(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)

Emor

Commandments for Priests

21.1. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron and say to them,

“No one will be defiled for the dead among his people, 2. but for his kin that is near to him, for his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3. and for his sister, a virgin that is close to him, who has had no husband; he may be defiled for her. 4. He will not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. 5. They will not make baldness upon their head, neither will they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6. They will be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, they do offer for the offerings of the LORD* made by fire, the bread of their God, therefore they will be holy. 7. They will not take a wife who is a harlot or dishonored; neither will they take a woman divorced from her husband: for he is holy to his God. 8. You will sanctify him therefore, for he offers the bread of your God: he will be holy to you, for I AM holy, the LORD* Who sanctifies you. 9. And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father: she will be burned with fire.

21:10. “He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured and is consecrated to put on the garments will not uncover his head or tear his clothes. 11. Neither will he go in to any dead body or defile himself for his father or for his mother. 12. Neither will he go out of the Sanctuary or profane the Sanctuary of his God, for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I AM the LORD*! 13. And he will take a wife in her virginity. 14. A widow or a divorced woman or dishonored or a harlot, these he will not take, but he will take a virgin of his own people to wife. 15. Neither will he profane his seed among his people, for I AM, the LORD* Who sanctifies him.

21:16. “And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 17. “Speak to Aaron, saying,

“Whoever he is of your seed in their generations that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18. For any man who has a blemish, he will not approach, a blind man or a lame or he that has a flat nose or he that has a limb too long 19. or a man that is broken footed or broken handed 20. or crook-backed or a dwarf or that has a blemish in his eye or be scurvy or scabbed or has his testicles broken; 21. no man that has a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest will come near to offer the offerings of the LORD* made by fire: he has a blemish, he will not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22. He will eat the bread of his God, of the most holy and of the holy. 23. Only he will not go in to the veil or come near to the altar, because he has a blemish, so he does not profane My Sanctuaries, for I AM the LORD* Who sanctifies them.”

Priests Held to Higher Standard

22.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, to separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they sanctify to Me, and to not profane My holy name. I AM the LORD*! 3. Say to them,

“Whoever he is of all your seed among your generations that goes to the holy things, which the children of Israel sanctify to the LORD*, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul will be cut off from My presence. I AM the LORD*! 4. Whatever man of the seed of Aaron is a leper or has a running issue, he will not eat of the holy things until he is clean. And whoever touches anything unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goes from him, 5. or whoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has, 6. the one that has touched any such will be unclean until evening and will not eat of the holy things, unless he immerses his flesh with water. 7. And when the sun is down (evening), he will be clean and will afterward eat of the holy things, because it is his food. 8. That which dies of itself or is torn by beasts, he will not eat to defile himself with it. I AM the LORD*! 9. They will therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die therefore, if they profane it. I AM the LORD* Who sanctifies them. 10. No stranger will eat the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest or a hired servant will not eat the holy thing. 11. But if the priest buys any soul with his money, he will eat of it and he that is born in his house, they will eat of his meat. 12. If the priest’s daughter also is married to a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things. 13. But if the priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and does not have a child, and has returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she will eat of her father’s meat but no stranger eat will of it. 14. And if a man eats of the holy thing unwittingly, then he will put the fifth of it to it, and will give it to the priest with the holy thing. 15. And they will not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer to the LORD*, 16. or allow them to bear the iniquity of guilt, when they eat their holy things, for I AM the LORD* Who sanctifies them.”

Freewill Offerings

22:17. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 18. “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the children of Israel and say to them,

“Whoever of the House of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his offering for all his vows and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer to the LORD* for a burnt offering, 19. you will offer at your own will a male without blemish of the cattle, of the sheep, or of the goats. 20. But you will not offer whatever has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. 21. And whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD* to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in cattle or sheep, it will be perfect to be accepted, there will be no blemish in it. 22. Blind or broken or maimed or having a wart or scurvy or scabbed, you will not offer these to the LORD*, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to the LORD*. 23. Either a bull or a lamb that has a limb too long or that has a limb too short, you may offer that for a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. 24. You will not offer to the LORD* that which is bruised or crushed or broken or cut, neither will you make any offering of it in your land. 25. Neither from a stranger’s hand will you offer the bread of your God of any of these, because their corruption is in them, blemishes are in them: they will not be accepted for you.”

22:26. And the LORD* spoke to Moses, saying,

22:27. “When a bull or a sheep or a goat is brought forth, it will be seven days under its mother, and from the eighth day on it will be accepted for an offering made by fire to the LORD*. 28. And whether it is a cow or ewe, you will not kill it and its young both in one day. 29. And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD*, offer it at your own will. 30. It will be eaten on the same day; you will leave none of it until the next day: I AM the LORD*. 31. Therefore you will keep My commandments, and do them: I AM the LORD*. 32. You will not profane My holy name, but I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel. I AM the LORD* Who sanctifies you, 33. Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I AM the LORD*!”

The Appointed Seasons of the Lord

Sabbath

23.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them,

“The appointed seasons of the LORD*, which you will proclaim holy convocations, these are My appointed seasons. 3. Six days will work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath, a Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation. You will do no work; it is the Sabbath of the LORD* in all your dwellings.”

Passover

23:4. “These are the appointed seasons of the LORD*, holy convocations, which you will proclaim in their seasons. 5. On the fourteenth of the first month at twilight is the Passover of the LORD*.”

Unleavened Bread

23:6. “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened bread to the LORD*: you must eat unleavened bread seven days. 7. On the first day you will have a holy convocation: you will do no servile work. 8. But you will offer an offering made by fire to the LORD* for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation: you will do no servile work.” 

First Fruits

23:9. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 10. “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them,

“When you have come into the land that I am giving to you and reap its harvest, then you will bring an omer of the First Fruits of your harvest to the priest, 11. and he will wave the omer before the LORD*, to be accepted for you: on the next day after the Sabbath the priest will wave it. 12. And you will offer that day when you wave the omer, you will offer a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to the LORD*. 13. And the meal offering of it will be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD*, a sweet savor, and the drink offering of it will be of wine, the fourth of a hin. 14. And you will eat neither bread nor parched grain nor green ears until the selfsame day that you have brought an offering to your God: it will be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

Shavuot

23:15. “And you will count for yourself from the next day (First Fruits)  after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the omer of the wave offering, seven weeks will be complete: 16. to the day after the seventh week you will number fifty days and you will offer a new grain (wheat) offering to the LORD*. 17. You will bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenths of an ephah. They will be of fine flour, they will be baked with leaven; they are the First Fruits to the LORD*. 18. And you will offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year and one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD*, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire, of sweet savor to the LORD*. 19. Then you will make one he goat for a sin offering and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offering. 20. And the priest will wave them with the bread of the First Fruits, a wave offering before the LORD* with the two lambs: they will be holy to the LORD* for the priest. 21. And you will proclaim on the selfsame day that it is a holy convocation for you, you will do no servile work. It will be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

23:22. “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you will not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, neither will you gather any gleaning of your harvest. You will leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I AM the LORD* your God!” 

Day of Memorial

23:23. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 24. “Speak to the children of Israel saying,

“In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you will have a Sabbath, a memorial announced with a blowing of horns, a holy convocation. 25. You will do no servile work on this day: but you will make an offering made by fire to the LORD*.” 

Day of Atonement

23:26. And the LORD* spoke to Moses, saying,

23:27. “Surely, on the tenth of this seventh month will be a Day of Atonement: it will be a holy convocation for you, and you will afflict yourselves and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD*. 28. And you will do no work on that same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD* your God. 29. For whoever will not be afflicted in that same day, he will be cut off from among his people. 30. And whoever does any work on that same day, I will destroy the same one from among his people. 31. You will do no manner of work: it will be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32. It will be a Sabbath of rest for you and you will afflict yourselves: on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you will celebrate your Sabbath.”

Sukkot

23:33. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 34. “Speak to the children of Israel saying,

“The fifteenth day of this seventh month will be the Feast of Sukkot to the LORD* for seven days. 35. On the first day will be a holy convocation: you will do no servile work on it. 36. Seven days you will offer an offering made by fire to the LORD*: the eighth day will be a holy convocation for you and you will offer an offering made by fire to the LORD*: it is a solemn assembly, you will do no servile work on it.

23:37. “These are the Seasons of the LORD*, which you will proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD*, a burnt offering, a grain offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, everything on its day, 38. besides the Sabbaths of the LORD* and besides your gifts and besides all your vows and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD*.

23:39. “However, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the fruit of the land, you will keep a feast to the LORD* seven days: the first day will be a Sabbath and the eighth day will be a Sabbath. 40. And on the first day you will take the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees and the boughs of thick trees and willows of the brook and you will rejoice before the LORD* your God seven days. 41. And you will keep it a feast to the LORD* seven days in the year. It will be a statute forever in your generations: you will celebrate it in the seventh month. 42. You will dwell in booths seven days. All that are Israelites born will dwell in booths, 43. so your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I AM the LORD* your God!”

23:44. And Moses declared the Seasons of the LORD* to the children of Israel.

Service in the Tabernacle

24.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “Command the children of Israel to take to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. 3. Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron will order it from the evening to the morning before the LORD* continually: it will be a statute forever in your generations. 4. He will set in order the lamps on the pure menorah before the LORD* continually.

24:5. “And you will take fine flour and bake twelve cakes of it, two tenths of an ephah will be in one cake. 6. And you will set them in two rows, six in   a row, on the pure table before the LORD*. 7. And you will put pure frankincense upon each row, so it will be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD*.

8. Every Sabbath he will set it in order before the LORD* continually, taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 9. And it will be Aaron’s and his sons’ and they will eat in the Holy Place, for it is most holy to him of the offerings of the LORD* made by fire by a perpetual statute.”

24:10. And the son of an Israeli woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel, and this son of the Israeli woman and   a man of Israel strove together in the camp 11. and the Israeli woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD* and cursed. And they brought him to Moses, and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan, 12. and they put him under guard until the mind of the LORD* would be explained to them.

Capital Punishment

24:13. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 14. “Bring forth him who has cursed outside the camp and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head and let the whole congregation stone him. 15. And you will speak to the children of Israel saying, ‘Whoever curses his God will bear his sin. 16. And he who blasphemes the name of the LORD* will surely be put to death. The whole congregation will certainly stone him as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemes the name of the LORD*, he will be put to death.’

24:17. “And he who kills any life of mankind will surely be put to death. 18. And he who kills a beast will make it good; beast for beast. 19. And if a man causes a blemish in his neighbor; as he has done, so will it be done to him, 20. a break for a break, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth: as he has caused a blemish in a man, so will it be done to him. 21. And he that kills a beast, he will restore it: and he that kills a person will be put to death. 22. You will have one manner of law as well for the stranger as for the native for I AM the LORD* your God.”

24:23. And Moses spoke to the children of Israel that they should bring forth him who had cursed outside the camp and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD* commanded Moses.

Next week’s Torah readings: B’har

(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)