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Numbers 15:1-13
New English Translation

Sacrificial Rulings

15 [a] The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land where you are to live,[b] which I am giving you,[c] 3 and you make an offering by fire to the Lord from the herd or from the flock (whether a burnt offering or a sacrifice for discharging a vow or as a freewill offering or in your solemn feasts) to create a pleasing aroma to the Lord, 4 then the one who presents his offering to the Lord must bring[d] a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of olive oil.[e] 5 You must also prepare one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering[f] with the burnt offering or the sacrifice for each lamb.[g] 6 Or for a ram, you must prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one-third of a hin of olive oil, 7 and for a drink offering you must offer one-third of a hin of wine as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 8 And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice for discharging a vow or as a peace offering to the Lord, 9 then a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with half a hin of olive oil must be presented[h] with the young bull, 10 and you must present as the drink offering half a hin of wine with the fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 11 This is what is to be done[i] for each ox, or each ram, or each of the male lambs or the goats. 12 You must do so for each one according to the number that you prepare.

13 “‘Every native-born person must do these things in this way to present an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 15:1 sn The wilderness wandering officially having begun, these rules were then given for the people to be used when they finally entered the land. That they would be provided here would be of some encouragement to the nation after their great failure. God still spoke of a land that was to be their land, even though they had sinned greatly. This chapter collects a number of religious rules. The first 16 verses deal with rulings for sacrifices. Then, vv. 17-36 concerns sins of omission. Finally, rules concerning tassels are covered (vv. 37-41). For additional reading, see G. B. Gray, Sacrifice in the Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon, 1925); B. A. Levine, In the Presence of the Lord (SJLA); D. J. McCarthy, “The Symbolism of Blood and Sacrifice,” JBL 88 (1969): 166-76; “Further Notes on the Symbolism of Blood and Sacrifice,” JBL 92 (1973): 205-10; J. Milgrom, “Sin Offering or Purification Offering,” VT 21 (1971): 237-39; N. H. Snaith, “Sacrifices in the Old Testament,” VT 7 (1957): 308-17; R. J. Thompson, Penitence and Sacrifice in Early Israel; R. de Vaux, Studies in Old Testament Sacrifice.
  2. Numbers 15:2 tn Heb “the land of your habitations.”
  3. Numbers 15:2 tn The Hebrew participle here has the futur instans use of the participle, expressing that something is going to take place. It is not imminent, but it is certain that God would give the land to Israel.
  4. Numbers 15:4 tn The three words at the beginning of this verse are all etymologically related: “the one who offers his offering shall offer.”
  5. Numbers 15:4 sn Obviously, as the wording of the text affirms, this kind of offering would be made after they were in the land and able to produce the grain and oil for the sacrifices. The instructions anticipated their ability to do this, and this would give hope to them. The amounts are difficult to determine, but it may be that they were to bring 4.5 liters of flour and 1.8 liters each of oil and wine.
  6. Numbers 15:5 sn The drink-offering was an ancient custom, mentioned in the Ugaritic tablets of Ras Shamra (14th century b.c.). The drink offering was poured out at the base of the altar (see Sir 50:15 and Josephus, Ant. 3.9.4 [3.234]).
  7. Numbers 15:5 tn Heb “for the one lamb,” but it clearly means “for each lamb.”
  8. Numbers 15:9 tn The text changes from direct address here to the third person form of the verb. If the MT is correct, then to make a smooth translation it would need to be made a passive (in view of the fact that no subject is expressed).
  9. Numbers 15:11 tn Heb “according to thus shall it be done.”
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Numbers 15:1-13
Lexham English Bible

Various Sacrifices and Offerings

15 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites[a] and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of your dwellings that I am about to give to you, 3 you will make an offering by fire for Yahweh from the cattle or from the flock, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering or at your feasts, to make a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. 4 And the one who presents an offering[b] for Yahweh, he will present a grain offering of finely milled flour; a tenth will be mixed with a fourth of the liquid measure of oil; 5 and you will add a fourth of wine for the libation upon the burnt offering, or to the sacrifice for each ram-lamb. 6 Or for the ram you will make a grain offering of two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed into a third of a liquid measure of oil. 7 You will present a third of the liquid measure of wine for the libation, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. 8 When you prepare a bull[c] as a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a fellowship offering for Yahweh, 9 you will present with the bull[d] a grain offering of three-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with half a liquid measure of oil, 10 and you will present half a liquid measure of wine as a libation, as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.

11 “‘This is how it should be done for each bull, or for the each ram, or for the small four-footed mammal, or ram-lambs, or goats. 12 According to the number that you prepare, so should you do to each according to their number. 13 Every native must do these things to present an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 15:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Numbers 15:4 Hebrew “his offering”
  3. Numbers 15:8 Literally “a son of cattle”
  4. Numbers 15:9 Literally “the son of the cattle”
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