Leviticus 16

Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD. Begin Abide·

And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Begin Abide·

This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. Begin Abide·

He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them. Begin Abide·

And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Begin Abide·

Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. Begin Abide·

Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Begin Abide·

After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat, Begin Abide·

he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering. Begin Abide·

But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. Begin Abide·

When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. Begin Abide·

Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil. Begin Abide·

He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die. Begin Abide·

And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat. Begin Abide·

Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. Begin Abide·

So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them in the midst of their impurities. Begin Abide·

No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel. Begin Abide·

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

He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. Begin Abide·

When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat. Begin Abide·

Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. Begin Abide·

The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness. Begin Abide·

Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there. Begin Abide·

He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people. Begin Abide·

He is also to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. Begin Abide·

The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp. Begin Abide·

The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up. Begin Abide·

The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. Begin Abide·

This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you— Begin Abide·

because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. Begin Abide·

It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute. Begin Abide·

The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments Begin Abide·

and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly. Begin Abide·

This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.” And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses. Begin Abide·