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Leviticus 16
Legacy Standard Bible

The Day of Atonement

16 Now Yahweh spoke to Moses after (A)the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near the presence of Yahweh and died. 2 And Yahweh said to Moses:

“Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter (B)at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the [a]mercy seat which is on the ark, so that he will not die; for (C)I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull from the herd for a (D)sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the (E)holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his [b]body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall (F)bathe his [c]body in water and put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel (G)two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 Then (H)Aaron shall bring near the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. 7 And he shall take the two goats and present them before Yahweh at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for Yahweh and the other lot for the [d]scapegoat. 9 Then Aaron shall bring near the goat on which the lot for Yahweh fell, and he shall offer it as a sin offering. 10 But the goat on which the lot for the [e]scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before Yahweh, to make (I)atonement upon it, to send it out into the wilderness as the [f]scapegoat.

11 “Then Aaron shall bring near the bull of the sin offering, (J)which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and (K)for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12 And he shall take a (L)firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before Yahweh and [g]two handfuls of finely ground (M)fragrant incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13 And he shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of incense may cover the (N)mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, (O)so that he will not die. 14 Moreover, (P)he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it (Q)with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 “Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering (R)which 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 he shall sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 (S)So he shall make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness 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 uncleanness. 17 Now when 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. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat, and (T)put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. 19 (U)With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it and set it apart as holy from the uncleanness of the sons of Israel.

20 “And when he finishes making atonement for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring near the live goat. 21 Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and (V)confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions [h]in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it out into the wilderness by the hand of a man ready to do this. 22 And the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an isolated land; and he shall send out the goat in the wilderness.

23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off (W)the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place and shall leave them there. 24 (X)And he shall bathe his [i]body with water in a holy place and put on (Y)his 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. 25 Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26 And the one who sent the goat out as the [j]scapegoat (Z)shall wash his clothes and bathe his [k]body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp. 27 But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, (AA)whose 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. 28 Then the (AB)one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.

29 “And this shall be a perpetual statute for you: (AC)in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not (AD)do any work, whether the native or the sojourner who sojourns among you; 30 for it is on this day that [l]atonement shall be made for you to (AE)cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. 31 It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may (AF)humble your souls; it is a perpetual statute. 32 So the priest who is anointed and [m]ordained to minister as a priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on (AG)the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and 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 (AH)the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 Now you shall have this as a (AI)perpetual statute, to (AJ)make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, so he did.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 16:2 Or propitiatory seat, place of atonement; so in ch
  2. Leviticus 16:4 Lit flesh
  3. Leviticus 16:4 Lit flesh
  4. Leviticus 16:8 Lit goat of removal; or possibly a name: Azazel
  5. Leviticus 16:10 Lit goat of removal; or possibly a name: Azazel
  6. Leviticus 16:10 Lit goat of removal; or possibly a name: Azazel
  7. Leviticus 16:12 Lit the filling of the hollow of his hands
  8. Leviticus 16:21 Lit in addition to
  9. Leviticus 16:24 Lit flesh
  10. Leviticus 16:26 Lit goat of removal; or possibly a name: Azazel
  11. Leviticus 16:26 Lit flesh
  12. Leviticus 16:30 Lit he shall make atonement
  13. Leviticus 16:32 Lit whose hand is filled
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Leviticus 16
Evangelical Heritage Version

The Day of Atonement

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who had died when they approached the presence of the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he must not enter into the Holy Place at any time he chooses by going inside the veil which is in front of the atonement seat[a] that is on the ark. This is so that he will not die, for I appear in the cloud over the atonement seat.”

3 This is how Aaron shall enter the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering. 4 He is to wear a sacred linen tunic, with linen underwear covering his flesh, with the linen sash as his belt, and with his head wrapped with the linen turban.[b] These are the sacred garments. He must wash his body with water and then put the garments on. 5 From the congregation of the people of Israel he shall also receive two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a whole burnt offering.

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

7 He shall take the two male goats and stand them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 Aaron is to cast lots for the two goats, one lot marked “for the Lord” and the other lot marked “for the scapegoat.”[c] 9 Aaron shall bring forward the goat that received the lot “for the Lord,” to prepare it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat that received the lot marked “for the scapegoat” is to be kept alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it[d] in order to send it off into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

11 After Aaron has presented the bull for his sin offering to make atonement for himself and for his household, he shall slaughter the bull for his sin offering. 12 Then he is to take a full pan of glowing coals from the top of the altar, which is before the Lord, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and bring them inside the veil. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud from the incense covers the atonement seat that is over the Testimony,[e] so he will not die. 14 He is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger upon the surface of the atonement seat on its east side.[f] He is also to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger in front of the atonement seat.

15 He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering of the people. He is to bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he had done with the blood of the bull. He is to sprinkle it on the atonement seat and in front of the atonement seat. 16 He shall make atonement for the sanctuary to cleanse it from the uncleanness of the Israelites and from their rebellions and all their sins. This is what he shall do for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells in the midst of Israel’s uncleanness. 17 When he enters to make atonement in the sanctuary, no other person may be in the Tent of Meeting until he has come out. In this way he shall make atonement for himself and his household, as well as for the entire assembly of Israel.

18 He shall then come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and smear it all around the horns of the altar. 19 With his finger he is to sprinkle some of the blood upon it seven times. In this way he is to purify it and set it apart from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

20 When he has finished making atonement to cleanse the sanctuary, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 Then Aaron shall lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the guilt of the people of Israel and all their rebellions and all their sins. He is to put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness in the custody of an appointed man. 22 So the goat will carry all their guilt on itself to a remote, desolate place, and the man will send the goat away into the wilderness.

23 Then Aaron shall enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the special linen garments that he had put on to enter into the sanctuary, and leave them there. 24 He shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall go out and offer the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He shall turn the fat from the sin offering into smoke on the altar.

26 The man who releases the goat designated as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that he may re-enter the camp. 27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood has been brought in to make atonement in the sanctuary, shall be brought outside the camp. Their hide and flesh and manure are to be burned in fire. 28 The man who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that he may re-enter the camp.

29 This shall be a permanent regulation for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble yourselves, and you shall not do any kind of work, neither the native-born nor the alien who resides among you. 30 For on this day atonement will be made on your behalf to cleanse you. You will become clean from all your sins in the presence of the Lord. 31 It shall be a sabbath of complete rest, and you shall humble yourselves. It is a permanent regulation. 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the linen garments—the sacred garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place, and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar. He shall make atonement on behalf of the priests and all the people of the assembly. 34 This shall be a permanent regulation for you to make atonement for the people of Israel from all their sins once a year.

So Aaron did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 16:2 The Hebrew kapporet refers to an object that pertains to atonement. The traditional translation mercy seat is based on the translation of Luther, Gnadenstuhl, throne of grace. Luther recognized that the chief function of the kapporet was not to cover the ark, but to serve as the footstool of the Lord.
  2. Leviticus 16:4 The Hebrew word mitznephet has been translated as mitre (KJV) or headdress. It was most likely a turban, as the word for putting it on comes from a Hebrew root meaning “to wrap.” The turban worn by the high priest was larger than the head coverings of the priests and was wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban, resembling the blossom of a flower or a chef’s hat. The head covering of the priests was different, being wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban, called a migbahat.
  3. Leviticus 16:8 The Hebrew means for azazel. The meaning of azazel is disputed. The phrase probably means for the goat to be sent away.
  4. Leviticus 16:10 Verse 21 explains how atonement is made upon the goat.
  5. Leviticus 16:13 The Testimony is another name for the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Ten Commandments.
  6. Leviticus 16:14 Or its front side
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Leviticus 16
New International Version

The Day of Atonement(A)

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord.(B) 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses(C) into the Most Holy Place(D) behind the curtain(E) in front of the atonement cover(F) on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear(G) in the cloud(H) over the atonement cover.

3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place:(I) He must first bring a young bull(J) for a sin offering[a] and a ram for a burnt offering.(K) 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic,(L) with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban.(M) These are sacred garments;(N) so he must bathe himself with water(O) before he puts them on.(P) 5 From the Israelite community(Q) he is to take two male goats(R) for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.(S) 7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He is to cast lots(T) for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.[b](U) 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement(V) by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.

11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household,(W) and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals(X) from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense(Y) and take them behind the curtain. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover(Z) above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die.(AA) 14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood(AB) and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.(AC)

15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people(AD) and take its blood behind the curtain(AE) and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle(AF) it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16 In this way he will make atonement(AG) for the Most Holy Place(AH) because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting,(AI) which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

18 “Then he shall come out to the altar(AJ) that is 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 all the horns of the altar.(AK) 19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.(AL)

20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.(AM) 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat(AN) and confess(AO) over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins(AP) to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.

23 “Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments(AQ) he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.(AR) 24 He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area(AS) and put on his regular garments.(AT) Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people,(AU) to make atonement for himself and for the people.(AV) 25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

26 “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat(AW) must wash his clothes(AX) and bathe himself with water;(AY) afterward he may come into the camp. 27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp;(AZ) their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. 28 The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.(BA)

29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance(BB) for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month(BC) you must deny yourselves[c](BD) and not do any work(BE)—whether native-born(BF) or a foreigner residing among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made(BG) for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.(BH) 31 It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves;(BI) it is a lasting ordinance.(BJ) 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained(BK) to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments(BL) 33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.(BM)

34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance(BN) for you: Atonement is to be made once a year(BO) for all the sins of the Israelites.”

And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 16:3 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  2. Leviticus 16:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verses 10 and 26.
  3. Leviticus 16:29 Or must fast; also in verse 31
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