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Various Sacrifices and Offerings

15 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites[a] and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of your dwellings that I am about to give to you, you will make an offering by fire for Yahweh from the cattle or from the flock, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering or at your feasts, to make a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. And the one who presents an offering[b] for Yahweh, he will present a grain offering of finely milled flour; a tenth will be mixed with a fourth of the liquid measure of oil; and you will add a fourth of wine for the libation upon the burnt offering, or to the sacrifice for each ram-lamb. Or for the ram you will make a grain offering of two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed into a third of a liquid measure of oil. You will present a third of the liquid measure of wine for the libation, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. When you prepare a bull[c] as a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a fellowship offering for Yahweh, you will present with the bull[d] a grain offering of three-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with half a liquid measure of oil, 10 and you will present half a liquid measure of wine as a libation, as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.

11 “‘This is how it should be done for each bull, or for the each ram, or for the small four-footed mammal, or ram-lambs, or goats. 12 According to the number that you prepare, so should you do to each according to their number. 13 Every native must do these things to present an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. 14 If an alien dwells among you, or whoever is in your midst throughout your generations,[e] and prepares an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, he should do as you do. 15 For the assembly, there will be one decree for you and for the alien who dwells among you; it is an eternal decree for all your generations. You as well as the alien[f] will be before Yahweh.[g] 16 There will be one law and one stipulation for you and for the alien dwelling among you.’”

17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to the Israelites[h] and say to them, ‘When you come into the land to which I am about to bring you, 19 whenever you eat from the food of the land, you will lift up a contribution to Yahweh. 20 You must lift up a contribution of the first batch of your ring-shaped dough bread; you must lift it up as a contribution of the threshing floor. 21 You will give to Yahweh a contribution from the first of your dough throughout your generations.[i]

22 “‘But if you go astray and you do not follow[j] all these commandments that Yahweh commanded to Moses, 23 all that Yahweh commanded you by the hand of Moses[k] from the day that Yahweh commanded and beyond, throughout your generations,[l] 24 and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge[m] of the community, then the entire community must prepare one young bull[n] as a burnt offering, as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, and its grain offering and its libation, according to the stipulation, and one male goat as a sin offering. 25 The priest will make atonement for all of the community of the Israelites,[o] and they will be forgiven[p] because it was unintentional; they will bring their offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, their sin offering before Yahweh[q] for their unintentional sin. 26 All of the community of the Israelites[r] will be forgiven, as well as the alien that dwells in their midst, because the whole community was involved in the unintentional wrong.

27 “‘If one person sins unintentionally, that person will present a female goat in its first year[s] as a sin offering. 28 And the priest will make atonement for the person who sinned unintentionally[t] before Yahweh,[u] to make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. 29 For the native among the Israelites[v] and the alien that dwells in their midst, there will be one law for anyone who commits an unintentional wrong. 30 But the one who acts presumptuously[w] from among the native or alien blasphemes against Yahweh, and that person must be cut off from the midst of the people. 31 Because he despised the word of Yahweh and broke his command, that person will be surely cut off and bear the guilt.’”

Violation of the Sabbath

32 When the Israelites[x] were in the desert, they found a man who was gathering wood on the day of the Sabbath. 33 The ones who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to all the community. 34 And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him. 35 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Surely the man must be put to death by stoning him; all the community must stone him with stones from outside the camp.” 36 So the entire community brought him out to a place outside the camp, and they stoned him to death[y] just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Garment Fringes

37 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 38 “Speak to the Israelites,[z] and tell them to make for themselves tassels[aa] on the hems of their garments throughout their generations[ab] and to put a blue cord on the tassel of the hem. 39 You will have a tassel for you to look at[ac] and remember all the commands of Yahweh and do them, and not follow after the unfaithfulness of your own heart and eyes,[ad] 40 so that you will remember and do all my commandments, and you will be holy for your God. 41 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 15:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Numbers 15:4 Hebrew “his offering”
  3. Numbers 15:8 Literally “a son of cattle”
  4. Numbers 15:9 Literally “the son of the cattle”
  5. Numbers 15:14 Hebrew “for your generations”
  6. Numbers 15:15 Literally “like you like the alien”
  7. Numbers 15:15 Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”
  8. Numbers 15:18 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Numbers 15:21 Hebrew “for your generations”
  10. Numbers 15:22 Or “do”
  11. Numbers 15:23 Or “through Moses”
  12. Numbers 15:23 Hebrew “for your generations”
  13. Numbers 15:24 Literally “from the eyes”
  14. Numbers 15:24 Literally “a bull a son of cattle”
  15. Numbers 15:25 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Numbers 15:25 Literally “it will be forgiven to them”
  17. Numbers 15:25 Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”
  18. Numbers 15:26 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  19. Numbers 15:27 Literally “a daughter of a year”
  20. Numbers 15:28 Literally “sinned unintentionally when sinning an unintentional wrong”
  21. Numbers 15:28 Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”
  22. Numbers 15:29 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  23. Numbers 15:30 Literally “who acts with a high hand”
  24. Numbers 15:32 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  25. Numbers 15:36 Literally “they stoned him with stones and he died”
  26. Numbers 15:38 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  27. Numbers 15:38 Hebrew “tassel”
  28. Numbers 15:38 Hebrew “for their generations”
  29. Numbers 15:39 Literally “and you will look at it”
  30. Numbers 15:39 Literally “after your heart and after your eyes, which you are unfaithful after them”

Rules about sacrifices

15 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, “You will go into the land that I am giving to you. When you are living there, you can sacrifice bulls, male sheep or goats to the Lord. You will burn them on the altar as a burnt offering. You may offer special sacrifices to the Lord when you have promised to do it. Or you may offer sacrifices because you choose to do it. Also, you will give sacrifices during your regular festivals. The smell of these sacrifices as they burn will please the Lord. The person who gives the gift to the Lord must also give a gift of flour. He must mix the flour with oil. It should be 1 kilogram of your best flour. Mix this flour with 1 litre of olive oil. You must also give 1 litre of wine for each lamb. You must give that as a drink offering with each burnt offering or sacrifice.

If the animal is a male sheep, you must also offer 2 kilograms of flour. Mix this flour with 1.5 litres of olive oil. Also, you must pour 1.5 litres of wine on the altar as a drink offering. The smell of the smoke from this sacrifice will please the Lord.

A person can give a young bull as a burnt offering. This may be a special sacrifice that he has promised to give to God. Or it may be a friendship offering to the Lord. Also, you must offer 3 kilograms of flour. Mix this flour with 2 litres of olive oil. Do that if the bull is a burnt offering, or a friendship offering. Do the same if you offer this sacrifice because of a promise. 10 Also, you must pour 2 litres of wine on the altar as a drink offering. The smell of this smoke will please the Lord.

11 You must do the same thing for each bull or for each male sheep. And you must do the same thing for each male lamb or for each young goat. 12 You must do that for every animal that you offer as a gift to God. 13 All the Israelites must do that when they burn sacrifices. The smell of them as they burn will please the Lord. 14 A stranger who is living in your land may want to give a gift by fire to the Lord. He must do the same as you do now, and for all future time. 15 These rules will be the same for the Israelites and for all foreign people who live with them. These rules are for now and for all future time. Both you and the foreign person must obey the Lord's rules. 16 There is the same law for you and for the foreign person who is living among you. There is only one set of rules.” ’

17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 ‘Tell the Israelites this. I am bringing them into the land of Canaan. After they have gone into it, they must obey my rules. 19 When they first eat the food from that land, they must give a special offering to the Lord. 20 You must give a cake as a special offering from the first of your flour. You must do it as you give your special gift from your threshing floor. 21 From the first of your flour, you must give to the Lord a special offering. And your descendants must continue to do that.

22 The people might not obey a rule that the Lord told Moses about. But they might not know that they are not obeying a rule. 23 It might be any rule that the Lord gave to you by Moses. 24 Perhaps somebody does not know that they are not obeying one of my rules. When that happens, they must sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering. The smell of the smoke from this sacrifice will please the Lord. Also, they must give a grain offering, a drink offering and a male goat as a sin offering. 25 Then the priest will make things right with God for all the Israelites. The Lord will forgive them. That is because their sin was a mistake. They have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the Lord. And they have brought their sin offering to the Lord, for their mistake. 26 God will forgive all the Israelites and the foreign people who live among you. That is because your sin was a mistake. And also you offered the proper sacrifices to me.

27 Also, a person may not know that something is a sin. If he does that thing, he must sacrifice a female goat. The goat must be one year old. It will be a sin offering. 28 The priest will bring the gift to the Lord. That is to make things right. Then the Lord will forgive that person who did the sin. The person did not know that he had done a wrong thing. 29 The same rule is for the Israelites and for all the foreign people who live among them. That is when it was a mistake. 30 But a person might do something that he knows to be wrong. He does it because he wants to do it. That person is as bad as someone who insults the Lord. It does not matter whether he is an Israelite or a foreign person. You must make that person separate from all the people. 31 That person thought that the Lord's command was not important. He has not obeyed God's rules. So you must make that person completely separate from the people. He is a guilty person.’

A man does not obey the rules for the day of rest

32 When the Israelites were in the desert, a man was picking up sticks on the day of rest. 33 Some people found him while he was picking up the sticks. They took him to Moses and Aaron and to all the people. 34 They were not sure what to do with the man. So they put him by himself in a tent. Men stood at the door of the tent so that he could not leave it. 35 The Lord said to Moses, ‘This man must die. All the people must take him outside the camp. They must throw stones at him to kill him.’ 36 So the people took the man outside the camp. They threw stones at him until he died. That was what the Lord had told Moses to do.

Tassels

37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 ‘Tell the Israelites that they must put tassels on the corners of their clothes. They must fix the tassels on blue strings. They must do this now and for all future time. 39 You will be able to look at the tassels. They will help you to remember all the Lord's rules. Then you can obey them. Then you will not only do what you yourself want to do. You will not turn away from me. 40 When you see the tassels, you will remember to obey all my rules. You will be holy for your God. 41 I am the Lord your God. I brought you out from Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’