The Law of Sin Offerings

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins (A)unintentionally in any of the [a]things which the Lord has (B)commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, (C)if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then he is to offer to the Lord a [b]bull without defect as a sin offering for his sin which he has [c]committed. He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, and (D)he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter the bull before the Lord. Then the (E)anointed priest is to 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 the Lord, 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 the Lord in the tent of meeting; and all the rest of 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. And (H)he shall remove 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 [d]lobe of the liver, which he shall remove (I)with the kidneys 10 (just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings); and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But (J)the hide of the bull and all its flesh, along with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its refuse, 12 [e]that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to (K)a clean place outside the camp where the fatty ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the fatty ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

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

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

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

The Law of Guilt Offerings

‘Now if a person sins after he hears a [z]public (AV)order 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 punishment. Or if a person touches (AW)any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he 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 people speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty of one of these things. So it shall be when he becomes guilty of one of these things, that he shall (AY)confess that in which he has sinned. He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has [aa]committed, (AZ)a female from the flock, a lamb or a [ab]goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

‘But if [ac]he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young doves, (BA)one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer that which is for the sin offering, and shall pinch off its head at the front of its neck, but he (BB)shall not sever 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 ordinance. (BF)So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has [ad]committed, and it will be forgiven him.

11 ‘But (BG)if his [ae]means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young doves, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an [af]ephah of fine flour as a sin offering; (BH)he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He shall 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, [ag]with the offerings of the Lord by fire: it is a sin offering. 13 So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has [ah]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 the Lord which are not to be done
  2. Leviticus 4:3 Lit bull of the herd
  3. Leviticus 4:3 Lit sinned
  4. Leviticus 4:9 Or appendage on
  5. Leviticus 4:12 Lit and
  6. Leviticus 4:13 Lit is hidden from the eyes of
  7. Leviticus 4:13 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
  8. Leviticus 4:14 Lit concerning which
  9. Leviticus 4:14 Lit sinned
  10. Leviticus 4:14 Lit son of the herd
  11. Leviticus 4:18 Lit which is in
  12. Leviticus 4:22 Lit all commands of the Lord which are not to be done
  13. Leviticus 4:23 Lit or
  14. Leviticus 4:23 Lit in which he has sinned
  15. Leviticus 4:23 Lit buck of the goats
  16. Leviticus 4:27 Lit one soul
  17. Leviticus 4:27 Lit people of the land
  18. Leviticus 4:27 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
  19. Leviticus 4:28 Lit or
  20. Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
  21. Leviticus 4:28 Or female goat
  22. Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
  23. Leviticus 4:31 Or so that he may be
  24. Leviticus 4:35 Lit them
  25. Leviticus 4:35 Lit sinned
  26. Leviticus 5:1 Lit voice of a curse
  27. Leviticus 5:6 Lit sinned
  28. Leviticus 5:6 Lit female goat
  29. Leviticus 5:7 Lit his hand does not reach enough for
  30. Leviticus 5:10 Lit sinned
  31. Leviticus 5:11 Lit hand does not reach
  32. Leviticus 5:11 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
  33. Leviticus 5:12 Lit upon
  34. Leviticus 5:13 Lit sinned

The Sin Offering

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: (A)‘If a person sins [a]unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, (B)if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned (C)a young bull without blemish as a (D)sin offering. He shall bring the bull (E)to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord. Then the anointed priest (F)shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting. The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the (G)veil of the sanctuary. And the priest shall (H)put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour (I)the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. He shall take from it all the fat of the bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove, 10 (J)as it was taken from the bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering. 11 (K)But the bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal— 12 the whole bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, (L)where the ashes are poured out, and (M)burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13 ‘Now (N)if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, (O)and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which should not be done, and are guilty; 14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting. 15 And the elders of the congregation (P)shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord. Then the bull shall be killed before the Lord. 16 (Q)The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tabernacle of meeting. 17 Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. 18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 19 He shall take all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20 And he shall do (R)with the bull as he did with the bull as a sin offering; thus he shall do with it. (S)So the priest shall make [b]atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. 21 Then he shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly.

22 ‘When a [c]ruler has sinned, and (T)done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord his God in anything which should not be done, and is guilty, 23 or (U)if his sin which he has committed [d]comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. 24 And (V)he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it at the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord. It is a sin offering. 25 (W)The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And he shall burn all its fat on the altar, like (X)the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering. (Y)So the priest shall make [e]atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

27 (Z)‘If [f]anyone of the [g]common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and is guilty, 28 or (AA)if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 29 (AB)And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. 30 Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. 31 (AC)He shall remove all its fat, (AD)as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a (AE)sweet aroma to the Lord. (AF)So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

32 ‘If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, (AG)he shall bring a female without blemish. 33 Then he shall (AH)lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. 35 He shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn it on the altar, (AI)according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. (AJ)So the priest shall make atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

The Trespass Offering

‘If a person sins in (AK)hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he (AL)bears [h]guilt.

‘Or (AM)if a person touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and he is unaware of it, he also shall be unclean and (AN)guilty. Or if he touches (AO)human uncleanness—whatever uncleanness with which a man may be defiled, and he is unaware of it—when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty.

‘Or if a person [i]swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips (AP)to do evil or (AQ)to do good, whatever it is that a man may pronounce by an oath, and he is unaware of it—when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty in any of these matters.

‘And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall (AR)confess that he has sinned in that thing; and he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin.

(AS)‘If he is not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord, for his trespass which he has committed, two (AT)turtledoves or two young pigeons: one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and (AU)wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it [j]completely. Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the (AV)rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 And he shall offer the second as a burnt offering according to the (AW)prescribed manner. So (AX)the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

11 ‘But if he is (AY)not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring for his offering one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. (AZ)He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it (BA)as a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar (BB)according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 (BC)The priest shall make atonement for him, [k]for his sin that he has committed in any of these matters; and it shall be forgiven him. (BD)The rest shall be the priest’s as a grain offering.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:2 through error
  2. Leviticus 4:20 Lit. covering
  3. Leviticus 4:22 leader
  4. Leviticus 4:23 is made known to him
  5. Leviticus 4:26 Lit. covering
  6. Leviticus 4:27 Lit. any soul
  7. Leviticus 4:27 Lit. people of the land
  8. Leviticus 5:1 his iniquity
  9. Leviticus 5:4 vows
  10. Leviticus 5:8 Lit. apart
  11. Leviticus 5:13 concerning his sin