Leviticus 4-7

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 4

Purification Offerings. ¹ The Lord said to Moses: ^2 (A)Tell the Israelites: When a person inadvertently^[a] does wrong by violating any one of the Lord’s prohibitions—

For the Anointed Priest. ³ If it is the anointed priest^[b] who thus does wrong and thereby makes the people guilty, he shall offer to the Lord an unblemished bull of the herd as a purification offering for the wrong he committed. ⁴ Bringing the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord, he shall lay his hand on its head^(B) and slaughter it before the Lord. ^5 [c]The anointed priest shall then take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meeting, ⁶ where, dipping his finger in the blood, he shall sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, toward the veil of the sanctuary.^{(C) 7} The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which stands before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁸ He shall remove all the fat of the bull of the purification offering: the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ⁹ as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys, ¹⁰ just as the fat pieces are removed from the ox of the communion sacrifice.^(D) The priest shall burn these on the altar for burnt offerings. ^11 [d]But the hide of the bull and its meat, with its head, shanks, inner organs and dung, ¹² that is, the whole bull, shall be brought outside the camp to a clean place^[e] where the ashes are deposited and there be burned in a wood fire. At the place of the ash heap, there it must be burned.^(E)

For the Community. ¹³ If the whole community of Israel errs^[f] inadvertently and without even being aware of it violates any of the Lord’s prohibitions, and thus are guilty, ¹⁴ when the wrong that was committed becomes known, the community shall offer a bull of the herd as a purification offering. They shall bring it before the tent of meeting. ¹⁵ The elders of the community shall lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord. When the bull has been slaughtered before the Lord, ¹⁶ the anointed priest shall bring some of its blood into the tent of meeting, ¹⁷ and dipping his finger in the blood, he shall sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, toward the veil. ¹⁸ He shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He shall remove all of its fat and burn it on the altar, ²⁰ doing with this bull just as he did with the other bull of the purification offering; he will do the same thing. Thus the priest shall make atonement^(F) on their behalf, that they may be forgiven. ²¹ This bull shall also be brought outside the camp and burned,^(G) just as the first bull. It is a purification offering for the assembly.

For the Tribal Leader. ²² Should a tribal leader^(H) do wrong inadvertently by violating any one of the prohibitions of the Lord his God, and thus be guilty, ²³ when he learns of the wrong he committed, he shall bring as his offering an unblemished male goat. ²⁴ He shall lay his hand on its head and it shall be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, before the Lord. It is a purification offering. ²⁵ The priest shall then take some of the blood of the purification offering on his finger and put it on the horns^(I) of the altar for burnt offerings. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ²⁶ All of its fat he shall burn on the altar like the fat of the communion sacrifice. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the tribal leader’s behalf for his wrong, that he may be forgiven.

For the General Populace. ²⁷ If anyone of the general populace does wrong inadvertently by violating one of the Lord’s prohibitions, and thus is guilty, ²⁸ upon learning of the wrong committed, that person shall bring an unblemished she-goat as the offering for the wrong committed. ²⁹ The wrongdoer shall lay a hand on the head of the purification offering, and the purification offering shall be slaughtered at the place of the burnt offerings. ³⁰ The priest shall then take some of its blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ³¹ He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the communion sacrifice. The priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet odor to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement, so that the individual may be forgiven.

³² If, however, a person brings a lamb as a purification offering, that person shall bring an unblemished female, and ³³ lay a hand on its head. It shall be slaughtered as a purification offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴ The priest shall then take some of the blood of the purification offering on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ³⁵ He shall remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the communion sacrifice. The priest shall burn these on the altar with the other oblations for the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf for the wrong committed, that the individual may be forgiven.

Chapter 5

Special Cases for Purification Offerings.^{[g] 1} If a person, either having seen or come to know something, does wrong by refusing as a witness under oath to give information,^(J) that individual shall bear the penalty; ² or if someone, without being aware of it, touches any unclean thing, such as the carcass of an unclean wild animal, or an unclean domestic animal, or an unclean swarming creature,^[h] and thus is unclean and guilty;^{(K) 3} or if someone, without being aware of it, touches some human uncleanness,^(L) whatever kind of uncleanness this may be, and then subsequently becomes aware of guilt; ⁴ or if someone, without being aware of it, rashly utters an oath with bad or good intent,^(M) whatever kind of oath this may be, and then subsequently becomes aware of guilt in regard to any of these matters— ⁵ when someone is guilty in regard to any of these matters, that person shall confess the wrong committed, ⁶ and make reparation to the Lord for the wrong committed: a female animal from the flock, a ewe lamb or a she-goat, as a purification offering. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the individual’s behalf for the wrong.

⁷ If, however, the person cannot afford an animal of the flock,^(N) that person shall bring to the Lord as reparation for the wrong committed two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a purification offering and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸ The guilty party shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer the one for the purification offering first.^(O) Wringing its head at the neck, yet without breaking it off, ⁹ he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the purification offering against the side of the altar. The rest of the blood shall be drained out against the base of the altar. It is a purification offering. ¹⁰ The other bird he shall offer as a burnt offering according to procedure. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf for the wrong committed, so that the individual may be forgiven.

¹¹ If the person is unable to afford even two turtledoves or two pigeons, that person shall bring as an offering for the wrong committed one tenth of an ephah^[i] of bran flour for a purification offering. The guilty party shall not put oil or place frankincense on it, because it is a purification offering.^{(P) 12} The individual shall bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful as a token of the offering and burn it on the altar with the other oblations for the Lord. It is a purification offering. ¹³ Thus the priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf for the wrong committed in any of the above cases, so that the individual may be forgiven. The rest of the offering, like the grain offering, shall belong to the priest.

Reparation Offerings.^{[j] 14} The Lord said to Moses: ^15 (Q)When a person commits sacrilege by inadvertently misusing any of the Lord’s sacred objects,^(R) the wrongdoer shall bring to the Lord as reparation an unblemished ram from the flock, at the established value^[k] in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, as a reparation offering. ¹⁶ The wrongdoer shall also restore what has been misused of the sacred objects, adding a fifth of its value,^(S) and give this to the priest. Thus the priest shall make atonement for the person with the ram of the reparation offering, so that the individual may be forgiven.

¹⁷ If someone does wrong and violates one of the Lord’s prohibitions without realizing it, that person is guilty^(T) and shall bear the penalty. ¹⁸ The individual shall bring to the priest an unblemished ram of the flock, at the established value, for a reparation offering. The priest shall then make atonement on the offerer’s behalf for the error inadvertently and unknowingly committed so that the individual may be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a reparation offering. The individual must make reparation to the Lord.

²⁰ The Lord said to Moses: ²¹ When someone does wrong and commits sacrilege against the Lord by deceiving^(U) a neighbor about a deposit or a pledge or a stolen article, or by otherwise retaining a neighbor’s goods unjustly;^{(V) 22} or if, having found a lost article, the person lies about it, swearing falsely about any of the things that a person may do wrong— ²³ when someone has thus done wrong and is guilty, that person shall restore the thing that was stolen, the item unjustly retained, the item left as deposit, or the lost article that was found ²⁴ or whatever else the individual swore falsely about. That person shall make full restitution of the thing itself, and add one fifth of its value to it, giving it to its owner at the time of reparation. ²⁵ Then that person shall bring to the priest as reparation to the Lord an unblemished ram of the flock, at the established value, as a reparation offering. ²⁶ The priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf before the Lord, so that the individual may be forgiven for whatever was done to incur guilt.

B. Instructions for the Priests

Chapter 6

The Daily Burnt Offering. ¹ The Lord said to Moses: ^2 [l](W)Give Aaron and his sons the following command: This is the ritual^[m] for the burnt offering—the burnt offering that is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night until the next morning, while the fire is kept burning on the altar. ³ The priest, clothed in his linen robe and wearing linen pants underneath, shall take away the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar, and lay them at the side of the altar. ⁴ Then, having taken off these garments and put on other garments, he shall carry the ashes to a clean place outside the camp. ⁵ The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest shall put firewood on it. On this he shall lay out the burnt offering^(X) and burn the fat of the communion offering. ⁶ The fire is to be kept burning continuously on the altar; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering.^{[n] 7} This is the ritual of the grain offering. Aaron’s sons shall offer it before the Lord, in front of the altar. ⁸ A priest shall then take from the grain offering a handful of bran flour and oil, together with all the frankincense that is on it,^(Y) and this he shall burn on the altar as a token of the offering, a sweet aroma to the Lord. ⁹ The rest of it Aaron and his sons may eat; but it must be eaten unleavened in a sacred place:^(Z) in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. ¹⁰ It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it to them as their portion from the oblations for the Lord; it is most holy,^(AA) like the purification offering and the reparation offering. ¹¹ Every male of Aaron’s descendants may eat of it perpetually throughout your generations as their rightful due from the oblations for the Lord. Whatever touches the oblations becomes holy.

High Priest’s Daily Grain Offering.^{[o] 12} The Lord said to Moses: ¹³ This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall present to the Lord on the day he is anointed: one tenth of an ephah of bran flour for the regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. ¹⁴ You shall bring it well kneaded and fried in oil on a griddle.^(AB) Having broken the offering into pieces, you shall present it as a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁵ The anointed priest descended from Aaron who succeeds him shall do likewise. This is the Lord’s due forever. The offering shall be wholly burned.^{(AC) 16} Every grain offering of a priest shall be a whole offering; it may not be eaten.

Purification Offerings.^{[p] 17} The Lord said to Moses: ^18 (AD)Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the ritual for the purification offering. At the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, there also, before the Lord, shall the purification offering be slaughtered. It is most holy.^{(AE) 19} The priest who offers the purification offering shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a sacred place,^(AF) in the court of the tent of meeting. ²⁰ Whatever touches its flesh becomes holy. If any of its blood spatters on a garment, the stained part must be washed in a sacred place. ²¹ A clay vessel in which it has been boiled shall be broken; if it is boiled in a copper vessel, this shall be scoured afterward and rinsed with water.^{(AG) 22} Every male of the priestly line may eat it. It is most holy. ²³ But no purification offering of which some blood has been brought into the tent of meeting^(AH) to make atonement in the sanctuary shall be eaten; it must be burned with fire.^(AI)

Chapter 7

Reparation Offerings. ^1 [q](AJ)This is the ritual for the reparation offering. It is most holy. ² At the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the reparation offering shall also be slaughtered.^(AK) Its blood shall be splashed on all the sides of the altar. ^3 (AL)All of its fat shall be offered: the fatty tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ⁴ as well as the two kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ⁵ The priest shall burn these on the altar as an oblation to the Lord. It is a reparation offering. ⁶ Every male of the priestly line may eat of it; but it must be eaten in a sacred place.^(AM) It is most holy.^(AN)

⁷ Because the purification offering and the reparation offering are alike, both have the same ritual. The reparation offering belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it. ⁸ As for the priest who offers someone’s burnt offering, to him belongs the hide of the burnt offering that is offered. ^9 [r](AO)Also, every grain offering that is baked in an oven or made in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it, ¹⁰ whereas all grain offerings^(AP) that are mixed with oil or are dry shall belong to all of Aaron’s sons without distinction.

Communion Sacrifices.^{[s] 11 (AQ)}This is the ritual for the communion sacrifice that is offered to the Lord. ^12 [t]If someone offers it for thanksgiving, that person shall offer it with unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes made of bran flour mixed with oil and well kneaded. ¹³ One shall present this offering together with loaves of leavened bread along with the thanksgiving communion sacrifice. ¹⁴ From this the individual shall offer one bread of each type of offering as a contribution^[u] to the Lord; this shall belong to the priest who splashes the blood of the communion offering.

^15 [v](AR)The meat of the thanksgiving communion sacrifice shall be eaten on the day it is offered; none of it may be kept till the next morning.^{(AS) 16} However, if the sacrifice offered is a votive or a voluntary offering,^[w] it shall be eaten on the day the sacrifice is offered, and on the next day what is left over may be eaten.^{(AT) 17} But what is left over of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned in the fire. ¹⁸ If indeed any of the flesh of the communion sacrifice is eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted; it will not be reckoned to the credit of the one offering it. Rather it becomes a desecrated meat. Anyone who eats of it shall bear the penalty.^[x]

^19 [y]Should the meat touch anything unclean, it may not be eaten, but shall be burned in the fire.^(AU) As for other meat, all who are clean may eat of it. ²⁰ If, however, someone in a state of uncleanness eats the meat of a communion sacrifice belonging to the Lord, that person shall be cut off^[z](AV) from the people. ²¹ Likewise, if someone touches anything unclean, whether it be human uncleanness or an unclean animal or an unclean loathsome creature, and then eats the meat of the communion sacrifice belonging to the Lord, that person, too, shall be cut off from the people.

Prohibition Against Blood and Fat. ²² The Lord said to Moses: ²³ Tell the Israelites: You shall not eat the fat of any ox or sheep or goat.^{(AW) 24} Although the fat of an animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild beasts may be put to any other use, you may not eat it.^{(AX) 25} If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which an oblation is made to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from the people. ^26 (AY)Wherever you dwell, you shall not eat any blood, whether of bird or of animal. ²⁷ Every person who eats any blood shall be cut off from the people.

Portions from the Communion Sacrifice for Priests. ²⁸ The Lord said to Moses: ²⁹ Tell the Israelites: The person who offers a communion sacrifice to the Lord shall be the one to bring from it the offering to the Lord. ³⁰ The offerer’s own hands shall carry the oblations for the Lord: the person shall bring the fat together with the brisket, which is to be raised as an elevated^(AZ) offering^[aa] before the Lord. ³¹ The priest shall burn the fat on the altar,^(BA) but the brisket belongs to Aaron and his sons. ³² Moreover, from your communion sacrifices you shall give to the priest the right leg as a contribution. ³³ The one among Aaron’s sons who offers the blood and the fat of the communion offering shall have the right leg as his portion, ³⁴ for from the communion sacrifices of the Israelites I have taken the brisket that is elevated and the leg that is a contribution, and I have given them to Aaron, the priest, and to his sons as their due from the Israelites forever.^(BB)

³⁵ This is the priestly share from the oblations for the Lord, allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were brought forth to be the priests of the Lord, ³⁶ which the Lord ordered to be given them from the Israelites on the day they were anointed, as their due throughout their generations forever.

Summary. ³⁷ This is the ritual for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the purification offering, the reparation offering, the ordination offering,^(BC) and the communion sacrifice, ³⁸ which the Lord enjoined on Moses at Mount Sinai at the time when he commanded the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai to bring their offerings to the Lord.^(BD)