Lev 23 | HCSB | STEP | The Lord spoke to Moses :

Leviticus 23

Holy Days

1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are My appointed times, ^a the times of the Lord that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies. ^b

3 “Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, ^c a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath ^d to the Lord wherever you live.

4 “These are the Lord’s appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5 The ^{▼▼Passover: The Israelite festival celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month in the early spring. It was a celebration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, commemorating the final plague on Egypt when the firstborn were killed.}Passover ^f to the Lord comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. 6 The Festival of ^{▼▼Unleavened Bread: A seven-day festival celebrated in conjunction with the Passover; Ex 12:1-20}Unleavened Bread ^h to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. 8 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; you must not do any daily work.”

9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, ^{▼▼= the barley harvest} you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11 He will wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb ^{▼▼Or a male lamb in its first year} without blemish ^k as a ^{▼▼burnt offering(s): Or holocaust, an offering completely burned to ashes; it was used in connection with worship, seeking God's favor, expiating sin, or averting judgment.}burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its ^{▼▼grain offering(s): An offering given along with animal sacrifices or given by itself. A portion was burnt and the priests and participant ate the remainder.}grain offering is to be four quarts ^{▼▼Lit two-tenths [of an ephah]} of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, and its ^{▼▼drink offering: An offering of a specified amount of wine or beer given along with animal sacrifices; it was poured over the sacrifice before it was burned.}drink offering will be one quart ^{▼▼Lit one-fourth of a hin} of wine. 14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or any new grain ^{▼▼Grain or bread from the new harvest} until this very day, and until you have brought the offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.

15 “You are to count seven ^{▼▼Lit count; they will be seven} complete weeks ^{▼▼Or Sabbaths
,} ^t starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering. ^u 16 You are to count 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain ^{▼▼= the wheat harvest; Ex 34:22} to the Lord. 17 Bring two loaves of bread from your settlements as a presentation offering, each of them made from four quarts ^{▼▼Lit two-tenths [of an ephah]} of fine flour, baked with yeast, as ^{▼▼firstfruits: The agricultural products harvested first and given to God as an offering; also the first of more products to come}firstfruits ^y to the Lord. 18 You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 You are also to prepare one male goat as a ^{▼▼sin offering(s): Or purification offering, the sin offering was the most important OT sacrifice for cleansing from impurities. It provided purification from sin and certain forms of ceremonial uncleanness.}sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a ^{▼▼fellowship sacrifice(s) or offering(s): An animal offering was given to maintain and strengthen a person's relationship with God. It was not required as a remedy for impurity or sin but was an expression of thanksgiving for various blessings. An important function of this sacrifice was to provide meat for the priests and the participants in the sacrifice; it was also called the peace offering or the sacrifice of well-being.}fellowship sacrifice. 20 The priest will wave the lambs with the bread of firstfruits as a presentation offering before the Lord; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to make a proclamation and hold a sacred assembly. You are not to do any daily work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident; ^ab I am ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh your God.”

23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24 “Tell the Israelites: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a day of complete rest, commemoration, and joyful shouting ^{▼▼Or blast; traditionally trumpet blasts
,} ^ae – a sacred assembly. ^af 25 You must not do any daily work, but you must present a fire offering to the Lord.”

26 The Lord again spoke to Moses: 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of ^{▼▼atone/ atonement: A theological term for God's provision to deal with human sin. In the OT, it primarily means purification. In some contexts forgiveness, pardon, expiation, propitiation, or reconciliation is included. The basis of atonement is substitutionary sacrifice offered in faith. The OT sacrifices were types and shadows of the great and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.}Atonement. ^ah You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial; ^{▼▼Traditionally, fasting, abstinence from sex, and refraining from personal grooming
,} ^aj you are to present a fire offering to the Lord. 28 On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God. 29 If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he must be cut off from his people. 30 I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day. 31 You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. 32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”

33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 34 “Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Booths ^{▼▼Or Feast of Tabernacles
,} ^al to the Lord begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. 35 There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. 36 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to the Lord. It is a solemn gathering; ^am you are not to do any daily work.

37 “These are the Lord’s appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting fire offerings to the Lord, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. 38 These are in addition to the offerings for the Lord’s Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.

39 “You are to celebrate the Lord’s festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. 40 On the first day you are to take the product ^an of majestic trees – palm fronds, ^ao boughs of leafy trees, ^ap and willows of the brook ^aq – and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You are to live in booths ^ar for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.” 44 So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.