The Law of Guilt Offerings

5 ‘Now if a person sins after he hears a ^[a]public ^(A)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. ² Or if a person touches ^(B)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. ³ 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. ⁴ Or if a person ^(C)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. ⁵ So it shall be when he becomes guilty of one of these things, that he shall ^(D)confess that in which he has sinned. ⁶ He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has ^[b]committed, ^(E)a female from the flock, a lamb or a ^[c]goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

⁷ ‘But if ^[d]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, ^(F)one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. ⁸ 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 ^(G)shall not sever it. ⁹ He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering ^(H)on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out ^(I)at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. ¹⁰ The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering ^(J)according to the ordinance. ^(K)So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has ^[e]committed, and it will be forgiven him.

¹¹ ‘But ^(L)if his ^[f]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 ^[g]ephah of fine flour as a sin offering; ^(M)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, ^[h]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 ^[i]committed from ^(N)one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then ^(O)the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’”

¹⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁵ “^(P)If a person acts unfaithfully and sins ^(Q)unintentionally against the Lord’s holy things, then he shall bring his ^(R)guilt offering to the Lord: ^(S)a ram without defect from the flock, according to your assessment in silver by shekels, in terms of the ^(T)shekel of the sanctuary, as a guilt offering. ¹⁶ And ^(U)he shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and shall add to it a fifth part of it and give it to the priest. ^(V)The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him.

¹⁷ “Now if a person sins and does any of the things ^[j]which the Lord has commanded not to be done, ^(W)though he was unaware, he is still guilty and shall bear his punishment. ¹⁸ He is then to bring to the priest ^(X)a ram without defect from the flock, according to your assessment, as a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he committed ^(Y)unintentionally and did not know it, and it will be forgiven him. ¹⁹ It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the Lord.”

Morning Prayer of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David, when ^[a]he fled from his son Absalom.

Evening Prayer of Trust in God.

^[i]For the music director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.