Numbers 15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Laws about Offerings
15 The Lord instructed Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you to settle in, 3 and you make a fire offering to the Lord from the herd or flock—either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow,(A) or as a freewill offering, or at your appointed festivals—to produce a pleasing aroma for the Lord, 4 the one presenting his offering to the Lord must also present a grain offering of two quarts[a] of fine flour mixed with a quart[b] of oil. 5 Prepare a quart[c] of wine as a drink offering with the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb.
6 “If you prepare a grain offering with a ram, it must be four quarts[d] of fine flour mixed with a third of a gallon[e] of oil. 7 Also present a third of a gallon[f] of wine for a drink offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
8 “If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a fellowship offering to the Lord, 9 a grain offering of six quarts[g] of fine flour mixed with two quarts[h] of oil must be presented with the bull. 10 Also present two quarts[i] of wine as a drink offering. It is a fire offering of pleasing aroma to the Lord. 11 This is to be done for each ox, ram, lamb, or goat. 12 This is how you must prepare each of them, no matter how many.
13 “Every Israelite is to prepare these things in this way when he presents a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 14 When a foreigner resides with you or someone else is among you and wants to prepare a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he is to do exactly as you do throughout your generations. 15 The assembly is to have the same statute for[j] both you and the foreign resident as a permanent statute throughout your generations. You and the foreigner will be alike before the Lord. 16 The same law and the same ordinance will apply to both you and the foreigner who resides with you.”(B)
17 The Lord instructed Moses: 18 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land where I am bringing you, 19 you are to offer a contribution to the Lord when you eat from the food of the land. 20 You are to offer a loaf from your first batch of dough(C) as a contribution; offer it just like a contribution from the threshing floor.(D) 21 Throughout your generations, you are to give the Lord a contribution from the first batch of your dough.
22 “When you sin unintentionally and do not obey all these commands that the Lord spoke to Moses(E)— 23 all that the Lord has commanded you through Moses, from the day the Lord issued the commands and onward throughout your generations— 24 and if it was done unintentionally without the community’s awareness, the entire community is to prepare one young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering. 25 The priest must then make atonement for the entire Israelite community so that they may be forgiven, for the sin was unintentional. They are to bring their offering, one made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their unintentional sin. 26 The entire Israelite community and the foreigner who resides among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.
27 “If one person sins unintentionally,(F) he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering. 28 The priest must then make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the person who acts in error sinning unintentionally, and when he makes atonement for him, he will be forgiven. 29 You are to have the same law for the person who acts in error, whether he is an Israelite or a foreigner who lives among you.
30 “But the person who acts defiantly,[k] whether native or foreign resident, blasphemes the Lord.(G) That person is to be cut off from his people. 31 He will certainly be cut off, because he has despised the Lord’s word and broken His command; his guilt remains on him.”
Sabbath Violation
32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.(H) 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the entire community. 34 They placed him in custody because it had not been decided what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord told Moses, “The man is to be put to death. The entire community is to stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the entire community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Tassels for Remembrance
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels(I) for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at each corner. 39 These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes. 40 This way you will remember and obey all My commands and be holy to your God. 41 I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.”(J)
Footnotes
- Numbers 15:4 Lit a tenth (of an ephah)
- Numbers 15:4 Lit a fourth hin
- Numbers 15:5 Lit a fourth hin
- Numbers 15:6 Lit two-tenths (of an ephah)
- Numbers 15:6 Lit a third hin
- Numbers 15:7 Lit a third hin
- Numbers 15:9 Lit three-tenths (of an ephah)
- Numbers 15:9 Lit a half hin
- Numbers 15:10 Lit a half hin
- Numbers 15:15 Sam, LXX read 14 . . . the Lord, the assembly must do exactly as you do. 15 The same statute will apply to . . .
- Numbers 15:30 Lit with a high hand
Numbers 15
Expanded Bible
Rules About Sacrifices
15 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] and say to them, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you as a home, 3 give the Lord offerings made by fire. These may be from your herds or flocks, as a smell pleasing to the Lord. These may be burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] or sacrifices for ·special promises [a vow], or as gifts to him, or as festival offerings. 4 The one who brings the offering shall also give the Lord a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1]. It should be ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with ·one quart [L one-fourth of a hin] of olive oil. 5 Each time you offer a lamb as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] or sacrifice, also prepare ·one quart [L one-fourth of a hin] of wine as a drink offering.
6 “‘If you are giving a ·male sheep [ram], also prepare a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] of ·four quarts [L two-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with ·one and one-fourth quarts [L one-third of a hin] of olive oil. 7 Also prepare ·one and one-fourth quarts [L one-third of a hin] of wine as a drink offering. Its smell will be pleasing to the Lord.
8 “‘If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] or sacrifice, whether it is for a ·special promise [vow] or a ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1] to the Lord, 9 bring a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with the bull. It should be ·six quarts [L three-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with ·two quarts [L half a hin] of olive oil. 10 Also bring ·two quarts [L half a hin] of wine as a drink offering. This offering is made by fire, and its smell will be pleasing to the Lord. 11 Prepare each bull or ·male sheep [ram], lamb or young goat this way. 12 Do this for every one of the animals you bring.
13 “‘All ·citizens [natives] must do these things in this way, and the smell of their offerings by fire will be pleasing to the Lord. 14 ·From now on [L Throughout your generations] if ·foreigners [resident aliens] who live among you want to make offerings by fire so the smell will be pleasing to the Lord, they must offer them the same way you do. 15 As for the ·people [community; congregation; assembly], the ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] is the same for you and for ·foreigners [resident aliens], and it will be ·from now on [a perpetual requirement]; you and the ·foreigners [resident aliens] are alike before the Lord. 16 The ·teachings [instructions; laws] and ·rules [regulations] are the same for you and for the ·foreigners [resident aliens] among you.’”
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]: ‘You are going to another land, where I am taking you. 19 When you eat the food there, ·offer [elevate] part of it to the Lord. 20 ·Offer [Elevate] a loaf of bread from the first of your ·grain [or dough], which will be your ·offering [elevation offering] from the threshing floor. 21 ·From now on [L Throughout your generations] ·offer [elevate] to the Lord the first part of your ·grain [or dough].
22 “‘Now what if you ·forget [unintentionally fail] to ·obey [do] any of these commands the Lord gave Moses? 23 These are the Lord’s commands given to you through Moses, which began the day the Lord ·gave them to [commanded] you and will continue ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 24 If the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] ·forget [unintentionally fail] to ·obey [do] one of these commands, all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] must offer a young bull as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17], a smell pleasing to the Lord. By law you must also give the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] and the drink offering with it, and you must bring a male goat as a ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering.
25 “‘The priest will ·remove that sin for all the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord [L atone for all the community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel]. They are forgiven, because they ·didn’t know they were sinning [sinned unintentionally]. For the unintentional wrong they did they brought offerings to the Lord, an offering by fire and a ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering. 26 So all of the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] of ·Israel [L the sons/T children of Israel] and the ·foreigners [resident aliens] living among them will be forgiven. ·No one meant to do wrong [They were all involved in unintentional sin].
27 “‘If just one person sins ·without meaning to [unintentionally], a year-old female goat must be brought for a ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering. 28 The priest will ·remove [atone for] the sin of the person who sinned ·accidentally [unintentionally]. He will ·remove it before the Lord [atone for him]; and the person will be forgiven. 29 The same ·teaching [instruction; law] is for everyone who sins ·accidentally [unintentionally]—for those ·born Israelites [natives] and for ·foreigners [resident aliens] living among you.
30 “‘But anyone who sins ·on purpose [L with a high hand; C knowingly] ·is against [insults] the Lord and must be cut off from the people, whether it is ·someone born among you [a native] or a ·foreigner [resident alien]. 31 That person has ·turned against [despised] the Lord’s word and has ·not obeyed [broken] his commands. Such a person must surely be cut off from the others. He is guilty.’”
A Man Worked on the Sabbath
32 When the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] were still in the ·desert [wilderness], they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day [Gen. 2:2–3; Ex. 20:8–11; 35:2; Deut. 5:13–15]. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and all the people. 34 They held the man under guard, because they did not know what to do with him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely die. All the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] must kill him by ·throwing stones at [stoning] him outside the camp.” 36 So all the ·people [community; congregation; assembly] took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Tassels
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] and tell them this: ‘·Tie several pieces of thread together and attach them to [Make fringes/tassels on] the corners of your clothes. Put a blue thread ·in each one of these tassels [L on the fringe/tassel of each corner]. Wear them ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 39 You will have these ·tassels [fringes] to look at to remind you of all the Lord’s commands. Then you will obey them and not ·be disloyal by following what your bodies and eyes want [L follow after your own heart or your own eyes to be unfaithful/play the harlot after them]. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands, and you will be God’s holy people. 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God [Ex. 12–15]. I am the Lord your God.’”
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