Take: literally “Take for yourself” (see New English Bible). But mention of self does not seem to have any special significance and is left implicit in most translations.

A bull calf: literally “a calf, a son of the herd” (compare 1.5 where the word “calf” does not appear). The idea of youth (Good News Translation “young bull”) is contained in this additional word and not in the expression “son of….” The word used here is also different from 4.3, where there is no emphasis on the youth of the animal.

A sin offering: see 4.1–5.13.

A ram for a burnt offering: see 1.10-13.

Without blemish: see 1.3 and 22.17-25. The word both has been added in Revised Standard Version to make it clear that this requirement applies to the bull as well as the ram. This may be necessary in a number of other languages.

Before the LORD: that is, to the LORD.

The Good News Translation rendering has been recast in such a way as to indicate a bit more clearly which animal is used for which offering. This may be a helpful model to follow in some other languages.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .