Open English Translation LEV Chapter 23

23 Then Yahweh told Mosheh:

2 Tell the Israelis that they must proclaim Yahweh’s scheduled festivals as sacred assemblies at the given times.

3 Work for six days, then the seventh is a rest day for a sacred assembly—don’t work on that day—wherever you live it’s a rest day to honour Yahweh.[ref]

4 The following are the scheduled festivals that you must proclaim at the appointed times as sacred assemblies:

6 Then the next day (the 15th) is the start of the festival of flat bread to honour Yahweh—you all must eat bread made without any rising agent for seven days.[ref] 7 On that first day you’ll hold a sacred assembly—no regular work may be done that day. 8 For seven days you all must present offerings to Yahweh, then the seventh day is another sacred assembly—again no regular work may be done that day.

9 Then Yahweh told Mosheh:

10 Tell the Israelis that when you enter the land that I’m giving you all, and you harvest your grain crops, then you all must bring a sheaf of the first part of your harvest to a priest, 11 and he will wave the sheaf in front of Yahweh to be accepted for you. That must be done the day after the rest day. 12 That same day, you all must offer a year-old lamb with no defects to Yahweh as a burnt offering, 13 and the associated grain offering will be two kilograms of fine wheat flour mixed with olive oil. That will be a gift to Yahweh with a pleasing aroma, and the associated drink offering will be a litre of wine. 14 You all may not eat any bread, or roasted or fresh grain, on that day, until after you’ve taken the offering to your god. That is a rule that will continue throughout your generations no matter where you live.

15 Then count seven rest days from the day after you brought the bundle of grain as a wave offering—seven full weeks.[ref] 16 Then that next day will make fifty days, and then you all must present a new grain offering to Yahweh. 17 From your homes, each family must bring two loaves of bread baked with a rising agent, as a firstfruits offering to Yahweh. 18 Along with the bread, you all must present seven year-old male lambs without defects, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their associated grain and drink offerings—a gift with a pleasing aroma for Yahweh. 19 You all must also offer a male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a peace offering. 20 The priest must raise them along with the firstfruits bread as a wave offering in front of Yahweh, with the two lambs. They will become sacred to Yahweh, but for the priest to eat. 21 You all must proclaim a sacred assembly that same day—you mustn’t do any regular work. That is a permanent rule that will continue throughout the generations no matter where you live.

22 When you all harvest your crops, don’t reap to the very edge of your field and don’t pick up stalks that drop on the ground—they must be left for the poor and for foreigners without land. I am your god, Yahweh.[ref]

23 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, 24 “Tell the Israelis that on the 1st of the seventh month (Tishrei = September/October) each year, you must have a public holiday with a loud trumpet blast announcing the sacred assembly. 25 You all must not do any regular work on that day, and you all must present a fire-offering to Yahweh.”

26 Then Yahweh told Mosheh,[ref] 27 “The 10th of that seventh month is a day for making things right with Yahweh. You all must hold a sacred assembly and humble yourselves and present a fire-offering to Yahweh. 28 You mustn’t do any work on that particular day because it’s the day for making yourselves right in front of your god Yahweh, 29 because anyone who doesn’t humble themself on that day will be cut off from their people. 30 In addition, I will destroy anyone who works on that day—removing them from their people. 31 You all must not do any work. That’s a permanent rule that will continue throughout the generations no matter where you live—32 it’s a very strict rest day and you all must humble yourselves from the evening of the 9th until the next evening when it will finish.

33 Then Yahweh told Mosheh:[ref]

34 Tell the Israelis that starting on the 15th of the seventh month (of Tishrei—around September/October), there will be a celebration in shelters to honour Yahweh. 35 The first day will be a sacred assembly—you all mustn’t do any regular work. 36 You all must present a gift to Yahweh each day for seven days, and then on the eighth day, there’ll be another sacred assembly and you’ll all present a gift to Yahweh. It’ll be a day to assemble—you all mustn’t do any regular work that day.

37 The above are the scheduled dates to proclaim sacred assemblies to present a gift to Yahweh: burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, on the appropriate days, 38 as well as Yahweh’s rest days, and alongside all your regular gifts and vows and freewill offerings that you all give to Yahweh.

39 So indeed, on the 15th of the seventh month when you have harvested your crops, you’ll all celebrate Yahweh’s festival for seven days with the first and eighth days being rest days. 40 On that first day, you’ll all bring the fruit from your trees, along with palm branches, leafy branches, and willow branches from beside the creeks, and you’ll all happily celebrate in front of your god Yahweh for seven days. 41 Do that for seven days each year as a festival to honour Yahweh. you all must celebrate it in the seventh month. That’s a permanent rule that will continue throughout the generations. 42 You all must live in shelters for seven days—all you native-born Israelis, 43 so that the future generations will know that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I brought them out of Egypt (Heb. Mitsrayim). I am your god Yahweh.

44 So Mosheh passed all those scheduled dates from Yahweh, on to the Israelis.