Leviticus 16

1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the two sons of Aaron died, when they brought foreign fire before the Lord and died. 2 And the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron your brother. He is not to come at just any time into the holy place, inside the veil, in front of the place of atonement that is on the ark of the witness — so that he does not die; for I appear in a cloud over the place of atonement. [a] 3 This is how Aaron is to come into the holy place: with a young bull from the herd for the sin, and a ram for a whole burnt offering. 4 He is to put on the holy linen tunic, and linen undergarments are to be on his body, and he is to tie a linen sash around him and set a linen turban on his head. These are holy garments, and he is to bathe his whole body in water and then put them on. 5 And from the gathering of the children of Israel he is to take two male goats from the goats for the sin, and one ram for a whole burnt offering.

6 Aaron is to bring forward the young bull for his own sin, and make atonement for himself and for his household. 7 And he is to take the two goats and set them before the Lord by the door of the tent of witness, 8 and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats: one lot for the Lord, and one lot for the one sent away. [b] 9 Aaron is to bring forward the goat the lot for the Lord fell on, and offer it for the sin; 10 and the goat the lot for the one sent away fell on he is to set alive before the Lord, to make atonement over it, so as to send it off in the sending away; he is to let it go into the wilderness.

11 Aaron is to bring forward the young bull for the sin, his own and his household’s alone, and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he is to kill the young bull of his own offering for sin. 12 He is to take the fire pan full of coals of fire from the altar that stands before the Lord, and fill his hands with finely blended incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of the incense will cover the place of atonement that is over the witness pieces, and he will not die. [c] 14 He is to take some of the blood of the young bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the place of atonement, toward the east; in front of the place of atonement he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. 15 Then he is to kill the goat of the offering for sin that is for the people, before the Lord, and bring some of its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the young bull, and sprinkle its blood on the place of atonement, in front of the place of atonement. 16 So he is to make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel and because of their wrongs, for all their sins; and so he is to do for the tent of witness, which is set up among them in the middle of their uncleanness. 17 And no one at all is to be in the tent of witness from the time he goes in to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out. He is to make atonement for himself, and for his household, and for the whole gathering of the children of Israel. 18 Then he is to come out to the altar that stands before the Lord and make atonement on it. He is to take some of the blood of the young bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar all around, 19 and he is to sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times with his finger, and make it clean and make it holy from the uncleannesses of the children of Israel.

20 And when he has finished making atonement for the holy place and the tent of witness and the altar, and has made the priests clean, he is to bring the living goat forward; 21 and Aaron is to lay his hands on the head of the living goat and speak out openly over it all the lawless deeds of the children of Israel and all their wrongs and all their sins, and he is to lay them on the head of the living goat and send it off into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for it. [d] 22 And the goat will carry their wrongs away on itself into a land where no one goes; and Aaron is to send the goat off into the wilderness. †

23 And Aaron is to go into the tent of witness and take off the linen garments he had put on when he went into the holy place, and leave them there. 24 He is to bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his own garments, and go out and make his whole burnt offering and the people’s whole burnt offering, and make atonement for himself and for his household and for the people, as for the priests. 25 And he is to bring the fat of the offering for sin up on the altar. 26 And the man who sends off the goat that was marked out for release is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and after that he may come into the camp. [e] 27 And the young bull of the offering for sin and the goat of the offering for sin, whose blood was carried in to make atonement in the holy place — they are to be carried outside the camp and burned up with fire, their hides and their flesh and their dung. † 28 And the man who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and after that he may come into the camp.

29 And this will be a lasting practice for you. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you are to humble your souls and do no work at all — the native-born and the newcomer living among you. [f] 30 For on this day atonement is made for you, to make you clean from all your sins before the Lord; and you will be clean. 31 This is to be for you a Sabbath of complete rest, and you are to humble your souls. It is a lasting practice. 32 The priest they anoint, and whose hands they fill to serve as priest after his father, is to make the atonement; and he is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and he is to make atonement for the most holy place and for the tent of witness, and he is to make atonement for the altar, and for the priests, and he is to make atonement for the whole gathering. 34 And this will be a lasting practice for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins. It is to be done once a year, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”