Numbers 15:22–31

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

22 “ ‘Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Mosesn—23 any of the Lord’s commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to comeo—24 and if this is done unintentionallyp without the community being aware of it,q then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offeringr as an aroma pleasing to the Lord,s along with its prescribed grain offeringt and drink offering,u and a male goat for a sin offering.g v 25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven,w for it was not intentionalx and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offeringy and a sin offering.z 26 The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.a

27 “ ‘But if just one person sins unintentionally,b that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering.c 28 The priest is to make atonementd before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven.e 29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.f

30 “ ‘But anyone who sins defiantly,g whether native-born or foreigner,h blasphemes the Lordi and must be cut off from the people of Israel.j 31 Because they have despisedk the Lord’s word and broken his commands,l they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.m’ ”