Numbers 15  Good News Translation

Laws about Sacrifice

15 The Lord gave Moses ² the following regulations for the people of Israel to observe in the land that he was going to give them. ³ A bull, a ram, a sheep, or a goat may be presented to the Lord as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow or as a freewill offering or as an offering at your regular religious festivals; the odor of these food offerings is pleasing to the Lord. ^4-5 Whoever presents a sheep or a goat as a burnt offering to the Lord is to bring with each animal 2 pounds of flour mixed with 2 pints of olive oil as a grain offering, together with 2 pints of wine. ⁶ When a ram is offered, 4 pounds of flour mixed with 3 pints of olive oil are to be presented as a grain offering, ⁷ together with 3 pints of wine. The odor of these sacrifices is pleasing to the Lord. ⁸ When a bull is offered to the Lord as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow or as a fellowship offering, ⁹ a grain offering of 6 pounds of flour mixed with 4 pints of olive oil is to be presented, ¹⁰ together with 4 pints of wine. The odor of this sacrifice is pleasing to the Lord.

¹¹ That is what shall be offered with each bull, ram, sheep, or goat. ¹² When more than one animal is offered, the accompanying offering is to be increased proportionately. ¹³ All native Israelites are to do this when they present a food offering, an odor pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁴ And if at any time foreigners living among you, whether on a temporary or a permanent basis, make a food offering, an odor that pleases the Lord, they are to observe the same regulations. ¹⁵ For all time to come, the same^[a] rules are binding on you and on the foreigners who live among you. You and they are alike in the Lord's sight; ^16 (A)the same laws and regulations apply to you and to them.

¹⁷ The Lord gave Moses ¹⁸ the following regulations for the people of Israel to observe in the land that he was going to give them. ¹⁹ When any food produced there is eaten, some of it is to be set aside as a special contribution to the Lord. ²⁰ When you bake bread, the first loaf of the first bread made from the new grain is to be presented as a special contribution to the Lord. This is to be presented in the same way as the special contribution you make from the grain you thresh. ²¹ For all time to come, this special gift is to be given to the Lord from the bread you bake.

²² But suppose someone unintentionally fails to keep some of these regulations which the Lord has given Moses. ²³ And suppose that in the future the community fails to do everything that the Lord commanded through Moses. ²⁴ If the mistake was made because of the ignorance of the community, they are to offer a bull as a burnt offering, an odor that pleases the Lord, with the proper grain offering and wine offering. In addition, they are to offer a male goat as a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest shall perform the ritual of purification for the community, and they will be forgiven, because the mistake was unintentional and they brought their sin offering as a food offering to the Lord. ²⁶ The whole community of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven, because everyone was involved in the mistake.

^27 (B)If any of you sin unintentionally, you are to offer a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering. ²⁸ At the altar the priest shall perform the ritual of purification to purify you from your sin, and you will be forgiven. ²⁹ The same regulation applies to all who unintentionally commit a sin, whether they are native Israelites or resident foreigners.

³⁰ But any who sin deliberately, whether they are natives or foreigners, are guilty of treating the Lord with contempt, and they shall be put to death, ³¹ because they have rejected what the Lord said and have deliberately broken one of his commands. They are responsible for their own death.

The Man Who Broke the Sabbath

³² Once, while the Israelites were still in the wilderness, a man was found gathering firewood on the Sabbath. ³³ He was taken to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community, ³⁴ and was put under guard, because it was not clear what should be done with him. ³⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death; the whole community is to stone him to death outside the camp.” ³⁶ So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded.

Rules about Tassels

³⁷ The Lord commanded Moses ^38 (C)to say to the people of Israel: “Make tassels on the corners of your garments and put a blue cord on each tassel. You are to do this for all time to come. ³⁹ The tassels will serve as reminders, and each time you see them you will remember all my commands and obey them; then you will not turn away from me and follow your own wishes and desires. ⁴⁰ The tassels will remind you to keep all my commands, and you will belong completely to me. ⁴¹ I am the Lord your God; I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”