Unauthorized Fire Before Our Father
10 1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unauthorized fire before our Father, which he had not commanded them. 2 Fire came out from our Father's presence and consumed them, and they died before our Father. 1 1 v2 The very fire that fell from our Father to accept the people's worship now falls to consume those who approached him carelessly — his nearness is both gift and holy fire.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what our Father meant when he said: 'Among those who draw near to me I will show myself holy, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron was silent.
4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and said to them, "Come here, carry your brothers away from in front of the sanctuary, out of the camp." 5 So they came forward and carried them, still in their tunics, out of the camp, as Moses had said.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die, and wrath will come upon the whole congregation. But your relatives, the whole house of Israel, may weep over the burning that our Father has kindled. 7 Do not leave the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die, for the anointing oil of our Father is upon you." And they did as Moses said.
Our Father's Instructions for the Priests
8 Our Father spoke to Aaron, saying,
9 "You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting statute for all your generations to come, 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and so that you can teach the people of Israel all the statutes that I have spoken to them through Moses."
12 Moses spoke to Aaron and to his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: "Take the grain offering that is left over from the offerings made by fire to our Father, and eat it without yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy. 13 You must eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion and your sons' portion of the offerings made by fire to our Father; for this is what I have been commanded. 14 But you may eat the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters; for they are given as your portion and your sons' portion from the peace offerings of the people of Israel. 2 2 v14 A wave offering was a ritual gesture in which the priest moved the portion toward the altar and back, symbolically presenting it to God and receiving it back as a priestly portion. 15 They must bring the thigh that is presented and the breast that is waved, along with the fat offerings made by fire, to wave as a wave offering before our Father; these will be yours and your sons' as a lasting portion, as our Father has commanded."
16 Moses looked carefully into what had happened to the goat of the sin offering and found it had been burned up! He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's surviving sons, and said, 17 "Why did you not eat the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary? For it is most holy, and our Father has given it to you to take away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before our Father. 18 Its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary; you certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded."
19 And Aaron said to Moses, "Look, today they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before our Father, and yet all this has happened to me. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been pleasing to our Father?"
20 When Moses heard that, he was satisfied.