One Year Bible.

Laws for Sin Offerings

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, ²“Tell the Israelites to do as follows with one who sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s commandments and does what is forbidden by them:

³If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without blemish as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. ⁴He must bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the LORD. ⁵Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the Tent of Meeting. ⁶The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. ⁷The priest must then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. And he is to pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁸Then he shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering— the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, ⁹both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys— ¹⁰just as the fat is removed from the ox of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs and its entrails and dung— ¹²all the rest of the bull— he must take outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place where the ashes are poured out, and there he must burn it on a wood fire on the ash heap.

¹³Now if the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly so that they violate any of the LORD’s commandments and incur guilt by doing what is forbidden, ¹⁴when they become aware of the sin they have committed, then the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁵The elders of the congregation are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the LORD, and it shall be slaughtered before the LORD. ¹⁶Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the bull’s blood into the Tent of Meeting, ¹⁷and he is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil. ¹⁸He is also to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting, and he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁹And he is to remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. ²⁰He shall offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven. ²¹Then he is to take the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.

²²When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the commandments of the LORD his God, he incurs guilt. ²³When he becomes aware of the sin he has committed, he must bring an unblemished male goat as his offering. ²⁴He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering. ²⁵Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ²⁶He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will make atonement for that man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.

²⁷And if one of the common people sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the LORD’s commandments, he incurs guilt. ²⁸When he becomes aware of the sin he has committed, he must bring an unblemished female goat as his offering for that sin. ²⁹He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. ³⁰Then the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³¹Then he is to remove all the fat, just as it is removed from the peace offering, and the priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

³²If, however, he brings a lamb as a sin offering, he must bring an unblemished female. ³³And he is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵And he shall remove all the fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the peace offerings, and he shall burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.[’’]

Sins Requiring a Sin Offering

¹“If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.

²Or if a person touches anything unclean— whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or livestock or crawling creature— even if he is unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty.

³Or if he touches human uncleanness— anything by which one becomes unclean— even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty.

⁴Or if someone swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do anything good or evil— in whatever matter a man may rashly pronounce an oath— even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty in the matter.

⁵If someone incurs guilt in one of these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed, ⁶and he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin he has committed: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin.

⁷If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons — one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. ⁸He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first present the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its head at the front of its neck without severing it; ⁹then he is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰And the priest must prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

¹¹But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. ¹²He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful from it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar atop the food offerings to the LORD; it is a sin offering. ¹³In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he will be forgiven. The remainder will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”

Laws for Guilt Offerings

¹⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹⁵“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering. ¹⁶Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

¹⁷If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. ¹⁸He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven. ¹⁹It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the LORD.”

The Linen Loincloth

¹This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”

²So I bought a loincloth in accordance with the word of the LORD, and I put it around my waist.

³Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time: ⁴“Take the loincloth that you bought and are wearing, and go at once to Perath and hide it there in a crevice of the rocks.”

⁵So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD had commanded me.

⁶Many days later the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to Perath, and get the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” ⁷So I went to Perath and dug up the loincloth, and I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But now it was ruined— of no use at all.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁹“This is what the LORD says: In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. ¹⁰These evil people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who go after other gods to serve and worship them, they will be like this loincloth — of no use at all.

¹¹For just as a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I have made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to Me, declares the LORD, so that they might be My people for My renown and praise and glory. But they did not listen.

The Wineskins

¹²Therefore you are to tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Every wineskin shall be filled with wine.’

And when they reply, ‘Don’t we surely know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ ¹³then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land— the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁴I will smash them against one another, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no mercy or pity or compassion to keep Me from destroying them.’”

Captivity Threatened

¹⁵Listen and give heed. Do not be arrogant,

for the LORD has spoken.

¹⁶Give glory to the LORD your God

before He brings darkness,

before your feet stumble

on the dusky mountains.

You wait for light,

but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.

¹⁷But if you do not listen,

I will weep in secret because of your pride.

My eyes will overflow with tears,

because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.

¹⁸Say to the king

and to the queen mother:

“Take a lowly seat,

for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads.”

¹⁹The cities of the Negev have been shut tight,

and no one can open them.

All Judah has been carried into exile,

wholly taken captive.

²⁰Lift up your eyes and see

those coming from the north.

Where is the flock entrusted to you,

the sheep that were your pride?

²¹What will you say when He sets over you

close allies whom you yourself trained?

Will not pangs of anguish grip you,

as they do a woman in labor?

²²And if you ask yourself,

“Why has this happened to me?”

It is because of the magnitude of your iniquity

that your skirts have been stripped off

and your body has been exposed.

²³Can the Ethiopian change his skin,

or the leopard his spots?

Neither are you able to do good —

you who are accustomed to doing evil.

²⁴“I will scatter you like chaff

driven by the desert wind.

²⁵This is your lot,

the portion I have measured to you,”

declares the LORD,

“because you have forgotten Me

and trusted in falsehood.

²⁶So I will pull your skirts up over your face,

that your shame may be seen.

²⁷Your adulteries and lustful neighings,

your shameless prostitution

on the hills and in the fields —

I have seen your detestable acts.

Woe to you, O Jerusalem!

How long will you remain unclean?”

Drought, Famine, Sword, and Plague

¹This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

²“Judah mourns

and her gates languish.

Her people wail for the land,

and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.

³The nobles send their servants for water;

they go to the cisterns, but find no water;

their jars return empty.

They are ashamed and humiliated;

they cover their heads.

⁴The ground is cracked

because no rain has fallen on the land.

The farmers are ashamed;

they cover their heads.

⁵Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn

because there is no grass.

⁶Wild donkeys stand on barren heights;

they pant for air like jackals;

their eyes fail for lack of pasture.”

⁷Although our iniquities testify against us, O LORD,

act for the sake of Your name.

Indeed, our rebellions are many;

we have sinned against You.

⁸O Hope of Israel,

its Savior in times of distress,

why are You like a stranger in the land,

like a traveler who stays but a night?

⁹Why are You like a man taken by surprise,

like a warrior powerless to save?

Yet You are among us, O LORD,

and we are called by Your name.

Do not forsake us!

¹⁰This is what the LORD says about this people:

“Truly they love to wander;

they have not restrained their feet.

So the LORD does not accept them;

He will now remember their iniquity

and punish them for their sins.”

¹¹Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. ¹²Although they may fast, I will not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and famine and plague.”

¹³“Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”

¹⁴“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.

¹⁵Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’

By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end! ¹⁶And the people to whom they prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out their own evil upon them.

¹⁷You are to speak this word to them:

‘My eyes overflow with tears;

day and night they do not cease,

for the virgin daughter of my people

has been shattered by a crushing blow,

a severely grievous wound.

¹⁸If I go out to the country,

I see those slain by the sword;

if I enter the city,

I see those ravaged by famine!

For both prophet and priest

travel to a land they do not know.’”

A Prayer for Mercy

¹⁹Have You rejected Judah completely?

Do You despise Zion?

Why have You stricken us

so that we are beyond healing?

We hoped for peace,

but no good has come,

and for the time of healing,

but there was only terror.

²⁰We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD,

the guilt of our fathers;

indeed, we have sinned against You.

²¹For the sake of Your name do not despise us;

do not disgrace Your glorious throne.

Remember Your covenant with us;

do not break it.

²²Can the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?

Do the skies alone send showers?

Is this not by You, O LORD our God?

So we put our hope in You,

for You have done all these things.

In My Father’s House Are Many Rooms

¹“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. ²In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

⁵“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ⁷If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

⁸Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

⁹Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. ¹¹Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me — or at least believe on account of the works themselves.

¹²Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever — ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.

¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. ²¹Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

²²Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.

²⁵All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Peace I Leave with You

²⁷Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. ²⁸You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. ²⁹And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.

³⁰I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. ³¹But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

Get up! Let us go on from here.[’’]