Leviticus 10

Nadab and Abihu

1Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, each took his firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and brought unauthorized fire before the LORD, which the LORD had not commanded them. 2Fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying:

‘Among those who come near me, I will show myself holy,
and before all the people I will be glorified.’”

And Aaron was silent.

Mourning and Priestly Duty

4Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them, “Come near and carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” 5So they came near and carried them in their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had said. 6Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let the hair of your heads go loose and do not tear your garments, so that you do not die and wrath does not come upon the whole congregation. But your relatives, the whole house of Israel, may mourn the burning that the LORD has kindled. 7You shall not go outside the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

Distinguish the Holy from the Common

8The LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 9“You and your sons with you shall drink no wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, so that you do not die. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations, 10so that you may distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11and so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.”

The Priests’ Portions

12Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his remaining sons: “Take the grain offering that remains from the offerings by fire to the LORD and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. 13You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion and your sons’ portion from the offerings by fire to the LORD, for so I have been commanded. 14But the breast of the elevation offering and the thigh of the contribution you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and daughters with you, for they are given as your portion and your children’s portion from the Israelites’ sacrifices of well-being. 15They shall bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the elevation offering together with the fat portions offered by fire, to elevate them as an elevation offering before the LORD. They shall belong to you and your children with you as a perpetual portion, as the LORD commanded.”

Moses and Aaron Concerning the Sin Offering

16Moses carefully searched for the goat of the sin offering, and look—it had been burned. He became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, saying, 17“Why did you not eat the sin offering in the holy place? It is most holy, and the LORD gave it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD. 18Look, its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary. You certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.” 19Aaron said to Moses, “Look, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and such things as these have happened to me. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been good in the eyes of the LORD?” 20When Moses heard this, it was good in his eyes.