The tamid (the perpetual burnt-offering) is slaughtered eight and a half hours (after sunrise) and sacrificed at nine and a half. On Pesach eve it is slaughtered at seven and a half and sacrificed at eight and a half, both on a weekday and on Shabbath. [The afternoon tamid is slaughtered all of the days of the year (excluding Pesach) eight and a half hours (after sunrise). For the time of the slaughtering of the tamid is when the evening shadows begin to fall; that is, from six and a half hours on, when the sun inclines to the west. For between six and seven it stands in the middle of the sky and casts no shadow, but each man's shadow is "beneath" him. And its slaughtering is delayed for two hours after its time because of vows and gift-offerings, it being written (Leviticus 6:5): "And he shall cause to smoke upon it the fats of the peace-offerings, so that nothing come after the afternoon tamid. And even on Shabbath, when vows and gift-offerings are not sacrificed, the time of the slaughtering of the afternoon tamid is delayed for the sake of uniformity with the weekday vows and gift-offerings. And on Pesach eve, when the Pesach offering is sacrificed after the afternoon tamid, it is advanced one hour and slaughtered at seven and a half.] If Pesach eve falls out on Sabbath eve, it is slaughtered at six and a half, [for there is also the roasting of the Pesach, which does not override Shabbath and which must be done while it is still day. The slaughtering of the tamid is, therefore, advanced to six and a half], and it is sacrificed at seven and a half [The end of the sacrifice is at seven and a half, one hour being required for its processing], and the Pesach (is slaughtered) after it.

If one did not slaughter the Pesach lishmo (as such, for its own sake) [as when he slaughtered it as a peace-offering], or if he received [its blood in the sprinkling bowl], or brought [the blood to the altar] or sprinkled [the blood on the altar] not lishmo; or lishmo and not lishmo [as when he slaughtered it lishmo and received the blood not lishmo]; or not lishmo and lishmo, it is invalidated. [We are hereby apprised that thought obtains from one (sacrificial) function to another (i.e., if he thought while performing one function to perform another with an unfit thought, e.g., if he thought: "I shall slaughter it lishmo to sprinkle its blood lo lishmo"), the offering is immediately invalidated, even if he did not perform the second function with that unfit thought. And this is how our Mishnah is to be understood, viz.: "Or [if he thought, while slaughtering, to sprinkle the blood lo lishmo] and [he sprinkled it] lishmo, it is unfit. The fact that lo lishmo renders the Pesach offering unfit is derived from (Exodus 12:27): "And you shall say: 'It is a Paschal sacrifice'" — It must be sacrificed as a Paschal offering. And "it" ("hu") connotes a categorical requirement (which, if not observed, invalidates the offering)]. "Lishmo and not lishmo": How so? Leshem Pesach and leshem shelamim (peace-offering). "Shelo lishmo and lishmo". How so? Leshem shelamim and leshem Pesach. (See above).

If he slaughtered it not for its eaters [e.g., for a sick man, an old man, and a child, who cannot eat an olive-size of flesh, and there are no others counted for it but they, it is pasul (unfit), it being written (Exodus 12:4): "A man according to his eating shall you count" — one who is capable of eating.], and not for those counted for it [i.e., if one company were counted for it and he slaughtered it for a different company], for the uncircumcised, [i.e., for Israelites whose brothers died because of circumcision (so that they were not circumcised), these being unfit to eat the Pesach, it being written (Exodus 12:48): "And no uncircumcised one shall eat of it."], and for the unclean [They, too, are forbidden to eat consecrated food, and they incur kareth if they do] (If he slaughtered it for any of the above), it is pasul. (If he slaughtered it) for its eaters and not for its eaters, for those counted for it and for those not counted for it, for the circumcised and the uncircumcised, for the unclean and the clean, it is kasher. [and it is not like "lishmo and not lishmo," which is pasul. For there the p'sul is in its body, i.e., the invalidating thought relates to the body of the offering, but with "for its eaters and not for its eaters, etc.", the invalidating thought does not relate to the body of the offering, but to something outside it.] If he slaughtered it before mid-day, it is pasul, it being written (Exodus 12:6): "towards evening." If he slaughtered it before the tamid it is kasher, so long as someone stirs its blood [so that it not congeal, so that it be fit for sprinkling] until the blood of the tamid has been sprinkled. And if it were sprinkled [before the blood of the tamid ], it is kasher. [For even though the Pesach follows the tamid, it being written in regard to the Pesach (Deuteronomy 16:6): "in the evening," (Exodus 12:6): "towards evening," it is not invalidated thereby.]

If one slaughters the Pesach in the presence of chametz [that is, if when he slaughtered it there were chametz in the domain of the slaughterer or of one of the company, even if there were no chametz in the azarah (the Temple court)], he transgresses a negative commandment, [viz. (Exodus 34:25): "Do not slaughter in the presence of chametz the blood of My sacrifice," but the offering is not invalidated.] R. Yehudah says: The tamid, too, [the afternoon tamid of Pesach eve. If one slaughtered it in the presence of chametz, i.e., if there were chametz in the domain of the slaughterer or of the sacrificer, he transgresses a negative commandment, viz.: "My sacrifice" — the sacrifice which is distinctly Mine, the tamid. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah.] R. Shimon says: If he slaughtered the Pesach [in the presence of chametz] on the fourteenth, lishmo, he is liable [by reason of: "Do not slaughter in the presence of chametz." For it is a kasher Pesach and the slaughtering is valid and called "slaughtering."]; and (if he slaughtered it) not lishmo, he is not liable, [for the Pesach is pasul, and the slaughtering is not valid and not called "slaughtering."] And for all other offerings [which were slaughtered on the fourteenth after mid-day in the presence of chametz], whether lishmo or not lishmo, he is not liable, [even though they are kasher, as it was taught: "All offerings which were sacrificed lo lishmo are kasher, etc." In spite of this, he is not liable, "My sacrifice" being written twice — (here): "Do not slaughter in the presence of chametz the blood of My sacrifice," and (Exodus 23:18): "You shall not sacrifice in the presence of chametz the blood of My sacrifice." Why does Scripture divide it and not write "My sacrifices" in one verse, so that all offerings would be implied, both the Pesach offering and all others? To teach us that when a "sacrifice" obtains, that is, on the fourteenth, when the Pesach offering obtains, he is not liable for other offerings; and when the (Pesach) "sacrifice" does not obtain, as in the midst of the festival, he is liable for other offerings if he slaughters them in the presence of chametz.] And in [the midst of] the festival, (if he slaughters it [in the presence of chametz]) lishmo, [as the Pesach offering], he is not liable [for "Do not slaughter in the presence of chametz the blood of My sacrifice," for a Pesach offering not in its time, lishmo, is pasul, and the slaughtering is invalid]; (if he slaughters it) shelo lishmo, [as shelamim (a peace-offering)], he is liable, [for it is "eligible" for this and the slaughtering is valid. And he is liable by reason of "Do not slaughter" as well as by reason of bal yeraeh and bal yimatzeh.] And for all of the other offerings [which were sacrificed on the festival in the presence of chametz], whether lishmo or lo lishmo, he is liable, [Scripture exhorting against other offerings, too] — except for a sin-offering which was slaughtered lo lishmah [it being written in respect to the slaughtering of a sin-offering: "It is a sin-offering" — "it," and not what was slaughtered lo lishmah.]

The Pesach is slaughtered in three groups [Whether the congregation be large, or it be small and they can slaughter it at one time, it is a mitzvah to divide them into three groups, one (slaughtering) after the other], it being written (Exodus 12:6): "And the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it" — "assembly," "congregation," and "Israel" [three groups]. When the first group entered and the azarah (the Temple court) was filled, the doors of the azarah were closed. They (the Cohanim) sounded the tekiah, and the teruah, and the tekiah (on the shofroth.) The Cohanim stood row upon row, and in their hands were large vessels [for receiving the blood], (vessels) of silver and of gold — one row, all of silver; the other, all of gold [to add beauty to the occasion]; they were not intermixed. And the vessels had no bases [They were broad on top and came to a point on the bottom, so that they could not be rested on the ground], lest [the Cohanim] place them there [until they received additional blood (there being many offerings) and forget them] and the blood congeal [and not be fit for sprinkling.]

If an Israelite slaughtered (the Pesach) [If he wishes to, he may, the shechitah of a non-priest being kasher with all offerings] and the priest received it, he gives it to his neighbor, [for they were standing in a row], and his neighbor to his neighbor ["The multitude of the people is the glory of the King"]. And he receives the full one [from the giver first] and [then] returns the empty one. [But not in reverse order; but as soon as he extends it (the full one) to him, he must receive it, for "mitzvoth are not to be passed over."] The Cohein nearest the altar gives it one fling [with the vessel itself, not sprinkling it with his finger (the only offering requiring this being the sin-offering, in respect to which it is written: "with his finger")] facing the base [i.e., on the sides of the altar above the base. He flings it to the perpendicular of the altar and it descends to the base. "facing the base" is stated in light of the fact that the base does not surround the entire altar, but only the north and the west, and "consuming" a cubit south and east, as explained in Middoth.]

After the first group left, the second group entered. After the second group left, the third group entered. As it was done with the first group, so was it done with the second and the third. They [all three groups] recited the Hallel. If they completed it, they repeated it. [When they started to slaughter (the Pesach), they started to recite the Hallel. If there were so many offerings that they finished the Hallel before they had finished slaughtering, and there were still many to slaughter, they would recite it a second time.] And if they recited it a second time [and the slaughtering of the offerings of that group had not yet been completed], they would recite it a third time, [and so with the second and third groups.] R. Yehudah says: All the days of the third group, they never reached (in the Hallel): "Ahavti ki yishma Hashem," [even the first time], for it was very small.

As it is done on the weekday, so was it done on Shabbath; but the Cohanim would douse the azarah contrary to the will of the sages. [Because there was much blood, they would douse it on Shabbath. There was a water duct running through the azarah. When they wanted to douse it, they would plug up its outlet and the water would flow over the sides onto the entire azarah, after which they would unplug the outlet and the water would run out.] R. Yehudah says: He (a Cohein) would fill a cup from the mixed bloods [on the floor (of the azarah)] and fling it once against the altar; but the sages did not concur with him. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah.]

How would they suspend and flay (the offering)? There were iron hooks [with their heads bent upwards] fixed in the walls, and in the poles [little poles called "nanasim" ("dwarves"), fixed in the azarah slaughterhouse], on which they would suspend and flay them. And if one had no place for suspending and flaying — there were thin, smooth ["barked"] sticks there, which he would place on his shoulder and the shoulder of his neighbor, and on which he would suspend and flay (the offering). R. Eliezer says: If the fourteenth (of Nissan) fell out on a Sabbath, [when it is not permitted to move the sticks], he places his hand on his neighbor's shoulder, and his neighbor (places) his hand on his shoulder, and he suspends it [on his elbow sinews in (the crook of his arm] and flays it. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Eliezer, there being no shvuth (rabbinic "resting") in the Temple.]

After he has slit it open and taken out its eimurin [the fats offered up on the altar], he places them in a maggis [a dish. (The targum of "its dishes" is "magisohi")], and he (the Cohein) smokes them upon the altar. After the first group leaves, it waits in the Temple Mount [This, on Shabbath, when they cannot carry out their Pesach]; the second, in the chel [between the soreg (one of the approaches of the Temple fortification) and the wall of the women's court at the beginning of the Temple ascent]; and the third stays in its place. When night fell, they went out and roasted their Pesach, [the roasting of the Pesach not overriding Shabbath.]