CHAPTER 16
Now the LORD
spoke
to
Moses
after
the death
of two
of Aaron’s
sons
when they approached
the presence
of the LORD.
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.
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.
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 sacred
garments,
and he must bathe
himself
with water
before he wears them.
And
he shall take
from the congregation
of the Israelites
two
male goats
for a sin offering
and one
ram
for a burnt offering.
Aaron
is to present
the bull
for his sin offering
and make atonement
for
himself
and his household.
Then he shall take
the two
goats
and present
them before
the LORD
at the entrance
to the Tent
of Meeting.
But the goat
chosen
by lot
to be the scapegoat
shall be presented
alive
before
the LORD
to make purification
by sending
it into the wilderness
as the scapegoat.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
because it is surrounded by
their impurities.
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.
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.
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.
When Aaron has finished
purifying
the Most Holy Place,
the Tent
of Meeting,
and the altar,
he is to bring forward
the live
goat.
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.
The goat
will carry
on
itself
all
their iniquities
into
a solitary
place,
and the man will release
it
into the wilderness.
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.
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.
The man who released
the goat
as the scapegoat
must wash
his clothes
and bathe
himself
with water;
afterward
he may reenter
the camp.
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.
The one who burns
them must wash
his clothes
and bathe
himself
with water,
and afterward
he may reenter
the camp.
This is to be
a permanent
statute for you:
On the tenth
day
of the seventh
month,
you shall humble
your souls
and not do
any
work—
whether the native
or the foreigner
who resides
among you—
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.
It
is a Sabbath
of solemn rest
for you,
that you may humble
your souls;
it is a permanent
statute.
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
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.
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.