Leviticus 10

Nadab & Abihu Offer Unauthorized Fire

1 Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, grabbed their incense burners, put fire and incense in them, and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, something He did not command.

2 Immediately, fire came out from the Lord and burned them up, and they died right there before the Lord.

3 Moses told Aaron, this is what the Lord meant when He said, I must be honored by those who serve Me, and I will be glorified before all the people. Aaron stayed silent.

Moses Orders Their Bodies Removed

4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and told them, come carry your cousins away from the sanctuary and take them outside the camp.

5 They came and carried them out of the camp by their tunics, just as Moses said.

6 Moses told Aaron and his other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, do not tear your clothes or mess up your hair in mourning, or you will die, and God’s anger will come down on everybody. But let the rest of Israel mourn for the ones the Lord has burned up.

7 You must not leave the entrance of the Tabernacle, or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you. So they did what Moses said.

God Gives a Command About Alcohol

8 The Lord spoke directly to Aaron.

9 You and your sons must never drink wine or alcohol when you enter the Tabernacle, or you will die. This is a permanent law for all generations.

10 You must learn to distinguish between what is holy and what is unholy, what is clean and what is unclean.

11 You must teach the Israelites all the commands the Lord gave them through Moses.

Moses Checks on the Sin Offering

12 Moses told Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, take the leftover grain offering and eat it without yeast beside the altar, because it is most holy.

13 Eat it in a holy place, because it belongs to you and your sons as part of the Lord’s fire offerings. This is what the Lord commanded.

14 Also, you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast and right thigh in a clean place. These are your share from the Israelites’ peace offerings.

15 The people must bring the thigh and the lifted breast, along with the fat portions, and lift them as a special offering before the Lord. These portions belong to you and your descendants forever, just as the Lord commanded.

Moses Gets Angry at Eleazar & Ithamar

16 Moses searched for the goat of the sin offering and saw that it had already been burned up. He got mad at Eleazar and Ithamar and said.

17 Why did you not all eat the sin offering in the holy place, It is most holy, and God gave it to you to carry the people’s guilt and make atonement for them before the Lord.

18 Since its blood was not brought inside the Tabernacle, you should have eaten it in the holy place just as I commanded.

Aaron Explains & Moses Accepts It

19 Aaron told Moses, today they presented their sin offering and burnt offering before the Lord, and you saw what happened to me. Would the Lord have been pleased if I ate the sin offering today,

20 When Moses heard this, he accepted Aaron’s answer.