'Guilt' in the Bible

Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said to him, “What have you done to us? How did I sin against you that you have brought such enormous guilt on me and on my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.”

Then Abimelech said, “What is this you’ve done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.”

Your servant became accountable to my father for the boy, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against you, my father.’

But if this happens after sunrise, there is guilt of bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution. If he is unable, he is to be sold because of his theft.

It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord.

These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and for his future descendants.

“If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he is to present to the Lord a young, unblemished bull as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

“Now if the whole community of Israel errs, and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, so that they violate any of the Lord’s commands and incur guilt by doing what is prohibited,

“When a leader sins and unintentionally violates any of the commands of the Lord his God by doing what is prohibited, and incurs guilt,

“Now if any of the common people sins unintentionally by violating one of the Lord’s commands, does what is prohibited, and incurs guilt,

Or if someone swears rashly to do what is good or evil—concerning anything a person may speak rashly in an oath—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt in such an instance.

If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess he has committed that sin.

“If someone sins and without knowing it violates any of the Lord’s commands concerning anything prohibited, he bears the consequences of his guilt.

once he has sinned and acknowledged his guilt—he must return what he stole or defrauded, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost item he found,

or anything else about which he swore falsely. He must make full restitution for it and add a fifth of its value to it. He is to pay it to its owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt.

In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”

“Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? For it is especially holy, and He has assigned it to you to take away the guilt of the community and make atonement for them before the Lord.

“You must not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.

If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has shamed his uncle; they will bear their guilt and die childless.

The husband will be free of guilt, but that woman will bear the consequences of her guilt.”

He will certainly be cut off, because he has despised the Lord’s word and broken His command; his guilt remains on him.”

The Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting, or they will incur guilt and die.

You will not incur guilt because of it once you have presented the best part of it, but you must not defile the Israelites’ holy offerings, so that you will not die.”

You must not look on him with pity but purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and you will prosper.

You must purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, for you will be doing what is right in the Lord’s sight.

the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be detestable to the Lord. You must not bring guilt on the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

They replied, “If you send the ark of Israel’s God away, you must not send it without an offering. You must send back a restitution offering to Him, and you will be healed. Then the reason His hand hasn’t been removed from you will be revealed.”

They asked, “What restitution offering should we send back to Him?”And they answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers, since there was one plague for both you and your rulers.

Take the ark of the Lord, place it on the cart, and put the gold objects that you’re sending Him as a restitution offering in a box beside the ark. Send it off and let it go its way.

As a restitution offering to the Lord, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

She fell at his feet and said, “The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your servant speak to you directly. Listen to the words of your servant.

The woman asked, “Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one.

He asked the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? How can I make atonement so that you will bring a blessing on the Lord’s inheritance?”

David’s conscience troubled him after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish, please take away Your servant’s guilt.”

She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do we have in common? Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to kill my son?”

Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply the number of His people a hundred times over! My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away Your servant’s guilt, for I’ve been very foolish.”

for every dispute that comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities—whether it regards differences of bloodguilt, law, commandment, statutes, or judgments—you are to warn them, so they will not incur guilt before the Lord and wrath will not come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.

and they abandoned the temple of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors and served the Asherah poles and the idols. So there was wrath against Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.

They said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the Lord to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel.”

But he did not humble himself before the Lord like his father Manasseh humbled himself; instead, Amon increased his guilt.

And I said:My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt is as high as the heavens.

Our guilt has been terrible from the days of our fathers until the present. Because of our iniquities we have been handed over, along with our kings and priests, to the surrounding kings, and to the sword, captivity, plundering, and open shame, as it is today.

After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible guilt—though You, our God, have punished us less than our sins deserve and have allowed us to survive—

Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we survive as a remnant today. Here we are before You with our guilt, though no one can stand in Your presence because of this.

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt.

They pledged to send their wives away, and being guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt;

Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from Your sight, because they have provoked the builders.

Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the guilt of their fathers.

Have I covered my transgressions as others doby hiding my guilt in my heart,

“I am pure, without transgression;I am clean and have no guilt.

Then I acknowledged my sin to Youand did not conceal my iniquity.I said,“I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”and You took away the guilt of my sin.Selah

So I confess my guilt;I am anxious because of my sin.

Wash away my guiltand cleanse me from my sin.

Turn Your face away from my sinsand blot out all my guilt.

Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God,the God of my salvation,and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

Add guilt to their guilt;do not let them share in Your righteousness.

Yet He was compassionate;He atoned for their guiltand did not destroy them.He often turned His anger asideand did not unleash all His wrath.

You took away Your people’s guilt;You covered all their sin.Selah

Let his ancestors’ guiltbe remembered before the Lord,and do not let his mother’s sin be blotted out.

Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?

Only acknowledge your guilt—you have rebelled against the Lord your God.You have scattered your favors to strangersunder every green treeand have not obeyed My voice.This is the Lord’s declaration.

And when you ask yourself,“Why have these things happened to me?”It is because of your great guiltthat your skirts have been stripped off,your body exposed.

Though our guilt testifies against us,Yahweh, act for Your name’s sake.Indeed, our rebellions are many;we have sinned against You.

This is what the Lord says concerning these people:Truly they love to wander;they never rest their feet.So the Lord does not accept them.Now He will remember their guiltand punish their sins.

We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord,the guilt of our fathers;indeed, we have sinned against You.

“When you tell these people all these things, they will say to you, ‘Why has the Lord declared all this great disaster against us? What is our guilt? What is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’

for My gaze takes in all their ways. They are not concealed from Me, and their guilt is not hidden from My sight.

I will first repay them double for their guilt and sin because they have polluted My land. They have filled My inheritance with the lifelessness of their detestable and abhorrent idols.”

But You, Lord, knowall their deadly plots against me.Do not wipe out their guilt;do not blot out their sin before You.Let them be forced to stumble before You;deal with them in the time of Your anger.

When the 70 years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, and I will make it a ruin forever.

All your lovers have forgotten you;they no longer look for you,for I have struck you as an enemy would,with the discipline of someone cruel,because of your enormous guiltand your innumerable sins.

Why do you cry out about your injury?Your pain has no cure!I have done these things to youbecause of your enormous guiltand your innumerable sins.

In those days and at that time—this is the Lord’s declaration—one will search for Israel’s guilt,but there will be none,and for Judah’s sins,but they will not be found,for I will forgive those I leave as a remnant.

For Israel and Judah are not left widowedby their God, the Lord of Hosts,though their land is full of guiltagainst the Holy One of Israel.

Leave Babylon;save your lives, each of you!Don’t perish because of her guilt.For this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance—He will pay her what she deserves.

נ NunYour prophets saw visions for youthat were empty and deceptive;they did not reveal your guiltand so restore your fortunes.They saw oracles for youthat were empty and misleading.

מ MemYet it happened because of the sins of her prophetsand the guilt of her priests,who shed the blood of the righteouswithin her.

It will seem like false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured.

“Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions, since you have done this, you will be captured by them.

This is what the Lord God says: “Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah and incurred grievous guilt by taking revenge on them,

I will depart and return to My placeuntil they recognize their guilt and seek My face;they will search for Me in their distress.

Though they offer sacrificial giftsand eat the flesh,the Lord does not accept them.Now He will remember their guiltand punish their sins;they will return to Egypt.

The days of punishment have come;the days of retribution have come.Let Israel recognize it!The prophet is a fool,and the inspired man is insane,because of the magnitudeof your guilt and hostility.

They have deeply corrupted themselvesas in the days of Gibeah.He will remember their guilt;He will punish their sins.

Their hearts are devious;now they must bear their guilt.The Lord will break down their altarsand demolish their sacred pillars.

When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;he was exalted in Israel.But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.

Ephraim’s guilt is preserved;his sin is stored up.

Samaria will bear her guiltbecause she has rebelled against her God.They will fall by the sword;their little ones will be dashed to pieces,and their pregnant women ripped open.

Those who swear by the guilt of Samariaand say, “As your god lives, Dan,”or “As the way of Beer-sheba lives”—they will fall, never to rise again.

So the Angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before Him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then He said to him, “See, I have removed your guilt from you, and I will clothe you with splendid robes.”

Notice the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave an inscription on it”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“and I will take away the guilt of this land in a single day.