Leviticus 16

Law of Atonement

1Now the Lord spoke to Moses after 1the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the Lord and died. 2The Lord said to Moses:

“Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter 2at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the 3mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for 4I will appear in the cloud over the 5mercy seat. 3Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a 6bull for a 7sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4He shall put on the 8holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his 9body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall 10bathe his 11body in water and put them on. 5He shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel 12two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6Then 13Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. 7He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the 14scapegoat. 9Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a sin offering. 10But the goat on which the lot for the 15scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make 16atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the 17scapegoat.

11“Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering 18which is for himself and make atonement for himself and 19for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12He shall take a 20firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the Lord and 21two handfuls of finely ground 22sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13He shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the 2324mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, 25otherwise he will die. 14Moreover, 26he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it 27with his finger on the 28mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the 29mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15“Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering 30which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the 31mercy seat and in front of the 32mercy seat. 1633He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel. 18Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and 34put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. 1935With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it, and from the impurities of the sons of Israel consecrate it.

20“When he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat. 21Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and 36confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions 37in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. 22The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

23“Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off 38the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 2439He shall bathe his 40body with water in a holy place and put on 41his clothes, and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26The one who released the goat as the 42scapegoat 43shall wash his clothes and bathe his 44body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp. 27But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, 45whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire. 28Then the 46one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, then afterward he shall come into the camp.

An Annual Atonement

29“This shall be a permanent statute for you: 47in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not 48do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; 30for it is on this day that 49atonement shall be made for you to 50cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may 51humble your souls; it is a permanent statute. 32So the priest who is anointed and 52ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on 53the linen garments, the holy garments, 33and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for 54the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34Now you shall have this as a 55permanent statute, to 56make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so he did.