Leviticus - The Old Testament

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

² 'Take Aaron and with him his sons, the vestments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sacrifice for sin, the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread.

³ Then call the whole community together at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.'

⁴ Moses did as Yahweh ordered; the community gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

⁵ and Moses said to them, 'This is what Yahweh has ordered to be done.'

⁶ He made Aaron and his sons come forward and washed them with water.

⁷ He then dressed him in the tunic, passed the waistband round his waist, vested him in the robe and put the ephod on him. He then put the waistband of the ephod round his waist, fastening it to him.

⁸ He put the breastplate on him, and placed the urim and thummim in it.

⁹ He put the turban on his head, and on the front of the turban, the golden flower; this was the symbol of holy consecration, which Yahweh had prescribed to Moses.

¹⁰ Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the Dwelling and everything inside it, to consecrate them.

¹¹ He sprinkled the altar seven times and anointed the altar and its accessories, the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.

¹² He then poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him.

¹³ Moses then made Aaron's sons come forward; he dressed them in tunics, passed the waistbands round their waists and put on their head-dresses, as Yahweh had ordered him.

¹⁴ He then had the bull for the sacrifice for sin brought forward. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the victim's head

¹⁵ and Moses slaughtered it. He then took the blood and with his finger put some of it on the horns on the corners of the altar to purify the altar. He then poured the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar, which he consecrated by performing the rite of expiation over it.

¹⁶ He then took all the fat covering the entrails, the mass of fat over the liver, both kidneys and their fat; and he burnt this on the altar,

¹⁷ but the bull's skin, its meat and its offal he burnt outside the camp, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

¹⁸ He then had the ram for the burnt offering brought forward. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram's head

¹⁹ and Moses slaughtered it. He poured its blood all around the altar.

²⁰ He then quartered the ram and burned the head, the quarters and the fat.

²¹ He then washed the entrails and shins, and burnt the whole ram on the altar, as a burnt offering, offered to be a pleasing smell, as food burnt for Yahweh, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²² He then had the other ram brought forward, the ram for the investiture sacrifice. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head

²³ and Moses slaughtered it. He took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

²⁴ He then made Aaron's sons come forward and he put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Next, Moses poured the rest of the blood all around the altar.

²⁵ He then took the fat: the tail, all the fat covering the entrails, the mass of fat over the liver, both kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh.

²⁶ From the basket of unleavened bread placed before Yahweh, he took an unleavened cake, a cake of bread made with oil, and a wafer; he placed these on the fat and the right thigh,

²⁷ and put it all into Aaron's hands and those of his sons, and made the gesture of offering before Yahweh.

²⁸ Moses then took them away from them and burned them on the altar, with the burnt offering. This was the investiture sacrifice, offered to be a pleasing smell, as food burnt for Yahweh.

²⁹ Moses then took the forequarter and made the gesture of offering before Yahweh. This was the portion of the ram of investiture that reverted to Moses, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

³⁰ Moses then took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled Aaron and his vestments, and his sons and their vestments, with it. In this way he consecrated Aaron and his vestments and his sons and their vestments.

³¹ Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, 'Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and eat it there, as also the bread of the investiture sacrifice still in the basket of the investiture offerings, as I ordered, when I said, "Aaron and his sons must eat it."

³² What remains of the meat and bread you will burn.

³³ For seven days you will not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, until the time of your investiture is complete; for your investiture will require seven days.

³⁴ Yahweh has ordered us to do as we have done today to perform the rite of expiation for you;

³⁵ hence, for seven days, day and night, you will remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting observing Yahweh's ritual; do this, and you will not incur death. For this was the order I received.'

³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did everything that Yahweh had ordered through Moses.