Bible in one year 4/20/2022 Leviticus introduction & chapter 1-6
By
Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian
Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry &
Counseling
Induction to the book of
Leviticus
Key
Words and Themes The language of
sacrifice pervades the book, with the word “sacrifice” occurring about
forty-two times. “Priest” is found about 189 times, “Blood” about eighty –six
times, “Holy” about eighty-seven times, and “atonement” about forty-five times.
The regulations emphasize holiness of body as well as of spirit. The New
Testament refers to Leviticus about niety times.
Historical setting The book of Exodus concludes with the erection of the tabernacle, which was constructed according to the pattern God gave to Moses. How eas Israel to use the tabernacle? The instructions in Leviticus answer that question, and were given to Moses during the month and twenty days between the setting up of the tabernacle (Ex.40:17) and the departure of the people from Sinai (Num.10:11)
Contents The book may be viewed in three complementary ways. It is a book about the holiness of God and His requirements for fellowship with Himself. Thus, it is also a book that reveals the sinfulness of man. And it may be viewed as a book about atonement, the provision of access to God for sinful man.
Leviticus Chapter 1 The way to God: Sacrifice; the
burnt offering
The
burnt offering (Lit., “ascent,” because all of the offering, except the blood,
was burned and ascended in smoke ) symbolized the offerer’s voluntary
presentation to God. It typifies the Lord Jesus’ offering of Himself unto death
(Heb.10:5-7). The Christian should similarly offer himself as a sacrifice to
God (Rom.12:1-2). Verse 4 The offerer’s
laying or pressing his hand on the head of the sacrifice symbolized his
complete identification with the animal as his substitute. An aroma pleasing.
The sacrifice smelled good to God and pleased God. Not only could a bull be used
(v.5) but also an unblemished sheep or goat and in cases of extreme poverty
even a bird (v.14) (Luke2:24).
1 And the LORD called
unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation,
saying,
2 Speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto
the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of
the flock.
3 If his offering be a
burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall
offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation before the LORD.
4 And he shall put his
hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to
make atonement for him.
5 And he shall kill
the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the
blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation.
6 And he shall flay
the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
7 And the sons of
Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon
the fire:
8 And the priests,
Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the
wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
9 But his inwards and
his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to
be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the
LORD.
10 And if his offering
be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice;
he shall bring it a male without blemish.
11 And he shall kill
it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's
sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
12 And he shall cut it
into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in
order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
13 But he shall wash
the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and
burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a
sweet savour unto the LORD.
14 And if the burnt
sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his
offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
15 And the priest
shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the
altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:
16 And he shall pluck
away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part,
by the place of the ashes:
17 And he shall cleave
it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest
shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a
burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Chapter 2 The grain offering
The grain offering of fine flour, baked goods (vv.4,5,7), or grain in the ear (v.14) reminded the people that God gave them their basic food and that they in turn owed Him their lives as a gift or tribute (which is the meaning behind the Hebrew word for this offering). It also prefigured the perfect life of Jesus Christ. Yeast and honey were excluded because they both ferment, but they could be used in the offering of first fruits (v.12;23:17) .
1 And when any will offer a meat
offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour
oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
2 And he shall bring it to Aaron's
sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof,
and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall
burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a
sweet savour unto the LORD:
3 And the remnant of the meat
offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the
offerings of the LORD made by fire.
4 And if thou bring an oblation of a
meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour
mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering
baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and
pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.
7 And if thy oblation be a meat
offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8 And thou shalt bring the meat
offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented
unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.
9 And the priest shall take from the
meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an
offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
10 And that which is left of the
meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the
offerings of the LORD made by fire.
11 No meat offering, which ye shall
bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven,
nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.
12 As for the oblation of the
firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on
the altar for a sweet savour.
13 And every oblation of thy meat
offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the
covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine
offerings thou shalt offer salt.
14 And if thou offer a meat offering
of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy
firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full
ears.
15 And thou shalt put oil upon it,
and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.
16 And the priest shall burn the
memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof,
with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the
LORD.
Chapter 3 The fellowship (peace) offering
The fellowship offering (lit., a sacrifice of concord or happiness)
was the only offering in which the offerer shared by eating a portion of the
sacrifice(7:15). Thus, it illustrated fellowship between God and man (as well
as between man and man ) on the basis of blood sacrifice. The animal could be
an unblemished male or female ox (3:1), lamb, or goat(vv.7,12). Not mention is mad
of a fellowship offering of birds because they would not provide enugh food for
a meal. The poor would have to share in the fellowship offerings brought by others.
1 And if his oblation
be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a
male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
2 And he shall lay his
hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon
the altar round about.
3 And he shall offer
of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD;
the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4 And the two kidneys,
and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the
liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
5 And Aaron's sons
shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood
that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the
LORD.
6 And if his offering
for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or
female, he shall offer it without blemish.
7 If he offer a lamb
for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD.
8 And he shall lay his
hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the
congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about
upon the altar.
9 And he shall offer
of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD;
the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone;
and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the
inwards,
10 And the two
kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul
above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
11 And the priest
shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto
the LORD.
12 And if his offering
be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.
13 And he shall lay
his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the
congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the
altar round about.
14 And he shall offer
thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that
covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
15 And the two
kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul
above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
16 And the priest
shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for
a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD's.
17 It shall be a
perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye
eat neither fat nor blood.
Chapter 4 The sin offering
The sin offering (4:1-5-5:13) was to be brought in cases of sins done unintentionally; i.e., known sins committed out of weakness or way wardness, in contrast to sins of presumption done in defiance of God’s laws (Num.15:30). Some examples are listed in 5:1-4. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was the full and final sin offering (2 Cor.5:21).
The priest’s sin offering was a young bull. Note that the carcass was burned outside the camp (v.12. Heb.13:10-13). A young bull also provided the sin offering for the whole congregation. If a ruler sinned, he had to bring a male goat, whose blood was put on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and poured out at its base, rather than being taken into the tent as in the other cases. An ordinary person could bring as a sin offering an unblemished female goat (v.28) or lamb(v.32) or in cases of poverty, two doves or two pigeons (5:7). In extreme cases, one could offer a small portion of fine flour (5:11; Heb.9:22)
1 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the
children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any
of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done,
and shall do against any of them:
3 If the priest that
is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for
his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD
for a sin offering.
4 And he shall bring
the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the
LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock
before the LORD.
5 And the priest that
is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle
of the congregation:
6 And the priest shall
dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the
LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.
7 And the priest shall
put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the
LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the
blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is
at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8 And he shall take
off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that
covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
9 And the two kidneys,
and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the
liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away,
10 As it was taken off
from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn
them upon the altar of the burnt offering.
11 And the skin of the
bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards,
and his dung,
12 Even the whole
bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the
ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are
poured out shall he be burnt.
13 And if the whole
congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the
eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the
commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are
guilty;
14 When the sin, which
they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a
young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the
congregation.
15 And the elders of
the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the
LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
16 And the priest that
is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the
congregation:
17 And the priest
shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before
the LORD, even before the vail.
18 And he shall put
some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is
in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the
bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation.
19 And he shall take
all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.
20 And he shall do
with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do
with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be
forgiven them.
21 And he shall carry
forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first
bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.
22 When a ruler hath
sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of
the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
23 Or if his sin,
wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a
kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
24 And he shall lay
his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill
the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering.
25 And the priest
shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon
the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the
bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
26 And he shall burn
all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and
the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall
be forgiven him.
27 And if any one of
the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of
the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and
be guilty;
28 Or if his sin,
which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering,
a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
29 And he shall lay
his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the
place of the burnt offering.
30 And the priest
shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of
the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the
bottom of the altar.
31 And he shall take
away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of
peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour
unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be
forgiven him.
32 And if he bring a
lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.
33 And he shall lay
his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in
the place where they kill the burnt offering.
34 And the priest
shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon
the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood
thereof at the bottom of the altar:
35 And he shall take
away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the
sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the
altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest
shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be
forgiven him.
Chapter 5 The guilt (trespass) offering
Three examples of sins requiring a sin offering are given. The first is that of withholding evidence when called upon to testify: a public charge to testify; i.e., a summons to testify. Verses 2-3 give the case of accidental ceremonial defilement by contact with an unclean animal or man. The third example is that of being unable to fulfill a rash vow (v.4).
The Lord’s holy things (vv.15-16) Neglecting to pay a tithe, eating parts of the sacrifice that belonged to the priests, failing to redeem the firstborn. Not only did restitution have to be made, but a penalty had to be paid equal to a fifth part of the value. When a man suspected that he may have used something holy for himself, he could bring a trespass offering in order to cover his possible guilt.
1 And if a soul sin,
and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known
of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
2 Or if a soul touch
any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of
unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden
from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
3 Or if he touch the
uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled
withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.
4 Or if a soul swear,
pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a
man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of
it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.
5 And it shall be,
when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he
hath sinned in that thing:
6 And he shall bring his
trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from
the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest
shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.
7 And if he be not
able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath
committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin
offering, and the other for a burnt offering.
8 And he shall bring
them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first,
and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:
9 And he shall
sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the
rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin
offering.
10 And he shall offer
the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall
make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be
forgiven him.
11 But if he be not
able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall
bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin
offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense
thereon: for it is a sin offering.
12 Then shall he bring
it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial
thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto
the LORD: it is a sin offering.
13 And the priest
shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one
of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest's,
as a meat offering.
14 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,
15 If a soul commit a
trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he
shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the
flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary,
for a trespass offering:
16 And he shall make
amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the
fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an
atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be
forgiven him.
17 And if a soul sin,
and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the
commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall
bear his iniquity.
18 And he shall bring
a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass
offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him
concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be
forgiven him.
19 It is a trespass
offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD.
Chapter 6 Added instruction concerning the offerings; The burnt offering and the sin offering
Examples of fraud, involving robbery,
extortion, a deposit of money, or something found but unreported. Restitution included
a 20 percent (or double tithe) penalty. Verses 14-18 facts concerning the priests’
portion of the meal offering A perpetual (morning and evening, like the burnt offering
) meal offering of the priests, which, because it was for the priests, could not
be eaten but had to be burned. (vv.19-23)
1 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,
2 If a soul sin, and
commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which
was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by
violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;
3 Or have found that
which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all
these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
4 Then it shall be,
because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took
violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which
was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,
5 Or all that about
which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and
shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it
appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
6 And he shall bring
his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock,
with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:
7 And the priest shall
make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any
thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
8 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,
9 Command Aaron and
his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt
offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and
the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.
10 And the priest
shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his
flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt
offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
11 And he shall put
off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without
the camp unto a clean place.
12 And the fire upon
the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall
burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and
he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.
13 The fire shall ever
be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
14 And this is the law
of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before
the altar.
15 And he shall take
of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof,
and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it
upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD.
16 And the remainder
thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten
in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they
shall eat it.
17 It shall not be
baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings
made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass
offering.
18 All the males among
the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your
generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that
toucheth them shall be holy.
19 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,
20 This is the
offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the
day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat
offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.
21 In a pan it shall
be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken
pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
22 And the priest of
his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever
unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt.
23 For every meat
offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.
24 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,
25 Speak unto Aaron
and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place
where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the
LORD: it is most holy.
26 The priest that
offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the
court of the tabernacle of the congregation.
27 Whatsoever shall
touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood
thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the
holy place.
28 But the earthen
vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen
pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.
29 All the males among
the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.
30 And no sin offering,
whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to
reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the
fire.
Bibliography,
King James, The Holy Bible,
Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company
Lee, Witness. The
New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.
Ryrie, Charles C. The
Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
Roberts, Oral. “Holy Bible” (KJV) Tulsa, OK:
Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, Inc, 1981
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