Moses consecrates Aaron and his sons.

¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

² Take Aaron, with his sons, their vestments, and the oil of anointing, a calf for sin, two rams, and a basket with unleavened bread,

³ and gather together all the assembly at the door of the tabernacle.

⁴ And Moses did as the Lord had commanded. And when all the crowd was gathered together before the entrance of the tabernacle,

⁵ he said: “This is the word that the Lord has ordered to be done.”

⁶ And immediately, he brought forward Aaron and his sons. And when he had washed them,

⁷ he vested the high priest with the linen undergarment, wrapped him with the wide belt, and clothed him with the hyacinth tunic, and over it he imposed the ephod.

⁸ And tying it to the belt, he fitted it to the breastplate, on which was Doctrine and Truth.

⁹ Also, he wrapped the headdress on his head, and over it, opposite the forehead, he placed the plate of gold, consecrated with sanctification, just as the Lord had instructed him.

¹⁰ He also took up the oil of anointing, with which he anointed the tabernacle, along with all of its articles.

¹¹ And when he had sprinkled the altar seven times to sanctify it, he anointed it and all its vessels. And the washtub with its base he sanctified with the oil.

¹² And pouring the oil over Aaron’s head, he anointed and consecrated him.

¹³ Likewise, after he had offered his sons, he vested them with linen tunics, and wrapped them with wide belts, and placed headdresses on them, just as the Lord had ordered.

¹⁴ He also offered the calf for sin. And when Aaron and his sons had placed their hands upon its head,

¹⁵ he immolated it. And drawing the blood, and dipping his finger in it, he touched the horns of the altar all around. And when it was expiated and sanctified, he poured out the remainder of the blood at its base.

¹⁶ Yet truly, the fat which was on the vital organs, and the mesh of the liver, and the two little kidneys with their fat, he burned upon the altar.

¹⁷ And the calf with the skin, and the flesh, and the dung, he burned beyond the camp, just as the Lord had instructed.

¹⁸ He also offered a ram as a holocaust. And when Aaron and his sons had imposed their hands upon its head,

¹⁹ he immolated it, and he poured out its blood around the altar.

²⁰ And cutting the ram into pieces, he burned its head, and the limbs, and the fat in the fire,

²¹ having first washed the intestines and the feet. And then he burned the whole of the ram upon the altar, because it was a holocaust of most sweet odor to the Lord, just as he had instructed him.¹

1. 8:21It is unclear from the text whether all of the pieces were burned at the same time, or if some pieces (verse 20) were burned first (head, limbs, etc.), and then the remaining whole of the ram, i.e. the main body of the ram which was not cut up, was burned separately.(Conte)

²² He also offered the second ram, as a consecration of priests. And Aaron and his sons placed their hands upon its head.

²³ And when Moses had immolated it, taking up some of its blood, he touched the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and the thumb of his right hand, and similarly also his foot.

²⁴ He also offered the sons of Aaron. And when, from the blood of the ram which was immolated, he had touched the tip of the right ear of each one, and the thumbs of their right hands, as well as their feet, he poured out the remainder upon the altar all around.

²⁵ Yet truly, the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that covers the intestines, and the mesh of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and the right shoulder, he separated.

²⁶ Then, taking bread without leaven from the basket of unleavened bread, which was before the Lord, and a cake sprinkled with oil, and a wafer, he placed them upon the fat and the right shoulder,

²⁷ delivering all these to Aaron and his sons. And when they had lifted them up in the sight of the Lord,

²⁸ he received them again from their hands, and he burned them upon the altar of holocaust, because it was an oblation of consecration, as a sweet odor of sacrifice to the Lord.

²⁹ And he took his portion from the ram of consecration, and he lifted up its breast in the sight of the Lord, just as the Lord had instructed him.

³⁰ And taking up the ointment, and the blood that was on the altar, he sprinkled it over Aaron and his vestments, and over his sons and their vestments.

³¹ And when he had sanctified them with their vestments, he instructed them, saying: “Cook the flesh before the entrance of the tabernacle, and eat it there. Likewise, eat the loaves of consecration, which have been placed in the basket, just as the Lord instructed me, saying: ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat them.’

³² Then whatever will remain of the flesh and the loaves shall be consumed with fire.

³³ Also, you shall not exit from the door of the tabernacle for seven days, until the day on which the time of your consecration shall be completed. For in seven days the consecration is finished,

³⁴ even as it has begun at this present time, so that the rite of the sacrifice might be accomplished.

³⁵ Day and night you shall remain in the tabernacle, observing the watches of the Lord, otherwise you shall die. For so it has been commanded to me.”

³⁶ And Aaron and his sons did everything that the Lord spoke by the hand of Moses.