Leviticus 4:1-5:13
Lexham English Bible
Laws for Sin Offerings
4 Then[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites,[b] saying, ‘If a person[c] sins by an unintentional wrong from any of Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated,[d] and he violates[e] any of them[f]— 3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people,[g] then,[h] concerning the sin that he has committed,[i] he shall bring a young bull[j] without defect for Yahweh as a sin offering. 4 He shall bring[k] the bull to the tent of assembly’s entrance before Yahweh, place[l] his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter the bull before Yahweh. 5 The anointed priest[m] shall take some of[n] the bull’s blood and shall bring it to the tent of assembly, 6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and shall spatter some of[o] the blood seven times before Yahweh in front of the sanctuary’s curtain. 7 The priest[p] shall put some of[q] the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before Yahweh, which is in the tent of assembly, and all the rest[r] of the bull’s blood he must pour out on the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of assembly.
8 “‘He must remove[s] all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the inner parts[t] and all of the fat that is on the inner parts,[u] 9 the two[v] kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the liver’s lobe that he must remove in addition to the kidneys— 10 just as it is removed from the ox of the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice—and the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar of the burnt offering. 11 But[w] the bull’s skin and its meat, in addition to its head, its lower leg bones,[x] its[y] inner parts,[z] and its offal— 12 he shall carry[aa] all of the bull outside the camp[ab] to a ceremonially clean place, to the fatty ashes’ dump, and he shall burn it on wood in the fire; it must be burned up on the fatty ashes’ dump.
13 “‘If[ac] Israel’s whole assembly did wrong unintentionally and the matter[ad] was concealed from the assembly’s eyes, and they acted[ae] against any of[af] Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated,[ag] so that[ah] they incur guilt, 14 when[ai] the sin that they have committed[aj] against that command[ak] becomes known, the assembly[al] shall present a young bull[am] as a sin offering, and they shall bring it before the tent of assembly. 15 And the elders of the community shall place their hands on the bull’s head before Yahweh, and he[an] shall slaughter the bull before Yahweh. 16 Then the anointed priest shall bring some of[ao] the bull’s blood to the tent of assembly, 17 and the priest shall dip his finger in[ap] the blood and shall spatter it seven times before Yahweh in front of the curtain. 18 He must put[aq] some of[ar] the blood on the altar’s horns before Yahweh in the tent of assembly,[as] and all the rest[at] of the blood he must pour out on the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the tent of assembly’s entrance. 19 He must remove[au] all its fat from it, and he shall turn it into smoke on the altar. 20 He shall do[av] to the bull just as[aw] he did to the sin offering’s bull, so he must do to it. The priest[ax] shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.[ay] 21 He shall bring[az] the rest of[ba] the bull outside the camp,[bb] and he shall burn it just as[bc] he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.
22 “‘When a leader sins and commits[bd] an unintentional wrong against any of[be] the commands of Yahweh his God that should not be violated,[bf] so that[bg] he incurs guilt, 23 or his sin he has committed[bh] is made known to him, he shall bring[bi] a male goat[bj] without defect as his offering. 24 He shall place[bk] his hand on the he-goat’s head and slaughter it in the place where he slaughtered the burnt offering before Yahweh; it is a sin offering. 25 The priest[bl] shall take some of[bm] the sin offering’s blood with his finger, and he shall put it on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out the rest of[bn] its blood on the base of the altar of the burnt offering. 26 He[bo] must turn all of its fat into smoke on the altar like the fat of the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice, and the priest shall make atonement for him because of[bp] his sin, and he will be forgiven.[bq]
27 “‘If[br] anyone[bs] of the people of the land sins by an unintentional wrong by violating[bt] one of Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated,[bu] so that[bv] he incurs guilt, 28 or his sin he has committed[bw] is made known to him, he shall bring[bx] as his offering a female goat without defect[by] as his offering for his sin that he committed.[bz] 29 He shall place[ca] his hand on the sin offering’s head and slaughter the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering. 30 The priest[cb] shall take some of[cc] its blood with his finger, and he shall put it on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of[cd] its blood on the altar’s base. 31 He[ce] must remove all of its fat just as[cf] the fat was removed from[cg] the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice, and the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. The priest[ch] shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.[ci]
32 “‘But[cj] if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he must bring a female without defect. 33 He shall place[ck] his hand on the sin offering’s head, and he shall slaughter it as a sin offering in the place where he slaughtered the burnt offering. 34 The priest[cl] shall take some of[cm] the sin offering’s blood with his finger, and he shall put it on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest[cn] of its blood on the altar’s base. 35 He must remove[co] all of its fat just as[cp] the lamb’s fat from the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice was removed, and the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar upon Yahweh’s offerings made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him because of[cq] his sin that he committed,[cr] and he will be forgiven.’”[cs]
More Laws Regarding Sin Offerings
5 “‘When a person[ct] sins in that[cu] he hears the utterance of a curse and he is a witness or he sees or he knows, if he does not make it known, then[cv] he shall bear his guilt. 2 Or if a person[cw] touches anything unclean, whether[cx] an unclean wild[cy] animal’s dead body or an unclean domestic animal’s dead body or an unclean swarmer’s dead body, but[cz] he is unaware of it,[da] he is unclean and he is guilty. 3 Or when he touches human uncleanness, namely[db] any uncleanness of his by which he might become unclean, but[dc] he is unaware of it,[dd] and he himself finds out, then[de] he will be guilty. 4 Or when a person[df] swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips, to do evil or to do good with regard to[dg] anything that the person[dh] in a sworn oath speaks thoughtlessly, but[di] he is unaware of it,[dj] he will be guilty in any of[dk] these. 5 When he becomes guilty in any of[dl] these, he shall confess[dm] what he has sinned regarding[dn] it, 6 and he shall bring his guilt offering to[do] Yahweh for his sin that he has committed:[dp] a female from the flock,[dq] a ewe-lamb or a she-goat,[dr] as a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for[ds] his sin.
7 “‘If[dt] he cannot afford a sheep,[du] he shall bring as his guilt offering for what he sinned two turtledoves or two young doves[dv] for Yahweh, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. 8 He shall bring[dw] them to the priest, and he shall present that which is for the sin offering first, and the priest[dx] shall wring its head off at the back of its neck,[dy] but[dz] he must not sever it, 9 and he shall spatter some of[ea] the sin offering’s blood on the altar’s side, and the leftover blood must be drained out on the altar’s base; it is a sin offering. 10 The second[eb] bird he must prepare as a burnt offering according to the regulation, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin that he has committed,[ec] and he shall be forgiven.
11 “‘But[ed] if he cannot afford[ee] two turtledoves or two young doves,[ef] then,[eg] because he has sinned, he shall bring as his offering a tenth of an[eh] ephah of finely milled flour as a sin offering. He must not put[ei] oil on it, nor should he put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring[ej] it to the priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it[ek] for its token portion, and he shall turn it to smoke on the altar in addition to[el] the offerings made by fire to Yahweh; it is a sin offering. 13 Thus[em] the priest shall make atonement for him because of the sin that he has committed[en] in any of these,[eo] and he shall be forgiven. It shall be[ep] for the priest, like the grain offering.’”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 4:1 Or “And”
- Leviticus 4:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Leviticus 4:2 Or “a soul”
- Leviticus 4:2 Literally “done”
- Leviticus 4:2 Literally “does”
- Leviticus 4:2 Literally “from one from them”; see NET
- Leviticus 4:3 Literally “to the guilt of the people”
- Leviticus 4:3 Or “and”
- Leviticus 4:3 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 4:3 Literally “a bull, a son of cattle”
- Leviticus 4:4 Or “And he shall bring”
- Leviticus 4:4 Or “And place”
- Leviticus 4:5 Or “And the anointed priest”
- Leviticus 4:5 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:6 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:7 Or “And the priest”
- Leviticus 4:7 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:7 Implied by the context
- Leviticus 4:8 Or “And he must remove”
- Leviticus 4:8 Or “entrails”
- Leviticus 4:8 Or “entrails”
- Leviticus 4:9 Or “and the two”
- Leviticus 4:11 Or “And”
- Leviticus 4:11 Literally “and in addition to its lower leg bones”
- Leviticus 4:11 Or “and its”
- Leviticus 4:11 Or “entrails”
- Leviticus 4:12 Or “and he shall carry out”
- Leviticus 4:12 Literally “to from an outside place of the camp”
- Leviticus 4:13 Or “And if”
- Leviticus 4:13 Or “thing”
- Leviticus 4:13 Or “did”
- Leviticus 4:13 Literally “one from all of”
- Leviticus 4:13 Literally “done”
- Leviticus 4:13 Or “and”
- Leviticus 4:14 Or “and”
- Leviticus 4:14 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 4:14 The 3fs pronominal suffix may refer to “one of Yahweh’s commands”—“one” is also fs
- Leviticus 4:14 Or “and the assembly”
- Leviticus 4:14 Literally “a bull, a son of cattle”
- Leviticus 4:15 Or “someone”; see NET—the 3ms refers to either one of the elders or the priest
- Leviticus 4:16 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:17 Or “from”
- Leviticus 4:18 Or “And he must put”
- Leviticus 4:18 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:18 Literally “which is in the tent of assembly”—the reference is to the altar
- Leviticus 4:18 Indicated by the context
- Leviticus 4:19 Or “And he must remove”
- Leviticus 4:20 Or “And he shall do”
- Leviticus 4:20 Literally “as that”
- Leviticus 4:20 Or “And the priest”
- Leviticus 4:20 Literally “it shall be forgiven to them”
- Leviticus 4:21 Or “And he shall bring out”
- Leviticus 4:21 Indicated by the context
- Leviticus 4:21 Literally “to from an outside place of the camp”
- Leviticus 4:21 Literally “as that”
- Leviticus 4:22 Or “does”
- Leviticus 4:22 Literally “one from all of”
- Leviticus 4:22 Literally “done”
- Leviticus 4:22 Or “and”
- Leviticus 4:23 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 4:23 Or “and he shall bring” or “then he shall bring”
- Leviticus 4:23 Literally “a he-goat of goats a male”
- Leviticus 4:24 Or “And he shall place”
- Leviticus 4:25 Or “And the priest”
- Leviticus 4:25 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:25 Indicated by context
- Leviticus 4:26 Or “And he”; the antecedent is the priest (cp. vv. 10, 31)
- Leviticus 4:26 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:26 Literally “it shall be forgiven to him”
- Leviticus 4:27 Or “And if”
- Leviticus 4:27 Literally “a soul one”
- Leviticus 4:27 Literally “doing”
- Leviticus 4:27 Literally “done”
- Leviticus 4:27 Or “and”
- Leviticus 4:28 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 4:28 Or “and he shall bring” or “then he shall bring”
- Leviticus 4:28 Literally “a she-goat of goats without defect a female”
- Leviticus 4:28 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 4:29 Or “And he shall place”
- Leviticus 4:30 Or “And the priest”
- Leviticus 4:30 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:30 Indicated by context
- Leviticus 4:31 Or “And he”
- Leviticus 4:31 Literally “as that”
- Leviticus 4:31 Or “from on” or “from upon”
- Leviticus 4:31 Or “And the priest”
- Leviticus 4:31 Literally “it shall be forgiven to him”
- Leviticus 4:32 Or “And”
- Leviticus 4:33 Or “And he shall place”
- Leviticus 4:34 Or “And the priest”
- Leviticus 4:34 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 4:34 Indicated by context
- Leviticus 4:35 Or “And he must remove”
- Leviticus 4:35 Literally “as that”
- Leviticus 4:35 Or “for”
- Leviticus 4:35 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 4:35 Literally “it will be forgiven to him”
- Leviticus 5:1 Or “a soul”
- Leviticus 5:1 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:1 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:2 Or “a soul”
- Leviticus 5:2 Literally “or”
- Leviticus 5:2 Implied by the following phrase specifying domestic animals
- Leviticus 5:2 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:2 Literally “it is concealed from him”
- Leviticus 5:3 Literally “for” or “to” (see HALOT 510)
- Leviticus 5:3 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:3 Literally “it is concealed from him”
- Leviticus 5:3 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:4 Or “a soul”
- Leviticus 5:4 Literally “for” or “to” (see HALOT 510)
- Leviticus 5:4 Literally “the man”
- Leviticus 5:4 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:4 Literally “it is concealed from him”
- Leviticus 5:4 Literally “for one of”
- Leviticus 5:5 Literally “for one of”
- Leviticus 5:5 Or “and he shall confess”
- Leviticus 5:5 Literally “upon” or “against”
- Leviticus 5:6 Or “for”
- Leviticus 5:6 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 5:6 The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
- Leviticus 5:6 Literally “a she-goat of goats”
- Leviticus 5:6 Hebrew “from”
- Leviticus 5:7 Or “And if”
- Leviticus 5:7 Literally “his hand does not touch enough of small livestock”
- Leviticus 5:7 Literally “sons of dove” or “children of dove”
- Leviticus 5:8 Or “And he shall bring”
- Leviticus 5:8 Required by the previous action (see NET)
- Leviticus 5:8 Literally “from opposite its neck”
- Leviticus 5:8 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:9 Literally “from”
- Leviticus 5:10 Or “And the second”
- Leviticus 5:10 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 5:11 Or “And”
- Leviticus 5:11 Literally “his hand cannot produce for”
- Leviticus 5:11 Literally “sons of dove” or “children of dove”
- Leviticus 5:11 Or “and”
- Leviticus 5:11 Hebrew “the”
- Leviticus 5:11 Or “And he must not put”
- Leviticus 5:12 Or “And he shall bring”
- Leviticus 5:12 Literally “shall scoop up from it the fullness of his handful”
- Leviticus 5:12 Literally “on” or “upon”
- Leviticus 5:13 Or “And”
- Leviticus 5:13 Literally “sinned”
- Leviticus 5:13 Literally “from one from these”
- Leviticus 5:13 Or “And it shall be”
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
International Standard Version
Personal Sin Offerings
4 The Lord told Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelis and tell them that if a person inadvertently sins with respect to any of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, but nevertheless he disobeys one of them, 3 or if the anointed priest sins, thereby bringing guilt on the people, let him bring a young bull[a] without defect as a sin offering to the Lord for his sin that he had committed.
4 “He is to bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, into the Lord’s presence, where he is to lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter it in the Lord’s presence. 5 The anointed priest is to take[b] blood from the bull to the Tent of Meeting. 6 The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in the Lord’s presence in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.
7 “The priest is then to put some blood on the horn of the altar that is near the Tent of Meeting as an incense of pleasing aroma in the Lord’s presence. He is to pour the rest of the bull’s blood[c] for a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 Then he is to remove all the fat from the bull for a sin offering—that is, the fat that covers the internal organs,[d] all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, 9 the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass[e] surrounding the liver and kidneys— 10 just as it is taken from the bull for a peace offering. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar for burnt offerings.
11 “Now as for the bull’s hide, its flesh, its head, its legs, its internal organs, and its dung, 12 along with the rest of the bull, he is to bring it outside the camp to a clean place, where fat ashes are to be poured over it and then it is to be thoroughly burned over wood with fire. It is to be burned where the fat ashes are poured out.”
National Sin Offerings
13 “If the whole congregation of Israel goes astray, and if the sin is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and if they go astray from one of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, then they will stand guilty. 14 When the sin that they have committed becomes known, the entire congregation is to bring a young bull as a sin offering to the Tent of Meeting, 15 where the elders of the community are to lay their hands on the head of the bull in the Lord’s presence and slaughter it.[f] 16 The anointed priest is to take blood from the bull and bring it to the Tent of Meeting. 17 Then the priest is to dip his finger in the blood, sprinkle some of the blood seven times in front of the curtain in the Lord’s presence, 18 then put blood on the horn of the altar near the Tent of Meeting in the Lord’s presence. He is to pour the rest of the blood as a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 Then he is to remove all the fat from the bull for a sin offering and burn it on the altar. 20 He is to do to this bull what he did to the bull for the sin offering. He is to do it this way so that the priest will make atonement for them and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he is to bring the rest of the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he had burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the congregation.”
Sin Offerings for Rulers
22 “When a ruler inadvertently sins, disobeying any one of the commands of the Lord his God that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 23 When the sin that he had committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering: a male goat without defect. 24 He is then to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered—in the Lord’s presence—as a sin offering. 25 Then the priest is to take blood from the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings, and then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar that is used for burnt offerings. 26 He is to burn all the fat on the altar as is done for the fat for the sacrifice of a peace offering. This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin. It will be forgiven him.”
Sin Offerings for the People
27 “If any[g] of the common people of the land inadvertently sins by disobeying one of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 28 When the sin that he committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering for his sin that he had committed: a female goat without defect. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it[h] at the place for burnt offering. 30 Then the priest is to take blood with his finger, put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings, and then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 He is to remove all the fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice for the peace offering. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. This is how the priest will make atonement for him. It will be forgiven him.
32 “If he brings a lamb for his offering, he is to bring a female without defect. 33 He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest is to take blood with his finger and put it on the horn of the altar for burnt offering. Then he is to pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 35 Then the presenter is to remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. The priest is to burn it on the altar over the offerings made by fire to the Lord. This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning the sin that he had committed. It will be forgiven him.”
Laws of Public Testimony
5 “If someone sins because he has failed to testify after receiving notice[i] to testify as a witness regarding what he has observed or learned, he is to be held responsible.”[j]
Offerings for Uncleanness
2 “When a person has touched a ceremonially unclean thing inadvertently,[k] such as the carcass of an unclean animal, or some unclean creeping thing, he will be unclean and guilty nevertheless. 3 When he inadvertently touches the uncleanness of a human being, whatever his uncleanness that made him unclean may be, when he himself comes to know about it, he will be guilty. 4 When a person has sworn inadvertently by what he has said, whether for evil or good, whatever it was that the person spoke, when he comes to understand what he said, he will incur guilt by one of these things. 5 When a person is guilty of one of these things, then he is to confess[l] whatever sin it was 6 and bring compensation to the Lord for the guilt that he committed: a female from the flock—whether a lamb or goat—for a sin offering. Then the priest is to make atonement for him.”
Inexpensive Offering Alternatives
7 “If he can’t afford a goat, then he is to bring to the Lord for his sin offering two turtledoves or two young doves:[m] one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8 He is to bring them to the priest, who will offer a sin offering first. He is to wring off its head without separating it. 9 Then he is to sprinkle some of the blood from the sin offering on the sidewall of the altar. Now as to the remainder of the blood, he is to pour it out at the base of the altar for a sin offering. 10 With respect to the second offering, he is to prepare it as a burnt offering, according to the approved procedure.[n] The priest is to make atonement for him on account of his sin that he had committed. Then it will be forgiven him.
11 “If he can’t afford[o] two turtledoves or two young doves, then he is to bring as his offering a tenth of an ephah[p] of fine flour as a sin offering for what he has committed. He is to put no olive oil or frankincense on it, since it’s a sin offering. 12 He is to bring it to the priest. The priest is to take a handful as a memorial and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It’s a sin offering. 13 The priest will make atonement for him, on account of the sin that he had committed in any of these things and it will be forgiven him. As far as the priest is concerned, it will be a meal offering.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 4:3 Lit. a bull, a son of a bull
- Leviticus 4:5 The Heb. lacks the word takes . . . some, and so with vss. 5, 16, 30, 34
- Leviticus 4:7 Lit. all of the blood
- Leviticus 4:8 Or inward parts
- Leviticus 4:9 Or appendage
- Leviticus 4:15 Lit. the bull in the Lord’s presence
- Leviticus 4:27 Lit. soul
- Leviticus 4:29 Lit. the sin offering
- Leviticus 5:1 Lit. after having heard
- Leviticus 5:1 Lit. guilty
- Leviticus 5:2 Lit. thing and it was hidden from him; and so throughout the chapter
- Leviticus 5:5 Or acknowledge
- Leviticus 5:7 Lit. or offspring of a dove
- Leviticus 5:10 Lit. judgment
- Leviticus 5:11 Lit. if his hands cannot reach
- Leviticus 5:11 I.e., an ephah was equal to from 2 /3 to 3 /4 of a bushel
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
