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The Statutes of Sin Offerings

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

13 (L)Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error, and the matter is hidden from the sight of the assembly, and they commit any of the [g]things which Yahweh 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 bring near (N)a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. 15 Then (O)the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh, and the bull shall be slaughtered (P)before Yahweh. 16 Then the anointed priest shall 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 Yahweh in front of the veil. 18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of (R)the altar which is before Yahweh [j]in the tent of meeting; and all 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 (S)He shall then raise up 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; thus he shall do with it. So (U)the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he shall bring out the bull to a place outside the camp and burn it 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 one of all the [k]things which Yahweh his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty, 23 (Y)or if his sin [l]which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a [m](Z)goat, (AA)a male without blemish. 24 Then he shall lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter it in the place where [n]they slaughter the burnt offering before Yahweh; it is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall 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 (AC)And all its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Thus (AD)the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 ‘Now if [o]anyone of [p]the common people sins (AE)unintentionally in doing any of the [q]things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, 28 (AF)or if his sin which he has [r]committed is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a [s](AG)goat, a (AH)female without blemish, for his sin which he has [t]committed. 29 (AI)And 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 And the priest shall 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 for (AN)a soothing aroma to Yahweh. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, [u]and he will be forgiven.

32 ‘But if he brings (AO)a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without blemish. 33 (AP)And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it for a sin offering (AQ)in the place where [v]they slay the burnt offering. 34 And the priest shall 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 them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to Yahweh. Thus (AU)the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has [w]committed, and he will be forgiven.

‘Now if a person sins after he hears a [x]public (AV)oath 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 [y]guilt. Or a person who touches (AW)any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things—though it is hidden from him, yet he is unclean—will be guilty. 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. Or if a person (AX)swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with a sworn oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these. So it shall be, when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall (AY)confess that in which he has sinned. He shall also bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for his sin which he has [z]committed, (AZ)a female from the flock, a lamb or a [aa]goat, as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

‘But if [ab]he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to Yahweh his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, (BA)one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall bring near first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he (BB)shall not separate it. 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 legal judgment. (BF)So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has [ac]committed, and it will be forgiven him.

11 ‘But (BG)if his [ad]means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an [ae]ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; (BH)he shall not place oil on it or put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He shall then 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, [af]with the offerings of Yahweh by fire: it is a sin offering. 13 So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has [ag]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.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:2 Lit commands of Yahweh which are not to be done
  2. Leviticus 4:3 Lit sinned
  3. Leviticus 4:9 Or appendage on
  4. Leviticus 4:12 Lit and
  5. Leviticus 4:12 Soaked with fat; or fat ashes
  6. Leviticus 4:12 Soaked with fat; or fat ashes
  7. Leviticus 4:13 Lit commands of Yahweh which are not to be done
  8. Leviticus 4:14 Lit concerning which
  9. Leviticus 4:14 Lit sinned
  10. Leviticus 4:18 Lit which is in
  11. Leviticus 4:22 Lit commands of Yahweh which are not to be done
  12. Leviticus 4:23 Lit in which he has sinned
  13. Leviticus 4:23 Lit buck of the goats
  14. Leviticus 4:24 Lit one slaughters
  15. Leviticus 4:27 Lit one soul
  16. Leviticus 4:27 Lit the people of the land
  17. Leviticus 4:27 Lit commands of Yahweh which are not to be done
  18. Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
  19. Leviticus 4:28 Or female goat
  20. Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
  21. Leviticus 4:31 Or so that he may be
  22. Leviticus 4:33 Lit one slays
  23. Leviticus 4:35 Lit sinned
  24. Leviticus 5:1 Lit voice of an oath
  25. Leviticus 5:1 Or iniquity
  26. Leviticus 5:6 Lit sinned
  27. Leviticus 5:6 Lit female goat
  28. Leviticus 5:7 Lit his hand does not reach enough for
  29. Leviticus 5:10 Lit sinned
  30. Leviticus 5:11 Lit hand does not reach
  31. Leviticus 5:11 An ephah was approx. 21 qt. or 23 l
  32. Leviticus 5:12 Lit upon
  33. Leviticus 5:13 Lit sinned

Personal Sin Offerings

The Lord told Moses, “Speak to the Israelis and tell them that if a person inadvertently sins with respect to any of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, but nevertheless he disobeys one of them, or if the anointed priest sins, thereby bringing guilt on the people, let him bring a young bull[a] without defect as a sin offering to the Lord for his sin that he had committed.

“He is to bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, into the Lord’s presence, where he is to lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter it in the Lord’s presence. The anointed priest is to take[b] blood from the bull to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in the Lord’s presence in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.

“The priest is then to put some blood on the horn of the altar that is near the Tent of Meeting as an incense of pleasing aroma in the Lord’s presence. He is to pour the rest of the bull’s blood[c] for a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then he is to remove all the fat from the bull for a sin offering—that is, the fat that covers the internal organs,[d] all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass[e] surrounding the liver and kidneys— 10 just as it is taken from the bull for a peace offering. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar for burnt offerings.

11 “Now as for the bull’s hide, its flesh, its head, its legs, its internal organs, and its dung, 12 along with the rest of the bull, he is to bring it outside the camp to a clean place, where fat ashes are to be poured over it and then it is to be thoroughly burned over wood with fire. It is to be burned where the fat ashes are poured out.”

National Sin Offerings

13 “If the whole congregation of Israel goes astray, and if the sin is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and if they go astray from one of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, then they will stand guilty. 14 When the sin that they have committed becomes known, the entire congregation is to bring a young bull as a sin offering to the Tent of Meeting, 15 where the elders of the community are to lay their hands on the head of the bull in the Lord’s presence and slaughter it.[f] 16 The anointed priest is to take blood from the bull and bring it to the Tent of Meeting. 17 Then the priest is to dip his finger in the blood, sprinkle some of the blood seven times in front of the curtain in the Lord’s presence, 18 then put blood on the horn of the altar near the Tent of Meeting in the Lord’s presence. He is to pour the rest of the blood as a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 Then he is to remove all the fat from the bull for a sin offering and burn it on the altar. 20 He is to do to this bull what he did to the bull for the sin offering. He is to do it this way so that the priest will make atonement for them and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he is to bring the rest of the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he had burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the congregation.”

Sin Offerings for Rulers

22 “When a ruler inadvertently sins, disobeying any one of the commands of the Lord his God that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 23 When the sin that he had committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering: a male goat without defect. 24 He is then to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered—in the Lord’s presence—as a sin offering. 25 Then the priest is to take blood from the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings, and then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar that is used for burnt offerings. 26 He is to burn all the fat on the altar as is done for the fat for the sacrifice of a peace offering. This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin. It will be forgiven him.”

Sin Offerings for the People

27 “If any[g] of the common people of the land inadvertently sins by disobeying one of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 28 When the sin that he committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering for his sin that he had committed: a female goat without defect. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it[h] at the place for burnt offering. 30 Then the priest is to take blood with his finger, put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings, and then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 He is to remove all the fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice for the peace offering. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. This is how the priest will make atonement for him. It will be forgiven him.

32 “If he brings a lamb for his offering, he is to bring a female without defect. 33 He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest is to take blood with his finger and put it on the horn of the altar for burnt offering. Then he is to pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 35 Then the presenter is to remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. The priest is to burn it on the altar over the offerings made by fire to the Lord. This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning the sin that he had committed. It will be forgiven him.”

Laws of Public Testimony

“If someone sins because he has failed to testify after receiving notice[i] to testify as a witness regarding what he has observed or learned, he is to be held responsible.”[j]

Offerings for Uncleanness

“When a person has touched a ceremonially unclean thing inadvertently,[k] such as the carcass of an unclean animal, or some unclean creeping thing, he will be unclean and guilty nevertheless. When he inadvertently touches the uncleanness of a human being, whatever his uncleanness that made him unclean may be, when he himself comes to know about it, he will be guilty. When a person has sworn inadvertently by what he has said, whether for evil or good, whatever it was that the person spoke, when he comes to understand what he said, he will incur guilt by one of these things. When a person is guilty of one of these things, then he is to confess[l] whatever sin it was and bring compensation to the Lord for the guilt that he committed: a female from the flock—whether a lamb or goat—for a sin offering. Then the priest is to make atonement for him.”

Inexpensive Offering Alternatives

“If he can’t afford a goat, then he is to bring to the Lord for his sin offering two turtledoves or two young doves:[m] one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. He is to bring them to the priest, who will offer a sin offering first. He is to wring off its head without separating it. Then he is to sprinkle some of the blood from the sin offering on the sidewall of the altar. Now as to the remainder of the blood, he is to pour it out at the base of the altar for a sin offering. 10 With respect to the second offering, he is to prepare it as a burnt offering, according to the approved procedure.[n] The priest is to make atonement for him on account of his sin that he had committed. Then it will be forgiven him.

11 “If he can’t afford[o] two turtledoves or two young doves, then he is to bring as his offering a tenth of an ephah[p] of fine flour as a sin offering for what he has committed. He is to put no olive oil or frankincense on it, since it’s a sin offering. 12 He is to bring it to the priest. The priest is to take a handful as a memorial and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It’s a sin offering. 13 The priest will make atonement for him, on account of the sin that he had committed in any of these things and it will be forgiven him. As far as the priest is concerned, it will be a meal offering.”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:3 Lit. a bull, a son of a bull
  2. Leviticus 4:5 The Heb. lacks the word takes . . . some, and so with vss. 5, 16, 30, 34
  3. Leviticus 4:7 Lit. all of the blood
  4. Leviticus 4:8 Or inward parts
  5. Leviticus 4:9 Or appendage
  6. Leviticus 4:15 Lit. the bull in the Lord’s presence
  7. Leviticus 4:27 Lit. soul
  8. Leviticus 4:29 Lit. the sin offering
  9. Leviticus 5:1 Lit. after having heard
  10. Leviticus 5:1 Lit. guilty
  11. Leviticus 5:2 Lit. thing and it was hidden from him; and so throughout the chapter
  12. Leviticus 5:5 Or acknowledge
  13. Leviticus 5:7 Lit. or offspring of a dove
  14. Leviticus 5:10 Lit. judgment
  15. Leviticus 5:11 Lit. if his hands cannot reach
  16. Leviticus 5:11 I.e., an ephah was equal to from /3 to /4 of a bushel