Numbers 15:22-41

Good News Translation

²² But suppose someone unintentionally fails to keep some of these regulations which the Lord has given Moses. ²³ And suppose that in the future the community fails to do everything that the Lord commanded through Moses. ²⁴ If the mistake was made because of the ignorance of the community, they are to offer a bull as a burnt offering, an odor that pleases the Lord, with the proper grain offering and wine offering. In addition, they are to offer a male goat as a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest shall perform the ritual of purification for the community, and they will be forgiven, because the mistake was unintentional and they brought their sin offering as a food offering to the Lord. ²⁶ The whole community of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven, because everyone was involved in the mistake.

^27 (A)If any of you sin unintentionally, you are to offer a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering. ²⁸ At the altar the priest shall perform the ritual of purification to purify you from your sin, and you will be forgiven. ²⁹ The same regulation applies to all who unintentionally commit a sin, whether they are native Israelites or resident foreigners.

³⁰ But any who sin deliberately, whether they are natives or foreigners, are guilty of treating the Lord with contempt, and they shall be put to death, ³¹ because they have rejected what the Lord said and have deliberately broken one of his commands. They are responsible for their own death.

The Man Who Broke the Sabbath

³² Once, while the Israelites were still in the wilderness, a man was found gathering firewood on the Sabbath. ³³ He was taken to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community, ³⁴ and was put under guard, because it was not clear what should be done with him. ³⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death; the whole community is to stone him to death outside the camp.” ³⁶ So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded.

Rules about Tassels

³⁷ The Lord commanded Moses ^38 (B)to say to the people of Israel: “Make tassels on the corners of your garments and put a blue cord on each tassel. You are to do this for all time to come. ³⁹ The tassels will serve as reminders, and each time you see them you will remember all my commands and obey them; then you will not turn away from me and follow your own wishes and desires. ⁴⁰ The tassels will remind you to keep all my commands, and you will belong completely to me. ⁴¹ I am the Lord your God; I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”