Leviticus 16:20-34

Good News Translation

The Scapegoat

²⁰When Aaron has finished performing the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place, the rest of the Tent of the Lord's presence, and the altar, he shall present to the Lord the live goat chosen for Azazel.^[a] ²¹^(A)He shall put both of his hands on the goat's head and confess over it all the evils, sins, and rebellions of the people of Israel, and so transfer them to the goat's head. Then the goat is to be driven off into the desert by someone appointed to do it. ²²The goat will carry all their sins away with him into some uninhabited land.

²³^(B)Then Aaron shall go into the Tent, take off the priestly garments that he had put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there. ²⁴He must take a bath in a holy place and put on his own clothes. After that, he shall go out and offer the burnt offering to remove his own sins and those of the people. ²⁵He shall burn on the altar the fat of the animal for the sin offering. ²⁶The man who drove the goat into the desert to Azazel must wash his clothes and take a bath before he comes back into camp. ²⁷^(C)The bull and the goat used for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to take away sin, shall be carried outside the camp and burned. Skin, meat, and intestines shall all be burned. ²⁸The one who burns them must wash his clothes and take a bath before he returns to camp.

Observing the Day of Atonement

²⁹^(D)The following regulations are to be observed for all time to come. On the tenth day of the seventh month the Israelites and the foreigners living among them must fast and must not do any work. ³⁰On that day the ritual is to be performed to purify them from all their sins, so that they will be ritually clean. ³¹That day is to be a very holy day, one on which they fast and do no work at all. These regulations are to be observed for all time to come. ³²The High Priest, properly ordained and consecrated to succeed his father, is to perform the ritual of purification. He shall put on the priestly garments ³³and perform the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place, the rest of the Tent of the Lord's presence, the altar, the priests, and all the people of the community. ³⁴These regulations are to be observed for all time to come. This ritual must be performed once a year to purify the people of Israel from all their sins.