1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone sins unintentionally, in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without defect to the LORD for a sin offering. 4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD; and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before the LORD. 5 The anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull, and bring it to the Tent of Meeting. 6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the veil of the sanctuary. 7 The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the Tent of Meeting; and he shall pour out the rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 8 He shall take all the fat of the bull of the sin offering from it: the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, 9 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall remove, 10 as it is removed from the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 He shall carry the bull’s skin, all its meat, with its head, and with its legs, its innards, and its dung 12 —all the rest of the bull—outside of the camp to a clean place where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire. It shall be burnt where the ashes are poured out. 13 “‘If the whole congregation of Israel sins, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and are guilty; 14 when the sin in which they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, and bring it before the Tent of Meeting. 15 The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD; and the bull shall be killed before the LORD. 16 The anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull to the Tent of Meeting. 17 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, before the veil. 18 He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 19 All its fat he shall take from it, and burn it on the altar. 20 He shall do this with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so he shall do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. 21 He shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burnt the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly. 22 “‘When a ruler sins, and unwittingly does any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, 23 if his sin in which he has sinned is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without defect. 24 He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD. It is a sin offering. 25 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 All its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he will be forgiven. 27 “‘If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, 28 if his sin which he has sinned is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has sinned. 29 He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. 30 The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31 All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. 32 “‘If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without defect. 33 He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35 He shall remove all its fat, like the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of the LORD made by fire. The priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus · World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Leviticus 4 World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
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People & places in this chapter
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People
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (33)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 Psalm 19:12; Leviticus 4:27; Numbers 15:22–29; Hebrews 9:7; James 3:10
- 3 Leviticus 9:2; Hebrews 7:27–28; Leviticus 4:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ezra 8:35
- 4 Leviticus 1:3–4; Leviticus 16:21; Isaiah 53:6; Exodus 29:10–11; 1 Peter 3:18
- 5 Leviticus 16:14; Numbers 19:4; Leviticus 4:16–17; Leviticus 16:19; 1 John 1:7
- 6 Joshua 6:4; Leviticus 26:18; Leviticus 26:28; Joshua 6:8; Leviticus 16:14
- 7 Leviticus 8:15; Leviticus 9:9; Leviticus 5:9; Leviticus 4:18; Leviticus 16:18
- 8 Leviticus 4:26; Leviticus 3:3–5; Leviticus 3:14–16; John 12:27; Leviticus 4:35
- 9 Leviticus 3:4
- 11 Numbers 19:5; Exodus 29:14; Hebrews 13:11–13; Leviticus 16:27; Leviticus 6:30
- 12 Hebrews 13:11; Leviticus 6:10–11; Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 16:27; Numbers 19:5
- 13 Leviticus 5:17; Leviticus 5:2–5; Ezra 10:19; 1 Timothy 1:13; Leviticus 6:4
- 14 Leviticus 4:23; Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 4:28
- 15 Leviticus 1:4; Numbers 8:10; Deuteronomy 21:3–9; Exodus 24:9; Leviticus 4:4
- 16 Leviticus 4:5–12; Hebrews 9:12–14
- 17 Leviticus 4:6–7
- 18 Leviticus 4:7
- 19 Leviticus 4:26; Psalm 22:14; Leviticus 4:8–10; Leviticus 6:7; Leviticus 4:31
- 20 Numbers 15:25; Leviticus 12:8; Hebrews 10:10–12; Leviticus 4:26; 1 John 1:7
- 21 Leviticus 16:15; 1 Timothy 2:5–6; Ezra 8:35; 2 Chronicles 29:21–24; Leviticus 4:11–12
- 22 Leviticus 4:2; Leviticus 4:13; Numbers 31:13; 2 Samuel 24:10–17; Exodus 18:21
- 23 Leviticus 4:14; Leviticus 5:4; Romans 8:3; 2 Kings 22:10–13; Numbers 28:15
- 24 Leviticus 1:5; Leviticus 3:2; Leviticus 16:15; Isaiah 53:6; Leviticus 3:8
- 25 Leviticus 4:30; Leviticus 4:18; Leviticus 4:34; Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 9:9
- 26 Leviticus 4:20; Leviticus 3:5; Numbers 15:28; Leviticus 4:31; Leviticus 4:35
- 27 Leviticus 4:2; Numbers 15:27; Leviticus 4:13; Numbers 5:6; Numbers 15:29
- 28 Leviticus 4:23; Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 4:32; Isaiah 7:14; Galatians 3:28
- 29 Leviticus 4:4; Leviticus 4:24; Leviticus 1:4; Leviticus 4:15; Leviticus 4:33
- 30 Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 4:34; Leviticus 4:25; Hebrews 2:10; Romans 8:3–4
- 31 Leviticus 4:26; Leviticus 4:35; Genesis 8:21; Leviticus 1:9; Exodus 29:18
- 32 Leviticus 4:28; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 Peter 3:18; John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:24
- 33 Leviticus 4:29–31; Leviticus 4:4
- 34 Leviticus 4:25; Leviticus 4:30; Leviticus 4:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10:29
- 35 Leviticus 4:26; Leviticus 4:30–31; Leviticus 4:20; Leviticus 14:18; Leviticus 6:7
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… was offered for sin, a ram, anything; the victim itself which was offered for sin was called "sin." A sacrifice for sin then was called "sin;" so that in one place the Law says, "That the Priests are to lay their hands upon the sin." "Him" then, "who knew no sin, He made sin for us;" that is, "He was …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)