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Leviticus 4-5
New International Version

The Sin Offering

4 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally(A) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands(B)—

3 “‘If the anointed priest(C) sins,(D) bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull(E) without defect(F) as a sin offering[a](G) for the sin he has committed.(H) 4 He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord.(I) He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the Lord. 5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood(J) and carry it into the tent of meeting. 6 He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle(K) some of it seven times before the Lord,(L) in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.(M) 7 The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns(N) of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar(O) of burnt offering(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He shall remove all the fat(Q) from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, 9 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys(R)— 10 just as the fat is removed from the ox[b](S) sacrificed as a fellowship offering.(T) Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.(U) 11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines(V)— 12 that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp(W) to a place ceremonially clean,(X) where the ashes(Y) are thrown, and burn it(Z) there in a wood fire on the ash heap.(AA)

13 “‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally(AB) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt 14 and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull(AC) as a sin offering(AD) and present it before the tent of meeting. 15 The elders(AE) of the community are to lay their hands(AF) on the bull’s head(AG) before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord.(AH) 16 Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood(AI) into the tent of meeting. 17 He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle(AJ) it before the Lord(AK) seven times in front of the curtain. 18 He is to put some of the blood(AL) on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord(AM) in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar(AN) of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 He shall remove all the fat(AO) from it and burn it on the altar,(AP) 20 and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement(AQ) for the community, and they will be forgiven.(AR) 21 Then he shall take the bull outside the camp(AS) and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.(AT)

22 “‘When a leader(AU) sins unintentionally(AV) and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt 23 and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat(AW) without defect. 24 He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord.(AX) It is a sin offering.(AY) 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar(AZ) of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.(BA) 26 He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement(BB) for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.(BC)

27 “‘If any member of the community sins unintentionally(BD) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt 28 and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering(BE) for the sin they committed a female goat(BF) without defect. 29 They are to lay their hand on the head(BG) of the sin offering(BH) and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.(BI) 30 Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering(BJ) and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar(BK) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(BL) In this way the priest will make atonement(BM) for them, and they will be forgiven.(BN)

32 “‘If someone brings a lamb(BO) as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect.(BP) 33 They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it(BQ) for a sin offering(BR) at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.(BS) 34 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.(BT) 35 They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar(BU) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

5 “‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify(BV) regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.(BW)

2 “‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground)(BX) and they are unaware that they have become unclean,(BY) but then they come to realize their guilt; 3 or if they touch human uncleanness(BZ) (anything that would make them unclean)(CA) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath(CB) to do anything, whether good or evil(CC) (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess(CD) in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat(CE) from the flock as a sin offering[c];(CF) and the priest shall make atonement(CG) for them for their sin.

7 “‘Anyone who cannot afford(CH) a lamb(CI) is to bring two doves or two young pigeons(CJ) to the Lord as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8 They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck,(CK) not dividing it completely,(CL) 9 and is to splash(CM) some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar;(CN) the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar.(CO) It is a sin offering. 10 The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way(CP) and make atonement(CQ) for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.(CR)

11 “‘If, however, they cannot afford(CS) two doves or two young pigeons,(CT) they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah[d](CU) of the finest flour(CV) for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 They are to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial[e] portion(CW) and burn it on the altar(CX) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement(CY) for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest,(CZ) as in the case of the grain offering.(DA)’”

The Guilt Offering

14 The Lord said to Moses: 15 “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally(DB) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty(DC) a ram(DD) from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.[f](DE) It is a guilt offering.(DF) 16 They must make restitution(DG) for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value(DH) and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.

17 “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it,(DI) they are guilty and will be held responsible.(DJ) 18 They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering(DK) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven.(DL) 19 It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of[g] wrongdoing against the Lord.”(DM)

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:3 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  2. Leviticus 4:10 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  3. Leviticus 5:6 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  4. Leviticus 5:11 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  5. Leviticus 5:12 Or representative
  6. Leviticus 5:15 That is, about 2/5 ounce or about 12 grams
  7. Leviticus 5:19 Or offering; atonement has been made for their
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Leviticus 4-5
New King James Version

The Sin Offering

4 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: (A)‘If a person sins [a]unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, 3 (B)if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned (C)a young bull without blemish as a (D)sin offering. 4 He shall bring the bull (E)to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord. 5 Then the anointed priest (F)shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting. 6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the (G)veil of the sanctuary. 7 And the priest shall (H)put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour (I)the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8 He shall take from it all the fat of the bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails, 9 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove, 10 (J)as it was taken from the bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering. 11 (K)But the bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal— 12 the whole bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, (L)where the ashes are poured out, and (M)burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13 ‘Now (N)if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, (O)and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which should not be done, and are guilty; 14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting. 15 And the elders of the congregation (P)shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord. Then the bull shall be killed before the Lord. 16 (Q)The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tabernacle of meeting. 17 Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. 18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 19 He shall take all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20 And he shall do (R)with the bull as he did with the bull as a sin offering; thus he shall do with it. (S)So the priest shall make [b]atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. 21 Then he shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly.

22 ‘When a [c]ruler has sinned, and (T)done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord his God in anything which should not be done, and is guilty, 23 or (U)if his sin which he has committed [d]comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. 24 And (V)he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it at the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord. It is a sin offering. 25 (W)The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And he shall burn all its fat on the altar, like (X)the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering. (Y)So the priest shall make [e]atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

27 (Z)‘If [f]anyone of the [g]common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and is guilty, 28 or (AA)if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 29 (AB)And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. 30 Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. 31 (AC)He shall remove all its fat, (AD)as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a (AE)sweet aroma to the Lord. (AF)So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

32 ‘If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, (AG)he shall bring a female without blemish. 33 Then he shall (AH)lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. 35 He shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn it on the altar, (AI)according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. (AJ)So the priest shall make atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

The Trespass Offering

5 ‘If a person sins in (AK)hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he (AL)bears [h]guilt.

2 ‘Or (AM)if a person touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and he is unaware of it, he also shall be unclean and (AN)guilty. 3 Or if he touches (AO)human uncleanness—whatever uncleanness with which a man may be defiled, and he is unaware of it—when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty.

4 ‘Or if a person [i]swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips (AP)to do evil or (AQ)to do good, whatever it is that a man may pronounce by an oath, and he is unaware of it—when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty in any of these matters.

5 ‘And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall (AR)confess that he has sinned in that thing; 6 and he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin.

7 (AS)‘If he is not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord, for his trespass which he has committed, two (AT)turtledoves or two young pigeons: one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. 8 And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and (AU)wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it [j]completely. 9 Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the (AV)rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 And he shall offer the second as a burnt offering according to the (AW)prescribed manner. So (AX)the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

11 ‘But if he is (AY)not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring for his offering one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. (AZ)He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it (BA)as a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar (BB)according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 (BC)The priest shall make atonement for him, [k]for his sin that he has committed in any of these matters; and it shall be forgiven him. (BD)The rest shall be the priest’s as a grain offering.’ ”

Offerings with Restitution

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 15 (BE)“If a person commits a trespass, and sins unintentionally in regard to the holy things of the Lord, then (BF)he shall bring to the Lord as his trespass offering a ram without blemish from the flocks, with your valuation in shekels of silver according to (BG)the shekel of the sanctuary, as a trespass offering. 16 And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, (BH)and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. (BI)So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

17 “If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, (BJ)though he does not know it, yet he is (BK)guilty and shall bear his [l]iniquity. 18 (BL)And he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him. 19 It is a trespass offering; (BM)he has certainly trespassed against the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:2 through error
  2. Leviticus 4:20 Lit. covering
  3. Leviticus 4:22 leader
  4. Leviticus 4:23 is made known to him
  5. Leviticus 4:26 Lit. covering
  6. Leviticus 4:27 Lit. any soul
  7. Leviticus 4:27 Lit. people of the land
  8. Leviticus 5:1 his iniquity
  9. Leviticus 5:4 vows
  10. Leviticus 5:8 Lit. apart
  11. Leviticus 5:13 concerning his sin
  12. Leviticus 5:17 punishment
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Leviticus 4-5
New American Standard Bible

The Law of Sin Offerings

4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins (A)unintentionally in any of the [a]things which the Lord has (B)commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, 3 (C)if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then he is to offer to the Lord a [b]bull without defect as a sin offering for his sin which he has [c]committed. 4 He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, and (D)he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter the bull before the Lord. 5 Then the (E)anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, 6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of (F)the veil of the sanctuary. 7 The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of (G)the altar of fragrant incense which is before the Lord in the tent of meeting; and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8 And (H)he shall remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails, 9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the [d]lobe of the liver, which he shall remove (I)with the kidneys 10 (just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings); and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But (J)the hide of the bull and all its flesh, along with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its refuse, 12 [e]that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to (K)a clean place outside the camp where the fatty ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the fatty ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13 ‘(L)Now if the entire congregation of Israel does wrong unintentionally and the matter [f]escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the [g]things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty; 14 (M)when the sin [h]which they have [i]committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer (N)a [j]bull of the herd as a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting. 15 Then (O)the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered (P)before the Lord. 16 Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting; 17 and (Q)the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. 18 He shall then put some of the blood on the horns of (R)the altar which is before the Lord [k]in the tent of meeting; and all the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 19 And (S)he shall remove all its fat from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar. 20 He shall also do with the bull just as he did with (T)the bull of the sin offering; he shall do the same with it. So (U)the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he is to bring the bull out to a place outside the camp and burn it just as he burned the first bull; it is (V)the sin offering for the assembly.

22 ‘When (W)a leader (X)sins and unintentionally does any of [l]the things which the Lord his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty, 23 [m](Y)if his sin [n]which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a [o](Z)goat, (AA)a male without defect. 24 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter it in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering before the Lord; it is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on (AB)the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And he shall offer (AC)all its fat up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So (AD)the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 ‘Now if [p]anyone of the [q]common people sins (AE)unintentionally by doing any of the [r]things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, 28 [s](AF)if his sin which he has [t]committed is made known to him, then he shall bring as his offering a [u](AG)goat, a (AH)female without defect, for his sin which he has [v]committed. 29 And (AI)he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and (AJ)slaughter the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. 30 The priest shall then take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of (AK)the altar of burnt offering; and (AL)all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31 (AM)Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as (AN)a soothing aroma to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for him, [w]and he will be forgiven.

32 ‘But if he brings (AO)a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without defect. 33 And (AP)he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering (AQ)in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering. 34 And the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of (AR)the altar of burnt offering, and (AS)all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35 Then he shall remove (AT)all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer [x]it up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the Lord. So (AU)the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his sin which he has [y]committed, and he will be forgiven.

The Law of Guilt Offerings

5 ‘Now if a person sins after he hears a [z]public (AV)order to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his punishment. 2 Or if a person touches (AW)any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty. 3 Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty. 4 Or if a person (AX)swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter people speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty of one of these things. 5 So it shall be when he becomes guilty of one of these things, that he shall (AY)confess that in which he has sinned. 6 He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has [aa]committed, (AZ)a female from the flock, a lamb or a [ab]goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

7 ‘But if [ac]he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young doves, (BA)one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. 8 He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer that which is for the sin offering, and shall pinch off its head at the front of its neck, but he (BB)shall not sever it. 9 He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering (BC)on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out (BD)at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. 10 The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering (BE)according to the ordinance. (BF)So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has [ad]committed, and it will be forgiven him.

11 ‘But (BG)if his [ae]means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young doves, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an [af]ephah of fine flour as a sin offering; (BH)he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, [ag]with the offerings of the Lord by fire: it is a sin offering. 13 So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has [ah]committed from (BI)one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then (BJ)the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’”

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 15 “(BK)If a person acts unfaithfully and sins (BL)unintentionally against the Lord’s holy things, then he shall bring his (BM)guilt offering to the Lord: (BN)a ram without defect from the flock, according to your assessment in silver by shekels, in terms of the (BO)shekel of the sanctuary, as a guilt offering. 16 And (BP)he shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and shall add to it a fifth part of it and give it to the priest. (BQ)The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him.

17 “Now if a person sins and does any of the things [ai]which the Lord has commanded not to be done, (BR)though he was unaware, he is still guilty and shall bear his punishment. 18 He is then to bring to the priest (BS)a ram without defect from the flock, according to your assessment, as a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he committed (BT)unintentionally and did not know it, and it will be forgiven him. 19 It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:2 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
  2. Leviticus 4:3 Lit bull of the herd
  3. Leviticus 4:3 Lit sinned
  4. Leviticus 4:9 Or appendage on
  5. Leviticus 4:12 Lit and
  6. Leviticus 4:13 Lit is hidden from the eyes of
  7. Leviticus 4:13 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
  8. Leviticus 4:14 Lit concerning which
  9. Leviticus 4:14 Lit sinned
  10. Leviticus 4:14 Lit son of the herd
  11. Leviticus 4:18 Lit which is in
  12. Leviticus 4:22 Lit all commands of the Lord which are not to be done
  13. Leviticus 4:23 Lit or
  14. Leviticus 4:23 Lit in which he has sinned
  15. Leviticus 4:23 Lit buck of the goats
  16. Leviticus 4:27 Lit one soul
  17. Leviticus 4:27 Lit people of the land
  18. Leviticus 4:27 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
  19. Leviticus 4:28 Lit or
  20. Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
  21. Leviticus 4:28 Or female goat
  22. Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
  23. Leviticus 4:31 Or so that he may be
  24. Leviticus 4:35 Lit them
  25. Leviticus 4:35 Lit sinned
  26. Leviticus 5:1 Lit voice of a curse
  27. Leviticus 5:6 Lit sinned
  28. Leviticus 5:6 Lit female goat
  29. Leviticus 5:7 Lit his hand does not reach enough for
  30. Leviticus 5:10 Lit sinned
  31. Leviticus 5:11 Lit hand does not reach
  32. Leviticus 5:11 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
  33. Leviticus 5:12 Lit upon
  34. Leviticus 5:13 Lit sinned
  35. Leviticus 5:17 Lit the commands of the Lord which are
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Leviticus 4-5
New Living Translation

Procedures for the Sin Offering

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. This is how you are to deal with those who sin unintentionally by doing anything that violates one of the Lord’s commands.

3 “If the high priest[a] sins, bringing guilt upon the entire community, he must give a sin offering for the sin he has committed. He must present to the Lord a young bull with no defects. 4 He must bring the bull to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle,[b] lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the Lord. 5 The high priest will then take some of the bull’s blood into the Tabernacle, 6 dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the inner curtain of the sanctuary. 7 The priest will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense that stands in the Lord’s presence inside the Tabernacle. He will pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 8 Then the priest must remove all the fat of the bull to be offered as a sin offering. This includes all the fat around the internal organs, 9 the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. He must remove these along with the kidneys, 10 just as he does with cattle offered as a peace offering, and burn them on the altar of burnt offerings. 11 But he must take whatever is left of the bull—its hide, meat, head, legs, internal organs, and dung— 12 and carry it away to a place outside the camp that is ceremonially clean, the place where the ashes are dumped. There, on the ash heap, he will burn it on a wood fire.

13 “If the entire Israelite community sins by violating one of the Lord’s commands, but the people don’t realize it, they are still guilty. 14 When they become aware of their sin, the people must bring a young bull as an offering for their sin and present it before the Tabernacle. 15 The elders of the community must then lay their hands on the bull’s head and slaughter it before the Lord. 16 The high priest will then take some of the bull’s blood into the Tabernacle, 17 dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the inner curtain. 18 He will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense that stands in the Lord’s presence inside the Tabernacle. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 19 Then the priest must remove all the animal’s fat and burn it on the altar, 20 just as he does with the bull offered as a sin offering for the high priest. Through this process, the priest will purify the people, making them right with the Lord,[c] and they will be forgiven. 21 Then the priest must take what is left of the bull and carry it outside the camp and burn it there, just as is done with the sin offering for the high priest. This offering is for the sin of the entire congregation of Israel.

22 “If one of Israel’s leaders sins by violating one of the commands of the Lord his God but doesn’t realize it, he is still guilty. 23 When he becomes aware of his sin, he must bring as his offering a male goat with no defects. 24 He must lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered before the Lord. This is an offering for his sin. 25 Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood of the sin offering and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 26 Then he must burn all the goat’s fat on the altar, just as he does with the peace offering. Through this process, the priest will purify the leader from his sin, making him right with the Lord, and he will be forgiven.

27 “If any of the common people sin by violating one of the Lord’s commands, but they don’t realize it, they are still guilty. 28 When they become aware of their sin, they must bring as an offering for their sin a female goat with no defects. 29 They must lay a hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered. 30 Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 Then he must remove all the goat’s fat, just as he does with the fat of the peace offering. He will burn the fat on the altar, and it will be a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Through this process, the priest will purify the people, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven.

32 “If the people bring a sheep as their sin offering, it must be a female with no defects. 33 They must lay a hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered. 34 Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood of the sin offering and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 35 Then he must remove all the sheep’s fat, just as he does with the fat of a sheep presented as a peace offering. He will burn the fat on the altar on top of the special gifts presented to the Lord. Through this process, the priest will purify the people from their sin, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven.

Sins Requiring a Sin Offering

5 “If you are called to testify about something you have seen or that you know about, it is sinful to refuse to testify, and you will be punished for your sin.

2 “Or suppose you unknowingly touch something that is ceremonially unclean, such as the carcass of an unclean animal. When you realize what you have done, you must admit your defilement and your guilt. This is true whether it is a wild animal, a domestic animal, or an animal that scurries along the ground.

3 “Or suppose you unknowingly touch something that makes a person unclean. When you realize what you have done, you must admit your guilt.

4 “Or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad. When you realize its foolishness, you must admit your guilt.

5 “When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin. 6 Then you must bring to the Lord as the penalty for your sin a female from the flock, either a sheep or a goat. This is a sin offering with which the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord.[d]

7 “But if you cannot afford to bring a sheep, you may bring to the Lord two turtledoves or two young pigeons as the penalty for your sin. One of the birds will be for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 8 You must bring them to the priest, who will present the first bird as the sin offering. He will wring its neck but without severing its head from the body. 9 Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the sides of the altar, and the rest of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar. This is an offering for sin. 10 The priest will then prepare the second bird as a burnt offering, following all the procedures that have been prescribed. Through this process the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord, and you will be forgiven.

11 “If you cannot afford to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, you may bring two quarts[e] of choice flour for your sin offering. Since it is an offering for sin, you must not moisten it with olive oil or put any frankincense on it. 12 Take the flour to the priest, who will scoop out a handful as a representative portion. He will burn it on the altar on top of the special gifts presented to the Lord. It is an offering for sin. 13 Through this process, the priest will purify those who are guilty of any of these sins, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the flour will belong to the priest, just as with the grain offering.”

Procedures for the Guilt Offering

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 15 “If one of you commits a sin by unintentionally defiling the Lord’s sacred property, you must bring a guilt offering to the Lord. The offering must be your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value with silver, as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel.[f] 16 You must make restitution for the sacred property you have harmed by paying for the loss, plus an additional 20 percent. When you give the payment to the priest, he will purify you with the ram sacrificed as a guilt offering, making you right with the Lord, and you will be forgiven.

17 “Suppose you sin by violating one of the Lord’s commands. Even if you are unaware of what you have done, you are guilty and will be punished for your sin. 18 For a guilt offering, you must bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value. Through this process the priest will purify you from your unintentional sin, making you right with the Lord, and you will be forgiven. 19 This is a guilt offering, for you have been guilty of an offense against the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 4:3 Hebrew the anointed priest; also in 4:5, 16.
  2. 4:4 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 4:5, 7, 14, 16, 18.
  3. 4:20 Or will make atonement for the people; similarly in 4:26, 31, 35.
  4. 5:6 Or will make atonement for you for your sin; similarly in 5:10, 13, 16, 18.
  5. 5:11 Hebrew 1⁄10 of an ephah [2.2 liters].
  6. 5:15 Each shekel was about 0.4 ounces or 11 grams in weight.
Listen to Leviticus 4-5
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Leviticus 4-5
The Message

The Absolution-Offering

4 1-12 God spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites, When a person sins unintentionally by straying from any of God’s commands, breaking what must not be broken, if it’s the anointed priest who sins and so brings guilt on the people, he is to bring a bull without defect to God as an Absolution-Offering for the sin he has committed. Have him bring the bull to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting in the presence of God, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter the bull before God. He is then to take some of the bull’s blood, bring it into the Tent of Meeting, dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times before God, before the curtain of the Sanctuary. He is to smear some of the blood on the horns of the Altar of Fragrant Incense before God which is in the Tent of Meeting. He is to pour the rest of the bull’s blood out at the base of the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. He is to remove all the fat from the bull of the Absolution-Offering, the fat which covers and is connected to the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is around them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver which he takes out along with the kidneys—the same procedure as when the fat is removed from the bull of the Peace-Offering. Finally, he is to burn all this on the Altar of Burnt Offering. Everything else—the bull’s hide, meat, head, legs, organs, and guts—he is to take outside the camp to a clean place where the ashes are dumped and is to burn it on a wood fire.

13-21 “If the whole congregation sins unintentionally by straying from one of the commandments of God that must not be broken, they become guilty even though no one is aware of it. When they do become aware of the sin they’ve committed, the congregation must bring a bull as an Absolution-Offering and present it at the Tent of Meeting. The elders of the congregation will lay their hands on the bull’s head in the presence of God and one of them will slaughter it before God. The anointed priest will then bring some of the blood into the Tent of Meeting, dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times before God in front of the curtain. He will smear some of the blood on the horns of the Altar which is before God in the Tent of Meeting and pour the rest of it at the base of the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. He will remove all the fat and burn it on the Altar. He will follow the same procedure with this bull as with the bull for the Absolution-Offering. The priest makes atonement for them and they are forgiven. They then will take the bull outside the camp and burn it just as they burned the first bull. It’s the Absolution-Offering for the congregation.

22-26 “When a ruler sins unintentionally by straying from one of the commands of his God which must not be broken, he is guilty. When he becomes aware of the sin he has committed, he must bring a goat for his offering, a male without any defect, lay his hand on the head of the goat, and slaughter it in the place where they slaughter the Whole-Burnt-Offering in the presence of God—it’s an Absolution-Offering. The priest will then take some of the blood of the Absolution-Offering with his finger, smear it on the horns of the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering, and pour the rest at the base of the Altar. He will burn all its fat on the Altar, the same as with the fat of the Peace-Offering.

“The priest makes atonement for him on account of his sin and he’s forgiven.

27-31 “When an ordinary member of the congregation sins unintentionally, straying from one of the commandments of God which must not be broken, he is guilty. When he is made aware of his sin, he shall bring a goat, a female without any defect, and offer it for his sin, lay his hand on the head of the Absolution-Offering, and slaughter it at the place of the Whole-Burnt-Offering. The priest will take some of its blood with his finger, smear it on the horns of the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering, and pour the rest at the base of the Altar. Finally, he’ll take out all the fat, the same as with the Peace-Offerings, and burn it on the Altar for a pleasing fragrance to God.

“In this way, the priest makes atonement for him and he’s forgiven.

32-35 “If he brings a lamb for an Absolution-Offering, he shall present a female without any defect, lay his hand on the head of the Absolution-Offering, and slaughter it at the same place they slaughter the Whole-Burnt-Offering. The priest will take some of the blood of the Absolution-Offering with his finger, smear it on the horns of the Altar of Burnt-Offering, and pour the rest at the base of the Altar. He shall remove all the fat, the same as for the lamb of the Peace-Offering. Finally, the priest will burn it on the Altar on top of the gifts to God.

“In this way, the priest makes atonement for him on account of his sin and he’s forgiven.”

* * *

5 “If you sin by not stepping up and offering yourself as a witness to something you’ve heard or seen in cases of wrongdoing, you’ll be held responsible.

2 “Or if you touch anything ritually unclean, like the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or a dead reptile, and you weren’t aware of it at the time, but you’re contaminated and you’re guilty;

3 “Or if you touch human uncleanness, any sort of ritually contaminating uncleanness, and you’re not aware of it at the time, but later you realize it and you’re guilty;

4 “Or if you impulsively swear to do something, whether good or bad—some rash oath that just pops out—and you aren’t aware of what you’ve done at the time, but later you come to realize it and you’re guilty in any of these cases;

5-6 “When you are guilty, immediately confess the sin that you’ve committed and bring as your penalty to God for the sin you have committed a female lamb or goat from the flock for an Absolution-Offering.

“In this way, the priest will make atonement for your sin.

7-10 “If you can’t afford a lamb, bring as your penalty to God for the sin you have committed two doves or two pigeons, one for the Absolution-Offering and the other for the Whole-Burnt-Offering. Bring them to the priest who will first offer the one for the Absolution-Offering: He’ll wring its neck but not sever it, splash some of the blood of the Absolution-Offering against the Altar, and squeeze the rest of it out at the base. It’s an Absolution-Offering. He’ll then take the second bird and offer it as a Whole-Burnt-Offering, following the procedures step-by-step.

“In this way, the priest will make atonement for your sin and you’re forgiven.

11-12 “If you cannot afford the two doves or pigeons, bring two quarts of fine flour for your Absolution-Offering. Don’t put oil or incense on it—it’s an Absolution-Offering. Bring it to the priest; he’ll take a handful from it as a memorial and burn it on the Altar with the gifts for God. It’s an Absolution-Offering.

13 “The priest will make atonement for you and any of these sins you’ve committed and you’re forgiven. The rest of the offering belongs to the priest, the same as with the Grain-Offering.”

Compensation-Offering

14-16 God spoke to Moses: “When a person betrays his trust and unknowingly sins by straying against any of the holy things of God, he is to bring as his penalty to God a ram without any defect from the flock, the value of the ram assessed in shekels, according to the Sanctuary shekel for a Compensation-Offering. He is to make additional compensation for the sin he has committed against any holy thing by adding twenty percent to the ram and giving it to the priest.

“Thus the priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the Compensation-Offering and he’s forgiven.

17-18 “If anyone sins by breaking any of the commandments of God which must not be broken, but without being aware of it at the time, the moment he does realize his guilt he is held responsible. He is to bring to the priest a ram without any defect, assessed at the value of the Compensation-Offering.

18-19 “Thus the priest will make atonement for him for his error that he was unaware of and he’s forgiven. It is a Compensation-Offering; he was surely guilty before God.”

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Leviticus 3
Leviticus 6
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