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Leviticus, 4

1. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

1. And the LORD said to Moses,

2. 'Speak to the Israelites and say: "If anyone sins inadvertently against any of Yahweh's commandments and does anything prohibited by them,

2. "Say to the people of Israel, If any one sins unwittingly in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them,

3. if the one who sins is the anointed priest, thus making the people guilty, then for the sin which he has committed he must offer Yahweh a young bull, an unblemished animal from the herd, as a sacrifice for sin.

3. if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer for the sin which he has committed a young bull without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering.

4. He will bring the bull before Yahweh at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, will lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before Yahweh.

4. He shall bring the bull to the door of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before the LORD.

5. The anointed priest will then take some of the bull's blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting.

5. And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting;

6. He will then dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times in front of the sanctuary curtain, before Yahweh.

6. and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the veil of the sanctuary.

7. The priest will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense smoking before Yahweh in the Tent of Meeting, and will pour all the rest of the bull's blood at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

7. And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the LORD which is in the tent of meeting, and the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the door of the tent of meeting.

8. "Of the bull offered as a sacrifice for sin, he will set aside all the fat: the fat covering the entrails, all the fat on the entrails,

8. And all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall take from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

9. both kidneys, the fat on them and on the loins, the mass of fat which he will remove from the liver and kidneys-

9. and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys

10. exactly as was done with the portion set aside in the communion sacrifice -- and the priest will burn these pieces on the altar of burnt offerings.

10. (just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings), and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt offering.

11. "The bull's skin and all its meat, its head, its shins, its entrails and its offal,

11. But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung,

12. the whole bull he will then have carried out of the camp to a clean place, the place where the fatty ashes are thrown, and will burn it on a wood fire; it must be burnt where the ashes are thrown.

12. the whole bull he shall carry forth outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and shall burn it on a fire of wood; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13. "If the whole community of Israel has sinned inadvertently and, without being aware of it has incurred guilt by doing something forbidden by Yahweh's commandments,

13. "If the whole congregation of Israel commits a sin unwittingly and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done and are guilty;

14. once the sin of which it is guilty has been discovered, the community must offer a young bull, an unblemished animal from the herd, as a sacrifice for sin, and bring it in front of the Tent of Meeting.

14. when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting;

15. The elders of the community will then lay their hands on the bull's head before Yahweh, and the bull will be slaughtered before Yahweh.

15. and the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be killed before the LORD.

16. "The anointed priest will then take some of the bull's blood into the Tent of Meeting.

16. Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting,

17. He will then dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times in front of the curtain, before Yahweh.

17. and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil.

18. He will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar standing before Yahweh inside the Tent of Meeting, and then pour all the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

18. And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is in the tent of meeting before the LORD; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the door of the tent of meeting.

19. "He will then set aside all the fat from the animal and burn it on the altar.

19. And all its fat he shall take from it and burn upon the altar.

20. He will then deal with the bull as he did with the bull in the sacrifice for sin. It will be dealt with in the same way; and once the priest has performed the rite of expiation for the people, they will be forgiven.

20. Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.

21. "He will then have the bull carried out of the camp and will burn it as he burned the first one. This is the sacrifice for the sin of the community.

21. And he shall carry forth the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

22. "When a leader has sinned and inadvertently incurred guilt by doing something forbidden by the commandments of Yahweh his God

22. "When a ruler sins, doing unwittingly any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty,

23. (or if the sin which he has committed is drawn to his attention), he must bring a he-goat as his offering, an unblemished male.

23. if the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish,

24. He will then lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it on the spot where the burnt offerings are slaughtered before Yahweh. This is a sacrifice for sin;

24. and shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering.

25. the priest will take some of the victim's blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings. He will then pour the rest of its blood at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings

25. Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

26. and burn all the fat on the altar, as with the fat in the communion sacrifice. This is how the priest must perform the rite of expiation for him to free him from his sin, and he will be forgiven.

26. And all its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings; so the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

27. "If one of the country people sins inadvertently and incurs guilt by doing something forbidden by Yahweh's commandments

27. "If any one of the common people sins unwittingly in doing any one of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and is guilty,

28. (or if the sin which he has committed is drawn to his attention), he must bring a she-goat as his offering for the sin which he has committed, an unblemished female.

28. when the sin which he has committed is made known to him he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.

29. He will then lay his hand on the victim's head and slaughter it on the spot where the burnt offerings are slaughtered.

29. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.

30. The priest will take some of its blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings. He will then pour all the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar.

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

31. He will then remove all the fat, as the fat was removed for the communion sacrifice, and the priest will burn it on the altar as a smell pleasing to Yahweh. This is how the priest must perform the rite of expiation for him, and he will be forgiven.

31. And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a pleasing odor to the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

32. "If he wishes to bring a lamb as an offering for this kind of sacrifice, he must bring an unblemished female.

32. "If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish,

33. He will then lay his hand on the victim's head and slaughter it as a sacrifice for sin on the spot where the burnt offerings are slaughtered.

33. and lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.

34. The priest will take some of the victim's blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings. He will then pour all the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar.

34. Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.

35. He will then remove all the fat, as was done for the sheep in the communion sacrifice, and the priest will burn it as food burnt for Yahweh. This is how the priest must perform for him the rite of expiation for the sin which he has committed, and he will will be forgiven."

35. And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, upon the offerings by fire to the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.



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Footnotes:

4:1-3 - God institutes the sin offering to atone for transgressions committed through ignorance. This offering reflects the seriousness of sin, even when unintentional, and the need for atonement (see also Hebrews 9:7 and 1 John 1:9).

4:4-7 - The priest was to sprinkle the blood of the sin offering before the veil of the sanctuary and on the altar of incense. This symbolizes God's intercession and forgiveness through the sacrifice (see also Hebrews 9:22 and Numbers 15:27-28).

4:13-15 - When the entire community sinned through ignorance, a sin offering was to be presented on behalf of all. This demonstrates collective responsibility and the importance of communal repentance (see also Nehemiah 9:2-3 and Daniel 9:20).

4:20-21 - After the sacrifice, the community's sin was forgiven, emphasizing God's mercy and the importance of sacrifice in restoring the covenant. This reflects Christ's role as our ultimate sacrifice (see also Isaiah 53:10-12 and Hebrews 10:12).

4:27-31 - Individuals who sinned through ignorance also needed to bring a sin offering, showing that God forgives both individual and collective sins through sacrifice (see also 1 John 2:1-2 and Leviticus 5:17-19).

Verses related to Leviticus, 4:

Leviticus chapter 4 establishes the sin offering. How does God deal with unintentional transgressions? This crucial text details the procedures for atoning for sins committed through ignorance, whether by the high priest, the congregation, a leader, or an ordinary individual. The chapter emphasizes the gravity of sin, the need for confession, and the role of blood in purification. Leviticus 4 reveals divine provision for restoring broken fellowship. Study with us five biblical passages that elucidate the concept of atonement in biblical theology.

Hebrews 9:7: "But only the high priest entered the inner place, and that only once a year, and never without presenting the blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins that the people had committed through ignorance." - This verse directly references the sacrifices for involuntary sins described in Leviticus 4.

1 John 2:2: "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." - John uses the language of propitiation, related to the sacrifices for sin in Leviticus 4, to describe the work of Christ.

Romans 3:25: "God offered him as a sacrifice for propitiation through faith, through his blood, demonstrating his righteousness. In his tolerance, he had left the sins previously committed unpunished;" - Paul also uses the language of propitiation, echoing the sin sacrifices of Leviticus 4.

Hebrews 5:2: "He is able to deal patiently with those who err through ignorance, for he himself is subject to weakness." - This verse reflects the concept of sins of ignorance addressed in Leviticus 4.

1 Peter 3:18: "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God. He was killed in the body, but made alive by the Spirit," - Peter presents Christ's sacrifice as the final fulfillment of the sacrifices for sin described in Leviticus 4.

FAQ:

What was the sin offering in Leviticus 4?

A sin offering was offered when someone sinned unintentionally. The blood of the sacrificed animal was used to purify the altar and make atonement for the sinner. (Leviticus 4:1-35)

What was the role of the priest in the sin sacrifice?

The priest offered the blood of the sacrifice on the altar to make atonement for the sinner. He also burned parts of the animal and poured out the blood at the foot of the altar. (Leviticus 4:5-7)

Who needed to offer a sacrifice for sin?

Anyone, whether priest, leader, or community member, who sinned unintentionally had to offer a sacrifice of atonement. (Leviticus 4:3-27)

What was the significance of the blood in the sacrifice for sin?

Blood symbolized life and was poured out on the altar as a means of purification and atonement for sins committed. (Leviticus 4:6-7)

What happened to the rest of the sacrifice after the atonement?

After the sacrifice, the animal’s body was taken outside the camp and burned, demonstrating the complete removal of sin. (Leviticus 4:11-12)


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