The Sin of Nadab and Abihu
(Numbers 3:1–4)

1And the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, each took his firepan, and they put fire in it, and they put incense on it, and they brought near before the face of YHWH strange† fire, which He had not commanded them. 2And fire went out from before the face of YHWH, and it consumed them, and they died before the face of YHWH.

3And Moses said to Aaron, “It is what YHWH spoke, saying,

‘By those drawing near to Me

I will be shown holy,

and before the faces of all the people

I will be glorified.’”

And Aaron was silent.

4And Moses called to Mishael and to Elzaphan,† the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and he said to them, “Draw near, carry your⁺ brothers from the face of the Holy Place, to the outside of the camp.” 5And they drew near, and they carried them in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moses had spoken.

6And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar his sons, “Do not uncover your⁺ heads† and do not tear your⁺ clothes, and you⁺ shall not die, and upon all the congregation He will be angry. And your⁺ brothers, the whole house of Israel, shall weep the burning that YHWH has burned. 7And you⁺ shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you⁺ die; for the anointing oil of YHWH is upon you⁺.”

And they did according to the word of Moses.

Restrictions for Priests

8And YHWH spoke to Aaron, saying, 9“Wine and strong drink you shall not drink, you and your sons with you, when you⁺ go into the Tent of Meeting, and you⁺ shall not die. It is a statute forever throughout your⁺ generations, 10and to distinguish between the holy and between the common, and between the unclean and between the clean, 11and to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes that YHWH has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

12And Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar his sons, the ones remaining, “Take the grain offering, the one remaining from the fire offerings of YHWH, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is holy of holies.† 13And you⁺ shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion and the portion of your sons from the fire offerings of YHWH; for so I have been commanded.

14And the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution you⁺ shall eat in a clean place—you and your sons and your daughters with you; for your portion and the portion of your sons, they are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the sons of Israel. 15The thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the fire offerings of fat to wave as a wave offering before the face of YHWH. And it shall be for you and for your sons with you for an everlasting statute, as YHWH has commanded.”

16And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up. And he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, the ones remaining, saying, 17“Why have you⁺ not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, for it is holy of holies, and He has given it to you⁺ to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement upon them before the face of YHWH? 18Behold, its blood was not brought in to the Holy Place within. You⁺ surely should have eaten it in the Holy Place, as I commanded.”

19And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have brought near their sin offerings and their burnt offerings before the face of YHWH, and things as these have befallen me; and if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the eyes of YHWH?”

20And Moses listened, and it was good in his eyes.