The Skeptics Annotated Bible (123 page)

19
Ye shall offer
at your own will
a male without blemish
, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.

(22.19)
“Ye shall offer … a male without blemish.”

20
But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer
: for it shall not be acceptable for you.

(22.20)
“But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer.”

21 And
whosoever offereth a sacrifice
of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep,
it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.

(22.21)
“Whosoever offereth a sacrifice … it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.”

22
Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD
, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.

(22.22)
“Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD.”

23 Either
a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts
, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it
shall not be accepted
.

(22.23)
“A bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts … shall not be accepted.”

24
Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut
; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.

(22.24)
“Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut.”

25
Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them
: they shall not be accepted for you.

(22.25)
“Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them.”
God won’t accept animal sacrifices from strangers, since strangers have blemishes and are corrupt.

26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

27 When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and
from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted
for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

28 And whether it be cow or ewe,
ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

(22.27-28)
“From the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted …
[but]
ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.”
Don’t kill animals for God until they are at least eight days old. And don’t kill mother and her young on the same day. You can kill the mom on one day and her young on the next.

29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

30 On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I am the LORD.

31 Therefore shall ye
keep my commandments, and do them
: I am the LORD.

(22.31)
“Keep my commandments, and do them.”
God wants everyone to do all the stuff he’s commanded in Leviticus.

32 Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,

33 That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD.

23
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

3 Six days shall work be done: but
the seventh day is the sabbath
of rest, an holy convocation;
ye shall do no work therein
: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

(23.3)
“The seventh day is the Sabbath … ye shall do no work therein.”
101 Is it necessary to keep the Sabbath?

4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

(23.12-20)
More instructions on killing and burning animals
I guess the first nine chapters of Leviticus wasn’t enough. God says we must do this because he really likes the smell—it is “a sweet savour unto the Lord.”
20 Does God desire animal sacrifices?

12 And
ye shall offer
that day when ye wave the sheaf
an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

(23.12)
“Ye shall offer … an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.”

13 And
the meat offering
thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil,
an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour
: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.

(23.13)
“The meat offering … an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour”

14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God:
it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations
in all your dwellings.