Leviticus 4:1-5:13
New American Standard Bible
The Law of Sin Offerings
4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins (A)unintentionally in any of the [a]things which the Lord has (B)commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, 3 (C)if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then he is to offer to the Lord a [b]bull without defect as a sin offering for his sin which he has [c]committed. 4 He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, and (D)he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter the bull before the Lord. 5 Then the (E)anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, 6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of (F)the veil of the sanctuary. 7 The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of (G)the altar of fragrant incense which is before the Lord in the tent of meeting; and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8 And (H)he shall remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails, 9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the [d]lobe of the liver, which he shall remove (I)with the kidneys 10 (just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings); and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But (J)the hide of the bull and all its flesh, along with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its refuse, 12 [e]that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to (K)a clean place outside the camp where the fatty ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the fatty ashes are poured out it shall be burned.
13 ‘(L)Now if the entire congregation of Israel does wrong unintentionally and the matter [f]escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the [g]things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty; 14 (M)when the sin [h]which they have [i]committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer (N)a [j]bull of the herd as a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting. 15 Then (O)the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered (P)before the Lord. 16 Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting; 17 and (Q)the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. 18 He shall then put some of the blood on the horns of (R)the altar which is before the Lord [k]in the tent of meeting; and all the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 19 And (S)he shall remove all its fat from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar. 20 He shall also do with the bull just as he did with (T)the bull of the sin offering; he shall do the same with it. So (U)the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he is to bring the bull out to a place outside the camp and burn it just as he burned the first bull; it is (V)the sin offering for the assembly.
22 ‘When (W)a leader (X)sins and unintentionally does any of [l]the things which the Lord his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty, 23 [m](Y)if his sin [n]which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a [o](Z)goat, (AA)a male without defect. 24 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter it in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering before the Lord; it is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on (AB)the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And he shall offer (AC)all its fat up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So (AD)the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his sin, and he will be forgiven.
27 ‘Now if [p]anyone of the [q]common people sins (AE)unintentionally by doing any of the [r]things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, 28 [s](AF)if his sin which he has [t]committed is made known to him, then he shall bring as his offering a [u](AG)goat, a (AH)female without defect, for his sin which he has [v]committed. 29 And (AI)he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and (AJ)slaughter the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. 30 The priest shall then take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of (AK)the altar of burnt offering; and (AL)all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31 (AM)Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as (AN)a soothing aroma to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for him, [w]and he will be forgiven.
32 ‘But if he brings (AO)a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without defect. 33 And (AP)he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering (AQ)in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering. 34 And the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of (AR)the altar of burnt offering, and (AS)all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35 Then he shall remove (AT)all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer [x]it up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the Lord. So (AU)the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his sin which he has [y]committed, and he will be forgiven.
The Law of Guilt Offerings
5 ‘Now if a person sins after he hears a [z]public (AV)order to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his punishment. 2 Or if a person touches (AW)any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty. 3 Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty. 4 Or if a person (AX)swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter people speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty of one of these things. 5 So it shall be when he becomes guilty of one of these things, that he shall (AY)confess that in which he has sinned. 6 He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has [aa]committed, (AZ)a female from the flock, a lamb or a [ab]goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.
7 ‘But if [ac]he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young doves, (BA)one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. 8 He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer that which is for the sin offering, and shall pinch off its head at the front of its neck, but he (BB)shall not sever it. 9 He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering (BC)on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out (BD)at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. 10 The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering (BE)according to the ordinance. (BF)So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has [ad]committed, and it will be forgiven him.
11 ‘But (BG)if his [ae]means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young doves, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an [af]ephah of fine flour as a sin offering; (BH)he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, [ag]with the offerings of the Lord by fire: it is a sin offering. 13 So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has [ah]committed from (BI)one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then (BJ)the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 4:2 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
- Leviticus 4:3 Lit bull of the herd
- Leviticus 4:3 Lit sinned
- Leviticus 4:9 Or appendage on
- Leviticus 4:12 Lit and
- Leviticus 4:13 Lit is hidden from the eyes of
- Leviticus 4:13 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
- Leviticus 4:14 Lit concerning which
- Leviticus 4:14 Lit sinned
- Leviticus 4:14 Lit son of the herd
- Leviticus 4:18 Lit which is in
- Leviticus 4:22 Lit all commands of the Lord which are not to be done
- Leviticus 4:23 Lit or
- Leviticus 4:23 Lit in which he has sinned
- Leviticus 4:23 Lit buck of the goats
- Leviticus 4:27 Lit one soul
- Leviticus 4:27 Lit people of the land
- Leviticus 4:27 Lit commands of the Lord which are not to be done
- Leviticus 4:28 Lit or
- Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
- Leviticus 4:28 Or female goat
- Leviticus 4:28 Lit sinned
- Leviticus 4:31 Or so that he may be
- Leviticus 4:35 Lit them
- Leviticus 4:35 Lit sinned
- Leviticus 5:1 Lit voice of a curse
- Leviticus 5:6 Lit sinned
- Leviticus 5:6 Lit female goat
- Leviticus 5:7 Lit his hand does not reach enough for
- Leviticus 5:10 Lit sinned
- Leviticus 5:11 Lit hand does not reach
- Leviticus 5:11 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
- Leviticus 5:12 Lit upon
- Leviticus 5:13 Lit sinned
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
Living Bible
4 Then the Lord gave these further instructions to Moses:
2 “Tell the people of Israel that these are the laws concerning anyone who unintentionally breaks any of my commandments. 3 If a priest sins unintentionally and so brings guilt upon the people, he must offer a young bull without defect as a sin offering to the Lord. 4 He shall bring it to the door of the Tabernacle, and shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it there before Jehovah. 5 Then the priest shall take the animal’s blood into the Tabernacle, 6 and shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil that bars the way to the Holy of Holies. 7 Then the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the incense altar before the Lord in the Tabernacle; the remainder of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, at the entrance to the Tabernacle. 8 Then he shall take all the fat on the entrails, 9 the two kidneys and the loin fat on them, and the gall bladder, 10 and shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering, just as in the case of a bull or cow sacrificed as a thank offering. 11-12 But the remainder of the young bull—the skin, meat, head, legs, internal organs, and intestines—shall be carried to a ceremonially clean place outside the camp—a place where the ashes are brought from the altar—and burned there on a wood fire.
13 “If the entire nation of Israel sins without realizing it and does something that Jehovah has said not to do, all the people are guilty. 14 When they realize it, they shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, bringing it to the Tabernacle 15 where the leaders[a] of the nation shall lay their hands upon the animal’s head and kill it before the Lord. 16 Then the priest shall bring its blood into the Tabernacle, 17 and shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. 18 Then he shall put blood upon the horns of the altar there in the Tabernacle before the Lord, and all the remainder of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the burnt offering altar, at the entrance to the Tabernacle. 19 All the fat shall be removed and burned upon the altar. 20 He shall follow the same procedure as for a sin offering; in this way the priest shall make atonement for the nation, and everyone will be forgiven. 21 The priest shall then cart the young bull outside the camp and burn it there, just as though it were a sin offering for an individual, only this time it is a sin offering for the entire nation.
22 “If one of the leaders sins without realizing it and is guilty of disobeying one of God’s laws, 23 as soon as it is called to his attention he must bring as his sacrifice a male goat without any physical defect. 24 He shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the place where the burnt offerings are killed, and present it to the Lord. This is his sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of this sin offering and place it with his finger upon the horns of the altar of burnt offerings, and the rest of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar. 26 All the fat shall be burned upon the altar, just as if it were the fat of the sacrifice of a thank offering;[b] thus the priest shall make atonement for the leader concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.
27 “If any one of the common people sins and doesn’t realize it, he is guilty. 28 But as soon as he does realize it, he is to bring as his sacrifice a female goat without defect to atone for his sin. 29 He shall bring it to the place where the animals for burnt offerings are killed, and there lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering and kill it. 30 And the priest shall take some of the blood with his finger and smear it upon the horns of the burnt offering altar. Then the priest shall pour out the remainder of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 All the fat shall be taken off, just as in the procedure for the thank offering sacrifice, and the priest shall burn it upon the altar; and the Lord will appreciate it. Thus the priest shall make atonement for that man, and he shall be forgiven.
32 “However, if he chooses to bring a lamb as his sin offering, it must be a female without physical defect. 33 He shall bring it to the place where the burnt offerings are killed, and lay his hand upon its head and kill it there as a sin offering. 34 The priest shall take some of the blood with his finger and smear it upon the horns of the burnt offering altar, and all the rest of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar. 35 The fat shall be used just as in the case of a thank offering lamb—the priest shall burn the fat on the altar as in any other sacrifice made to Jehovah by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for the man, and his sin shall be forgiven.
5 “Anyone refusing to give testimony concerning what he knows about a crime is guilty.
2 “Anyone touching anything ceremonially unclean—such as the dead body of an animal forbidden for food, wild or domesticated, or the dead body of some forbidden insect—is guilty, even though he wasn’t aware of touching it. 3 Or if he touches human discharge of any kind, he becomes guilty as soon as he realizes that he has touched it.
4 “If anyone makes a rash vow, whether the vow is good or bad, when he realizes what a foolish vow he has taken, he is guilty.
5 “In any of these cases, he shall confess his sin 6 and bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a female lamb or goat, and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be freed from his sin, and need not fulfill the vow.[c]
7 “If he is too poor to bring a lamb to the Lord, then he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as his guilt offering; one of the birds shall be his sin offering and the other his burnt offering. 8 The priest shall offer as the sin sacrifice whichever bird is handed to him first, breaking its neck, but not severing its head from its body. 9 Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood at the side of the altar and the rest shall be drained out at the base of the altar; this is the sin offering. 10 He shall offer the second bird as a burnt offering, following the customary procedures that have been set forth; so the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.
11 “If he is too poor to bring turtledoves or young pigeons as his sin offering, then he shall bring a tenth of a bushel of fine flour. He must not mix it with olive oil or put any incense on it because it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take out a handful as a representative portion and burn it on the altar just as any other offering to Jehovah made by fire; this shall be his sin offering. 13 In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for any sin of this kind, and he shall be forgiven. The rest of the flour shall belong to the priest, just as was the case with the grain offering.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 4:15 leaders, literally, “elders.”
- Leviticus 4:26 thank offering, literally, “peace offering.” Also in vv. 31, 35.
- Leviticus 5:6 he shall be freed from his sin, and need not fulfill the vow, implied.
Leviticus 6:24-30
New American Standard Bible
24 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 25 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: (A)in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord; it is most holy. 26 (B)The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. 27 (C)[a]Whoever touches its flesh [b]will become consecrated; and when any of its blood spatters on a garment, you shall wash what spattered on it in a holy place. 28 Also (D)the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water. 29 (E)Every male among the priests may eat it; (F)it is most holy. 30 But no sin offering (G)of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement (H)in the Holy Place shall be eaten; (I)it shall be burned with fire.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Leviticus 6:27 Or Whatever
- Leviticus 6:27 Or shall first be
Leviticus 6:24-30
Living Bible
24 Then the Lord said to Moses, 25 “Tell Aaron and his sons that these are the instructions concerning the sin offering:
“This sacrifice is most holy, and shall be killed before the Lord at the place where the burnt offerings are killed. 26 The priest who performs the ceremony shall eat it in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. 27 Only those who are sanctified—the priests—may touch this meat; if any blood sprinkles onto their clothing, it must be washed in a holy place. 28 Then the clay pot in which the clothing is boiled shall be broken; or if a bronze kettle is used, it must be scoured and rinsed out thoroughly. 29 Every male among the priests may eat this offering, but only they, for it is most holy. 30 No sin offering may be eaten by the priests if any of its blood is taken into the Tabernacle to make atonement in the Holy Place. That carcass must be entirely burned with fire before the Lord.
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The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.