Leviticus 16
16
The Day of Atonement
1Two of Aaron’s sons died while offering incense to the Lord.#16:1 Two of Aaron’s sons … Lord See Lev. 10:1-2. After that time, the Lord spoke to Moses. 2The Lord said, “Talk to your brother Aaron. Tell him that he cannot go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place anytime he wants to. The mercy-cover is in the room behind that curtain on top of the Holy Box, and I appear in a cloud over that mercy-cover. If Aaron goes into that room, he will die!
3“Before Aaron enters the Most Holy Place, he will offer a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4Aaron will wash his whole body with water and put on the special clothes. He will put on the linen underwear next to his body, the linen robe, the linen belt, and then he will put the linen turban on his head.
5“From the whole community of Israel, Aaron will accept two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6Then he will offer the bull for the sin offering. This sin offering is for himself. He will do this to purify#16:6 purify Or “make atonement.” The Hebrew word means “to cover,” or “to erase” a person’s sins. Also in verses 11, 16, 17, 34. himself and his family.
7“Then Aaron will take the two goats and bring them before the Lord at the doorway of the Meeting Tent. 8Aaron will throw lots for the two goats. One lot will be for the Lord. The other lot will be for Azazel.#16:8 Azazel This name means “scapegoat,” “the goat for God,” or “the goat demon.” This might be the name of a particular place in the desert where the goat was released. Also in verse 10, 26.
9“Then Aaron will offer the goat chosen by the lot for the Lord. Aaron will make this goat a sin offering. 10But the goat chosen by the lot for Azazel will be brought alive before the Lord. Then this goat will be sent out to Azazel in the desert. This is to make the people pure.
11“Then Aaron will offer the bull as a sin offering for himself. He will purify himself and his family. He will kill the bull for the sin offering for himself. 12Then he will take a firepan full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord. Aaron will take two handfuls of sweet incense that has been ground into powder and take it into the room behind the curtain. 13He will put the incense on the fire before the Lord. Then the cloud of incense will hide the mercy-cover that is over the Box that holds the Agreement.#16:13 Box that holds the Agreement Literally, “Testimony.” See “Agreement” in the Word List. This way Aaron will not die. 14Aaron will dip his finger into the bull’s blood and sprinkle it on the front of the Holy Box. Then he will sprinkle the blood seven times onto the front of the mercy-cover.
15“Then Aaron will kill the goat of the sin offering for the people. He will bring this goat’s blood into the room behind the curtain. He will do with the goat’s blood as he did with the bull’s blood. He will sprinkle the goat’s blood on the mercy-cover and in front of it. 16In this way Aaron will purify the Most Holy Place from all the uncleanness and sins of the Israelites. He will also purify the Meeting Tent, because it stands in the middle of people whose sins have made them unclean.
17“No one must be in the Meeting Tent when Aaron goes in to purify the Most Holy Place. No one is to go in there until Aaron comes out after purifying himself, his family, and all the Israelites. 18Then Aaron will go out to the altar that is before the Lord. Aaron will make the altar pure. He will take some of the blood from the bull and from the goat and put it on the corners of the altar on all four sides. 19Then he will dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it on the altar seven times. In this way Aaron will make the altar holy and clean from all the sins of the Israelites.
20“So Aaron will make the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar pure. Then he will bring the living goat to the front of the tent. 21He will put both his hands on the head of the living goat. Then he will confess the sins and crimes of the Israelites over the goat. In this way Aaron will lay the people’s sins on the goat’s head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert. A man will be standing by, ready to lead this goat away. 22So the goat will carry all the people’s sins on itself into the empty desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose in the desert.
23“Then Aaron will enter the Meeting Tent. He will take off the linen clothes that he put on when he went into the Holy Place. He will leave these clothes there. 24He will wash his whole body with water in a holy place. Then he will put on his clothes. He will come out and offer his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. He will make himself and the people pure. 25Then he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26“The man who led the goat to Azazel must wash his clothes and his whole body with water. After that he may come into the camp.
27“The bull and the goat for the sin offerings will be taken outside the camp. (The blood from these animals was brought into the Holy Place to make the holy things pure.) The skins, bodies, and body waste of those animals will be burned in the fire. 28Then the man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his whole body with water. After that he may come into the camp.
29“This law will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must not eat food.#16:29 not eat food Literally, “humble yourselves.” You must not do any work. None of the travelers or foreigners living in your land can do any work either. 30Because on this day, the priest will do this to make you pure and wash away your sins. Then you will be clean to the Lord. 31You must humble yourselves#16:31 humble yourselves This also means that the people were not supposed to eat any food on this day. because this day is a very important day of rest for you. This law will continue forever.
32“In the future, this ceremony will be done by the priest who will be anointed and appointed to serve after his father. That priest will put on the holy linen clothes 33and make the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar pure. He will also make the priests and all the people pure. 34That law will continue forever. Once every year you will purify the Israelites from all their sins.”
So they did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.
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Leviticus 16: ERV
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Leviticus 16
16
The Great Day of Forgiveness
1-2 #
3 Macc 1.11; He 6.19. Two of Aaron's sons had already lost their lives for disobeying the Lord,#16.1,2 lost … disobeying the Lord: See 10.1,2. so the Lord told Moses to say to Aaron:
I, the Lord, appear in a cloud over the place of mercy on the sacred chest, which is behind the inside curtain#16.1,2 inside curtain: That separated the holy place from the most holy place. of the sacred tent. And I warn you not to go there except at the proper time. Otherwise, you will die!
3 #
He 9.7. Before entering this most holy place, you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for your sins#16.3 for your sins: See 4.3-12. and a ram as a sacrifice to please me.#16.3 sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3. 4You will take a bath and put on the sacred linen clothes, including the underwear, the robe, the sash, and the turban. 5Then the community of Israel will bring you a ram and two goats, both of them males. The goats are to be used as sacrifices for sin, and the ram is to be used as a sacrifice to please me.
6Aaron, you must offer the bull as a sacrifice of forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family. 7Then you will lead the two goats into my presence at the front of the sacred tent, 8where I will show you#16.8 I will show you: The Hebrew text has “you must cast lots to find out.” Pieces of wood or stone (called “lots”) were used to find out what God wanted his people to do. which goat will be sacrificed to me and which one will be sent into the desert to the demon Azazel.#16.8 Azazel: It was believed that a demon named Azazel lived in the desert. 9After you offer the first goat as a sacrifice for sin, 10the other one must be presented to me alive, before you send it into the desert to take away the sins of the people.
11You must offer the bull as a sacrifice to ask forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family. 12Then you will take a fire pan of live coals from the bronze altar, together with two handfuls of finely ground incense, into the most holy place. 13There you will present them to me by placing the incense on the coals, so that the place of mercy will be covered with a cloud of smoke. Do this, or you will die right there! 14Next, use a finger to sprinkle some of the blood on the place of mercy, which is on the lid of the sacred chest; then sprinkle blood seven times in front of the chest.
15 #
He 9.12. Aaron, you must next sacrifice the goat for the sins of the people, and you must sprinkle its blood inside the most holy place, just as you did with the blood of the bull. 16By doing this, you will take away the sins that make both the most holy place and the people of Israel unclean. Do the same for the sacred tent, which is here among the people. 17Only you are allowed in the sacred tent from the time you enter until the time you come out. 18After leaving the tent, you will purify the bronze altar by smearing each of its four corners with some of the blood from the bull and from the goat. 19Use a finger to sprinkle the altar seven times with the blood, and it will be completely clean from the sins of the people.
20After you have purified the most holy place, the sacred tent, and the bronze altar, you must bring the live goat to the front of the tent. 21#Tb 8.3. There you will lay your hands on its head, while confessing every sin the people have committed, and you will appoint someone to lead the goat into the desert, so that it can take away their sins. 22Finally, this goat that carries the heavy burden of Israel's sins must be released deep in the desert.
23-24 #
Ez 44.19. Aaron, after this you must go inside the sacred tent, take a bath, put on your regular priestly clothes, and leave there the clothes you put on before entering the most holy place. Then you will come out and offer sacrifices to please me and sacrifices for your sins and for the sins of the people. 25The fat from these sacrifices for sin must be sent up in smoke on the bronze altar.
26The one who led the goat into the desert and sent it off to the demon Azazel must take a bath and wash his clothes before coming back into camp. 27#He 13.11. The remains of the bull and the goat whose blood was taken into the most holy place must be taken outside the camp and burned. 28And whoever does this must take a bath and change clothes before coming back into camp.
The Lord told Moses to say to the people:
29 #
Lv 23.26-32; Nu 29.7-11. On the tenth day of the seventh month#16.29 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October. of each year, you must go without eating to show sorrow for your sins, and no one, including foreigners who live among you, is allowed to work. 30This is the day on which the sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins will be made in my presence, 31and from now on, it must be celebrated each year. Go without eating and make this a day of complete rest just like the Sabbath. 32The high priest must offer the sacrifices for cleansing from sin, while wearing the sacred linen clothes. 33He will offer these sacrifices for the most holy place, the sacred tent, the bronze altar, all the priests, and for the whole community. 34You must celebrate this day each year—it is the Great Day of Forgiveness#16.34 Great Day of Forgiveness: Traditionally known as the Day of Atonement. for all the sins of the people of Israel.
Moses did exactly as the Lord had commanded.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.