Numbers Chapter 15

Laws About Sacrifices

1-2 Yahveh told Moses to tell Israel,  

“When you go into the land I’m giving you, 3 make a burnt offering to meY—a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, a free-will offering, at your scheduled times. Make a pleasing aroma from the herd or flock.  

4 “When you present your offering, present a grain offering made from .11 bushel .1 ephah of fine flour mixed with 3 pints ¼ hin of olive oil.   5 Prepare wine for the liquid offering, 3 pints ¼ hin, with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for each lamb.  

6 “For a ram, prepare as a grain offering .22 bushel .2 ephah of fine flour mixed with ⅓ him of olive oil. 7 For a liquid offering, offer ⅓ gallon hin of wine as an aroma pleasing to Yahveh.                  

Num 15:1-7

8 “When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice—to fulfill a special vow or for peace offerings to Yahveh— 9 offer it with a grain offering made from .33 bushel .3 ephah of fine flour mixed with 3 quarts ½ hin of olive oil. 10 Offer as the liquid offering 3 quarts ½ hin of wine as an offering by fire, as an aroma pleasing to Yahveh. 11 That’s the way it’s to be done for each ox, ram, male lamb, or goat, 12 the same for each sacrifice. 

13 “Every citizen of you will do those things when you present an offering by fire, as an aroma pleasing to Yahveh. 14 If foreigners staying with you—temporarily or permanently—want to make an offering by fire, they’ll do it the same way you do. 15-16 There’ll be one statute, one law, one ordinance for you and for foreigners among you throughout your generations.”

Num 15:8-16

                17-18Yahveh told Moses to tell Israel,

“When you go into the land where I’m taking you 19 and you eat the food that’s there, lift up an offering to Yahveh.   20-21 From the first of your dough, lift up a cake as an offering from the threshing floor.

Num 15:17-21

Unintentional Sins

22-23 “When the whole community unintentionally fails to observe any commandment, 24 they’ll offer 1 bull for a burnt offering (as an aroma pleasing to Yahveh, with its grain offering and liquid offering) and 1 male goat for a sin offering. 25 The priest will atone for the whole community because they brought the offering to Yahveh for their error. 26 He’ll forgive the community, including any foreigner among them, since it wasn’t intentional.                              

Num 15:22-26

27 “If one of you sins unintentionally, offer a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28 The priest will atone for you in front of Yahveh. 29 For doing something unintentionally, there’ll be one law for a native and a foreigner.

30 “But if you do something intentionally, native or foreign, you’re blaspheming Yahveh. You’ll be excluded from the community. 31 Your guilt will remain because you’ve disregarded Yahveh’s message and broken his commandment.”

Execution of a Sabbath Breaker

32 When Israel was in the desert, they found a fellow gathering wood on the Sabbath. 33 They brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the community. 34 They put him in custody because it hadn’t been specified what should happen to him. 35 Yahveh told Moses, “Execute him. Have the community stone him outside the camp.” 36 The community took him outside the camp and stoned him.                                                                                       

Num 15:27-36

Tassels on Clothing

37 Yahveh also said to Moses,

38 “Tell Israel to make tassels for the hems of their cloaks throughout their generations. Put a blue cord on the tassel for each corner. 39 When you see it, remember to do everything Yahveh commands instead of doing what’s in your own mind and thereby becoming a prostitute. 40 Set yourselves apart to your God. 41 I’m Yahveh who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.”          

Num 15:37-41

From the CYV translation by Virgil Warren, PhD