Numbers 15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Laws about Offerings
15 The Lord instructed Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you to settle in, 3 and you make a fire offering to the Lord from the herd or flock—either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow,(A) or as a freewill offering, or at your appointed festivals—to produce a pleasing aroma for the Lord, 4 the one presenting his offering to the Lord must also present a grain offering of two quarts[a] of fine flour mixed with a quart[b] of oil. 5 Prepare a quart[c] of wine as a drink offering with the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb.
6 “If you prepare a grain offering with a ram, it must be four quarts[d] of fine flour mixed with a third of a gallon[e] of oil. 7 Also present a third of a gallon[f] of wine for a drink offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
8 “If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a fellowship offering to the Lord, 9 a grain offering of six quarts[g] of fine flour mixed with two quarts[h] of oil must be presented with the bull. 10 Also present two quarts[i] of wine as a drink offering. It is a fire offering of pleasing aroma to the Lord. 11 This is to be done for each ox, ram, lamb, or goat. 12 This is how you must prepare each of them, no matter how many.
13 “Every Israelite is to prepare these things in this way when he presents a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 14 When a foreigner resides with you or someone else is among you and wants to prepare a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he is to do exactly as you do throughout your generations. 15 The assembly is to have the same statute for[j] both you and the foreign resident as a permanent statute throughout your generations. You and the foreigner will be alike before the Lord. 16 The same law and the same ordinance will apply to both you and the foreigner who resides with you.”(B)
17 The Lord instructed Moses: 18 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land where I am bringing you, 19 you are to offer a contribution to the Lord when you eat from the food of the land. 20 You are to offer a loaf from your first batch of dough(C) as a contribution; offer it just like a contribution from the threshing floor.(D) 21 Throughout your generations, you are to give the Lord a contribution from the first batch of your dough.
22 “When you sin unintentionally and do not obey all these commands that the Lord spoke to Moses(E)— 23 all that the Lord has commanded you through Moses, from the day the Lord issued the commands and onward throughout your generations— 24 and if it was done unintentionally without the community’s awareness, the entire community is to prepare one young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering. 25 The priest must then make atonement for the entire Israelite community so that they may be forgiven, for the sin was unintentional. They are to bring their offering, one made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their unintentional sin. 26 The entire Israelite community and the foreigner who resides among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.
27 “If one person sins unintentionally,(F) he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering. 28 The priest must then make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the person who acts in error sinning unintentionally, and when he makes atonement for him, he will be forgiven. 29 You are to have the same law for the person who acts in error, whether he is an Israelite or a foreigner who lives among you.
30 “But the person who acts defiantly,[k] whether native or foreign resident, blasphemes the Lord.(G) That person is to be cut off from his people. 31 He will certainly be cut off, because he has despised the Lord’s word and broken His command; his guilt remains on him.”
Sabbath Violation
32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.(H) 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the entire community. 34 They placed him in custody because it had not been decided what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord told Moses, “The man is to be put to death. The entire community is to stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the entire community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Tassels for Remembrance
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels(I) for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at each corner. 39 These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes. 40 This way you will remember and obey all My commands and be holy to your God. 41 I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.”(J)
Footnotes
- Numbers 15:4 Lit a tenth (of an ephah)
- Numbers 15:4 Lit a fourth hin
- Numbers 15:5 Lit a fourth hin
- Numbers 15:6 Lit two-tenths (of an ephah)
- Numbers 15:6 Lit a third hin
- Numbers 15:7 Lit a third hin
- Numbers 15:9 Lit three-tenths (of an ephah)
- Numbers 15:9 Lit a half hin
- Numbers 15:10 Lit a half hin
- Numbers 15:15 Sam, LXX read 14 . . . the Lord, the assembly must do exactly as you do. 15 The same statute will apply to . . .
- Numbers 15:30 Lit with a high hand
Numbers 15
New International Reader's Version
Other Offerings
15 Here is what the Lord said to Moses. 2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are going to enter the land I am giving you as a home. 3 When you do, you will present food offerings to the Lord. The animals must come from your herd or flock. The smell of the offerings will please the Lord. They can be either burnt offerings or sacrifices. They can be either for special promises or for feast offerings. Or they can be for offerings you choose to give. 4 With each of the offerings, the person who brings it must present to the Lord a grain offering. It must be eight cups of the finest flour. It must be mixed with a quart of olive oil. 5 Also prepare a quart of wine as a drink offering. You must present it with each lamb that you bring for the burnt offering or the sacrifice.
6 “ ‘Prepare a grain offering to present along with a ram. The grain offering must be 16 cups of the finest flour. It must be mixed with two and a half pints of olive oil. 7 You must bring two and a half pints of wine as a drink offering. Offer everything as a smell that pleases the Lord.
8 “ ‘Suppose you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice. You prepare it to keep a special promise to the Lord. Or you prepare it to present as a friendship offering. 9 Then bring a grain offering with the bull. The grain offering must be 24 cups of the finest flour. It must be mixed with two quarts of olive oil. 10 Also bring two quarts of wine as a drink offering. It will be a food offering. Its smell will please the Lord. 11 Each bull or ram must be prepared in the same way. Each lamb or young goat must also be prepared in that way. 12 Do it for each animal. Do it for as many animals as you prepare.
13 “ ‘Everyone in Israel must do those things in that way. He must do them when he presents a food offering. The smell of offerings like that pleases the Lord. 14 Everyone must always do what the law requires. It does not matter whether they are an outsider or anyone else living among you. They must do exactly as you do when they present a food offering. The smell of offerings like that pleases the Lord. 15 The community must have the same rules for you and for any outsider living among you. This law will last for all time to come. In the sight of the Lord, the law applies both to you and any outsider. 16 The same laws and rules will apply to you and to any outsider living among you.’ ”
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to the Israelites. Say to them, ‘You are going to enter the land I am taking you to. 19 You will eat its food. When you do, present part of it as an offering to the Lord. 20 Present a loaf made from the first flour you grind. Present it as an offering from the threshing floor. 21 You must present the offering to the Lord. You must present it from the first grain you grind. You must do it for all time to come.
Offerings for Sins That Aren’t Committed on Purpose
22 “ ‘Suppose you as a community fail to keep any of the commands the Lord gave Moses. And suppose you do it without meaning to. 23 That applies to any of the commands the Lord told Moses to give you. And they are in effect from the day the Lord gave them and for all time to come. 24 Suppose the community sins without meaning to. And suppose they do not know they have sinned. Then the whole community must offer a young bull. They must sacrifice it for a burnt offering. Its smell will please the Lord. Along with it, they must offer its required grain offering and drink offering. They must also sacrifice a male goat for a sin offering. 25 With it the priest will pay for the sin of the whole community of Israel. Then they will be forgiven. They did not mean to commit that sin. And they have presented to the Lord a food offering for the wrong thing they did. They have brought a sin offering with it. 26 The Lord will forgive the whole community of Israel and the outsiders living among them. All the people had a part in the sin, even though they did not mean to do it.
27 “ ‘But suppose just one person sins without meaning to. Then that person must bring a female goat for a sin offering. It must be a year old. 28 With it the priest will pay for the person’s sin in front of the Lord. The priest will do it for the one who did wrong by sinning without meaning to. When the sin is paid for, that person will be forgiven. 29 The same law applies to everyone who sins without meaning to. It does not matter whether they are an Israelite or an outsider.
30 “ ‘But suppose someone sins on purpose. It does not matter whether they are an Israelite or an outsider. They speak evil things against the Lord. They must be separated from the community of Israel. 31 They have not respected what the Lord has said. They have broken the Lord’s commands. They must certainly be separated from the community. They are still guilty.’ ”
A Man Works on the Sabbath Day
32 The Israelites were in the desert. One Sabbath day, people saw a man gathering wood. 33 They brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole community. 34 They kept him under guard. It wasn’t clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole community must kill him by throwing stones at him. They must do it outside the camp.” 36 So the people took the man outside the camp. There they killed him by throwing stones at him. They did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Tassels on Clothes
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must make tassels on the corners of your clothes. A blue cord must be on each tassel. You must do it for all time to come. 39 You will have the tassels to look at. They will remind you to obey all the Lord’s commands. Then you will be faithful to him. You will not chase after what your own hearts and eyes wish for. 40 You will remember to obey all my commands. And you will be set apart for your God. 41 I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’ ”
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