The Sin Offering

The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally(A) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands(B)

“‘If the anointed priest(C) sins,(D) bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull(E) without defect(F) as a sin offering[a](G) for the sin he has committed.(H) He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord.(I) He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the Lord. Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood(J) and carry it into the tent of meeting. He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle(K) some of it seven times before the Lord,(L) in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.(M) The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns(N) of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar(O) of burnt offering(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He shall remove all the fat(Q) from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys(R) 10 just as the fat is removed from the ox[b](S) sacrificed as a fellowship offering.(T) Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.(U) 11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines(V) 12 that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp(W) to a place ceremonially clean,(X) where the ashes(Y) are thrown, and burn it(Z) there in a wood fire on the ash heap.(AA)

13 “‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally(AB) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt 14 and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull(AC) as a sin offering(AD) and present it before the tent of meeting. 15 The elders(AE) of the community are to lay their hands(AF) on the bull’s head(AG) before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord.(AH) 16 Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood(AI) into the tent of meeting. 17 He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle(AJ) it before the Lord(AK) seven times in front of the curtain. 18 He is to put some of the blood(AL) on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord(AM) in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar(AN) of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 He shall remove all the fat(AO) from it and burn it on the altar,(AP) 20 and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement(AQ) for the community, and they will be forgiven.(AR) 21 Then he shall take the bull outside the camp(AS) and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.(AT)

22 “‘When a leader(AU) sins unintentionally(AV) and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt 23 and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat(AW) without defect. 24 He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord.(AX) It is a sin offering.(AY) 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar(AZ) of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.(BA) 26 He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement(BB) for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.(BC)

27 “‘If any member of the community sins unintentionally(BD) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt 28 and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering(BE) for the sin they committed a female goat(BF) without defect. 29 They are to lay their hand on the head(BG) of the sin offering(BH) and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.(BI) 30 Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering(BJ) and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar(BK) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(BL) In this way the priest will make atonement(BM) for them, and they will be forgiven.(BN)

32 “‘If someone brings a lamb(BO) as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect.(BP) 33 They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it(BQ) for a sin offering(BR) at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.(BS) 34 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.(BT) 35 They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar(BU) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

“‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify(BV) regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.(BW)

“‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground)(BX) and they are unaware that they have become unclean,(BY) but then they come to realize their guilt; or if they touch human uncleanness(BZ) (anything that would make them unclean)(CA) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath(CB) to do anything, whether good or evil(CC) (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess(CD) in what way they have sinned. As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat(CE) from the flock as a sin offering[c];(CF) and the priest shall make atonement(CG) for them for their sin.

“‘Anyone who cannot afford(CH) a lamb(CI) is to bring two doves or two young pigeons(CJ) to the Lord as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck,(CK) not dividing it completely,(CL) and is to splash(CM) some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar;(CN) the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar.(CO) It is a sin offering. 10 The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way(CP) and make atonement(CQ) for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.(CR)

11 “‘If, however, they cannot afford(CS) two doves or two young pigeons,(CT) they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah[d](CU) of the finest flour(CV) for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 They are to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial[e] portion(CW) and burn it on the altar(CX) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement(CY) for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest,(CZ) as in the case of the grain offering.(DA)’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:3 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  2. Leviticus 4:10 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  3. Leviticus 5:6 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  4. Leviticus 5:11 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  5. Leviticus 5:12 Or representative

The Sin Offering

Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites: When someone sins unintentionally(A) against any of the Lord’s commands and does anything prohibited by them—

“If the anointed priest[a](B) sins, bringing guilt(C) on the people, he is to present to the Lord a young, unblemished(D) bull as a sin[b] offering(E) for the sin he has committed. He must bring the bull to the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the Lord. The anointed priest must then take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meeting. The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times(F) before the Lord in front of the veil(G) of the sanctuary.(H) The priest must apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar of fragrant incense(I) that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. He must pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering(J) that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins. He will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys, 10 just as the fat is removed from the ox of the fellowship sacrifice.(K) The priest is to burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the hide(L) of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and shanks, and its entrails and dung— 12 all the rest of the bull—he must bring to a ceremonially clean place(M) outside the camp(N) to the ash heap, and must burn it on a wood fire. It is to be burned at the ash heap.

13 “Now if the whole community of Israel(O) errs,(P) and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly,(Q) so that they violate any of the Lord’s commands and incur guilt(R) by doing what is prohibited, 14 then the assembly must present a young bull as a sin offering. When the sin they have committed in regard to the command becomes known, they are to bring it before the tent of meeting. 15 The elders(S) of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord and it is to be slaughtered before the Lord. 16 The anointed priest will bring some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. 17 The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil. 18 He is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 He is to remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20 He is to offer this bull just as he did with the bull in the sin offering; he will offer it the same way. So the priest will make atonement(T) on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.(U) 21 Then he will bring the bull outside the camp(V) and burn it just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.

22 “When a leader[c](W) sins and unintentionally violates any of the commands of the Lord his God by doing what is prohibited, and incurs guilt, 23 or someone informs him about the sin he has committed, he is to bring an unblemished male goat(X) as his offering. 24 He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering(Y) is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering.(Z) 25 Then the priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering.(AA) The rest of its blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the fellowship sacrifice. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for that person’s sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 “Now if any of the common people[d] sins unintentionally by violating one of the Lord’s commands, does what is prohibited, and incurs guilt, 28 or if someone informs him about the sin he has committed, then he is to bring an unblemished female goat as his offering for the sin that he has committed. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. 30 Then the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 He is to remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf, and he will be forgiven.

32 “Or if the offering that he brings as a sin offering is a lamb,(AB) he is to bring an unblemished female. 33 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 He is to remove all its fat just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest will burn it on the altar along with the fire offerings to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

Cases Requiring Sin Offerings

“When someone sins in any of these ways:

If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify, he is responsible for his sin.(AC)

Or if someone touches anything unclean(AD)—a carcass of an unclean wild animal,(AE) or unclean livestock, or an unclean swarming creature[e](AF)—without being aware of it, he is unclean and guilty.(AG)

Or if he touches human uncleanness(AH)—any uncleanness by which one can become defiled(AI)—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he is guilty.

Or if someone swears rashly(AJ) to do what is good or evil—concerning anything a person may speak rashly in an oath—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt in such an instance.[f]

If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess(AK) he has committed that sin. He must bring his restitution(AL) for the sin he has committed to the Lord: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement(AM) on his behalf for his sin.

“But if he cannot afford an animal from the flock, then he may bring to the Lord two turtledoves or two young pigeons(AN) as restitution for his sin—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. He is to bring them to the priest, who will first present the one for the sin offering. He must twist its head at the back of the neck without severing it.(AO) Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar;(AP) it is a sin offering. 10 He must prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulation.(AQ) In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

11 “But if he cannot afford[g] two turtledoves or two young pigeons,(AR) he may bring two quarts[h] of fine[i] flour[j](AS) as an offering for his sin. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He is to bring it to the priest, who will take a handful from it as its memorial portion(AT) and burn it on the altar along with the fire offerings to the Lord; it is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf concerning the sin he has committed in any of these cases, and he will be forgiven. The rest will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”(AU)

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 4:3 Probably the high priest; Lv 6:22
  2. Leviticus 4:3 Or purification
  3. Leviticus 4:22 Or ruler
  4. Leviticus 4:27 Lit the people of the land
  5. Leviticus 5:2 Perhaps a fish, insect, rodent, or reptile; Gn 1:20; Lv 11:20-23,29-31
  6. Leviticus 5:4 Lit in one of such things
  7. Leviticus 5:11 Lit if his hand is not sufficient for
  8. Leviticus 5:11 Lit one-tenth of an ephah
  9. Leviticus 5:11 Or wheat; Ex 29:2
  10. Leviticus 5:11 Lit flour as a sin offering