1 Then Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, put fire in it, and placed incense on it; and they brought before the LORD strange fire, which he had not commanded them.
2 Fire went out from before the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
3 Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when he said, 'Through those who come near me I will show myself holy, and in the sight of all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace.
4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and told them, "Come here and carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary, out of the camp."
5 They came and carried them, still in their tunics, out of the camp, as Moses had said.
6 Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your garments, so that you will not die and wrath will not come upon all the congregation. Your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may weep for the burning that the LORD has kindled.
7 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die, for the LORD's anointing oil is on you." And they acted as Moses had said.
8 The LORD spoke to Aaron, saying,
9 "You and your sons with you must not drink wine or strong drink when you enter the tent of meeting, so that you will not die. This is a statute forever for your generations,
10 so that you can tell apart the holy and the common, the unclean and the clean,
11 and teach the children of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses."
12 Moses said to Aaron and to his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain offering left over from the food offerings of the LORD and eat it beside the altar without leaven, for it is most holy.
13 Eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion and your sons' portion from the food offerings of the LORD; for this is what I was commanded.
14 The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they have been given as your portion and your sons' portion from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel.
15 The thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring along with the food offerings of the fat portions, to wave them as a wave offering before the LORD; they shall be a portion forever for you and your sons with you, as the LORD has commanded."
16 Now Moses inquired diligently about the goat of the sin offering, and found that it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and said,
17 "Why did you not eat the sin offering in the holy place? It is most holy, and he gave it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD.
18 Look, its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary. You should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded."
19 Aaron answered Moses, "See, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and such things as these have befallen me. If I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the LORD's sight?"
20 When Moses heard this, it seemed good to him.