LeviticusChapter 5

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1"Someone may hear a public call to give witness about something. He may have seen it or learned about it. If he sins by not speaking up, he will carry his guilt. 2Or if someone touches anything unclean, he is unclean and guilty, even if he does not know it. It may be the dead body of an unclean wild animal, or of unclean livestock, or of an unclean crawling creature. 3Or if he touches something unclean from a person, anything that makes a person unclean, he is guilty when he finds out. This is true even if he did not know it. 4Or if someone makes a careless promise with his lips to do something good or bad, he is guilty in that matter when he finds out. This is true for any matter a person might rashly swear about, even if he did not know it. 5If someone becomes guilty in one of these ways, he must confess the sin he has done. 6He must bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin he has done. It must be a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for him for his sin. 7But if he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring two doves or two young pigeons to the LORD to pay for his sin. One is for a sin offering, and the other is for a burnt offering. 8He is to bring them to the priest. The priest is to offer the one for the sin offering first. He is to twist its head at the front of its neck, but not pull it all the way off. 9Then he is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar. The rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10The priest must offer the second bird as a burnt offering, following the rules. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has done, and he will be forgiven. 11But if he cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, he may bring about two quarts of fine flour as a sin offering. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.a 12He is to bring it to the priest. The priest is to take a handful from it as the memorial portion. He is to burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings to the LORD. It is a sin offering. 13In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has done, and he will be forgiven. The rest will belong to the priest, like the grain offering." 14Then the LORD said to Moses, 15"If someone is unfaithful and sins without meaning to against any of the LORD's holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD. It must be a ram from the flock with no defects. It must be worth the right amount in silver shekels, by the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. 16He must pay back for any holy thing he has harmed. He must add a fifth of its value and give it to the priest. The priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven. 17If someone sins and breaks any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty even though he did not know it. He will carry his punishment. 18He is to bring to the priest a ram from the flock with no defects. It must be worth the right amount. It is a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he did without knowing it, and he will be forgiven. 19It is a guilt offering. He was surely guilty before the LORD."

Notes

  1. a 5:11 Hebrew: a tenth of an ephah.