² “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings^(A) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.^(B) I am the Lord.^(C)

³ “Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord,^(D) that person must be cut off from my presence.^(E) I am the Lord.

⁴ “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease^[a] or a bodily discharge,^(F) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse^(G) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, ⁵ or if he touches any crawling thing^(H) that makes him unclean, or any person^(I) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. ⁶ The one who touches any such thing will be unclean^(J) till evening.^(K) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.^{(L) 7} When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.^(M)

¹⁵ The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings^(A) the Israelites present to the Lord^{(B) 16} by allowing them to eat^(C) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt^(D) requiring payment.^(E) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.^(F)’”

³² By presenting the best part^(A) of it you will not be guilty in this matter;^(B) then you will not defile the holy offerings^(C) of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north^(A) and south rooms^(B) facing the temple courtyard^(C) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,^(D) the sin offerings^[a](E) and the guilt offerings^(F)—for the place is holy.^(G)