Leviticus 23 - EasyEnglish Bible 2024（EASY）

Chapter 23Rules about Sabbath days and special holy days

1The Lord said to Moses,

2‘Tell this to Israel's people:

These are the special days and festivals that I have chosen. At these times you must meet together to worship me.

3In each week, there are six days when you can do your work. The seventh day is the Sabbath day. On that day you must rest. You must not do any work. It is a holy day when you meet together to worship the Lord. This is the rule in all the places where you live.

Rules about the Passover Festival

4There are also times that I have chosen for festivals. They are holy days when you must meet together to worship me.

5The Passover festival will be on the 14th day of the first month of each year. It will begin when the sun goes down on that day. It is a time to give honour to the Lord.

6On the next day, the 15th day of the first month, the festival of Flat Bread will begin, to give honour to the Lord. For seven days you must eat bread that has no yeast in it.

7On the first of those seven days, you must all meet together to worship the Lord. You must not do your usual work.

8For seven days you must offer sacrifices as a gift to the Lord. On the seventh day you must meet together again to worship the Lord. You must not do your usual work on that day.’ Rules about the Festival of First Harvest

9The Lord said to Moses,

10‘Tell Israel's people, “When you go into the land that I will give you, crops will grow there. When you bring home the crops at harvest time, you must take some of the first grain to the priest.

11He will lift up the grain as a special offering to the Lord. The Lord will accept your gift. The priest will do this on the day after the Sabbath day.

12On the same day, you must also bring a perfect lamb that is one year old. That will be a burnt offering to the Lord.

13You must also bring two tenths of an ephah of the best flour that is mixed with olive oil. That will be your gift to the Lord. The smell of this offering will give pleasure to the Lord. You must also offer 1 litre of wine as a drink offering.

14You must not eat any of the new grain until you have done this. You must not use the grain to make bread. You must not cook it. Wait until the day that you bring the offering to your God. Then you may eat the grain. This is a rule that will continue for ever, in all the places where you live.

Rules about the Festival of Weeks

15Count seven weeks from the day when the priest has made this offering of grain.

16You must count until the day after the seventh Sabbath day. That will be 50 days. Then you must bring another grain offering to the Lord.

17Each family must bring from their homes two loaves of bread as a special gift to the Lord. You must use two tenths of an ephah of good flour and yeast to make the bread. This is a gift to the Lord from the first crops of your harvest.

18As well as the bread, the whole group of people must bring seven perfect lambs that are one year old. They must bring a young bull and two male sheep. These animals will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with the grain offering and the drink offerings. The smell of these offerings while they are burning will give pleasure to the Lord.

19You must also offer one male goat as a sin offering. And you must offer two lambs that are one year old as a friendship offering.

20The priest will lift up the two lambs and the bread as a special gift to the Lord. They are a holy offering to the Lord that belongs to the priests.

21On that day, you must not do any of your usual work. It is a day when you must meet together to worship the Lord. This is a rule that will continue for ever, in all the places where you live.

22At harvest time, when you cut the crops on your land, do not cut to the edge of your field. Do not pick up the grain that falls onto the ground. Leave some of the grain for the poor people and for the foreign people who live among you. I am the Lord your God.” ’

Rules about the Festival of Trumpets

23The Lord said to Moses,

24‘Tell Israel's people, “Each year, on the first day of the seventh month, you must have a complete rest. When you hear the sound of trumpets you must meet together to worship the Lord.

25You must not do any of your usual work on that day. Instead, you must bring special offerings to the Lord.” ’

Rules about the Day of Atonement

26The Lord said to Moses,

27‘The tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. On that day, you must come together to worship the Lord. You must not eat any food. Instead, you must make a special offering to the Lord.

28You must not do any work on that day. It is a day of atonement. The priests will offer sacrifices to the Lord your God to make you clean from your sins.

29You must punish anyone who does not obey the rules for this day. That person can no longer belong among God's people.

30I will destroy any person from among my people who does any work on that day.

31You must not do any kind of work. This rule will continue for ever in all the places where you live.

32It is a Sabbath day of complete rest for all of you. It is a day when you must not eat any food. You must rest from the evening of the ninth day until the evening of the tenth day.’

Rules about the Festival of Huts

33The Lord said to Moses,

34‘Tell Israel's people, “Each year, on the 15th day of the seventh month, the Festival of Huts will start. The festival will continue for seven days, to give honour to the Lord.

35On the first day of the festival, you must meet together to worship the Lord. You must not do any of your usual work.

36For seven days you must offer special gifts to the Lord. On the eighth day you must meet together to worship the Lord. You must offer a special gift to him. It is the last day of the festival and you must all meet together. You must not do any of your usual work.

37These are the rules for the special days that the Lord has chosen. They are times when you must meet together to worship the Lord. You will also offer special gifts to him. You will bring burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and sacrifices each day, as the rules teach.

38You must meet to worship the Lord on these festival days, as well as on each Sabbath day. You must make these special offerings at festivals, as well as your usual gifts. You must give them to the Lord, as well as the gifts that you have promised to give and the gifts that you choose to give.

39On the 15th day of the seventh month, you must begin the Festival of Huts. That is the time when you bring your crops home from the fields. This festival will continue for seven days, to give honour to the Lord. The first day and the eighth day of the festival are days of complete rest from your usual work.

40On the first day, you must pick fruit from your best trees. Cut off branches of palm trees, willow trees and other trees with many leaves. Then for seven days you will be happy as you give honour to the Lord.

41You must worship the Lord in this way for seven days. Do this in the seventh month of each year. This is a rule that will continue for all time.

42All of you who were born as Israelites must live in huts for seven days.

43Then your descendants in the future will know that Israel's people lived in tents for many years. I caused them to do that after I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” ’

44Moses told the Israelites these rules about the festivals that the Lord had chosen. They were times for them to worship him.