Sins Requiring a Purification Offering

1“If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.

2Or if a person touches anything unclean—whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or livestock or crawling creature—even if he is unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty.

3Or if he touches human uncleanness—anything by which one becomes unclean—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty.

4Or if someone swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do anything good or evil—in whatever matter a man may rashly pronounce an oath—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty in the matter.

5If someone incurs guilt in one of these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed,

6and he must bring his reparation offering to the LORD for the sin he has committed: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a purification offering. And the priest will effect purgation for him concerning his sin.

7If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a purification offering and the other as an ascension offering.

8He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first present the one for the purification offering. He is to twist its head at the front of its neck without severing it;

9then he is to sprinkle some of the blood of the purification offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is drained out at the base of the altar. It is a purification offering.

10And the priest must prepare the second bird as an ascension offering according to the ordinance. In this way the priest will effect purgation for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

11But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour ⁶as a purification offering. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a purification offering.

12He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful from it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar atop the food offerings to the LORD; it is a purification offering.

13In this way the priest will effect purgation for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he will be forgiven. The remainder will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”

Laws for Reparation Offerings

14Then the LORD said to Moses,

15“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his reparation offering ⁷to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value ⁸in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; ⁹it is a reparation offering.

16Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will effect purgation on his behalf with the ram as a reparation offering, and he will be forgiven.

17If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.

18He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a reparation offering. Then the priest will effect purgation on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven.

19It is a reparation offering; he was certainly guilty ¹⁰before the LORD.”