1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took an incense burner. They put burning coals and incense in it. Then in Jehovahs presence they offered this unauthorized fire.
2 A fire flashed from Jehovah and burned them. They died in the presence of Jehovah.
3 Moses said to Aaron: »This is what Jehovah was speaking about when he said: All who serve me must respect my holiness. I will reveal my glory to my people.« But Aaron remained silent.
4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle. He said: »Come here and carry your cousins' bodies away from the sacred tent and put them outside the camp.«
5 So they came and took hold of the clothing on the corpses. They carried them outside the camp just as Moses had commanded.
6 Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: Do not leave your hair uncombed or tear your clothes to show that you are in mourning. If you do you will die. For Jehovah will be angry with the whole community. But all other Israelites are allowed to mourn this death caused by the fire Jehovah sent.
7 »You are Jehovahs chosen priests. You must not leave the sacred tent, or you will die.« Aaron and his two sons obeyed Moses.
8 Jehovah said to Aaron:
9 »Never drink beer or wine when you or your sons enter the sacred tent. If you do, you will die right there! This is a long lasting law from generation to generation.
10 »You must learn the difference distinction between what is holy and what is not holy and between the clean and the unclean.
11 »You must also teach the people of Israel everything that I commanded Moses to say to them.«
12 Moses spoke to Aaron and his two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. He said: »Take the grain offering that is left over from the food offered to Jehovah. Bake unleavened bread with it and eat it beside the altar. This is because this offering is very holy.
13 »Eat it in a holy place. It is the part that belongs to you and your sons from the food offered to Jehovah. That is what Jehovah commanded me.
14 »You and your families may eat the breast and the hind leg that are presented as the special gift and the special contribution to Jehovah for the priests. You may eat them in any ritually clean place. These offerings have been given to you and your children as the part that belongs to you from the fellowship offerings of the people of Israel.
15 »They shall bring the hind leg and the breast at the time the fat is presented as a food offering to Jehovah. These parts belong to you and your children from generation to generation, just as Jehovah commanded.«
16 Moses asked about the goat for the sin offering and learned that it had already been burned. This made him angry with Eleazar and Ithamar. He demanded:
17 »Why did you not eat the sin offering in a sacred place? It is very holy! Jehovah gave it to you in order to take away the sin of the community.
18 »Since its blood was not brought into the sacred Tent, you should have eaten the sacrifice there, as I commanded.«
19 Aaron answered: »If I had eaten the sin offering today, would Jehovah have approved? The people presented their sin offering to Jehovah today. They brought their burnt offering, but still these terrible things have happened to me.«
20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.