Leviticus 23

King James Version

Full text for Leviticus Chapter 23

1¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts.

3Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

4¶ These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

5In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD'S passover.

6And on the fifteenth day of the same month [is] the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

7In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

8But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein].

9And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

10Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

13And the meat offering thereof [shall be] two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD [for] a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof [shall be] of wine, the fourth [part] of an hin.

14And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15¶ And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

16Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

17Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; [they are] the firstfruits unto the LORD.

18And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be [for] a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, [even] an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

19Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

20And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits [for] a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

21And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, [that] it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work [therein: it shall be] a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I [am] the LORD your God.

23¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

25Ye shall do no servile work [therein]: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

26And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

27Also on the tenth [day] of this seventh month [there shall be] a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

28And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it [is] a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

29For whatsoever soul [it be] that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

30And whatsoever soul [it be] that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31Ye shall do no manner of work: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32It [shall be] unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth [day] of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

33¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

34Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month [shall be] the feast of tabernacles [for] seven days unto the LORD.

35On the first day [shall be] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein].

36Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a solemn assembly; [and] ye shall do no servile work [therein].

37These [are] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

38Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.

39Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day [shall be] a sabbath, and on the eighth day [shall be] a sabbath.

40And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

41And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. [It shall be] a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God.

44And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Leviticus 23 details the LORD's appointed feasts and holy convocations for the children of Israel, outlining their annual cycle of sacred observances. It begins with the weekly Sabbath, then prescribes the spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Weeks. The chapter concludes with the autumn feasts: the Feast of Trumpets, the solemn Day of Atonement, and the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, each with specific rituals and prohibitions on work.

Medium Summary

Leviticus 23 records God's instructions to Moses concerning the sacred feasts and holy convocations to be observed by the Israelites throughout their generations. It begins with the weekly Sabbath as a foundational day of rest and holy assembly. The chapter then details the spring feasts: Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, immediately followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Next, the Feast of Firstfruits requires the waving of a sheaf of the harvest, leading to the Feast of Weeks, celebrated fifty days later with new grain offerings and various sacrifices. The chapter then shifts to the seventh month, introducing the Feast of Trumpets as a memorial, followed by the solemn Day of Atonement, a day of afflicting souls and strict rest. Finally, the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles is commanded, during which the people are to dwell in booths to remember their sojourn from Egypt, concluding with an eighth day of solemn assembly. These feasts, marked by offerings and holy convocations, were perpetual statutes for their generations.

Long Summary

Leviticus 23 meticulously details the LORD's appointed feasts and holy convocations that the children of Israel were to observe throughout their generations. The chapter commences by establishing the weekly Sabbath as the foundational holy convocation, a day of complete rest in all their dwellings. Following this, the annual cycle of feasts begins with the Passover, observed on the fourteenth day of the first month, immediately succeeded by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, during which no leavened bread was to be eaten, and offerings made by fire were presented. The Feast of Firstfruits is then prescribed, requiring the presentation of a wave sheaf of the first harvest to the priest on the morrow after the Sabbath, accompanied by specific burnt offerings. Fifty days after the wave sheaf offering, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was to be celebrated, marked by the offering of two wave loaves baked with leaven, along with various burnt, sin, and peace offerings. An important social instruction is also included, commanding the leaving of gleanings for the poor and the stranger during harvest. The chapter then transitions to the feasts of the seventh month. The first day of the seventh month was to be a Feast of Trumpets, a memorial marked by the blowing of trumpets and a holy convocation with no servile work. Ten days later, the solemn Day of Atonement was commanded, a day of afflicting souls and strict abstention from all work, under penalty of being cut off from the people. This day served to make atonement for the people before the LORD. Finally, the fifteenth day of the seventh month initiated the Feast of Tabernacles, a seven-day feast requiring the people to dwell in booths, symbolizing their dwelling in temporary shelters during the exodus from Egypt. This feast involved taking branches of trees and rejoicing before the LORD. An eighth day, a solemn assembly, concluded the Feast of Tabernacles. These feasts, distinct from regular Sabbaths and other offerings, were perpetual statutes, each with specific offerings and prohibitions on work, serving as sacred times for the Israelites to remember and worship the LORD.

Core Concepts

  • Holy ConvocationsThese are designated times, commanded by the LORD, where the children of Israel were to gather for sacred assembly and worship, often involving cessation from servile work.
  • Annual FeastsThe chapter outlines a calendar of specific yearly festivals, including Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, each with unique observances.
  • Offerings and SacrificesVarious types of offerings, such as burnt offerings, meat offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings, are prescribed to be presented to the LORD during these feasts.
  • Cessation from WorkMany of the feasts, particularly the weekly Sabbath and the major annual holy days like the Day of Atonement, strictly prohibited all forms of servile work.
  • Remembrance and AtonementSeveral feasts served as memorials, such as Tabernacles recalling the exodus, while the Day of Atonement was specifically for the purpose of making atonement for the people's sins.
  • FirstfruitsThis concept emphasizes offering the initial produce of the harvest to the LORD, signifying His ownership and blessing upon their agricultural endeavors.
  • Care for the PoorAn instruction within the context of the harvest mandates leaving the corners of fields and gleanings for the poor and the stranger, demonstrating God's concern for the vulnerable.