Leviticus 16

The Day of Atonement

16The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, who died after they entered the LORD's presence and burned the wrong kind of fire before him.H3068H1696H4872H310H4194H8147H1121H175H7126H6440H3068H41912The LORD said to Moses, "Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark's cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.H3068H559H4872H1696H175H251H935H6256H6944H1004H6532H6440H3727H727H4191H7200H6051H37273"When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.H2063H175H935H6944H1121H1241H6499H2403H352H59304He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on.H3847H6944H906H3801H906H4370H1320H2296H906H73H906H4701H6801H1992H6944H899H7364H1320H4325H38475Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.H3947H5712H1121H3478H8147H8163H5795H2403H259H352H59306"Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD

.H175H7126H6499H2403H1157H3722H10047Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle

.H3947H8147H8163H5975H6440H3068H6607H168H41508He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the LORD and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel.H175H5414H1486H8147H8163H259H1486H3068H259H1486H57999Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the LORD.H175H7126H8163H3068H1486H5927H6213H240310The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the LORD. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the LORD

.H8163H1486H5927H5799H5975H2416H6440H3068H3722H7971H5799H405711"Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD. After he has slaughtered the bull as a sin offering,H175H7126H6499H2403H3722H1004H7819H6499H240312he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the LORD. Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain.H3947H4289H4393H784H1513H784H4196H6440H3068H2651H4393H5561H7004H1851H935H1004H653213There in the LORD's presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark's cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant

. If he follows these instructions, he will not die.H5414H7004H784H6440H3068H6051H7004H3680H3727H5715H419114Then he must take some of the blood of the bull, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle it on the east side of the atonement cover. He must sprinkle blood seven times with his finger in front of the atonement cover.H3947H1818H6499H5137H676H3727H6924H6440H3727H5137H1818H676H7651H647115"Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat's blood over the atonement cover and in front of it, just as he did with the bull's blood.H7819H8163H2403H5971H935H1818H1004H6532H6213H1818H6213H1818H6499H5137H3727H6440H372716Through this process, he will purify

the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites.H3722H6944H2932H1121H3478H6588H2403H6213H168H4150H7931H8432H293217No one else is allowed inside the Tabernacle when Aaron enters it for the purification ceremony in the Most Holy Place. No one may enter until he comes out again after purifying himself, his family, and all the congregation of Israel, making them right with the LORD.H120H168H4150H935H3722H6944H3318H3722H1004H6951H347818"Then Aaron will come out to purify the altar that stands before the LORD. He will do this by taking some of the blood from the bull and the goat and putting it on each of the horns of the altar.H3318H4196H6440H3068H3722H3947H1818H6499H1818H8163H5414H7161H4196H543919Then he must sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times over the altar. In this way, he will cleanse it from Israel's defilement and make it holy.H5137H1818H676H7651H6471H2891H6942H2932H1121H347820"When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat.H3615H3722H6944H168H4150H4196H7126H2416H816321He will lay both of his hands on the goat's head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people's sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness.H175H5564H8147H3027H7218H2416H8163H3034H5771H1121H3478H6588H2403H5414H7218H8163H7971H3027H6261H376H405722As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people's sins upon itself into a desolate land.H8163H5375H5771H776H1509H7971H8163H405723"When Aaron goes back into the Tabernacle, he must take off the linen garments he was wearing when he entered the Most Holy Place, and he must leave the garments there.H175H935H168H4150H6584H906H899H3847H935H6944H324024Then he must bathe himself with water in a sacred place, put on his regular garments, and go out to sacrifice a burnt offering for himself and a burnt offering for the people. Through this process, he will purify himself and the people, making them right with the LORD.H7364H1320H4325H6918H4725H3847H899H3318H6213H5930H5930H5971H3722H597125He must then burn all the fat of the sin offering on the altar.H2459H2403H6999H419626"The man chosen to drive the scapegoat into the wilderness of Azazel must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Then he may return to the camp.H7971H8163H5799H3526H899H7364H1320H4325H310H935H426427"The bull and the goat presented as sin offerings, whose blood Aaron takes into the Most Holy Place for the purification ceremony, will be carried outside the camp. The animals' hides, internal organs, and dung are all to be burned.H6499H2403H8163H2403H1818H935H3722H6944H3318H2351H4264H8313H784H5785H1320H656928The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water before returning to the camp.H8313H3526H899H7364H1320H4325H310H935H426429"On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn

, you must deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you.H2708H5769H7637H2320H6218H2320H6031H5315H6213H4399H249H1616H1481H843230On that day offerings of purification will be made for you

, and you will be purified in the LORD's presence from all your sins.H3117H3722H2891H2891H2403H6440H306831It will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a permanent law for you.H7676H7677H6031H5315H2708H576932In future generations, the purification

ceremony will be performed by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his ancestor Aaron. He will put on the holy linen garmentsH3548H4886H4390H3027H3547H1H3722H3847H906H899H6944H89933and purify the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the entire congregation.H3722H6944H4720H3722H168H4150H4196H3722H3548H5971H695134This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the LORD once each year." Moses followed all these instructions exactly as the LORD had commanded him.H5769H2708H3722H1121H3478H2403H259H8141H6213H3068H6680H4872