The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 15 -

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land that I am giving you as a home

and you present an offering made by fire to the LORD from the herd or flock to produce a pleasing aroma to the LORD—either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, for a special vow or freewill offering or appointed feast—

then the one presenting his offering to the LORD shall also present a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour

(a)

mixed with a quarter hin of olive oil.(b)

With the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb, you are to prepare a quarter hin of wine as a drink offering.

With a ram you are to prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah (c) of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil,(d)

and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice to fulfill a vow or as a peace offering to the LORD,

present with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour

(e)

mixed with half a hin of olive oil.(f)

Also present half a hin of wine as a drink offering. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

This is to be done for each bull, ram, lamb, or goat.

This is how you must prepare each one, no matter how many.

Everyone who is native-born shall prepare these things in this way when he presents an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

And for the generations to come, if a foreigner residing with you or someone else among you wants to prepare an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he is to do exactly as you do.

The assembly is to have the same statute both for you and for the foreign resident; it is a permanent statute for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the LORD.

The same law and the same ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing with you.”

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land to which I am bringing you

and you eat the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the LORD.

From the first of your dough, you are to lift up a cake as a contribution; offer it just like an offering from the threshing floor.

Throughout your generations, you are to give the LORD an offering from the first of your dough.

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

Now if you stray unintentionally and do not obey all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses—

all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses from the day the LORD gave them and continuing through the generations to come—

and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, then the whole congregation is to prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.

The priest is to make atonement for the whole congregation of Israel, so that they may be forgiven; for the sin was unintentional and they have brought to the LORD an offering made by fire and a sin offering, presented before the LORD for their unintentional sin.

Then the whole congregation of Israel and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.

Also, if one person sins unintentionally, he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering.

And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the person who erred by sinning unintentionally; and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven.

You shall have the same law for the one who acts in error, whether he is a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.

But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from among his people.

He shall certainly be cut off, because he has despised the word of the LORD and broken His commandment; his guilt remains on him.”

A Sabbath-Breaker Stoned

(Exodus 31:12–17)

While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation,

and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.

And the LORD said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death. The whole congregation is to stone him outside the camp.”

So the whole congregation took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Law of Tassels

Later, the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout the generations to come they are to make for themselves tassels for the corners of their garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.

These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the commandments of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by following your own heart and your own eyes.

Then you will remember and obey all My commandments, and you will be holy to your God.

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

(a)15:4 A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).

(b)15:4 Or a quarter hin of oil; that is, approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters; similarly in verse 5

(c)15:6 Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour).

(d)15:6 Or a third of a hin of oil; that is, approximately 1.3 quarts or 1.2 liters; similarly in verse 7

(e)15:9 Three-tenths of an ephah is approximately 6 dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour).

(f)15:9 Or half a hin of oil; that is, approximately 1.9 quarts or 1.8 liters; similarly in verse 10

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you have come into the land of your habitations, which I give to you,

and will make an offering by fire to the LORD—a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a free will offering, or in your set feasts, to make a pleasant aroma to the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock—

then he who offers his offering shall offer to the LORD a meal offering of one tenth of an ephah(a) of fine flour mixed with one fourth of a hin

(b)

of oil.

You shall prepare wine for the drink offering, one fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.

“‘For a ram, you shall prepare for a meal offering two tenths of an ephah(c) of fine flour mixed with the third part of a hin of oil;

and for the drink offering you shall offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

When you prepare a bull for a burnt offering or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace offerings to the LORD,

then he shall offer with the bull a meal offering of three tenths of an ephah(d) of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil;

and you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

Thus it shall be done for each bull, for each ram, for each of the male lambs, or of the young goats.

According to the number that you shall prepare, so you shall do to everyone according to their number.

“‘All who are native-born shall do these things in this way, in offering an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD, as you do, so he shall do.

For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations. As you are, so the foreigner shall be before the LORD.

One law and one ordinance shall be for you and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.’”

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you come into the land where I bring you,

then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall offer up a wave offering to the LORD.

Of the first of your dough you shall offer up a cake for a wave offering. As the wave offering of the threshing floor, so you shall heave it.

Of the first of your dough, you shall give to the LORD a wave offering throughout your generations.

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

“‘When you err, and don’t observe all these commandments which the LORD has spoken to Moses—

even all that the LORD has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations—

then it shall be, if it was done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma to the LORD, with its meal offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.

The priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their error.

All the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, as well as the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them; for with regard to all the people, it was done unwittingly.

“‘If a person sins unwittingly, then he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.

The priest shall make atonement for the soul who errs when he sins unwittingly before the LORD. He shall make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven.

You shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them.

“‘But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Because he has despised the LORD’s word, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off. His iniquity shall be on him.’”

A Sabbath-Breaker Stoned

(Exodus 31:12–17)

While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.

Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.

They put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.

The LORD said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside of the camp.”

All the congregation brought him outside of the camp, and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The Law of Tassels

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes

(e)

on the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe

(f)

of each border a cord of blue.

It shall be to you for a fringe,(g) that you may see it, and remember all the LORD’s commandments, and do them; and that you don’t follow your own heart and your own eyes, after which you used to play the prostitute;

so that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.

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

(a)15:4 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel

(b)15:4 A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons.

(d)15:9 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel

(e)15:38 or, tassels (Hebrew צִיצִ֛ת)

(f)15:38 or, tassel

(g)15:39 or, tassel