Leviticus 23
God’s appointed holidays
The Existing One told Moses,
“Tell the Israelites that these are the Existing One’s appointed feasts that you should proclaim as sacred gatherings.
The Sabbath
“You should work for 6 days but the 7th day is a day for rest and reflection. It should be a sacred gathering where no one works across your entire country.
The Passover
“These are the Existing One’s appointed feasts: sacred gatherings you should observe at the appointed times. Every year on the 14th day of the first month, the Existing One’s Passover begins at twilight. Then on the 15th there should be the Existing One’s Flatbread Feast where you’ll eat flatbread for 15 days straight. And on the 7th day there should be a sacred gathering where no one does any of their usual work.”
Firstfruit Feast
The Existing One told Moses,
“Tell the Israelites that when they reach the land I’m giving them and harvest its crops, they should bring the first fruits they harvest to the priest. He should wave them before the Existing One on the day after the Sabbath so that you may be accepted. On that day you should offer a 1-year-old male lamb in perfect condition as a burnt offering to the Existing One. You should present 4 liters of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering to go with the lamb as a fragrant food offering to the Existing One. You should present 1 quart of wine as a drink offering to go with it. You shouldn’t eat any bread, grain, or crackers until that day when the offering has been brought to your God. Keep this tradition throughout your generations no matter where you live.
The Weeks Feast
“Starting the day after the Sabbath when you waved the firstfruits, you should count 7 full weeks, then count 50 days after that 7th Sabbath. Then you should present a grain offering of new grain to the Existing One. In your homes, make 2 loaves of bread from 4 liters of fine flour and yeast and bring them to be waved as firstfruits to the Existing One. Along with with bread, you should present 7 one-year-old lambs in perfect condition, 1 bull, and 2 rams. Together these burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings will make up a fragrant food offering for the Existing One. You should sacrifice 1 male goat as a sin offering and 2 one-year-old male lambs as peace offerings. The priest should wave them with the firstfruit bread as a wave offering to the Existing One. They should be set apart to the Existing One for the priest. And you should make a declaration that day too with a sacred gathering. You shouldn’t do any normal work that day. This should be a tradition throughout your generations forever no matter where you live.
“And when you harvest the crops from your land, you shouldn’t harvest right up to the edge of your field nor pick up the crops you dropped. You should leave them there for the poor and the refugees. I am the Existing One your God.”
The Trumpet Feast
The Existing One told Moses,
“Tell the Israelites that you should observe the 1st day of the 7th month as a day of somber rest. It should be memorialized with the sound of trumpets and a sacred gathering. You shouldn’t do any normal work that day, and you should present a food offering to the Existing One.”
Day for Making Amends
The Existing One told Moses,
“Then the Day for Making Amends will be on the 10th day of that 7th month. It will be a time of sacred gathering for you, and you should humble yourselves and present a food offering to the Existing One. You shouldn’t do any work on that day because it’s a day for making amends between you and the Existing One your God. Whoever isn’t humble on that day should be cut off from his people, and if anyone does any work on that day, I will erase him from his people. This should be your custom throughout your generations no matter where you live. It should be a Sabbath of somber rest, and you should humble yourselves. On the evening of the 9th day of the month, you should observe the Sabbath until the next evening.
Feast of Temporary Shelters
The Existing One told Moses,
“Tell the Israelites that the 15th day of the 7th month is when the Booths feast starts and it goes on for 7 days. There should be a sacred gathering on the 1st day where you shouldn’t do any normal work. You should present food offerings to the Existing One for 7 days, and on the 8th day, you should hold a sacred gathering where you present a food offering to the Existing One. It should be a somber assembly where no one does any normal work.
“These are the Existing One’s appointed feasts which you should have sacred gatherings and present food offerings to the Existing One including burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and drink offerings each on their proper days. These are in addition to the Existing One’s Sabbaths, your gifts, your vow offerings, and any voluntary offerings you would normally give to the Existing One.
“On the 15th day of the 7th month, when you’ve harvested your crops, you should celebrate the Existing One’s feast for seven days. The 1st day should be a day of somber rest as well as the 8th day. On the 1st day you should take the fruit and use tree branches to celebrate before your God the Existing One for 7 days. You should celebrate it like one of the Existing One’s feasts for 7 days. You should celebrate this custom throughout your generations on the 7th month and live in temporary shelters for 7 days. All the native Israelites should live in temporary shelters so that your generations will remember when they lived in temporary shelters when I rescued them from Egypt. I am the Existing One your God.”
So Moses told the Israelites about the feasts the Existing One appointed.