Leviticus 5

The Law of Guilt Offerings

1‘Now if a person sins after he hears a 1public 2adjuration to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his 3guilt. 2Or if a person touches 4any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty. 3Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty. 4Or if a person 5swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these. 5So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall 6confess that in which he has sinned. 6He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has 7committed, 8a female from the flock, a lamb or a 9goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

7‘But if 10he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, 11one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he 12shall not sever it. 9He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering 13on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out 14at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. 10The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering 15according to the ordinance. 16So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has 17committed, and it will be forgiven him.

11‘But 18if his 19means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an 20ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; 21he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, 22with the offerings of the Lord by fire: it is a sin offering. 13So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has 23committed from 24one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then 25the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’”

14Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 15“26If a person acts unfaithfully and sins 27unintentionally against the Lord’s holy things, then he shall bring his 28guilt offering to the Lord: 29a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation in silver by shekels, in terms of the 30shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. 1631He shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and shall add to it a fifth part of it and give it to the priest. 32The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him.

17“Now if a person sins and does any of the things 33which the Lord has commanded not to be done, 34though he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. 18He is then to bring to the priest 35a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his error in which he sinned 36unintentionally and did not know it, and it will be forgiven him. 19It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the Lord.”