Leviticus 16

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who died when they approached the LORD.

² The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, your brother, not to enter the sanctuary at just any time, inside the veil, before the atonement cover that is over the ark, or he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

³ This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary: with a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering.

⁴ He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, linen undergarments next to his body, a linen sash around his waist, and a linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments. He is to bathe his body in water and then put them on.

⁵ From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

⁶ Aaron is to present the bull for his own sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household.

⁷ Then he is to take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

⁸ Aaron is to cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other for Azazel.

⁹ Aaron is to present the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell and offer it as a sin offering.

¹⁰ But the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell is to be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement with it and send it away to Azazel in the wilderness.

¹¹ Aaron is to present the bull for his own sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household; then he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.”

¹² “He is to take a firepan full of live coals from the altar before the LORD, along with two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and carry them inside the veil.

¹³ He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement cover over the Testimony, so that he will not die.

¹⁴ He is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the front of the atonement cover. Then, with his finger, he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the atonement cover.

¹⁵ Then he is to slaughter the people’s sin offering goat and carry its blood inside the veil. He is to do with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood, sprinkling it on and before the atonement cover.

¹⁶ In this way he is to make atonement for the sanctuary because of the Israelites’ impurities and transgressions, all their sins. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which remains among them in the midst of their impurities.

¹⁷ No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the sanctuary until he comes out. He is to make atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.

¹⁸ Then he is to go out to the altar before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and the goat’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar all around.

¹⁹ With his finger he is to sprinkle some of the blood on the altar seven times. In this way he will cleanse it and consecrate it from the Israelites’ impurities.

²⁰ When he has finished making atonement for the sanctuary, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he is to present the live goat.

²¹ Aaron is to place both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the Israelites’ iniquities and transgressions, all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it into the wilderness with a man appointed for the task.

²² The goat will carry all their iniquities on itself to an isolated land, and the man is to release the goat in the wilderness.

²³ Then Aaron is to enter the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments he wore when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there.”

²⁴ “He is to bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments. Then he is to come out and offer his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering, making atonement for himself and for the people.

²⁵ He is to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶ The one who releases the goat for Azazel is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may enter the camp.

²⁷ The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the sanctuary, are to be taken outside the camp. Their hides, flesh, and dung are to be burned in the fire.

²⁸ The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may enter the camp.

²⁹ This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: on the tenth day of the seventh month, you are to humble yourselves and do no work, whether you are native-born or a foreigner residing among you.

³⁰ For on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. You will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

³¹ It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you are to humble yourselves. This is a lasting ordinance.

³² The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the sacred garments.

³³ He is to make atonement for the holy sanctuary, the tent of meeting, and the altar; and he is to make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.

³⁴ This is to be a lasting ordinance for you, to make atonement for the Israelites for all their sins once a year.” And Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.

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