Cases Requiring Sin Offerings

“When someone sins in any of these ways:

If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify, he will bear his iniquity.(A)

Or if someone touches anything unclean(B)—a carcass of an unclean wild animal,(C) or unclean livestock, or an unclean swarming creature(D)—without being aware of it, he is unclean and incurs guilt.(E)

Or if he touches human uncleanness(F)—any uncleanness by which one can become defiled(G)—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt.

Or if someone swears rashly(H) to do what is good or evil—concerning anything a person may speak rashly in an oath—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt in such an instance.

If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess(I) he has committed that sin. He must bring his penalty for guilt(J) for the sin he has committed to the Lord: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement(K) on his behalf for his sin.

“But if he cannot afford an animal from the flock, then he may bring to the Lord two turtledoves or two young pigeons(L) as penalty for guilt for his sin—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. He is to bring them to the priest, who will first present the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its head at the back of the neck without severing it.(M) Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar;(N) it is a sin offering. 10 He will prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulation.(O) In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

11 “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons,(P) he may bring two quarts[a] of fine flour[b](Q) as an offering for his sin. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He is to bring it to the priest, who will take a handful from it as its memorial portion(R) and burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the Lord; it is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf concerning the sin he has committed in any of these cases, and he will be forgiven. The rest will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”(S)

The Guilt Offering

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 15 “If someone offends(T) by sinning unintentionally(U) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things,[c] he must bring his penalty for guilt to the Lord: an unblemished ram from the flock (based on your assessment of its value in silver shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel(V)) as a guilt offering. 16 He is to make restitution(W) for his sin regarding any holy(X) thing, adding a fifth of its value to it,(Y) and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.(Z)

17 “If someone sins and without knowing it violates any of the Lord’s commands concerning anything prohibited, he is guilty, and he will bear his iniquity. 18 He must bring an unblemished ram from the flock according to your assessment of its value as a guilt offering to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the error he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; he is indeed guilty before the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 5:11 Lit one-tenth of an ephah
  2. 5:11 Lit flour as a sin offering
  3. 5:15 Things dedicated to the Lord

More Laws Regarding Sin Offerings

“‘When a person[a] sins in that[b] he hears the utterance of a curse and he is a witness or he sees or he knows, if he does not make it known, then[c] he shall bear his guilt. Or if a person[d] touches anything unclean, whether[e] an unclean wild[f] animal’s dead body or an unclean domestic animal’s dead body or an unclean swarmer’s dead body, but[g] he is unaware of it,[h] he is unclean and he is guilty. Or when he touches human uncleanness, namely[i] any uncleanness of his by which he might become unclean, but[j] he is unaware of it,[k] and he himself finds out, then[l] he will be guilty. Or when a person[m] swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips, to do evil or to do good with regard to[n] anything that the person[o] in a sworn oath speaks thoughtlessly, but[p] he is unaware of it,[q] he will be guilty in any of[r] these. When he becomes guilty in any of[s] these, he shall confess[t] what he has sinned regarding[u] it, and he shall bring his guilt offering to[v] Yahweh for his sin that he has committed:[w] a female from the flock,[x] a ewe-lamb or a she-goat,[y] as a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for[z] his sin.

“‘If[aa] he cannot afford a sheep,[ab] he shall bring as his guilt offering for what he sinned two turtledoves or two young doves[ac] for Yahweh, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. He shall bring[ad] them to the priest, and he shall present that which is for the sin offering first, and the priest[ae] shall wring its head off at the back of its neck,[af] but[ag] he must not sever it, and he shall spatter some of[ah] the sin offering’s blood on the altar’s side, and the leftover blood must be drained out on the altar’s base; it is a sin offering. 10 The second[ai] bird he must prepare as a burnt offering according to the regulation, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin that he has committed,[aj] and he shall be forgiven.

11 “‘But[ak] if he cannot afford[al] two turtledoves or two young doves,[am] then,[an] because he has sinned, he shall bring as his offering a tenth of an[ao] ephah of finely milled flour as a sin offering. He must not put[ap] oil on it, nor should he put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring[aq] it to the priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it[ar] for its token portion, and he shall turn it to smoke on the altar in addition to[as] the offerings made by fire to Yahweh; it is a sin offering. 13 Thus[at] the priest shall make atonement for him because of the sin that he has committed[au] in any of these,[av] and he shall be forgiven. It shall be[aw] for the priest, like the grain offering.’”

Laws for Guilt Offerings

14 Then[ax] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 15 “When a person[ay] displays infidelity[az] and he sins in an unintentional wrong in any of[ba] Yahweh’s holy things, then[bb] he shall bring his guilt offering to[bc] Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock[bd] as a guilt offering by your valuation in silver shekels[be] according to the sanctuary shekel. 16 And he shall make restitution for what he sinned because of[bf] a holy thing and shall add one-fifth of its value[bg] onto it and shall give it to the priest. The priest[bh] shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

17 “If[bi] a person[bj] when he sins violates[bk] one from all of Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated,[bl] but[bm] he did not know, then[bn] he is guilty and he shall bear his guilt. 18 He shall bring[bo] to the priest a ram without defect from the flock[bp] as a guilt offering by your valuation, and the priest shall make atonement for him because of his unintentional wrong (although[bq] he himself did not know), and he will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; he certainly was guilty before Yahweh.”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 5:1 Or “a soul”
  2. Leviticus 5:1 Or “and”
  3. Leviticus 5:1 Or “and”
  4. Leviticus 5:2 Or “a soul”
  5. Leviticus 5:2 Literally “or”
  6. Leviticus 5:2 Implied by the following phrase specifying domestic animals
  7. Leviticus 5:2 Or “and”
  8. Leviticus 5:2 Literally “it is concealed from him”
  9. Leviticus 5:3 Literally “for” or “to” (see HALOT 510)
  10. Leviticus 5:3 Or “and”
  11. Leviticus 5:3 Literally “it is concealed from him”
  12. Leviticus 5:3 Or “and”
  13. Leviticus 5:4 Or “a soul”
  14. Leviticus 5:4 Literally “for” or “to” (see HALOT 510)
  15. Leviticus 5:4 Literally “the man”
  16. Leviticus 5:4 Or “and”
  17. Leviticus 5:4 Literally “it is concealed from him”
  18. Leviticus 5:4 Literally “for one of”
  19. Leviticus 5:5 Literally “for one of”
  20. Leviticus 5:5 Or “and he shall confess”
  21. Leviticus 5:5 Literally “upon” or “against”
  22. Leviticus 5:6 Or “for”
  23. Leviticus 5:6 Literally “sinned”
  24. Leviticus 5:6 The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
  25. Leviticus 5:6 Literally “a she-goat of goats”
  26. Leviticus 5:6 Hebrew “from”
  27. Leviticus 5:7 Or “And if”
  28. Leviticus 5:7 Literally “his hand does not touch enough of small livestock”
  29. Leviticus 5:7 Literally “sons of dove” or “children of dove”
  30. Leviticus 5:8 Or “And he shall bring”
  31. Leviticus 5:8 Required by the previous action (see NET)
  32. Leviticus 5:8 Literally “from opposite its neck”
  33. Leviticus 5:8 Or “and”
  34. Leviticus 5:9 Literally “from”
  35. Leviticus 5:10 Or “And the second”
  36. Leviticus 5:10 Literally “sinned”
  37. Leviticus 5:11 Or “And”
  38. Leviticus 5:11 Literally “his hand cannot produce for”
  39. Leviticus 5:11 Literally “sons of dove” or “children of dove”
  40. Leviticus 5:11 Or “and”
  41. Leviticus 5:11 Hebrew “the”
  42. Leviticus 5:11 Or “And he must not put”
  43. Leviticus 5:12 Or “And he shall bring”
  44. Leviticus 5:12 Literally “shall scoop up from it the fullness of his handful”
  45. Leviticus 5:12 Literally “on” or “upon”
  46. Leviticus 5:13 Or “And”
  47. Leviticus 5:13 Literally “sinned”
  48. Leviticus 5:13 Literally “from one from these”
  49. Leviticus 5:13 Or “And it shall be”
  50. Leviticus 5:14 Or “And”
  51. Leviticus 5:15 Or “a soul”
  52. Leviticus 5:15 Literally “acts unfaithfully infidelity” or “is unfaithful in unfaithfulness”
  53. Leviticus 5:15 Literally “from”
  54. Leviticus 5:15 Or “and”
  55. Leviticus 5:15 Or “for”
  56. Leviticus 5:15 The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
  57. Leviticus 5:15 Or “convertible into silver shekels” (NET, NRSV, TNK), “of the proper value in silver” (NIV; cp. ESV “valued in silver shekels,” CSB), or “or you may buy one of equal value with silver” (NLT)
  58. Leviticus 5:16 Literally “from” (see HALOT 598)
  59. Leviticus 5:16 Literally “it”
  60. Leviticus 5:16 Or “And the priest”
  61. Leviticus 5:17 Or “And if”
  62. Leviticus 5:17 Or “a soul”
  63. Leviticus 5:17 Literally “and she/it does”
  64. Leviticus 5:17 Literally “they are to be done”
  65. Leviticus 5:17 Or “and”
  66. Leviticus 5:17 Or “and”
  67. Leviticus 5:18 Or “And he shall bring”
  68. Leviticus 5:18 The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
  69. Leviticus 5:18 Or “and”