Leviticus 23

Appointed Festivals

1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2#vv 4, 37, 44; Num 29.39“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: These are the appointed festivals of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed festivals.

The Sabbath, Passover, and Unleavened Bread

3 # Ex 31.13–17; Lev 19.3; Deut 5.13 “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work: it is a Sabbath to the Lord throughout your settlements.

4 # v 2 “These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, the holy convocations, that you shall celebrate at the time appointed for them. 5#Ex 12.18, 19; Num 28.16, 17In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight,#23.5 Heb between the two evenings there shall be a Passover offering to the Lord, 6and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7#vv 8, 21, 25, 35, 36On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 8For seven days you shall present the Lord’s offerings by fire;#23.8 Or the Lord’s gifts on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation: you shall not work at your occupations.”

The Offering of First Fruits

9The Lord spoke to Moses, 10#Ex 23.16, 19; 34.22, 26“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11He shall raise the sheaf before the Lord, that you may find acceptance; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall raise it. 12On the day when you raise the sheaf, you shall offer a lamb a year old, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13#Lev 2.14–16And the grain offering with it shall be two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire#23.13 Or a gift of pleasing odor to the Lord, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14You shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements.

The Festival of Weeks

15 # Deut 16.9 “And from the day after the Sabbath, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of the elevation offering, you shall count seven full weeks. 16#Num 28.26You shall count until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days; then you shall present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17#Lev 2.12; 7.13You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of bread as an elevation offering, each made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of choice flour, baked with leaven, as first fruits to the Lord. 18You shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, one bull of the herd, and two rams; they shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, along with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire#23.18 Or a gift of pleasing odor to the Lord. 19#Lev 3.1; Num 28.30You shall also offer one male goat for a purification offering and two lambs a year old as a sacrifice of well-being. 20The priest shall raise them with the bread of the first fruits as an elevation offering before the Lord, together with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21#v 7On that same day you shall make proclamation; you shall hold a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. This is a statute forever in all your settlements throughout your generations.

22 # Lev 19.9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God.”

The Festival of Trumpets

23The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24#Lev 25.9; Num 29.1“Speak to the Israelites, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25You shall not work at your occupations, and you shall present the Lord’s offering by fire.”#23.25 Or the Lord’s gift

The Day of Atonement

26The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27#Lev 16.29, 30“Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall humble yourselves#23.27 Or shall fast and present the Lord’s offering by fire,#23.27 Or the Lord’s gift 28and you shall do no work during that entire day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. 29#Gen 17.14For those who do not humble themselves#23.29 Or do not fast during that entire day shall be cut off from the people. 30#Lev 20.3, 5, 6And anyone who does any work during that entire day, such a one I will destroy from the midst of the people. 31You shall do no work. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 32It shall be to you a Sabbath of complete rest, and you shall humble yourselves;#23.32 Or shall fast on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your Sabbath.”

The Festival of Booths

33The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34#vv 42, 43; Ex 23.16; Num 29.12“Speak to the Israelites, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and lasting seven days, there shall be the Festival of Booths#23.34 Or Tabernacles to the Lord. 35The first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 36#Num 29.12–38Seven days you shall present the Lord’s offerings by fire;#23.36 Or the Lord’s gifts on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and present the Lord’s offerings by fire;#23.36 Or the Lord’s gifts it is a solemn assembly; you shall not work at your occupations.

37 # vv 2, 4 “These are the appointed festivals of the Lord that you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire#23.37 Or gifts—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day— 38apart from the Sabbaths of the Lord and apart from your gifts and apart from all your votive offerings and apart from all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.

39 # Ex 23.16; Deut 16.13 “Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the festival of the Lord, lasting seven days, a complete rest on the first day and a complete rest on the eighth day. 40#Deut 16.14, 15; Neh 8.15On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic#23.40 Meaning of Heb uncertain trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41You shall keep it as a festival to the Lord lasting seven days in the year; you shall keep it in the seventh month as a statute forever throughout your generations. 42#Neh 8.14–16You shall live in booths for seven days; all who are native-born in Israel shall live in booths, 43so 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 the Lord your God.”

44 # vv 2, 37 Thus Moses declared to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.

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