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Other Sins That Need Sacrifices or Payments

(Numbers 5.5-10)

1-3 (A) The Lord told Moses what the people must do when they commit other sins against the Lord:

You have sinned if you rob or cheat someone, if you keep back money or valuables left in your care, or if you find something and claim not to have it.

When this happens, you must return what doesn't belong to you and pay the owner a fine of 20 percent. 6-7 In addition, you must either bring to the priest a ram that has nothing wrong with it or else pay him for one. The priest will then offer it as a sacrifice to make things right, and you will be forgiven for what you did wrong.

Daily Sacrifices

(Exodus 29.38-43; Numbers 28.1-8)

8-9 The Lord told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons how to offer the daily sacrifices that are sent up in smoke to please the Lord:[a]

You must put the animal for the sacrifice on the altar in the evening and let it stay there all night. But make sure the fire keeps burning. 10 The next morning you will dress in your priestly clothes, including your linen underwear. Then clean away the ashes left by the sacrifices and pile them beside the altar. 11 Change into your everyday clothes, take the ashes outside the camp, and pile them in the special place.[b]

12 The fire must never go out, so put wood on it each morning. After this, you are to lay an animal on the altar next to the fat that you sacrifice to ask my blessing.[c] Then send it all up in smoke to me.

13 The altar fire must always be kept burning—it must never go out.

Sacrifices To Give Thanks to the Lord

The Lord said:

14 When someone offers a sacrifice to give thanks to me,[d] the priests from Aaron's family must bring it to the front of the bronze altar, 15 where one of them will scoop up a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense on it. Then, to show that the whole offering belongs to me, he will lay all of this on the altar and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. 16-17 The rest of it is to be baked without yeast and eaten by the priests in the sacred courtyard of the sacred tent. This bread is very holy, just like the sacrifices for sin or the sacrifices for making things right, and I have given this part to the priests from what is offered to me on the altar.

18 Only the men in Aaron's family are allowed to eat this bread, and they must go through a ceremony to be made holy before touching it.[e] This law will never change.

When Priests Are Ordained

19 The Lord spoke to Moses 20 and told him what sacrifices the priests must offer on the morning and evening of the day they are ordained:

It is the same as the regular morning and evening sacrifices—half a kilogram of flour 21 mixed with olive oil and cooked in a shallow pan. The bread must then be crumbled into small pieces[f] and sent up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. 22-23 Each of Aaron's descendants who is ordained as a priest must perform this ceremony and make sure that the bread is completely burned on the altar. None of it may be eaten!

Sacrifices for Sin

(Leviticus 4.1,2)

24 The Lord told Moses 25 how the priests from Aaron's family were to offer the sacrifice for sin:

This sacrifice is very sacred, and the animal must be killed in my presence at the north side of the bronze altar. 26 The priest who offers this sacrifice must eat it in the sacred courtyard of the sacred tent, 27 and anyone or anything that touches the meat will be holy.[g] If any of the animal's blood is splattered on the clothes of the priest, they must be washed in a holy place. 28 If the meat was cooked in a clay pot, the pot must be destroyed,[h] but if it was cooked in a bronze pot, the pot must be scrubbed and rinsed with water.

29 This sacrifice is very holy, and only the priests may have any part of it. 30 None of the meat may be eaten from the sacrifices for sin that require blood to be brought into the sacred tent.[i] These sacrifices must be completely burned.

Footnotes

  1. 6.8,9 to please the Lord: See the note at 1.1-3.
  2. 6.11 ashes … in the special place: See the note at 1.16.
  3. 6.12 sacrifice to ask my blessing: See the note at 3.1.
  4. 6.14 a sacrifice to give thanks to me: See the note at 2.1.
  5. 6.18 and they … touching it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 6.21 crumbled … pieces: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  7. 6.27 that touches … holy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  8. 6.28 clay pot … destroyed: Juice from the meat cannot be completely cleaned from a clay pot.
  9. 6.30 that require blood … tent: See 4.1-21.

[a]The Lord said to Moses: “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord(A) by deceiving a neighbor(B) about something entrusted to them or left in their care(C) or about something stolen, or if they cheat(D) their neighbor, or if they find lost property and lie about it,(E) or if they swear falsely(F) about any such sin that people may commit— when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return(G) 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(H) 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.(I) And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering,(J) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value.(K) In this way the priest will make atonement(L) 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(M): 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.(N) 10 The priest shall then put on his linen clothes,(O) with linen undergarments next to his body,(P) and shall remove the ashes(Q) 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.(R) 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood(S) and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat(T) of the fellowship offerings(U) 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:(V) 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(W) on the grain offering,(X) and burn the memorial[b] portion(Y) on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 16 Aaron and his sons(Z) shall eat the rest(AA) of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast(AB) in the sanctuary area;(AC) they are to eat it in the courtyard(AD) of the tent of meeting.(AE) 17 It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share(AF) of the food offerings presented to me.(AG) Like the sin offering[c] and the guilt offering, it is most holy.(AH) 18 Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it.(AI) For all generations to come(AJ) it is his perpetual share(AK) of the food offerings presented to the Lord. Whatever touches them will become holy.[d](AL)’”

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[e] is anointed:(AM) a tenth of an ephah[f](AN) of the finest flour(AO) as a regular grain offering,(AP) half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It must be prepared with oil on a griddle;(AQ) bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken[g] in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 22 The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest(AR) shall prepare it. It is the Lord’s perpetual share and is to be burned completely.(AS) 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:(AT) The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord(AU) in the place(AV) 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,(AW) in the courtyard(AX) of the tent of meeting.(AY) 27 Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy,(AZ) and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. 28 The clay pot(BA) 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;(BB) it is most holy.(BC) 30 But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement(BD) in the Holy Place(BE) must not be eaten; it must be burned up.(BF)

Footnotes

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