Numbers 15:17-36

New International Version

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land to which I am taking you^{(A) 19} and you eat the food of the land,^(B) present a portion as an offering to the Lord.^{(C) 20} Present a loaf from the first of your ground meal^(D) and present it as an offering from the threshing floor.^{(E) 21} Throughout the generations to come^(F) you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal.^(G)

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

²² “‘Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses^(H)— ²³ any of the Lord’s commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come^(I)— ²⁴ and if this is done unintentionally^(J) without the community being aware of it,^(K) then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering^(L) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord,^(M) along with its prescribed grain offering^(N) and drink offering,^(O) and a male goat for a sin offering.^{[a](P) 25} The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven,^(Q) for it was not intentional^(R) and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering^(S) and a sin offering.^{(T) 26} The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.^(U)

²⁷ “‘But if just one person sins unintentionally,^(V) that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering.^{(W) 28} The priest is to make atonement^(X) before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven.^{(Y) 29} One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.^(Z)

³⁰ “‘But anyone who sins defiantly,^(AA) whether native-born or foreigner,^(AB) blasphemes the Lord^(AC) and must be cut off from the people of Israel.^{(AD) 31} Because they have despised^(AE) the Lord’s word and broken his commands,^(AF) they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.^(AG)’”

The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death

³² While the Israelites were in the wilderness,^(AH) a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.^{(AI) 33} Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, ³⁴ and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.^{(AJ) 35} Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die.^(AK) The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.^(AL)” ³⁶ So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him^(AM) to death,^(AN) as the Lord commanded Moses.^(AO)