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Leviticus 16

1Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, when they drew near before Yahweh and died. 2Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter the holy place inside the veil at just any time, before the atonement cover that is on the ark, so that he does not die; for I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. 3Aaron is to enter the holy place in this way: with a young bull as a purification offering and a ram as a burnt offering. 4He must put on a holy linen tunic, with linen undergarments against his body. He must tie on a linen sash and wrap a linen turban around his head. These are holy garments. He must bathe his body in water and put them on. 5From the congregation of the sons of Israel he must take two male goats as a purification offering and one ram as a burnt offering.

6“Aaron must present the bull of the purification offering that belongs to him and make atonement for himself and his household. 7He must take the two goats and stand them before Yahweh at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8Aaron must cast lots for the two goats, one lot for Yahweh and one lot for Azazel. 9Aaron must present the goat on which the lot for Yahweh falls and make it a purification offering. 10But the goat on which the lot for Azazel falls must be presented alive before Yahweh, to make atonement over it, so that it may be sent away to Azazel in the wilderness.

11“Aaron must present the bull of the purification offering that belongs to him and make atonement for himself and his household. He must slaughter the bull of the purification offering that belongs to him. 12He must take a firepan full of burning coals from the altar before Yahweh and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the veil. 13He must put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, so that the cloud of incense covers the atonement cover that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14He must take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east face of the atonement cover. In front of the atonement cover he must sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. 15He must slaughter the goat of the purification offering that belongs to the people and bring its blood inside the veil. He must do with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood, sprinkling it on the atonement cover and in front of the atonement cover. 16He must make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleannesses of the sons of Israel and their rebellions, all their sins. He must do the same for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17No one may be in the tent of meeting when he enters to make atonement in the holy place, until he comes out. He must make atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.

18“Then he must go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it. He must take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the horns around the altar. 19He must sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times with his finger, cleansing it and making it holy from the uncleannesses of the sons of Israel. 20When he has finished making atonement for the holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he must present the live goat. 21Aaron must lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their rebellions, all their sins. He must put them on the goat’s head and send it into the wilderness in the care of a man appointed for the task. 22The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities to an isolated land, and the man must release the goat in the wilderness.

23“Aaron must enter the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments he put on when he entered the holy place, and leave them there. 24He must bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments. Then he must go out and prepare his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering, and make atonement for himself and the people. 25He must burn the fat of the purification offering as an offering on the altar. 26The one who sends the goat away to Azazel must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. Afterward he may enter the camp. 27The bull of the purification offering and the goat of the purification offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, must be taken outside the camp. Their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned in the fire. 28The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. Afterward he may enter the camp.

29“This is to be a lasting statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must afflict yourselves and do no work, whether the native-born or the resident foreigner living among you. 30For on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. 31It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must afflict yourselves—a lasting statute. 32The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place must make atonement. He must put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33and make atonement for the holy sanctuary. He must make atonement for the tent of meeting and the altar, and make atonement for the priests and all the people of the assembly. 34This is to be a lasting statute for you, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once a year.” He did as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Translation notes 7

16:2–4 — Holy place; atonement cover. Inside the veil is the innermost sanctuary containing the ark. “Atonement cover” continues the name used in Exodus for the object often called the “mercy seat.” Its precise name and relation to the verb for atonement are disputed. The priest changes into the specified linen garments; the draft does not add the other priestly garments here.

16:8–10 — Azazel. The draft retains the Hebrew designation as a name. It has been understood as a wilderness being, the place to which the goat is sent, or the removal represented by the departing goat—the familiar “scapegoat.” The parallel lots “for Yahweh” and “for Azazel” favor a named recipient, but do not settle its identity or the word’s history. The goat remains alive and carries the confessed wrongs away; the text does not call for its slaughter as an offering to Azazel.

16:12–15 — Incense and blood. The incense fills both cupped hands, while the firepan holds the coals. The cloud covers the atonement cover to protect the priest from death. The bull’s blood is applied to its east face and seven times in front of it; the people’s goat blood is treated in the same way. The wording does not prescribe seven applications to both locations.

16:16–20, 33 — Atonement for the sanctuary. The holy place, tent, and altar are themselves objects of the atonement rites, which cleanse them from the people’s impurity and offenses. Other clauses name the people for whom atonement is made. “Rebellions” includes deliberate wrongdoing; the chapter is not limited to the unintentional offenses described earlier.

16:21–22 — Both hands; carrying away. The Hebrew explicitly says “two.” The written form lacks the plural yod, while the Masoretic reading instruction explicitly gives “his hands.” The written spelling can itself represent a defective plural; the draft follows the explicit reading. Here confession and placing the wrongs on the goat’s head are explicit. “Appointed for the task” is an interpretation of a rare word that can also mean “ready.” The destination is an isolated region; “barren land” is another understanding.

16:29–31 — Afflict yourselves. The Hebrew expression, also rendered “humble yourselves,” concerns self-denial, especially fasting, but does not list every required abstention here. “Yourselves” represents a word also used for a person or life, rather than asserting a division between soul and body. In verse 30, “from all your sins” can go with the preceding cleansing clause or with “you will be clean”; both construals retain cleansing before Yahweh.

16:32–34 — Successor; he did. “Ordained” represents the installation expression “fill the hand.” The person performing the anointing and ordination is not named. The final Hebrew clause says “he did,” without naming its subject. The draft keeps that wording; taking it as “it was done” is an alternative that avoids making the clause an assertion of immediate performance.