Read the Bible

Introduction to the Sacrificial Regulations

¹ Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent: ² "Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When someone among you presents an offering to the Lord, you must present your offering from the domesticated animals, either from the herd or from the flock.

Burnt Offering Regulations: Animal from the Herd

³ "‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd he must present it as a flawless male; he must present it at the entrance of the Meeting Tent for its acceptance before the Lord. ⁴ He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. ⁵ Then the one presenting the offering must slaughter the bull before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must present the blood and splash the blood against the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. ⁶ Next, the one presenting the offering must skin the burnt offering and cut it into parts, ⁷ and the sons of Aaron, the priest, must put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. ⁸ Then the sons of Aaron, the priests, must arrange the parts with the head and the suet on the wood that is in the fire on the altar. ⁹ Finally, the one presenting the offering must wash its entrails and its legs in water and the priest must offer all of it up in smoke on the altar—it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Animal from the Flock

¹⁰ "‘If his offering is from the flock for a burnt offering—from the sheep or the goats—he must present a flawless male, ¹¹ and must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, will splash its blood against the altar's sides. ¹² Next, the one presenting the offering must cut it into parts, with its head and its suet, and the priest must arrange them on the wood which is in the fire, on the altar. ¹³ Then the one presenting the offering must wash the entrails and the legs in water, and the priest must present all of it and offer it up in smoke on the altar—it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

From the Birds

¹⁴ "‘If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering from the birds, he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young pigeons. ¹⁵ The priest must present it at the altar, pinch off its head and offer the head up in smoke on the altar, and its blood must be drained out against the side of the altar. ¹⁶ Then the priest must remove its entrails by cutting off its tail feathers, and throw them to the east side of the altar into the place of fatty ashes, ¹⁷ and tear it open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. Finally, the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is in the fire—it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.