Leviticus 5

1 Any person, moreover, whensoever he shall sin in that, when he heareth a voice of swearing, he himself, being a witness either seeing or knowing, —if he do not tell and so hath to bear his iniquity: —

[Yahweh also said to tell the people], “If [a judge] orders any of you to tell [in court] something that you have seen or something that you heard someone say, if you refuse to say what you know is true, you must (pay a penalty/be punished) [MTY] for refusing to tell what you know.

2 Or, any person, who toucheth anything unclean, whether the carcase of an unclean wild-beast or the carcase of an unclean tame-beast, or the carcase of an unclean creeping thing, —and it is hidden from him, he himself being unclean, and he becometh aware of his guilt: —

If you accidentally touch something which God considers impure [DOU], such as the carcass of a wild animal or the carcass of a bull or cow, or of an animal that scurries across the ground, you must (pay a penalty/be punished).

3 Or whensoever one shall touch the uncleanness of man, as regardeth any uncleanness of his, wherewith one may become unclean, —and it be hidden from him, and then he himself, getting to know it becometh aware of his guilt: —

If you touch any human feces, even if you do not intend to do that, when you realize what you have done, you must (pay a penalty/be punished).

4 Or, any person, whensoever he shall swear, speaking unadvisedly with the lips, to harm or to help, as regardeth anything wherein the son of earth may speak unadvisedly by way of oath, and it be hidden from him, —and then, he himself, getting to know it, becometh aware of his guilt as regardeth any one of these things.

If you carelessly make a solemn promise [to do something] that is good or that is bad, when you realize what you have done, you must (pay a penalty/be punished).

5 Then shall it be, when he becometh aware of his guilt, as regardeth any one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned;

If you are guilty of committing any of those sins, you must confess what you have done.

6 and shall bring in as his guilt-bearer unto Yahweh for his sin which he hath committed, a female from the flock—a lamb or a kid of the goats—as a sin-bearer, —so shall the priest put propitiatory-covering over him, because of his sin.

And for a penalty you must bring to Yahweh a female lamb or female goat, to be an offering for the sin that you have committed, and the priest will sacrifice it, and then you will no longer be guilty for your sin.

7 And, if his hand cannot reach sufficient for a lamb, then shall he bring in to bear his guilt—for that he hath sinned—two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons unto Yahweh, —one for a sin-bearer, and one for an ascending-sacrifice.

If you [are poor and] cannot afford to bring a lamb, you must bring to Yahweh two doves or two young pigeons. One will be an offering for your sin and one will be an offering that will be completely burned [on the altar].

8 And he shall take them in unto the priest, who shall bring near that which is for a sin-bearer first, —and shall nip through the neck close to the head but shall not divide it asunder.

You must bring them to the priest. First he will offer one of them to be an offering for your sin. He will wring/twist its neck [to kill it], but he must not pull off its head completely.

9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-bearer upon the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood, shall he drain out at the base of the altar, —a, sin-bearer, it is.

Then he must sprinkle some of the blood against the side of the altar. The remaining blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. That will be an offering for your sin.

10 And of the second, shall he make an ascending-sacrifice according to the regulation, —so shall the priest put a propitiatory-covering over him, because of his sin which he hath committed and it shall be forgiven him.

The priest will then do what I have commanded and offer the other bird to be completely burned [on the altar]. Then you will no longer be guilty for the sin you have committed, and Yahweh will forgive you.

11 But if his hand cannot lay hold of two turtledove, or two young pigeons, then shall he bring in as his oblation—because he hath sinned—the tenth of an ephah of fine meal for bearing sin, —he shall not put thereon oil, neither shall he lay thereon frankincense, for a sin-bearer, it is.

However, if you [are very poor and] cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, you must bring to be an offering for your sin (2 pounds/1 kg.) of fine flour. You must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is an offering for sin.

12 And he shall bring it in unto the priest, and the priest shall take therefrom a handful, as the memorial thereof, and shall make a perfume at the altar, upon the altar-flames of Yahweh, —a sin-bearer, it is.

You must take it to the priest. He will take a handful of it, to symbolize that the whole offering truly belongs to Yahweh, and burn it on the altar, on top of the other offerings.

13 So shall the priest put a propitiatory-covering over him, on account of his sin which he hath committed, departing from some one of these things, and it shall be forgiven him, —then shall it be the priest’s, like the meal-offering.

And by doing that, the priest will enable you to no longer be guilty for any of the sins that you have committed, and you will be forgiven. The part of the offering that is not burned will belong to the priest, like was true for the offerings made from grain.”

14 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying—

Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

15 Whensoever, any person, shall commit a trespass, and shall take away by mistake, from the holy things of Yahweh, then shall he bring in as his guilt-bearer unto Yahweh, a ram without defect out of the flock, with thine estimate in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt-bearer:

“When you sin, without intending to, by not giving to Yahweh the things that you are required to give to him, you must pay a penalty by bringing to Yahweh a ram that has no defects. You must determine how much silver it is worth, by using the official standard in the temple. It will be an offering to cause you to no longer be guilty.

16 that, moreover, which he took away from the sanctuary, shall he make good and the fifth part thereof, shall he add thereunto, and shall give it to the priest, —and, the priest, shall put a propitiatory-covering over him with the guilt-bearing ram and it shall be forgiven him.

But you must also make restitution for what you failed to give to Yahweh, adding one-fifth of its value. You must give that to the priest. He will offer the ram as a sacrifice for the sin that you have committed, and cause you to no longer be guilty; and you will be forgiven.

17 And if any person when he shall sin, and do something, departing from any of the commandments of Yahweh, as to things which should not be done, —though he knew it not, shall so become guilty, and shall bear his iniquity,

If you sin by doing something that is forbidden by any of Yahweh’s commands, even if you do not know that you have disobeyed one of my commands, you are guilty and must pay a penalty [to me].

18 then shall he bring in a ram without defect out of the flock by thine estimate as a guilt-bearer unto the priest, —and the priest shall put a propitiatory-covering over him, on account of his mistake which he made though he knew it not and it shall be forgiven him:

[When you realize what you have done], you must bring a ram to the Supreme Priest to be an offering in order that you will no longer be guilty. You must bring one that has no defects. He will offer the ram to be a sacrifice to me, and as a result you will no longer be guilty for the sin that you have committed, and you will be forgiven.

19 a guilt-bearer, it is, —he was, verily guilty against Yahweh.

It is an offering to cause you to no longer be guilty for sinning against me.”