Numbers 15 - International Standard Version (ISV)

Offerings by the Israelis

15 Later, the Lord instructed^[a] Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that ³ when you enter the land where you’ll be living that I’m about to give you, you are to make an offering by fire to the Lord, either a burnt offering, a sacrificial offering to fulfill a vow, or a voluntary offering at the appointed time, to make a pleasing aroma to the Lord either from your cattle or from your flocks. ⁴ The offeror is to bring the oblation to the Lord, containing one tenth of an ephah^[b] of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one fourth of a hin^[c] of olive oil. ⁵ Also prepare one fourth of a hin^[d] of wine for a drink offering or for the sacrifice of each lamb.

⁶ “For a ram, prepare a grain offering consisting of two tenths of an ephah^[e] of fine flour mixed with one third of a hin^[f] of olive oil. ⁷ Now as for your drink offering, offer one third of a hin^[g] of wine as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

⁸ “When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or for peace offerings to the Lord, ⁹ then the bullock is to be presented accompanied by a meal offering of three tenths of an ephah^[h] of fine flour mixed with half a hin^[i] of oil.

¹⁰ “As for drink offerings, offer half a hin^[j] of wine, for an offering made by fire is a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹¹ Do this for each bullock, ram, male lamb, or goat. ¹² Depending on the number of offerings^[k] that you prepare, do for each one according to their number. ¹³ Every native born person is to do these things, bringing an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”

Offerings by Resident Aliens

¹⁴ “Now, if a resident alien^[l] lives^[m] with you, or whoever else is with you throughout your generations, let him make an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Just as you do, so is he to do. ¹⁵ There is to be a single standard for your community, one statute for you and the resident alien who lives with you, a long lasting statute throughout your generations. Just as you do, so is the resident alien to do in the presence of the Lord. ¹⁶ There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the resident alien who lives with you.”

Offerings on Entering the Land

¹⁷ Then the Lord instructed Moses: ¹⁸ “Tell the Israelis that when they enter the land that I’m about to bring you to, ¹⁹ when you have eaten some of the bread that the land produces, you are to offer a raised offering to the Lord. ²⁰ You are to offer a cake made from the first of your bread dough as a raised offering to the Lord. Offer it as a raised offering right off your threshing floor. ²¹ From then on, throughout your generations give the first of your bread dough to the Lord.”

Offerings for Inadvertent National Sin

²² “Here’s what you are to do^[n] when you all^[o] go astray and fail to observe all these commands that the Lord had spoken to Moses, ²³ including anything that the Lord commanded you by the authority^[p] of Moses, starting from the day the Lord commanded Moses and continuing through your generations. ²⁴ When anything is done without the knowledge^[q] of the congregation, the entire community is to offer one young bull for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, along with its meal and drink offerings offered according to procedure, and one male goat for a sin offering. ²⁵ Then the priest is to make atonement for the entire community of the Israelis, and they will be forgiven^[r] for inadvertent sins. They are to bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, as well as their sin offering, into the Lord’s presence on account of their error. ²⁶ Then the entire community of Israel will be forgiven, along with the resident alien who lives among them, since all the people will have sinned inadvertently.”

Offerings for Inadvertent Personal Sin

²⁷ “Now when one person^[s] sins inadvertently, then he is to bring a one year old female goat for a sin offering. ²⁸ Then, in the Lord’s presence, the priest is to make atonement for the person who sinned inadvertently, that is, to make atonement on his behalf so he may be forgiven. ²⁹ You are to have a single law for the one who does things inadvertently, whether for the native-born Israeli or for the resident alien who lives among you.”

On Willful Sin

³⁰ “But if some person acts with a high hand, whether a native-born or a resident alien, he blasphemes God, and that person is to be eliminated from among his people. ³¹ Because he has despised the law of the Lord and has broken his commands, that person is certainly to be eliminated. His iniquity will remain on him.”

³² As it was when the Israelis were in the wilderness, they found a man who was gathering wood on the Sabbath day. ³³ The ones who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and all the people. ³⁴ Then they confined him until it could be declared what should be done to him. ³⁵ Then the Lord told Moses, “The man is certainly to die. The entire community is to stone him to death outside the camp.” ³⁶ So the whole community brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones so that he died, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

On Garments and Reminders

³⁷ Later, the Lord instructed Moses, ³⁸ “Tell the Israelis that they are to make tassels at the edges of their garments throughout their generations and that they are to put a violet cord on the tassels at the edges of their garments. ³⁹ That way, when you see the tassel, you’ll remember all the commands of the Lord and you’ll observe them. Then you won’t seek your own interests and desires^[t] that lead you to be unfaithful. ⁴⁰ Therefore, remember to observe all my commands and to be holy in the presence of your God. ⁴¹ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.”

Footnotes

1. Numbers 15:1 Or spoke
2. Numbers 15:4 The Heb. lacks the unit of measurement
3. Numbers 15:4 I.e. about one quart; the hin was equivalent to about one gallon
4. Numbers 15:5 I.e. about one quart; the hin was equivalent to about one gallon
5. Numbers 15:6 The Heb. lacks the unit of measurement
6. Numbers 15:6 I.e. about one third of a gallon; the hin was equivalent to about one gallon
7. Numbers 15:7 I.e. about one third of a gallon; the hin was equivalent to about one gallon
8. Numbers 15:9 The Heb. lacks the unit of measurement
9. Numbers 15:9 I.e. about two quarts; the hin was equivalent to about one gallon
10. Numbers 15:10 I.e. about two quarts; the hin was equivalent to about one gallon
11. Numbers 15:12 The Heb. lacks of offerings
12. Numbers 15:14 Or foreigner
13. Numbers 15:14 Lit. sojourn
14. Numbers 15:22 The Heb. lacks Here’s what you are to do
15. Numbers 15:22 Lit. you (pl.)
16. Numbers 15:23 Lit. by the hand
17. Numbers 15:24 Lit. is hidden from the eyes
18. Numbers 15:25 Or it are to be forgiven them
19. Numbers 15:27 Lit. soul
20. Numbers 15:39 Lit. heart and your own eyes