1And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each of them took his censer, and put fire in them, and added incense, and offered strange (unauthorized) fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them to do. 2And so fire blazed out from the presence of the LORD, and it devoured (consumed) them, and they died before the LORD. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke of, when He said, ‘I will be sanctified by them that come near Me, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace (was silent). 4And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron, and told them, “Come forward, and carry the bodies of your cousins from in front of the sanctuary to an area outside of the camp.” 5So they came, and carried them, still in their tunics, out of the camp; as Moses had said. 6And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not show grief by leaving your hair unkempt, nor by tearing your clothes; or you will die, and wrath will come upon all the people. But let your relatives, of the whole house of Israel, mourn for those that the LORD has destroyed by fire. 7And you shall not leave the tabernacle of meeting, or you will die: because the anointing oil of the LORD is on you.” And they did as Moses said. 8And the LORD said to Aaron, 9“Do not drink wine nor strong (fermented) drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, or you will die: this shall be a lasting statute for generations to come: 10So that you can distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 11And so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes which the LORD has spoken unto them through Moses.” 12And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his two remaining sons, “Take the meal (grain) offering that remains of the offerings to the LORD, and eat it, without leaven, beside the altar: for it is most holy: 13And you shall eat it in the holy place, because it is the share for you and your sons, of the sacrifices of the LORD: for so I have been commanded. 14And you, your sons, and your daughters, shall eat the wave breast and heave shoulder in a clean place: for they have been given to you and your children out of the sacrifices of peace offerings by the Israelites. 15You must lift up the heave shoulder and the wave breast with the offerings of the fat, to be waved for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be yours, and your sons, by a statute forever; as the LORD has commanded.” 16And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it had been burned up: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, and asked, 17“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the holy place? It is most holy, and God has given it to you to remove the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for the people before the LORD. 18Since its blood was not brought into the holy place: you should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded.” 19And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, they have this day offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and when such things as these have befallen me: if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the eyes of the LORD?” 20And when Moses heard that, he was content (satisfied). Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |