Leviticus - The Old Testament

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

² 'Speak to the Israelites and say: "If anyone sins inadvertently against any of Yahweh's commandments and does anything prohibited by them,

³ if the one who sins is the anointed priest, thus making the people guilty, then for the sin which he has committed he must offer Yahweh a young bull, an unblemished animal from the herd, as a sacrifice for sin.

⁴ He will bring the bull before Yahweh at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, will lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before Yahweh.

⁵ The anointed priest will then take some of the bull's blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting.

⁶ He will then dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times in front of the sanctuary curtain, before Yahweh.

⁷ The priest will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense smoking before Yahweh in the Tent of Meeting, and will pour all the rest of the bull's blood at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

⁸ "Of the bull offered as a sacrifice for sin, he will set aside all the fat: the fat covering the entrails, all the fat on the entrails,

⁹ both kidneys, the fat on them and on the loins, the mass of fat which he will remove from the liver and kidneys-

¹⁰ exactly as was done with the portion set aside in the communion sacrifice -- and the priest will burn these pieces on the altar of burnt offerings.

¹¹ "The bull's skin and all its meat, its head, its shins, its entrails and its offal,

¹² the whole bull he will then have carried out of the camp to a clean place, the place where the fatty ashes are thrown, and will burn it on a wood fire; it must be burnt where the ashes are thrown.

¹³ "If the whole community of Israel has sinned inadvertently and, without being aware of it has incurred guilt by doing something forbidden by Yahweh's commandments,

¹⁴ once the sin of which it is guilty has been discovered, the community must offer a young bull, an unblemished animal from the herd, as a sacrifice for sin, and bring it in front of the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁵ The elders of the community will then lay their hands on the bull's head before Yahweh, and the bull will be slaughtered before Yahweh.

¹⁶ "The anointed priest will then take some of the bull's blood into the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁷ He will then dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times in front of the curtain, before Yahweh.

¹⁸ He will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar standing before Yahweh inside the Tent of Meeting, and then pour all the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁹ "He will then set aside all the fat from the animal and burn it on the altar.

²⁰ He will then deal with the bull as he did with the bull in the sacrifice for sin. It will be dealt with in the same way; and once the priest has performed the rite of expiation for the people, they will be forgiven.

²¹ "He will then have the bull carried out of the camp and will burn it as he burned the first one. This is the sacrifice for the sin of the community.

²² "When a leader has sinned and inadvertently incurred guilt by doing something forbidden by the commandments of Yahweh his God

²³ (or if the sin which he has committed is drawn to his attention), he must bring a he-goat as his offering, an unblemished male.

²⁴ He will then lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it on the spot where the burnt offerings are slaughtered before Yahweh. This is a sacrifice for sin;

²⁵ the priest will take some of the victim's blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings. He will then pour the rest of its blood at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings

²⁶ and burn all the fat on the altar, as with the fat in the communion sacrifice. This is how the priest must perform the rite of expiation for him to free him from his sin, and he will be forgiven.

²⁷ "If one of the country people sins inadvertently and incurs guilt by doing something forbidden by Yahweh's commandments

²⁸ (or if the sin which he has committed is drawn to his attention), he must bring a she-goat as his offering for the sin which he has committed, an unblemished female.

²⁹ He will then lay his hand on the victim's head and slaughter it on the spot where the burnt offerings are slaughtered.

³⁰ The priest will take some of its blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings. He will then pour all the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar.

³¹ He will then remove all the fat, as the fat was removed for the communion sacrifice, and the priest will burn it on the altar as a smell pleasing to Yahweh. This is how the priest must perform the rite of expiation for him, and he will be forgiven.

³² "If he wishes to bring a lamb as an offering for this kind of sacrifice, he must bring an unblemished female.

³³ He will then lay his hand on the victim's head and slaughter it as a sacrifice for sin on the spot where the burnt offerings are slaughtered.

³⁴ The priest will take some of the victim's blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings. He will then pour all the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar.

³⁵ He will then remove all the fat, as was done for the sheep in the communion sacrifice, and the priest will burn it as food burnt for Yahweh. This is how the priest must perform for him the rite of expiation for the sin which he has committed, and he will will be forgiven."