one-tenth of that income as your contribution to Jehovah.

You will also contribute one-tenth of your income to Jehovah out of all that you receive from the Israelites' income. You will give Jehovah's contribution to the priest Aaron.

When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together one hundred and eighty thousand of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel.

So they worshipped Jehovah. They appointed priests from the people for the high places. The priests were to make offerings for them in the houses of the high places.

If perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the Law, what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, instead of one named after the order of Aaron?

Every priest stands daily, serving and offering time after time the same sacrifices. Yet they can never take away sins.

Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the sacred tent of meeting and have them wash themselves.

Moses had Aaron and his sons come forward. Then he washed them with water.

Dress Aaron in the priestly garments and anoint him. Consecrate him so that he can serve me as priest.

Sprinkle Aaron and his sons with this oil when you ordain them as my priests.

Aaron and his sons must wear them when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to serve as priests in the holy place. They will be blameless and will not die. This is a long lasting law for him and his descendants.

the special clothes worn when serving as priests in the holy place, both the holy clothes for the priest Aaron and the clothes for his sons when serving as priests.

They also made the chief priest's turban and the other beautiful turbans out of fine linen. They made the undergarments and belt out of fine linen yarn.

Make linen undergarments to cover them down to their thighs.

Make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron's sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor.

They wove inner robes out of fine linen for Aaron and his sons.

Make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron's sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor.

They also made the chief priest's turban and the other beautiful turbans out of fine linen. They made the undergarments and belt out of fine linen yarn.

Then ordain them, because they and their descendants will have a long lasting priesthood.

Anoint them just as you anointed their father that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for generations to come.

Moses sent young men to burn sacrifices to Jehovah. They sacrificed some cattle as peace offerings.

Let the priests who come near to Jehovah consecrate (purify) themselves, or else Jehovah will destroy them.

Then ordain them, because they and their descendants will have a long lasting priesthood.

Anoint them just as you anointed their father that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for generations to come.

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God's own possession, that you may show the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

You will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation. These are the words you must speak to the children of Israel.'

These also stagger from wine and reel from beer. Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine. They reel from beer. They stagger when seeing visions. They stumble when rendering decisions.

You priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have corrupted the covenant I made with Levi (you).

They made search for their record among the lists of families. Their names were nowhere to be found. So they were looked on as unclean and no longer priests.

They searched for their record among the lists of families, but their names were nowhere to be seen, so they were looked on as unclean and no longer priests.

These are the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

Tell all the skilled men whom I have given this ability to make Aaron's clothes. These clothes will set him apart as holy when he serves me as priest.

Joshua spoke to the priests: Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people. So they took the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people.

Joshua rose early in the morning. The priests picked up the Ark of Jehovah.

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a priest named Zechariah. He was of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.

The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three. The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two. The children of Pashhur, a thousand, two hundred and forty-seven. read more.
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

If any people who are not members of a priestly family eat any of the sacred offerings without intending to, they must repay the priest its full value plus an additional twenty percent. The priests must not profane the sacred offerings by letting any unauthorized people eat them. This would bring guilt and punishment on such people. I am Jehovah and I make the offerings holy.'

Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.

When you go to war against your enemies, you may see horses, chariots, and armies larger than yours. Do not be afraid of them for Jehovah your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you. A priest must come and speak to the troops before the battle begins. He should say: Listen, Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not lose your courage! Do not be afraid. Do not tremble because of them. read more.
Jehovah your God is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and give you victory.

The priest will offer one as an offering for sin and the other as a burnt offering. So in Jehovah's presence the priest will pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for the woman who had an unclean discharge.' You must separate the Israelites from anything that keeps them from being presentable to me. Otherwise they will die. This is because they defile my tent, which is among them, and make it unclean.

Tell the Israelites: 'When you come to the land I am going to give you and you harvest grain, bring a bundle of the first grain you harvest to the priest. He will present it to Jehovah so that you will be accepted. He will present it on the day after Passover.

Tell Aaron: 'If any of your descendants, now or in future generations, has a physical defect, he must never bring food to offer to God. No one who has a physical defect may ever come near the altar. That means anyone who is blind or lame, who has a disfigured face, a deformity, or a crippled hand or foot, read more.
who is a hunchback or dwarf, who has defective sight, skin diseases, or crushed testicles. If a descendant of the priest Aaron has a physical defect, he must never bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. He has a defect. He must never bring food to offer to God. He may eat the food of his God, what is holy and what is very holy. However, he must never come up to the canopy or to the altar, since he has a physical defect. He must never dishonor the holy places because I, Jehovah, set them apart as holy.'

The fire must always be burning on the altar. It must never go out. The priest will burn wood on it every morning. He will lay the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offering. The fire must always be burning on the altar. It must never go out.

You will not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days. Do not leave until the last day of your ordination is over. It will take seven days to ordain you. I did today what Jehovah commanded me to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for you. You will stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the watch as Jehovah directs you. Then you will not die. This is what I was commanded. read more.
So Aaron and his sons did everything Jehovah commanded through Moses.

Jehovah gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So do not go near a dead relative, except for your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her. read more.
As the head of your people, you should never become unclean. That would make you unholy. You should never mourn by shaving bald spots on your heads, shaving the edges of your beards, or slashing your bodies. Be God's holy men. Do not dishonor the name of your God. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. It is the food (bread) of your God.

Tell them: 'In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for Jehovah, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am Jehovah. None of the descendants of Aaron who has a dreaded skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the sacred offerings until he is ritually clean. Any priest is unclean if he touches anything that is unclean through contact with a corpse or if he has an emission of semen or if he has touched an unclean animal or person. read more.
Any priest who becomes unclean remains unclean until evening. Even then he may not eat any of the sacred offerings until he has taken a bath. After the sunsets he is clean. Then he may eat the sacred offerings, which are his food.

Jehovah continued to speak to Moses: Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings that the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am Jehovah.

Every priest stands daily, serving and offering time after time the same sacrifices. Yet they can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,

The priests had a custom with the people. If any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came while the flesh was boiling, with a fork of three teeth in his hand. He stuck it into the pan, kettle, caldron or pot. All that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites that came there. Before they burned the fat the priest's servant came and said to the man who sacrificed: Give flesh to roast for the priest. For he will not have boiled flesh from you, but raw! read more.
If any man said to him: Let them burn the fat first, you may take as much as you desire. Then he would answer him, No! But you will give it now! If not, I will take it by force. The sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah. For men despised the offering of Jehovah.

Eli was very old. He heard everything his sons did to Israel. He heard how they slept with the women who served at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them: Why do you do such things? I hear of your evil dealings by all the people. No, my sons. It is not a good report that I hear. You make Jehovah's people transgress.

You must never buy back a firstborn bull, sheep, or goat. They are holy. Throw the blood from these animals against the altar. Burn the fat as an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Jehovah. The meat is yours, like the breast and the right thigh that are presented.

Take flour and bake twelve rings of bread. Each ring will contain four quarts of flour. Put them in two stacks of six each on the gold table in Jehovah's presence. Place pure incense on top of each stack. The incense on the bread will be a reminder, an offering by fire to Jehovah. read more.
Every day of worship (sabbath day) a priest must arrange the bread in Jehovah's presence. It is a long lasting reminder of my promise to the Israelites. The bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place. It is very holy, set apart from Jehovah's offering by fire. This is a long lasting law.

They are to receive the first share of the grain, wine, olive oil, and wool.

Kill it and take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the rest of the blood all around the altar. Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. He, his sons, and their clothes will then be dedicated to me.

A priest's daughter who marries someone who is not a priest may not eat any of the sacred offerings.

A priest's slaves, bought with his own money or born in his home, may eat the food the priest receives.

Only a member of a priestly family may eat any of the sacred offerings. No one else may eat them, not even someone staying with a priest or hired by him.

Command the Israelites that the lighting must be provided by pure virgin olive oil so that the lamps will not go out. Keep the lamps lit in the tent of meeting outside the canopy where the words of my covenant are. Aaron and his descendants must keep the lamps lit in Jehovah's presence from evening until morning. This is a long lasting law among the Israelites for generations to come.

A husband may have a fit of jealousy and suspect his wife, whether she was actually unfaithful or not. He must then take his wife to the priest along with eight cups of barley flour as an offering for her. He must not pour olive oil on the flour or put frankincense on it, since it is a grain offering brought because of the husband's jealousy. It is an offering used for a confession, to remind someone of a sin that was committed.

Tell Aaron and his sons: 'This is how you will bless the Israelites. Say to them: Jehovah will bless you and watch over you.' Jehovah will smile on you and be kind to you. read more.
Jehovah will look on you with favor and give you peace! Whenever they use my name to bless the Israelites, I will bless them.'

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall rule as kings with him for the thousand years.

Make a copper basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water. Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet. Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to Jehovah. read more.
They must wash their hands and feet, so that they will not die. This is a long lasting rule that they and their descendants are to observe.

He must not eat the meat of any animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild animals. It will make him unclean. I am Jehovah.

Never marry prostitutes, those who have lost their virginity, or divorced women because a priest is God's holy man.

When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons will go in and take down the canopy that hangs over the Ark containing the words of God's Covenant. First they will cover the Ark with the canopy. Over this they will put a covering of fine leather. On top of that they will spread a cloth made entirely of violet material. Then they will put the poles in place. They will spread a violet cloth over the table of the presence and put on it the plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers for the wine offerings. The bread that is always in Jehovah's presence will also be on it. read more.
They will spread a bright red cloth over everything on the table. They will then cover all this with fine leather. Then they will put the poles in place. They will use a violet cloth to cover the lamp stand, as well as the lamps, snuffers, trays, and all the containers for the olive oil used in the lamps. Then they will put the lamp stand and all its utensils under a covering of fine leather and put them on a frame to carry them. They will spread a violet cloth over the gold altar and cover the cloth with fine leather. Then they will put the poles in place. They will take all the articles that are used in the holy place and put them in a violet cloth. Then they will cover that with fine leather, and put them on a frame to carry them. After they take the ashes away, they will spread a purple cloth over the altar. They will put all the accessories used at the altar on it. These are the trays, forks, shovels, and bowls-all the altar's accessories. They will spread a covering of fine leather (sealskin) over all this. Then they will put the poles in place. When Aaron and his sons finished covering the holy things and the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites will come to carry all the holy articles. They must never touch the holy things, or they will die. The Kohathites will carry all the things from the tent of meeting.

He must dress in a holy linen robe and wear linen undergarments. He must wear a linen belt and turban. These are holy clothes. He should wash his body and put them on.

The person who is too poor to pay the required amount must stand in front of the priest. The priest will determine the amount based on what the person can afford.

From the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain! From the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely!

When they go out among the people in the outer courtyard, they must take off the clothes that they wore as they served. They must leave their clothes in the side rooms of the holy place and put on other clothes so that they do not transfer the holiness from their clothes to the people.

Anything in Israel that is claimed by Jehovah is yours.

Aaron must burn sweet incense on this altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps. When Aaron lights the lamps at dusk he must burn incense. An incense offering must burn (smoke) constantly in Jehovah's presence for generations to come.

As time went by, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to Jehovah. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn (firstlings) of his flock. Jehovah looked with favor on Abel and his offering.

Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. He, his sons, and their clothes will then be dedicated to me.

And some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem, gave freely of their wealth for the building up of the house of God in its place: Every one, as he was able, gave for the work sixty-one thousand drachmas of gold, five thousand pounds of silver and a hundred priests' robes.

Make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron's sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor.

I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to me.

These also stagger from wine and reel from beer. Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine. They reel from beer. They stagger when seeing visions. They stumble when rendering decisions.

There may be no heir to whom the payment can be made. In that case, the payment for what you did wrong must be given to Jehovah for the priest to use. This payment is in addition to the ram that is used to pay compensation for the wrongdoing makes peace with Jehovah.

Jehovah of Hosts declares to the priests: Children honor their parents and servants honor their masters. I am your father. Why do you not honor me? I am your master. Why do you not respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask: How have we despised you?

The custom was to draw lots to see who served in the temple. It was his turn to enter into the temple of God and burn incense.

Now arise, and come to your resting place, Jehovah our God, you and the ark of your power. Clothe your priests, Jehovah God, with salvation. Let your godly ones rejoice in what is good.

Be God's holy men. Do not dishonor the name of your God. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. It is the food (bread) of your God.

The priests should teach the true knowledge of God. They are the messengers of Jehovah of Hosts. Therefore the people should learn (my will) the law from them.

Get out of her my people! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of Jehovah.

Let the priests who come near to Jehovah consecrate (purify) themselves, or else Jehovah will destroy them.

Joshua spoke to the priests: Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people. So they took the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people.

King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.

Moses sent young men to burn sacrifices to Jehovah. They sacrificed some cattle as peace offerings.

The priests entered Jehovah's temple to make it clean. They carried into the courtyard every unclean thing that they found in Jehovah's Temple. Then the Levites took the unclean items outside the city to the Kidron Brook.

Jethro was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses. He heard what Jehovah God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.

Never drink beer or wine when you or your sons enter the sacred tent. If you do, you will die right there! This is a long lasting law from generation to generation.

Anoint them just as you anointed their father that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for generations to come.

In addition, we make it clear to you, that it will be against the law to put any tax or payment in goods or forced payment on any of the priests or Levites, the music-makers, doorkeepers, Nethinim, or any servants of this house of God.

And the Tirshatha (governor) said that they were not to have the most holy things for their food, till a priest came to give decision by the Urim and Thummim.

Jehovah also said: This is what you must do in order to (consecrate) set Aaron and his sons apart to serve me as priests: Take a young bull that has no defects and two rams that have no defects.

The priests, who were heads of families, numbered one thousand seven hundred and sixty. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God.

I sent them to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and gave them orders what to say to Iddo and his brothers the Nethinim at the place Casiphia, so that they might come back to us with men to do the work of the house of our God. With the help of our God they got for us Ish-sechel, one of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah with his sons and brothers, eighteen;

The priest who makes the offering for sin will eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. This is in the same place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.

Every male among the priests may eat the offering for sin. It is very holy. The offering for sin must not be eaten if some of the blood was brought into the holy place in the Tent of Meeting to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah. It must be burned.

The chief priests accused him of many things.