Num 15 | EE | STEP | The LORD said to Moses,

Numbers 15

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 ‘Say to the Israelites, “You will go into the country that I am giving to you. And you will live there. 3 When you are living there, you can sacrifice bulls, male sheep or goats to the LORD. You will burn them on the altar. That is called a burnt-offering. You can give other sacrifices to the LORD because you have promised to do it. Or you can give sacrifices because you want to do it. Also you can give sacrifices during your regular holidays. The smell of these sacrifices as they burn will make the LORD happy. 4 The person who gives the gift to the LORD must also give a gift of flour. He must mix the flour with oil. It should be 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of your best flour Mix this flour with 1 litre (2 pints) of olive oil. 5 You must also give a litre (2 pints) of wine for each lamb. You must give that as a drink-offering with each burnt-offering or sacrifice.

6 If the animal is a male sheep, you must also offer 2 kilos (4.4 pounds) of flour. Mix this flour with 1.5 litres (2.6 pints) of olive oil. 7 Also you must pour 1.5 litres (2.6 pints) of wine on the altar as a drink-offering. The smell of the smoke from this sacrifice will make the LORD happy.

8 A person can give a bull as a burnt-offering. Or it can be a special sacrifice. Or he can give it because he promised to give it. Or it may be for a friendship-offering to the LORD. 9 Also you must offer 3 kilos (6.6 pounds) of flour. Mix this flour with 2 litres (4 pints) of olive oil. Do that if the bull is a burnt-offering, or a friendship-offering. Do the same if you offer this sacrifice because of a promise. 10 Also, you must pour 2 litres (4 pints) of wine on the altar as a drink-offering. The smell of this smoke will make the LORD happy.

11 You must do the same thing for each bull, or for each male sheep. And you must do the same thing for each male lamb, or for each young goat. 12 You must do that for every animal that you offer as a gift to God. 13 All the Israelites must do that when they burn a gift to God. The smell of them as they burn will make the LORD happy. 14 A stranger who is living in your country may want to give a gift by fire to the LORD. He must do the same as you do now, and for all future time. 15 These rules will be the same for the Israelites and for all foreign people who live with them. These rules are for now and for all future time. Both you and the foreign person must obey the LORD‘s rules. 16 There is only one law for you and for the foreign person who is living among you. And there is only one set of rules.”’

17 The LORD said to Moses, 18 ‘Tell the Israelites this. I am bringing them into the country called Canaan. After they have gone into it, they must obey my rules. 19 When they eat the food from that country they must give a special offering to the LORD. 20 From the first of your dough you must give a cake as a special offering. You must do it as you give your special gift from your threshing-floor. 21 From the first of their dough, all your descendants must give to the LORD a special offering.

22 The people might not obey a rule that the LORD told Moses about. But they might not know that they are not obeying a rule. 23 It might be any rule that the LORD gave to you by Moses. 24 Perhaps all the people did not know that they were not obeying my rules. But they did not obey them all. When that happens, they must sacrifice a bull as a burnt-offering. The smell of the smoke from this sacrifice will make the LORD happy. Also, they must give an offering of flour, a drink-offering and a male goat as a sin-offering. 25 Then the priest will make things right with God for all the Israelites and God will forgive them. That is because it was a mistake. And they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the LORD. And they have brought their sin-offering to the LORD, for their mistake. 26 God will forgive all the Israelites and the foreign people who live among you. That is because you did not want to sin. It was a mistake. And also you offered the proper sacrifices to me.

27 Also a person may not know that something is a sin. If he does that thing, he must sacrifice a female goat. The goat must be one year old. It will be a sin-offering. 28 The priest will bring the gift to the LORD. That is to make things right. Then the LORD will forgive that person who sinned. The person did not know that he was sinning. 29 The same rule is for the Israelites and for all the foreign people who live among them. That is when it was a mistake. 30 But a person might do something that he knows to be wrong. He does it because he wants to do it. That person is as bad as someone who says bad words against the LORD. It does not matter whether he is an Israelite or a foreign person. You must make that person separate from all the people. 31 That person thought that the LORD‘s words were not important. And he has not obeyed God’s rules. So you must make that person completely separate from the people. He is a guilty person.’

A man does not obey the rules for the day of rest

32 When the Israelites were in the desert, a man was picking up sticks on the day of rest. 33 Some people found him while he was picking up the sticks. The people who found him took him to Moses and Aaron and to all the people. 34 They were not sure what to do with the man. So they put him in a tent. Men stood at the door of the tent so that he could not leave it. 35 The LORD said to Moses, ‘This man must die. All the people must take him outside the camp and they must kill him. They must throw stones at him until he is dead.’ 36 So the people took the man outside the camp. They threw stones at him until he died. That was what the LORD had said to Moses.

37 The LORD said to Moses, 38 ‘Tell the Israelites that they must put tassels on the corners of their clothes. They must put the tassels on soft blue rope. They must do this now and for all future time. 39 You will be able to look at the tassels and then you will remember all the LORD‘s rules. Then you can do them. Then you will not only do what you want to do. And you will not still want everything that you see. 40 When you see the tassels you will remember to obey all my rules. You will be holy for your God. 41 I am the LORD your God. And I brought you out from the country called Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’