Leviticus 16 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

The Day of Atonement

Lev 16:1The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who died after they entered the LORD’s presence and burned the wrong kind of fire before him.

Lev 16:2

Lev 16:2The LORD said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.

Lev 16:3

Lev 16:3“When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

Lev 16:4

Lev 16:4He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on.

Lev 16:5

Lev 16:5Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

Lev 16:6

Lev 16:6“Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD.[fn]

Lev 16:7

Lev 16:7Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[fn]

Lev 16:8

Lev 16:8He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the LORD and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel.

Lev 16:9

Lev 16:9Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the LORD.

Lev 16:10

Lev 16:10The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the LORD. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the LORD.[fn]

Lev 16:11

Lev 16:11“Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD. After he has slaughtered the bull as a sin offering,

Lev 16:12

Lev 16:12he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the LORD. Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain.

Lev 16:13

Lev 16:13There in the LORD’s presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant.[fn] If he follows these instructions, he will not die.

Lev 16:14

Lev 16:14Then he must take some of the blood of the bull, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle it on the east side of the atonement cover. He must sprinkle blood seven times with his finger in front of the atonement cover.

Lev 16:15

Lev 16:15“Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat’s blood over the atonement cover and in front of it, just as he did with the bull’s blood.

Lev 16:16

Lev 16:16Through this process, he will purify[fn] the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites.

Lev 16:17

Lev 16:17No one else is allowed inside the Tabernacle when Aaron enters it for the purification ceremony in the Most Holy Place. No one may enter until he comes out again after purifying himself, his family, and all the congregation of Israel, making them right with the LORD.

Lev 16:18

Lev 16:18“Then Aaron will come out to purify the altar that stands before the LORD. He will do this by taking some of the blood from the bull and the goat and putting it on each of the horns of the altar.

Lev 16:19

Lev 16:19Then he must sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times over the altar. In this way, he will cleanse it from Israel’s defilement and make it holy.

Lev 16:20

Lev 16:20“When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat.

Lev 16:21

Lev 16:21He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness.

Lev 16:22

Lev 16:22As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.

Lev 16:23

Lev 16:23“When Aaron goes back into the Tabernacle, he must take off the linen garments he was wearing when he entered the Most Holy Place, and he must leave the garments there.

Lev 16:24

Lev 16:24Then he must bathe himself with water in a sacred place, put on his regular garments, and go out to sacrifice a burnt offering for himself and a burnt offering for the people. Through this process, he will purify himself and the people, making them right with the LORD.

Lev 16:25

Lev 16:25He must then burn all the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

Lev 16:26

Lev 16:26“The man chosen to drive the scapegoat into the wilderness of Azazel must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Then he may return to the camp.

Lev 16:27

Lev 16:27“The bull and the goat presented as sin offerings, whose blood Aaron takes into the Most Holy Place for the purification ceremony, will be carried outside the camp. The animals’ hides, internal organs, and dung are all to be burned.

Lev 16:28

Lev 16:28The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water before returning to the camp.

Lev 16:29

Lev 16:29“On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn,[fn] you must deny yourselves.[fn] Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you.

Lev 16:30

Lev 16:30On that day offerings of purification will be made for you,[fn] and you will be purified in the LORD’s presence from all your sins.

Lev 16:31

Lev 16:31It will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a permanent law for you.

Lev 16:32

Lev 16:32In future generations, the purification[fn] ceremony will be performed by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his ancestor Aaron. He will put on the holy linen garments

Lev 16:33

Lev 16:33and purify the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the entire congregation.

Lev 16:34

Lev 16:34This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the LORD once each year.”
Moses followed all these instructions exactly as the LORD had commanded him.

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NLT Footnotes

(16:6)

Or to make atonement for himself and his family; similarly in 16:11, 17b, 24, 34.

(16:7)

Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 16:16, 17, 20, 23, 33.

(16:10)

Or wilderness, it will make atonement for the people.

(16:13)

Hebrew that is above the Testimony. The Hebrew word for “testimony” refers to the terms of the LORD’s covenant with Israel as written on stone tablets, which were kept in the Ark, and also to the covenant itself.

(16:16)

Or make atonement for; similarly in 16:17a, 18, 20, 27, 33.

(16:29)

Hebrew On the tenth day of the seventh month. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in September or October.

(16:29)

Or must fast; also in 16:31.

(16:30)

Or atonement will be made for you, to purify you.

(16:32)

Or atonement.

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