Numbers 15
(1) Procedures for Offering Sacrifices
The Existing One told Moses,
“Tell Israel’s descendants,
‘When you arrive in the land I’m giving you, burn some kind of offering to Me. It can be a roasted offering, or a sacrifice to commemorate a vow, or a voluntary offering, or an offering associated with a holiday.
‘Offer it Me as a soothing fragrance, using an animal from your herd or flock. Everyone who presents one of these offerings should present it with a grain offering on the side made from 3.5 liters of fine flour mixed with 1 liter of oil. It also needs to include 1 liter of wine as a drink offering. That’s how it should be for each lamb used in a roasted offering or sacrifice.
‘When you offer a ram, make sure you present it with a grain offering on the side made from 7 liters of fine flour mixed with 1.5 liters of oil. It also needs to include 2 liters of wine as a drink offering. That will be a soothing fragrance to the Existing One.
‘When you prepare a bull as a roasted offering or sacrifice (either to commemorate a vow or as a peace offering), make sure you present it with a grain offering on the side made from 10.5 liters of fine flour mixed with 3 liters of oil. It should also include 3 liters of wine as a drink offering. That roasted offering will be a soothing fragrance to the Existing One.’
‘That’s what you need to do with each ox, ram, male lamb, or goat. No matter how many animals you prepare, that’s what you’ll need to do for each of them.’”
(13) God Loves the Foreigners
“That procedure applies to native-born Israelites who burn Me an offering as a soothing fragrance.
‘But it also applies to foreigners who visit you or immigrants who permanently live in your communities. If they want to burn a soothing fragrance to the Existing One, they are allowed to do so. The foreigners can just follow the same procedure as the Israelites, and that procedure should stay the same throughout the generations. The Existing One views foreigners the same way He views you guys, and the same set of rules can apply to both of you.’”
(17) Offer God Part of Your Meal
Then the Existing One told Moses,
“Tell Israel’s descendants this message:
‘Here’s a new custom I want you to start observing when you move into this new land I’m leading you into: whenever you eat the food from that land, you need to offer Me some of it. When you make a meal, you need to offer Me the first cake. This custom is similar to the one you already observe with grain from the threshing floor. Always give Me an offering from the first portion of your meal. Observe this custom all throughout your generations.
(22) When the Population Fails
‘There will be times when you guys wander away and fail to follow these instructions. You’ll fail to keep the instructions I gave you through Moses. That will happen with all the instructions, starting on the day I give them to you and throughout your generations.
‘If that happens accidentally without anyone realizing it, then the population will need to offer a bull as a roasted offering. That will be a soothing fragrance for Me. Just make sure you include a grain offering and drink offering with it, according to the procedure.
‘You’ll also need to offer a male goat for missing the mark. The priest will need to cover for the population, and they will be forgiven. Since the population will have made a mistake, they’ll need to bring an offering to burn for Me, so they can be forgiven. Any foreigners and immigrants living with them will also be forgiven, since everyone will collectively be responsible for making the mistake.
(27) When an Individual Fails
‘Whenever an individual misses the mark on accident, that person will need to offer a 1-year-old female goat as an offering for messing up. The priest will need to cover for that person who accidentally wandered away. That person will need to be covered in front of the Existing One, then he’ll be forgiven.
‘You only need to have one rule for when people do something unintentionally. That rule can apply to both the native Israelite as well as the foreigner and immigrant who lives with you.
‘But whenever anyone does something defiantly, that person is criticizing the Existing One—it doesn’t matter if they are a native or a foreigner. That person should be rejected by his own people. If he has hated the Existing One’s words and violated His instructions, that person should be completely cut off. His corruption will weigh on his own shoulders.’”
(32) Man Executed for Disregarding Sabbath
One time when Israel’s descendants were in the wilderness, they found someone gathering wood on the restoration day (sabbath). They brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the population. It hadn’t been clearly defined what should be done to him, so they decided to imprison him. Then the Existing One told Moses,
“That person should be executed. Take him outside the camp and have the entire population throw rocks at him until he dies.”
So that’s what the population did.
(37) Using Tassels to Remind You to Follow God
The Existing One also told Moses,
“Tell Israel’s descendants that they need to make tassels on the corners of their clothes. They need to do that all throughout their generations.
“The tassels should be made out of purple twisted threads. Whenever you look at one, be reminded of all the Existing One’s instructions. That way, you can actually follow my instructions instead of just scouting out what your own heart and eyes want. When you chase after those other things, it makes you like a prostitute.
“Use the tassels to remind you to follow all My instructions and be different for your God. I am the Existing One, your God, who brought you away from Egypt so I could be your God. I am the Existing One, your God.”