Leviticus — Chapter 4

GOD spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the Israelite people thus:When a person unwittingly incurs guilt in regard to any of GOD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does one of them—

If it is the anointed priest who has incurred guilt, so that blame falls upon the people, he shall offer for the sin of which he is guilty a bull of the herd without blemish as a purgation offering to GOD.

He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, before GOD, and lay his hand upon the head of the bull. The bull shall be slaughtered before GOD,

and the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the Tent of Meeting.

The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before GOD, in front of the curtain of the Shrine.

The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of aromatic incense, which is in the Tent of Meeting, before GOD; and all the rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

He shall remove all the fat from the bull of purgation offering: the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is about the entrails;

the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, that is at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys—

just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of well-being. The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar of burnt offering.

But the hide of the bull, and all its flesh, as well as its head and legs, its entrails and its dung—

all the rest of the bull—he shall carry to a pure place outside the camp, to the ash heap, and burn it up in a wood fire; it shall be burned on the ash heap.

If it is the whole community of Israelawhole community of Israel Or the elders, on the community’s behalf; cf v. 15. that has erred and the matter escapes the notice of the congregation, so that they do any of the things that by GOD’s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt—

when the sin through which they incurred guilt becomes known, the congregation shall offer a bull of the herd as a purgation offering, and bring it before the Tent of Meeting.

The elders of the community shall lay their hands upon the head of the bull before GOD, and the bull shall be slaughtered before GOD.

The anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the Tent of Meeting,

and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle of it seven times before GOD, in front of the curtain.

Some of the blood he shall put on the horns of the altar that is before GOD in the Tent of Meeting, and all the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

He shall remove all its fat and turn it into smoke on the altar.

He shall do with this bull just as is done with the [priest’s] bull of purgation offering; he shall do the same with it. Thus the priest shall make expiation on behalf of the offerers—who shall then be forgiven.

He shall carry the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the purgation offering of the congregation.

In case it is a chieftain who incurs guilt by doing unwittingly any of the things that by the commandment of the ETERNAL his God ought not to be done, and he realizes his guilt—

or the sin of which he is guilty is made known—he shall bring as his offering a male goat without blemish.

He shall lay his hand upon the goat’s head, and it shall be slaughtered at the spotbthe spot Cf. 1.11. where the burnt offering is slaughtered before GOD; it is a purgation offering.

The priest shall take with his finger some of the blood of the purgation offering and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

All its fat he shall turn into smoke on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of well-being. Thus for that sin, the priest shall make expiation on behalf of the offerer—who shall then be forgiven.

If anyone from among the populacecpopulace Lit. “people of the country.” unwittingly incurs guilt by doing any of the things that by GOD’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes it—

or the sin of which they are guilty is made known—that person shall bring a female goat without blemish as an offering for the aforementioned sin.

They shall lay their hand upon the head of the purgation offering. The purgation offering shall be slaughtered at the place of the burnt offering.

The priest shall take with his finger some of its blood and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

The offerer shall remove all its fat, just as the fat is removed from the sacrifice of well-being; and the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar, for a pleasing odor to GOD. Thus the priest shall make expiation on behalf of the offerer—who shall then be forgiven.

If the offering they bring as a purgation offering is a sheep, it shall be a female without blemish.

The offerer shall lay their hand upon the head of the purgation offering, and it shall be slaughtered as a purgation offering at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered.

The priest shall take with his finger some of the blood of the purgation offering and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

And all its fat the offerer shall remove, just as the fat of the sheep of the sacrifice of well-being is removed; and this the priest shall turn into smoke on the altar, over GOD’s offering by fire. Thus for the sin that was committed, the priest shall make expiation on behalf of the offerer—who shall then be forgiven.