The Sabbath Rest
The year is laid out as appointed times: Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread, the firstfruits sheaf, Weeks, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles, lived out in booths seven days so their children will know their Father brought Israel out of Egypt.
23 1Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
2"Speak to the Israelites and tell them: My appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as holy gatherings—these are my appointed feasts.
3"Six days work may be done; the seventh is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy gathering—do no work at all. It is my sabbath, wherever you live.
Passover and Unleavened Bread
4"These are my appointed feasts, the holy gatherings that you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is my Passover. 6On the fifteenth day of that month is my Feast of Unleavened Bread; eat unleavened bread seven days. 7On the first day hold a holy gathering; do no ordinary work. 8Present a food offering to me for seven days. The seventh day is a holy gathering—do no ordinary work."
The Feast of Firstfruits
9Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
10"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, bring the priest a sheaf of the first of your harvest. 11He will wave the sheaf before me for your acceptance; the priest will wave it the day after the Sabbath. a a v11 The first sheaf of the harvest, waved on the day after the Sabbath, points ahead to Jesus—raised on the first day of the week as the firstfruits of all who will rise to new life. 12The day you wave the sheaf, offer me a flawless year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, 13with its grain offering—about four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to me, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering, about a quart of wine. 14Eat no bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this day, until you bring your Father's offering. This is a lasting statute for all generations, wherever you live.
The Feast of Weeks
15"Count off seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the wave-offering sheaf. 16Count fifty days, until the day after the seventh Sabbath, then bring me a new grain offering. b b v16 Counting fifty days from firstfruits marks the feast later called Pentecost—the day our Father poured out the Holy Spirit on his gathered children. 17From your homes, bring two loaves of fine flour, about four quarts, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to me. 18With the bread, present seven flawless year-old lambs, one young bull, and two rams. They are a burnt offering to me, with their grain and drink offerings—a food offering, a pleasing aroma to me. 19Offer one male goat as a sin offering, and two year-old male lambs as a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20The priest will wave them, with the bread of firstfruits and two lambs, as a wave offering before me. They are holy to me, for the priest. 21Proclaim this same day, hold a holy gathering, and do no ordinary work. This is a lasting statute wherever you live, generation after generation.
22"Don't reap your field's edges bare or gather the gleanings when you harvest your land. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am your Father."
The Feast of Trumpets
23Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
24"Tell the Israelites: on the first day of the seventh month, keep a day of complete rest, a memorial of trumpet blasts, a holy gathering. 25Do no regular work; present me a food offering."
The Day of Atonement
26Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
27"The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement—hold a holy gathering, deny yourselves, and bring me a food offering. c c v27 Deny yourselves: on the Day of Atonement this meant fasting and abstaining from all ordinary work or pleasure. 28Do no work on that very day—it's the Day of Atonement, to atone for you before me, your Father. 29Anyone who does not deny himself on that very day must be cut off from his people. 30Anyone doing any work on that very day, I will destroy that person from among his people. 31Do no work at all—a lasting statute, generation to generation, wherever you live. 32This is a sabbath of complete rest for you; deprive yourselves. From evening on the ninth of the month until the next evening, keep your sabbath."
The Feast of Tabernacles
33Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
34"Tell the Israelites: On this seventh month's fifteenth day, my Feast of Tabernacles begins, lasting seven days. 35The first day: a holy gathering. Do no ordinary work. 36Seven days, present food offerings to me. On the eighth day hold a holy gathering and present a food offering to me—a solemn assembly. Do no ordinary work.
37"These are my appointed times, which you are to proclaim as holy gatherings, presenting food offerings to me—burnt offering and grain offering, sacrifice and drink offerings—each on its own day, 38besides my Sabbaths, besides your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your voluntary offerings you give me.
39"So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, once you've gathered the land's produce, celebrate my feast seven days: the first day a complete rest, the eighth day a complete rest. 40On the first day, take fruit of majestic trees, palm fronds, leafy branches, and willows of the brook, and rejoice before me, your Father, seven days. 41Celebrate it as my feast seven days each year, a lasting statute for your generations; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42Live in booths seven days; every native Israelite is to live in booths, 43so your descendants may know I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am your Father."
44So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of our Father.