Leviticus 5: Wrongs that need an offering, and the trespass offering

In plain English: 'If anyone sins in this way: he hears a public call to testify under oath (or: a curse), and he is a witness, because he has seen or knows about the matter, but he does not tell it, he will carry his guilt (or: bear his punishment).

The Hebrew words: "A public adjuration" is alah, which the dictionary gives as "an imprecation", a curse. "Bear his iniquity" is nasa avon: nasa is to lift or carry, and the dictionary gives avon as "perversity, i.e. (moral) evil".

How it is translated: For alah this Bible says "curse" in 17 of its 32 verses and "oath" in 15. For avon it says "iniquity" in all 16 verses of Leviticus that use it, and "punishment" in 7 of its 215 verses in the whole Bible, as when Cain says, "My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Genesis 4:13).

What changes: Read as "bear his punishment", the line says he will suffer for the wrong, not only that the guilt stays on him.

In plain English: Or if anyone touches anything unclean, whether the dead body of an unclean wild animal, of unclean livestock, or of an unclean creeping thing, and he does not know it (literally: it is hidden from him), he is unclean and guilty.

The Hebrew word: "Unclean" is tame, which the dictionary gives as "foul in a religious sense". Its opposite is tahor, which the dictionary gives as "pure", the "clean place" of 4:12.

How it is translated: This Bible says "unclean" in all 38 verses of Leviticus that use tame.

Good to know: In Leviticus "unclean" is a state that keeps a person away from holy things, not dirt. Chapters 11 to 15 give the rules for it, and how a person becomes clean again, as in 11:25.

In plain English: Or if he touches human uncleanness, any kind of uncleanness that makes a person unclean, and he does not know it, when he finds out, he is guilty.

In plain English: Or if anyone swears rashly (without thinking) with his lips to do evil or to do good, whatever a person might say rashly in an oath, and he does not know it, when he finds out, he is guilty in any of these.

In plain English: When he is guilty in one of these, he is to confess the sin he has committed,

In plain English: and he is to bring Yahweh his trespass offering (or: his penalty) for the sin he has committed: a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, as a sin offering. The priest is to make atonement for him for his sin.

Good to know: "Trespass offering" here is asham (see verse 15), but this same verse calls the animal "a sin offering". So asham here can also be read as "his penalty", what he owes for his guilt.

In plain English: If he cannot afford a lamb (literally: his hand cannot reach enough for a lamb), he is to bring Yahweh, as his trespass offering for his sin, two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

In plain English: He is to bring them to the priest, who is to offer first the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head at the neck, but not pull it off completely.

In plain English: He is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering.

In plain English: He is to offer the second bird as a burnt offering, by the set rule. The priest is to make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

In plain English: But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he is to bring as his offering for his sin one tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He must put no oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.

Good to know: An omer is one tenth of an ephah (Exodus 16:36), so this is the same amount as the manna each person was to gather for a day (Exodus 16:16).

In plain English: He is to bring it to the priest, and the priest is to take a handful of it as the memorial portion and burn it on the altar, on top of Yahweh's offerings made by fire. It is a sin offering.

In plain English: The priest is to make atonement for him for the sin he has committed in any of these things, and he will be forgiven. The rest belongs to the priest, as with the meal offering.'"

In plain English: Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

In plain English: "If anyone acts unfaithfully (or: commits a trespass) and sins by mistake in regard to Yahweh's holy things, he is to bring Yahweh his trespass offering (or: guilt offering): a ram with no defect from the flock, worth the value you set in silver shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, as a trespass offering.

The Hebrew words: "Trespass offering" is asham, which the dictionary gives as "guilt; by implication, a fault; also a sin-offering". "Commits a trespass" is ma'al, which the dictionary gives as "properly, to cover up", and "to act covertly, i.e. treacherously".

How it is translated: This Bible says "trespass" in all 23 verses of Leviticus that use asham, and "guilt" in 4 of its 41 verses in the whole Bible. Many other Bibles say "guilt offering", and some say "reparation offering".

What changes: Read as "guilt offering", the name speaks of the guilt of the one who brings it. Read as "reparation offering", it speaks of making good a loss: with this offering the person also pays back what he took and adds a fifth (verse 16).

In plain English: He is to pay back what he wrongly took from the holy thing, add a fifth to it, and give it to the priest. The priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and he will be forgiven.

In plain English: If anyone sins and does any of the things Yahweh has commanded not to be done, even if he did not know it, he is still guilty and will carry his guilt.

In plain English: He is to bring the priest a ram with no defect from the flock, worth the value you set, as a trespass offering. The priest is to make atonement for him for the mistake he made without knowing it, and he will be forgiven.

In plain English: It is a trespass offering. He is certainly guilty before Yahweh."