The Sin Offering

4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Tell the Israelites: When someone sins unintentionally^(A) against any of the Lord’s commands and does anything prohibited by them—

³ “If the anointed priest^(B) sins, bringing guilt^(C) on the people, he is to present to the Lord a young, unblemished^(D) bull as a sin^[a] offering^(E) for the sin he has committed. ⁴ He is to bring the bull to the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the Lord. ⁵ The anointed priest will then take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meeting. ⁶ The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times^(F) before the Lord in front of the curtain^(G) of the sanctuary.^{(H) 7} The priest is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar of fragrant incense^(I) that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. He must pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering^(J) that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ He is to remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails, ⁹ and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins. He will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys, ¹⁰ just as the fat is removed from the ox of the fellowship sacrifice.^(K) The priest is to burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹ But the hide^(L) of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs, and its entrails and waste— ¹² all the rest of the bull—he must bring to a ceremonially clean place^(M) outside the camp^(N) to the ash heap, and must burn it on a wood fire. It is to be burned at the ash heap.

¹³ “Now if the whole community of Israel^(O) errs,^(P) and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly,^(Q) so that they violate any of the Lord’s commands and incur guilt^(R) by doing what is prohibited, ¹⁴ then the assembly must present a young bull as a sin offering. They are to bring it before the tent of meeting when the sin they have committed in regard to the command becomes known. ¹⁵ The elders^(S) of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord and it is to be slaughtered before the Lord. ¹⁶ The anointed priest will bring some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain. ¹⁸ He is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He is to remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. ²⁰ He is to offer this bull just as he did with the bull in the sin offering; he will offer it the same way. So the priest will make atonement^(T) on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.^{(U) 21} Then he will bring the bull outside the camp^(V) and burn it just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.

²² “When a leader^[b](W) sins and unintentionally violates any of the commands of the Lord his God by doing what is prohibited, and incurs guilt, ²³ or someone informs him about the sin he has committed, he is to bring an unblemished male goat^(X) as his offering. ²⁴ He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering^(Y) is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering.^{(Z) 25} Then the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering.^(AA) The rest of its blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. ²⁶ He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the fellowship sacrifice. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for that person’s sin, and he will be forgiven.

²⁷ “Now if any of the common people^[c] sins unintentionally by violating one of the Lord’s commands, does what is prohibited, and incurs guilt, ²⁸ or if someone informs him about the sin he has committed, then he is to bring an unblemished female goat as his offering for the sin that he has committed. ²⁹ He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. ³⁰ Then the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ He is to remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf, and he will be forgiven.

³² “Or if the offering that he brings as a sin offering is a lamb,^(AB) he is to bring an unblemished female. ³³ He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴ Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵ He is to remove all its fat just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest will burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

Cases Requiring Sin Offerings

5 “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.^(AC)

² Or if someone touches anything unclean^(AD)—a carcass of an unclean wild animal,^(AE) or unclean livestock, or an unclean swarming creature^(AF)—without being aware of it, he is unclean and incurs guilt.^(AG)

³ Or if he touches human uncleanness^(AH)—any uncleanness by which one can become defiled^(AI)—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt.

⁴ Or if someone swears rashly^(AJ) 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.

⁵ If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess^(AK) he has committed that sin. ⁶ He must bring his penalty for guilt^(AL) 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^(AM) on his behalf for his sin.

⁷ “But if he cannot afford an animal from the flock, then he may bring to the Lord two turtledoves or two young pigeons^(AN) as penalty for guilt for his sin—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. ⁸ 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.^{(AO) 9} 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;^(AP) it is a sin offering. ¹⁰ He will prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulation.^(AQ) 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,^(AR) he may bring two quarts^[d] of fine flour^[e](AS) 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^(AT) 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.”^(AU)

The Sin Offering

²⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses: ²⁵ “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the sin offering.^(A) The sin offering is most holy and must be slaughtered before the Lord at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ²⁶ The priest who offers it as a sin offering will eat it. It is to be eaten in a holy place,^(B) in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ²⁷ Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of its blood spatters on a garment, then you must wash that garment^[a] in a holy place. ²⁸ A clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled is to be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, it is to be scoured and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male among the priests may eat it; it is especially holy. ³⁰ But no sin offering may be eaten if its blood has been brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place; it must be burned.

Monthly Offerings

¹¹ “At the beginning of each of your months^(A) present a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old—all unblemished— ¹² with six quarts^[a] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each bull, four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for the ram, ¹³ and two quarts^[b] of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each lamb. It is a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Their drink offerings are to be two quarts^[c] of wine with each bull, one and a third quarts^[d] with the ram, and one quart^[e] with each male lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering for all the months of the year. ¹⁵ And one male goat is to be offered as a sin offering to the Lord, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its drink offering.