The Law of Guilt Offerings

1‘Now if a person sins after he hears a [a]public order to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his punishment. 2Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty. 3Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty. 4Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter people speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty of one of these things. 5So it shall be when he becomes guilty of one of these things, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned. 6He shall also bring his guilt offering to the LORD for his sin which he has [b]committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a [c]goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

7‘But if [d]he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the LORD his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young doves, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. 8He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer that which is for the sin offering, and shall pinch off its head at the front of its neck, but he shall not sever it. 9He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. 10The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has [e]committed, and it will be forgiven him.

11‘But if his [f]means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young doves, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an [g]ephah of fine flour as a sin offering; he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, [h]with the offerings of the LORD by fire: it is a sin offering. 13So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has [i]committed from one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’”

14Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 15“If a person acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against the LORD’S holy things, then he shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your assessment in silver by shekels, in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, as a guilt offering. 16And he shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and shall add to it a fifth part of it and give it to the priest. The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him.

17“Now if a person sins and does any of the things [j]which the LORD has commanded not to be done, though he was unaware, he is still guilty and shall bear his punishment. 18He is then to bring to the priest a ram without defect from the flock, according to your assessment, as a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he committed unintentionally and did not know it, and it will be forgiven him. 19It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the LORD.”