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The Holy Bible

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The Book of Leviticus

Chapter 5

  

The Trespass Offering

1
“ ‘IF

a person sins because he witnesses something and later refuses to testify about the matter, he is guilty.

2‘Or if someone touches anything uncleanwhether a carcass of an unclean wild animal, or of unclean livestock, or of unclean swarming creatureseven though he is unaware of it, he has become unclean and is guilty.

3‘Or if someone touches human uncleannessany uncleanness that would make him uncleaneven though he is unaware of it, when he later recognizes it, he is guilty.

4‘Or if a person thoughtlessly takes an oath upon his lips to do what is good or evilin anything that someone might carelessly swear an oatheven if he is unaware of it, but later he recognizes it, then in every instance he will be guilty.

5‘When anyone incurs guilt in any of these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed.  6  Then as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for his sin on his behalf.

7‘But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for his sinone as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.  8  He is to bring them to the priest, who shall offer the one for the sin offering first. He is to wring off its head from its neck, not severing it completely.  9  Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.  10  The priest shall then offer the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulation. 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 two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring as an offering for his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He must not put oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.  12  He is to bring it to the priest, who will take a handful from it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar, along with the offerings by fire 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 of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering’.”

The Guilt Offering

14  The Lord said to Moses,  15  “If anyone has trespassed and sinned unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, he is to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, without defect and of the proper value in shekels of silver, measured according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering.  16  He must make restitution for what he has failed to do in regard to the holy things, adding a fifth of the value to that, and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

17  “If a person sins by breaking any of the Lord’s commands concerning anything prohibited, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.  18  He is to bring to the priest a ram from the flock, without defect and of the proper value, as a guilt offering. Then the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven.  19  It is a guilt offering; he has certainly been guilty of wrongdoing before the Lord.”