Numbers 15

Other Offerings 1Here is what the LORD said to Moses. 2“Say to the Israelites, ‘You are going to enter the land I am giving you as a home. 3When you do, you will present food offerings to the LORD . The animals must come from your herd or flock. The smell of the offerings will please the LORD . They can be either burnt offerings or sacrifices. They can be either for special promises or for feast offerings. Or they can be for offerings you choose to give. 4With each of the offerings, the person who brings it must present to the LORD a grain offering. It must be eight cups of the finest flour. It must be mixed with a quart of olive oil.

5Also prepare a quart of wine as a drink offering. You must present it with each lamb that you bring for the burnt offering or the sacrifice. 6“ ‘Prepare a grain offering to present along with a ram. The grain offering must be 16 cups of the finest flour. It must be mixed with two and a half pints of olive oil.

7You must bring two and a half pints of wine as a drink offering. Offer everything as a smell that pleases the LORD . 8“ ‘Suppose you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice. You prepare it to keep a special promise to the LORD . Or you prepare it to present as a friendship offering. 9Then bring a grain offering with the bull. The grain offering must be 24 cups of the finest flour. It must be mixed with two quarts of olive oil. 10Also bring two quarts of wine as a drink offering. It will be a food offering. Its smell will please the LORD . 11Each bull or ram must be prepared in the same way. Each lamb or young goat must also be prepared in that way.

12Do it for each animal. Do it for as many animals as you prepare. 13“ ‘Everyone in Israel must do those things in that way. He must do them when he presents a food offering. The smell of offerings like that pleases the LORD . 14Everyone must always do what the law requires. It does not matter whether they are an outsider or anyone else living among you. They must do exactly as you do when they present a food offering. The smell of offerings like that pleases the LORD . 15The community must have the same rules for you and for any outsider living among you. This law will last for all time to come. In the sight of the LORD, the law applies both to you and any outsider.

16The same laws and rules will apply to you and to any outsider living among you.’ ” 17The LORD said to Moses, 18“Speak to the Israelites. Say to them, ‘You are going to enter the land I am taking you to. 19You will eat its food. When you do, present part of it as an offering to the LORD . 20Present a loaf made from the first flour you grind. Present it as an offering from the threshing floor.

21You must present the offering to the LORD . You must present it from the first grain you grind. You must do it for all time to come.

Offerings for Sins That Aren’t Committed on Purpose 22“ ‘Suppose you as a community fail to keep any of the commands the LORD gave Moses. And suppose you do it without meaning to. 23That applies to any of the commands the LORD told Moses to give you. And they are in effect from the day the LORD gave them and for all time to come. 24Suppose the community sins without meaning to. And suppose they do not know they have sinned. Then the whole community must offer a young bull. They must sacrifice it for a burnt offering. Its smell will please the LORD . Along with it, they must offer its required grain offering and drink offering. They must also sacrifice a male goat for a sin offering. 25With it the priest will pay for the sin of the whole community of Israel. Then they will be forgiven. They did not mean to commit that sin. And they have presented to the LORD a food offering for the wrong thing they did. They have brought a sin offering with it.

26The LORD will forgive the whole community of Israel and the outsiders living among them. All the people had a part in the sin, even though they did not mean to do it. 27“ ‘But suppose just one person sins without meaning to. Then that person must bring a female goat for a sin offering. It must be a year old. 28With it the priest will pay for the person’s sin in front of the LORD . The priest will do it for the one who did wrong by sinning without meaning to. When the sin is paid for, that person will be forgiven.

29The same law applies to everyone who sins without meaning to. It does not matter whether they are an Israelite or an outsider. 30“ ‘But suppose someone sins on purpose. It does not matter whether they are an Israelite or an outsider. They speak evil things against the LORD . They must be separated from the community of Israel.

31They have not respected what the LORD has said. They have broken the LORD ’s commands. They must certainly be separated from the community. They are still guilty.’ ”

A Man Works on the Sabbath Day 32The Israelites were in the desert. One Sabbath day, people saw a man gathering wood. 33They brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole community. 34They kept him under guard. It wasn’t clear what should be done to him. 35Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole community must kill him by throwing stones at him. They must do it outside the camp.”

36So the people took the man outside the camp. There they killed him by throwing stones at him. They did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Tassels on Clothes 37The LORD said to Moses, 38“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must make tassels on the corners of your clothes. A blue cord must be on each tassel. You must do it for all time to come. 39You will have the tassels to look at. They will remind you to obey all the LORD ’s commands. Then you will be faithful to him. You will not chase after what your own hearts and eyes wish for. 40You will remember to obey all my commands. And you will be set apart for your God. 41I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ”