Chapter 10
1Now Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took their censers, put fire in them and added incense and offered unauthorized fire before AO contrary to His command.
2So fire came out from the presence of AO and consumed them and they died in the presence of AO.
3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what AO meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent.
4Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here, carry the bodies of your cousins away from the front of the sanctuary, outside the camp.”
5So they came forward and carried them still in their tunics outside the camp as Moses had directed.
6Then Moses said to Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar and his sons, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments or else you will die with the whole congregation and AO will be angry. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn [on account of] the fire that AO has ignited.
7You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die for AO’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.
8Then AO said to Aaron,
9“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
10You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean
11so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that AO has given them through Moses.”
12And Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that remains from the offerings made by fire to AO and eat it without leaven beside the altar because it [is] most holy.
13You shall eat it in a holy place because it is your share and your sons’ share of the offerings made by fire to AO for this is what I have been commanded.
14And the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution you and your sons and daughters may eat in a ceremonially clean place because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the peace offerings of the sons of Israel.
15They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering together with the fat portions of the offerings made by fire to wave as a wave offering before AO. It will belong to you and your children permanently as AO has commanded.”
16Later Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering and behold it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked,
17“Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before AO.
18Since its blood was not brought inside the holy [place], you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area as I commanded.”
19But Aaron replied to Moses, “Behold this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before AO. Since these things have happened to me, would it have been acceptable if I had eaten the sin offering in the sight of AO?”
20And when Moses heard this [explanation], he was satisfied.