Leviticus 16

The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they drew near before the LORD and died. The LORD said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter the holy place inside the veil at any time he chooses, before the mercy seat on the ark, so that he does not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He must put on the holy linen tunic, with linen undergarments on his body. He must tie a linen sash around his waist and wrap a linen turban around his head. These are holy garments; he must bathe his body in water before putting them on. From the congregation of the Israelites he must take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron shall present the bull for his own sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and one lot for Azazel. Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot for the LORD falls and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot for Azazel falls shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement over it and send it away to Azazel into the wilderness. Aaron shall present the bull for his own sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. He shall slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. He shall take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two full handfuls of finely ground aromatic incense, and bring them inside the veil. He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, so that the cloud of incense covers the mercy seat over the testimony and he does not die. He shall take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat. In front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. He shall slaughter the goat for the people's sin offering and bring its blood inside the veil. He shall do with its blood as he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. He shall make atonement for the holy place because of the Israelites' uncleanness, their transgressions, and all their sins. He shall do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells among them in the midst of their uncleanness. No one else may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out. He shall make atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel. He shall go out to the altar before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on the horns of the altar all around. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times. He shall cleanse it from the Israelites' uncleanness and consecrate it. When he has finished making atonement for the holy place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the Israelites' iniquities and all their transgressions, all their sins. He shall put them on the goat's head and send it away into the wilderness by a man who is ready for the task. The goat shall carry all their iniquities on itself to an isolated region, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. Aaron shall enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on when he entered the holy place, and leave them there. He shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments. He shall come out and offer his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering, and make atonement for himself and the people. He shall turn the fat of the sin offering into smoke on the altar. The man who releases the goat for Azazel must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; afterward he may enter the camp. The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp. They shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their dung in the fire. The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; afterward he may enter the camp. This shall be a lasting statute for you: on the tenth day of the seventh month, you must humble yourselves and do no work, whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you. For on this day he shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you. You shall be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you must humble yourselves; it is a lasting statute. The priest whom he anoints and ordains to serve as priest in his father's place shall make atonement. He shall put on the linen garments, the holy garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary; he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This shall be a lasting statute for you, to make atonement for the Israelites because of all their sins once a year.” And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Rights and attribution