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10 And Nadav and Avihu, the bnei Aharon, each took his censer, and put eish therein, and put ketoret (incense) thereon, and offered eish zarah (strange, unauthorized fire) before Hashem, which He commanded them not.

And there went out eish (fire) from the presence of Hashem, and devoured them, and they died before Hashem.

Then Moshe said unto Aharon, This is it that Hashem spoke, saying, I will show Myself kadosh among them that come near Me, and before kol HaAm (all the People) I will be honored. And Aharon was silent.

And Moshe called Mishael and Eltzaphan, the bnei Uzziel the dod (uncle) of Aharon, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the Kodesh to the outside of the machaneh.

So they went near, and carried them in the kuttanot of them out of the machaneh; as Moshe had said.

And Moshe said unto Aharon, and unto Eleazar and unto Itamar, his banim, Don’t uncover your head, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon kol HaEdah; but let your brethren, the kol Bais Yisroel, bewail the burning which Hashem hath kindled.

And ye shall not go out from the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed, lest ye die; for the shemen mishchat (anointing oil) of Hashem is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moshe.

And Hashem spoke unto Aharon, saying,

Do not drink yayin nor strong drink, thou, nor thy banim with thee, when ye go into the Ohel Mo’ed, lest ye die; it shall be chukkat olam throughout your generations;

10 And that ye may put difference between kodesh and chol (common, profane), and between tameh (unclean) and tahor (clean);

11 And that ye may teach the Bnei Yisroel all the chukkim which Hashem hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moshe.

12 And Moshe spoke unto Aharon, and unto Eleazar and unto Itamar, his banim that were left, Take the minchah that remaineth of the offerings of Hashem made by eish, and eat it without leaven (i.e., matzot) beside the Mizbe’ach; for it is kodesh kodashim;

13 And ye shall eat it in the makom kadosh, because it is the chok (share, portion) of thee and thy banim, of the sacrifices of Hashem made by eish; for so I am commanded.

14 And the breast of the waving and raised up thigh shall ye eat in a makom tahor; thou, and thy banim, and thy banot with thee; for they are thy chok, and the chok of thy banim, which are given out of the zevakhim of shelamim (peace offerings) of the Bnei Yisroel.

15 The raised-up thigh and the breast of the waving shall they bring with the offerings made by eish of the chelavim (fat portions), to wave it for a wave offering before Hashem; and it shall be thine, and unto thy banim with thee, by a chok olam (portion forever); as Hashem hath commanded.

16 And Moshe diligently inquired about the sa’ir of the chattat, and, hinei, it was burned up; and he was angry with Eleazar and Itamar, the bnei Aharon which were left alive, saying,

17 Why have ye not eaten the chattat in the makom hakodesh, seeing it is kodesh kodashim, and G-d hath given it you to bear away the avon HaEdah, to make kapporah for them before Hashem?

18 Since the dahm of it was not brought in within HaKodesh, ye should indeed have eaten it in the Kodesh, as I commanded.

19 And Aharon said unto Moshe, See, today have they offered their chattat (sin offering) and their olah (burnt offering) before Hashem; and such things have befallen me; and if I had eaten the chattat today, should it have been accepted in the sight of Hashem?

20 And when Moshe heard that, he was satisfied.

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu(A) took their censers,(B) put fire in them(C) and added incense;(D) and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord,(E) contrary to his command.(F) So fire came out(G) from the presence of the Lord and consumed them,(H) and they died before the Lord.(I) Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:

“‘Among those who approach me(J)
    I will be proved holy;(K)
in the sight of all the people
    I will be honored.(L)’”

Aaron remained silent.

Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan,(M) sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel,(N) and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp,(O) away from the front of the sanctuary.(P) So they came and carried them, still in their tunics,(Q) outside the camp, as Moses ordered.

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,(R) “Do not let your hair become unkempt[a](S) and do not tear your clothes,(T) or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community.(U) But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn(V) for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting(W) or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil(X) is on you.” So they did as Moses said.

Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons are not to drink wine(Y) or other fermented drink(Z) whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance(AA) for the generations to come, 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,(AB) 11 and so you can teach(AC) the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.(AD)

12 Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering(AE) left over from the food offerings prepared without yeast and presented to the Lord and eat it beside the altar,(AF) for it is most holy. 13 Eat it in the sanctuary area,(AG) because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings presented to the Lord; for so I have been commanded.(AH) 14 But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast(AI) that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place;(AJ) they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings. 15 The thigh(AK) that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the fat portions of the food offerings, to be waved before the Lord as a wave offering.(AL) This will be the perpetual share for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”

16 When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering[b](AM) and found that 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(AN) in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt(AO) of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord. 18 Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place,(AP) you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.(AQ)

19 Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering(AR) before the Lord, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the Lord have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?” 20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 10:6 Or Do not uncover your heads
  2. Leviticus 10:16 Or purification offering; also in verses 17 and 19