Sacrifices on the menu
1Here’s what I want you to do to get Aaron and his sons ready to serve as priests. Select a young bull and two male sheep with no physical defects. 2Then, from the best wheat flour you can find, make bread, cakes, and wafers. But don’t use yeast in any of these. Instead, brush them with olive oil. 3Put these baked goods in a basket and bring them to the tent worship center along with the bull and the two rams. 4Take Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the worship center, and wash them with water there.5Take the clothes Aaron will be wearing and dress him in the tunic shirt, the robe, the apron, and the belt. 6Take the turban that has the sacred medallion on it and place it on Aaron’s head. 7Now take the olive oil that’s used for anointing and pour it on his head. Do this to anoint him to serve as the high priest.
Death of a bull and ram
8Now dress Aaron’s sons in their tunics. 9Put their hats on them, as well as their sash belts. When you’ve done this, they and their families will have the right to serve as priests. This right will be theirs for one generation after another. 10Now, bring the bull near to the entrance of the tent worship center. Have Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of this bull. [1]11With the LORD watching, slaughter the bull where it stands, near the entrance of the tent worship center. 12Collect some of the bull’s blood and use your finger to paint it onto the horns [2] at the four corners of the altar. Pour the rest out on the ground at the base of the altar. 13Collect the fat that covers the bull’s intestines and internal organs. Also cut off the long lobe of the liver, and take out both kidneys with the fat on them. Burn all of this on the altar. 14Take the rest of the bull, with the hide and the excrement, and carry it outside the camp. Burn it there as an offering to pay the price [3] for sin.
15Now take one of the two rams and have Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. 16Slaughter the ram and collect some of its blood. Splash the blood against the sides of the altar. 17Cut the animal apart, removing its internal organs, and cutting off its legs and its head. 18Burn the entire animal on the altar. It will serve as a burnt offering [4] for sin. The scent of a barbecued offering like this makes the LORD happy. [5]
Painting blood on ear and toes
19Now take the second ram and have Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. 20Slaughter the ram. Collect some of its blood and paint it onto Aaron’s right earlobe. Do the same with his sons. Now paint some of the blood onto their right thumbs, their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet. [6] Splash some of the remaining blood around all four sides of the altar.21Now collect some of the blood on the altar and add it to some of the anointing oil. Sprinkle both of those onto Aaron and his clothing. Do the same to Aaron’s sons and their clothing. With this, Aaron and his sons and their clothing are devoted [7] to me, reserved for my use only.
Sacrifice of gratitude
22This is the sacrifice that authorizes [8] Aaron and his sons to serve as my priests. So cut the fat from the intestines and internal organs of the ram. Take it from the tail, as well. Cut off the long lobe from the liver. Take out both kidneys and the fat on them. Take the right thigh, too. 23Take out the baked goods made without yeast: one flat loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer.24Pass these out to Aaron and his sons. Have them lift all of these into the air, as an offering of gratitude. [9] 25Then take them from Aaron and his sons and offer them as a burnt sacrifice, The scent of a barbecued offering like this makes the LORD happy. 26Next, take the breast of the ram used to authorize Aaron as a priest and lift it into the air. Then take this part of the animal for yourself. It is yours to keep. [10]
27Reserve for Aaron and his sons the rest of the breast along with the thigh of the ram used to authorize them to serve as priests. These parts of the ram in this kind of sacrifice will belong to them. 28So in the future when anyone offers a sacrifice of gratitude, this part of the sacrificial animal will belong to Aaron and his sons. So, this part of the contribution that people bring to the LORD to express their gratitude will belong to them now and always.
Dressing for ordination
29The sacred clothes made for Aaron will belong to his descendants who serve as priests in the generations to come. They will wear these clothes when they are anointed for ministry as priests. 30Whoever succeeds Aaron as high priest will wear these clothes whenever they walk into the tent worship center and then into the most Most Sacred Room. They should wear these clothes for seven days.First meal as a priest
31Now take the priests' share of the ram used to authorize Aaron and his sons to serve as priests, and boil it in a sacred place. 32Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of this ram along with the bread that was placed in the basket at the entrance to the tent worship center.33They are allowed to eat part of the meat from the sacrifice used to authorize and dedicate them to serve as priests. But others are not allowed to eat it because these offerings are holy and are reserved for this sacred purpose. 34If on the next morning there are leftovers from the bread or the ram used authorize the ministry of Aaron and his sons, burn them. You're not allowed to eat them anymore. They belong to God. [11]
35Do everything I told you to do. Authorize Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. This authorization observance should continue for seven days. 36Every day during this week I want you to sacrifice a bull to purify them by atoning for any sin they committed and by getting rid of it. After the sacrifice, purify the altar by pouring olive oil on it. 37Every day for seven days I want you to purify the altar and dedicate it for service to God. When you do that, this will become a sacred place and whatever touches it will become holy.
