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.(A)

Or if someone touches anything unclean(B)—a carcass of an unclean wild animal,(C) or unclean livestock, or an unclean swarming creature[a](D)—without being aware of it, he is unclean and guilty.(E)

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

Or if someone swears rashly(H) 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.[b]

If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess(I) he has committed that sin. He must bring his restitution(J) 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(K) 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(L) 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.(M) 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;(N) it is a sin offering. 10 He must prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulation.(O) 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[c] two turtledoves or two young pigeons,(P) he may bring two quarts[d] of fine[e] flour[f](Q) 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(R) 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.”(S)

The Restitution Offering

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 15 “If someone offends(T) by sinning unintentionally(U) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things,[g] he must bring his restitution offering to the Lord: an unblemished ram from the flock (based on your assessment of its value in silver shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel(V)) as a restitution offering. 16 He must make restitution(W) for his sin regarding any holy(X) thing, adding a fifth of its value to it,(Y) and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf with the ram of the restitution offering, and he will be forgiven.(Z)

17 “If someone sins and without knowing it violates any of the Lord’s commands concerning anything prohibited, he bears the consequences of his guilt. 18 He must bring an unblemished ram from the flock according to your assessment of its value as a restitution offering to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the error he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven. 19 It is a restitution offering; he is indeed guilty before the Lord.”

[h]The Lord spoke to Moses: “When someone sins and offends the Lord by deceiving(AA) his neighbor in regard to a deposit,(AB) a security,[i] or a robbery;(AC) or defrauds(AD) his neighbor; or finds something lost and lies about it;(AE) or swears falsely(AF) about any of the sinful things a person may do— once he has sinned(AG) and acknowledged his guilt(AH)—he must return what he stole or defrauded, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost item he found, or anything else about which he swore falsely. He must make full restitution for it and add a fifth of its value to it.(AI) He is to pay it to its owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt.(AJ) Then he must bring his restitution offering(AK) to the Lord: an unblemished(AL) ram from the flock according to your assessment of its value as a restitution offering to the priest. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”(AM)

The Burnt Offering

[j]The Lord spoke to Moses: “Command Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the burnt offering; the burnt offering itself must remain on the altar’s hearth all night until morning, while the fire of the altar is kept burning on it. 10 The priest is to put on his linen robe and linen undergarments.[k](AN) He is to remove the ashes of the burnt offering the fire has consumed on the altar, and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes,(AO) and bring the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place. 12 The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest will burn wood on the fire. He is to arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat portions from the fellowship offerings(AP) on it. 13 Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering

14 “Now this is the law of the grain offering:(AQ) Aaron’s sons will present it before the Lord in front of the altar. 15 The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil from the grain offering, with all the frankincense that is on the offering, and burn its memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 16 Aaron and his sons may eat the rest of it.(AR) It is to be eaten in the form of unleavened bread(AS) in a holy place;(AT) they are to eat it in the courtyard(AU) of the tent of meeting. 17 It must not be baked with yeast; I have assigned it as their portion(AV) from My fire offerings.(AW) It is especially holy, like the sin offering(AX) and the restitution offering. 18 Any male among Aaron’s descendants(AY) may eat it. It is a permanent portion[l](AZ) throughout your generations from the fire offerings to the Lord. Anything that touches the offerings will become holy.”(BA)

19 The Lord spoke to Moses: 20 “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the Lord on the day that he is anointed: two quarts[m] of fine flour as a regular[n] grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It is to be prepared with oil on a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded. You must present it as a grain offering of baked pieces,[o] a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 22 The priest, who is one of Aaron’s sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. It must be completely burned as a permanent portion for the Lord. 23 Every grain offering for a priest will be a whole burnt offering;(BB) it is not to be eaten.”

The Sin Offering

24 The Lord spoke to Moses: 25 “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the sin offering.(BC) The sin offering is most holy and must be slaughtered before the Lord at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 26 The priest who offers it as a sin offering is to eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place,(BD) in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. 27 Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of its blood spatters on a garment, then you must wash that garment[p] in a holy place. 28 A clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, it must be scoured and rinsed with water. 29 Any male among the priests may eat it; it is especially holy. 30 But no sin offering may be eaten if its blood has been brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place; it must be burned up.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 5:2 Perhaps a fish, insect, rodent, or reptile; Gn 1:20; Lv 11:20-23,29-31
  2. Leviticus 5:4 Lit in one of such things
  3. Leviticus 5:11 Lit if his hand is not sufficient for
  4. Leviticus 5:11 Lit one-tenth of an ephah
  5. Leviticus 5:11 Or wheat; Ex 29:2
  6. Leviticus 5:11 Lit flour as a sin offering
  7. Leviticus 5:15 Things dedicated to the Lord such as tabernacle furnishings, priestly portions of the sacrifices, tenths, firstfruits, and firstborn livestock
  8. Leviticus 6:1 Lv 5:20 in Hb
  9. Leviticus 6:2 Or an investment
  10. Leviticus 6:8 Lv 6:1 in Hb
  11. Leviticus 6:10 Lit undergarments on his flesh
  12. Leviticus 6:18 Or statute
  13. Leviticus 6:20 Lit a tenth of an ephah
  14. Leviticus 6:20 Daily
  15. Leviticus 6:21 Hb obscure
  16. Leviticus 6:27 Lit wash what it spattered on

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

“‘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)(C) and they are unaware that they have become unclean,(D) but then they come to realize their guilt; or if they touch human uncleanness(E) (anything that would make them unclean)(F) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath(G) to do anything, whether good or evil(H) (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(I) 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(J) from the flock as a sin offering[a];(K) and the priest shall make atonement(L) for them for their sin.

“‘Anyone who cannot afford(M) a lamb(N) is to bring two doves or two young pigeons(O) 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,(P) not dividing it completely,(Q) and is to splash(R) some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar;(S) the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar.(T) It is a sin offering. 10 The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way(U) and make atonement(V) for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.(W)

11 “‘If, however, they cannot afford(X) two doves or two young pigeons,(Y) they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah[b](Z) of the finest flour(AA) 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[c] portion(AB) and burn it on the altar(AC) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement(AD) 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,(AE) as in the case of the grain offering.(AF)’”

The Guilt Offering

14 The Lord said to Moses: 15 “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally(AG) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty(AH) a ram(AI) from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.[d](AJ) It is a guilt offering.(AK) 16 They must make restitution(AL) for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value(AM) and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.

17 “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it,(AN) they are guilty and will be held responsible.(AO) 18 They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering(AP) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven.(AQ) 19 It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of[e] wrongdoing against the Lord.”(AR)

[f]The Lord said to Moses: “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord(AS) by deceiving a neighbor(AT) about something entrusted to them or left in their care(AU) or about something stolen, or if they cheat(AV) their neighbor, or if they find lost property and lie about it,(AW) or if they swear falsely(AX) about any such sin that people may commit— when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return(AY) what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution(AZ) in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.(BA) And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering,(BB) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value.(BC) In this way the priest will make atonement(BD) for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.”

The Burnt Offering

The Lord said to Moses: “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering(BE): The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.(BF) 10 The priest shall then put on his linen clothes,(BG) with linen undergarments next to his body,(BH) and shall remove the ashes(BI) of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.(BJ) 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood(BK) and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat(BL) of the fellowship offerings(BM) on it. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering

14 “‘These are the regulations for the grain offering:(BN) Aaron’s sons are to bring it before the Lord, in front of the altar. 15 The priest is to take a handful of the finest flour and some olive oil, together with all the incense(BO) on the grain offering,(BP) and burn the memorial[g] portion(BQ) on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 16 Aaron and his sons(BR) shall eat the rest(BS) of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast(BT) in the sanctuary area;(BU) they are to eat it in the courtyard(BV) of the tent of meeting.(BW) 17 It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share(BX) of the food offerings presented to me.(BY) Like the sin offering[h] and the guilt offering, it is most holy.(BZ) 18 Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it.(CA) For all generations to come(CB) it is his perpetual share(CC) of the food offerings presented to the Lord. Whatever touches them will become holy.[i](CD)’”

19 The Lord also said to Moses, 20 “This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the Lord on the day he[j] is anointed:(CE) a tenth of an ephah[k](CF) of the finest flour(CG) as a regular grain offering,(CH) half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It must be prepared with oil on a griddle;(CI) bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken[l] in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 22 The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest(CJ) shall prepare it. It is the Lord’s perpetual share and is to be burned completely.(CK) 23 Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten.”

The Sin Offering

24 The Lord said to Moses, 25 “Say to Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the regulations for the sin offering:(CL) The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord(CM) in the place(CN) the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in the sanctuary area,(CO) in the courtyard(CP) of the tent of meeting.(CQ) 27 Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy,(CR) and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. 28 The clay pot(CS) the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. 29 Any male in a priest’s family may eat it;(CT) it is most holy.(CU) 30 But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement(CV) in the Holy Place(CW) must not be eaten; it must be burned up.(CX)

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 5:6 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  2. Leviticus 5:11 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  3. Leviticus 5:12 Or representative
  4. Leviticus 5:15 That is, about 2/5 ounce or about 12 grams
  5. Leviticus 5:19 Or offering; atonement has been made for their
  6. Leviticus 6:1 In Hebrew texts 6:1-7 is numbered 5:20-26, and 6:8-30 is numbered 6:1-23.
  7. Leviticus 6:15 Or representative
  8. Leviticus 6:17 Or purification offering; also in verses 25 and 30
  9. Leviticus 6:18 Or Whoever touches them must be holy; similarly in verse 27
  10. Leviticus 6:20 Or each
  11. Leviticus 6:20 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  12. Leviticus 6:21 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.