Leviticus 5

Sins Requiring a Sin Offering

1 If you hear somebody swear an oath in court and you know the truth but stay quiet, you are guilty too and must answer for it.

2 If you touch something unclean, like a dead animal, whether wild or tame, even if you did not realize it at the time, you are still unclean and guilty.

3 If you touch something nasty from another person, like bodily fluids or some other unclean thing, and later realize it, you are guilty.

4 If you make a promise or swear an oath, good or bad, and later forget about it, then remember later, you are guilty and must make it right.

5 When you realize you messed up, you must confess your sin.

6 Then bring a guilt offering to the Lord, a female lamb or goat as a sin offering. The priest will make atonement for you, and you will be forgiven.

If You Cannot Afford a Lamb, Bring Birds

7 If you too broke for a lamb, bring two doves or pigeons, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.

8 Take them to the priest. He will sacrifice the first one for the sin offering by wringing off its head but not pulling it off completely.

9 He will sprinkle some blood on the sides of the altar and pour the rest at the base. This is a sin offering.

10 Then he will sacrifice the second bird as a burnt offering, just like the usual way. The priest will make atonement for you, and you will be forgiven.

If You Cannot Afford Birds, Bring Flour

11 If you cannot afford birds either, bring two quarts of fine flour for your sin offering, but no oil or incense on it.

12 The priest will take a handful of it, burn it on the altar as a fire offering to the Lord.

13 The rest belongs to the priest, just like the grain offering. The priest will make atonement for your sin, and you will be forgiven.

Guilt Offerings for Misusing Holy Things

14 Then the Lord told Moses.

15 If somebody messes up by misusing something holy, they must bring a guilt offering, a ram with no defects, based on the standard silver weight used in the sanctuary.

16 They also must pay back what they misused, plus add twenty percent extra, and give it to the priest. The priest will make atonement with the ram, and they will be forgiven.

Guilt Offerings for Unintentional Sins

17 If someone sins by accident, breaking one of the Lord’s commands, even if they did not realize it, they still guilty and must answer for it.

18 They must bring a guilt offering, a ram with no defects, to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

19 This is a guilt offering. They were guilty before, but now it is covered.