The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 15 -

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you will have entered into the land of your habitation, which I will give you,

and you make an offering to the Lord, as a holocaust or as a victim, paying your vows, or as a voluntary offering of gifts, or in your solemnities, burning a sweet odor to the Lord, whether from the oxen or from the sheep:

whoever immolates the victim shall offer a sacrifice of fine wheat flour, the tenth part of an ephah, sprinkled with oil, which shall have the measure of the fourth part of a hin,

and he shall give the same measure of wine, poured out as libations, whether as a holocaust or as a victim.

With each lamb and each ram, there shall be a sacrifice of fine wheat flour, of two tenths, which shall be sprinkled with one third part of a hin of oil.

And he shall offer the same measure, one third part of wine, for the libation, as a sweet odor to the Lord.

Yet truly, when you will offer, from the oxen, a holocaust or a victim, in order to fulfill your vow or for peace-offering victims,

you shall give, for each ox, three tenths of fine wheat flour, sprinkled with oil, which has the measure of one half of one hin,

and the wine, poured out as libations, shall be of the same measure, as an oblation of most sweet odor to the Lord.

So shall you do

for each ox, and ram, and lamb, and young goat.

Both natives and sojourners

shall offer sacrifices by the same rituals.

There shall be one precept and one judgment, as much for yourselves as for newcomers to the land.”

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them:

When you will arrive in the land which I will give to you,

and when you will eat from the bread of that region, you shall separate the first-fruits to the Lord

from the foods that you eat. Just as you separate the first-fruits of your threshing floors,

so also shall you give the first-fruits of your cooked grains to the Lord.

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

And if, through ignorance, you neglect any of these things, which the Lord has spoken to Moses,(a)

and which he has commanded through him for you, from the day that he began to command and thereafter,

and if the multitude will have forgotten to do it, then they shall offer a calf from the herd, a holocaust as a most sweet odor to the Lord, and its sacrifice and libations, just as the ceremonies ask, and a he-goat for sin.

And the priest shall pray for the entire multitude of the sons of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, because they did not sin willfully. Nevertheless, they shall offer incense to the Lord for themselves, and for sin, as well as for their error.

And it shall be forgiven all the people of the sons of Israel, as well as the newcomers who sojourn among them, for it is the culpability of all the people through neglect.(b)

But if one soul will have sinned by not knowing, he shall offer a one-year-old she-goat for his sin.

And the priest shall pray for him, because he sinned unknowingly before the Lord. And he shall obtain pardon for him, and it will be forgiven him.

One law shall be for all who sin by ignorance, as much for natives as for newcomers.

Yet truly, the soul who commits any of these acts through arrogance, whether he is a citizen or a sojourner, because he has rebelled against the Lord, shall perish from among his people.

For he has despised the word of the Lord, and he has nullified his precept. For this reason, he shall be destroyed, and he shall bear his iniquity.”

A Sabbath-Breaker Stoned

(Exodus 31:12–17)

And it happened that, when the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, and they had found a man collecting wood on the day of the Sabbath,

they brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to the whole multitude.

And they enclosed him in a prison, not knowing what they should do with him.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Let that man be put to death; let the entire crowd crush him with stones, outside the camp.”

And when they had led him out, they overwhelmed him with stones, and he died, just as the Lord had instructed.

The Law of Tassels

The Lord also said to Moses:

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall tell them to make for themselves hems at the corners of their cloaks, placing in them ribbons of hyacinth,(c)

so that, when they see these, they may remember all the commandments of the Lord, and they may not follow their own thoughts and eyes, fornicating in various ways,

but instead, they, being more mindful of the precepts of the Lord, may do them and may be holy to their God.

I am the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, so that I may be your God.”

Footnotes

(a)15:22 The term ‘ignorantiam’ in this context includes not only initial ignorance of the precept, but also ignoring or forgetting a known precept.(Conte)

(b)15:26 The ignorance spoken of in this verse is not pure ignorance, but also includes some culpability, due to neglect.(Conte)

(c)15:38 Fringes:The Pharisees enlarged these fringes through hypocrisy, Matt. 23:5, to appear more zealous than other men for the law of God.(Challoner)

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you have come into the land of your habitations, which I give to you,

and will make an offering by fire to the LORD—a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a free will offering, or in your set feasts, to make a pleasant aroma to the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock—

then he who offers his offering shall offer to the LORD a meal offering of one tenth of an ephah(a) of fine flour mixed with one fourth of a hin

(b)

of oil.

You shall prepare wine for the drink offering, one fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.

“‘For a ram, you shall prepare for a meal offering two tenths of an ephah(c) of fine flour mixed with the third part of a hin of oil;

and for the drink offering you shall offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

When you prepare a bull for a burnt offering or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace offerings to the LORD,

then he shall offer with the bull a meal offering of three tenths of an ephah(d) of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil;

and you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

Thus it shall be done for each bull, for each ram, for each of the male lambs, or of the young goats.

According to the number that you shall prepare, so you shall do to everyone according to their number.

“‘All who are native-born shall do these things in this way, in offering an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD, as you do, so he shall do.

For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations. As you are, so the foreigner shall be before the LORD.

One law and one ordinance shall be for you and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.’”

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you come into the land where I bring you,

then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall offer up a wave offering to the LORD.

Of the first of your dough you shall offer up a cake for a wave offering. As the wave offering of the threshing floor, so you shall heave it.

Of the first of your dough, you shall give to the LORD a wave offering throughout your generations.

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

“‘When you err, and don’t observe all these commandments which the LORD has spoken to Moses—

even all that the LORD has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations—

then it shall be, if it was done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma to the LORD, with its meal offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.

The priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their error.

All the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, as well as the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them; for with regard to all the people, it was done unwittingly.

“‘If a person sins unwittingly, then he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.

The priest shall make atonement for the soul who errs when he sins unwittingly before the LORD. He shall make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven.

You shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them.

“‘But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Because he has despised the LORD’s word, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off. His iniquity shall be on him.’”

A Sabbath-Breaker Stoned

(Exodus 31:12–17)

While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.

Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.

They put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.

The LORD said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside of the camp.”

All the congregation brought him outside of the camp, and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The Law of Tassels

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes

(e)

on the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe

(f)

of each border a cord of blue.

It shall be to you for a fringe,(g) that you may see it, and remember all the LORD’s commandments, and do them; and that you don’t follow your own heart and your own eyes, after which you used to play the prostitute;

so that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.”

Footnotes

(a)15:4 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel

(b)15:4 A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons.

(d)15:9 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel

(e)15:38 or, tassels (Hebrew צִיצִ֛ת)

(f)15:38 or, tassel

(g)15:39 or, tassel