The Day of Atonement

16 Two of Aaron’s sons died while offering incense* to the Lord.* 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 Holy Box* is in the room behind that curtain. The special cover* is on top of that Holy Box. And I appear in a cloud over that special cover. If Aaron goes into that room, he might die! ³“Before Aaron enters the {Most} Holy Place {on the Day of Atonement}, he must offer a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ⁴Aaron must wash his {whole} body with water. Then he must put these clothes on: Aaron must put on the holy* linen shirt. The linen underclothes will be next to his body. He must tie the linen sash (belt) around him. And he must put on the linen turban.* These are holy clothes. ⁵“Aaron must take from the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. ⁶Then Aaron must offer the bull for the sin offering. This sin offering is for himself. Aaron must do this to make him and his family pure.* ⁷“Then Aaron must 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.* ⁹“Then Aaron will offer the goat chosen by the lot* for the Lord. Aaron must make this goat a sin offering. ¹⁰But the goat chosen by the lot for Azazel* must be brought alive before the Lord. And 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. Aaron will make himself and his family pure.* Aaron will kill the bull for the sin offering for himself. ¹²Then he must 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. Aaron must bring that incense into the room behind the curtain. ¹³Aaron must put the incense on the fire before the Lord. Then the cloud of incense will cover the special cover* that is over the Agreement.* This way Aaron will not die. ¹⁴Also, Aaron must take some of the blood from the bull and sprinkle it with his finger toward the east, onto the special cover. He will sprinkle the blood seven times with his finger in front of the special cover. ¹⁵“Then Aaron must kill the goat of the sin offering for the people. Aaron must bring this goat’s blood into the room behind the curtain. Aaron must do with the goat’s blood as he did with the bull’s blood. Aaron must sprinkle the goat’s blood on the special cover* and in front of the cover. ¹⁶In this way, Aaron will do the things to make the Most Holy Place* pure.* Aaron must do these things because the people of Israel are unclean.* They do wrong and have many sins. Aaron must also do these things for the Meeting Tent* because it stays in the middle of unclean people! ¹⁷At the time that Aaron goes into the Most Holy Place to make {it and the people} pure,* no person must be in the Meeting Tent. No person must go in there until Aaron comes out. So, Aaron will make himself and his family pure. And he will make all the people of Israel pure. ¹⁸Then Aaron will go out to the altar* that is before the Lord. Aaron will make the altar pure. Aaron will take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the corners of the altar on all sides. ¹⁹Then Aaron will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger on the altar seven times. In this way, Aaron will make the altar holy* and clean* from all the sins of the people of Israel. ²⁰“So Aaron will make the Most Holy Place,* the Meeting Tent,* and the altar* pure.* After that, Aaron will bring the live goat {to the Lord}. ²¹Aaron will put both his hands on the head of the living goat. Then Aaron will confess (admit) the sins and crimes of the people of Israel 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 to 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 to 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 must leave these clothes there. ²⁴He will wash his {whole} body with water in a holy place. Then he will put on his {other special} 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 person that led the goat to Azazel* must wash his clothes and his whole body with water. After that, he can come into the camp. ²⁷“The bull and the goat for the sin offerings must be taken outside the camp. (The blood from those animals was brought into the Holy Place to make {the holy things} pure.) {The priests} must burn the skins, bodies, and body waste of those animals in the fire. ²⁸Then the person who burns them must wash his clothes and wash his {whole} body with water. After that, he can 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.* You must not do any work. None of the travelers or foreigners living in your land can do any work either. ³⁰Why? Because on this day, the priest will make you pure* and wash away your sins. Then you will be clean* to the Lord. ³¹This day is a very important day of rest for you. You must not eat food.* This law will continue forever. ³²“So the man chosen to be the high priest will do the ceremony to make things pure.* This is the man appointed to serve as high priest after his father. That priest must put on the holy linen clothes. ³³He must make the Most Holy Place,* the Meeting Tent,* and the altar* pure. And he must make the priests and all the people {of Israel} pure. ³⁴That law for making the people of Israel pure will continue forever. You will do those things one time every year. Why? Because of the sins of the people of Israel.” So they did the things that the Lord had commanded Moses.

incense Special dried tree sap. Burned to make a sweetsmelling smoke, it was offered as a gift to God. Two of Aaron’s sons … Lord See Lev. 10:1–2. Most Holy Place The room in the Holy Tent where the Holy Box was. Holy Box The Box of the Agreement—the box containing the flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them and other things that proved God was with the people of Israel during their time in the Sinai desert. cover Also called “mercy seat.” The Hebrew word can mean “lid,” “cover,” or “the place where sins are forgiven.” holy Set aside or chosen for a special purpose. turban Head covering made by wrapping a piece of cloth around the head or around a cap worn on the head. make … pure Literally, “make atonement.” The Hebrew word means “to cover,” “to hide,” or “to erase sins.” lot(s) Sticks, stones, or pieces of bone used like dice for making decisions. See Proverbs 16:33. Azazel Or, “scapegoat.” The meaning of this word or name is not known. The main idea seems to be that the goat “carried away” the sins of the people. firepan A small shovel for taking the ashes from the altar. altar A table or raised area used for offering sacrifices. Agreement Literally, “Proof.” The flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them. These were proof of the Agreement between God and the people of Israel. unclean Not pure or not acceptable to God for worship. Meeting Tent The Holy Tent (tabernacle) where the people of Israel went to meet with God. clean Pure or acceptable to God for worship. not eat food Literally, “humble yourselves.”

Rules about Killing and Eating Animals

17 The Lord said to Moses, ²“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the people of Israel. Tell them, this is what the Lord has commanded: ³An Israelite person might kill a bull, or a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside the camp. ⁴That person must bring that animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent.* He must give {a part of} that animal as a gift to the Lord. That person has spilled blood (killed), so he must take his gift to the Lord’s Holy Tent.* If he does not take {part of the animal as a gift to the Lord}, then that person must be separated from his people! ⁵This rule is so people will bring their fellowship offering to the Lord. The people of Israel must bring the animals they kill in the fields. They must bring those animals to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. They must bring those animals to the priest. ⁶Then the priest will throw the blood from those animals onto the Lord’s altar* near the entrance of the Meeting Tent. And the priest will burn the fat from those animals {on the altar}. Its smell will please the Lord. ⁷They must not offer any more sacrifices to their ‘goat idols’! They have chased after those other gods. In that way, they have acted like prostitutes.* These rules will continue forever! ⁸“Tell the people: Some citizen of Israel or some traveler or foreigner living among you might offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice. ⁹That person must take his sacrifice to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and offer it to the Lord. If that person does not do this, then that person must be separated from his people. ¹⁰“I (God) will be against any person who eats blood. It does not matter if that person is a citizen of Israel or if that person is a foreigner living among you! I will separate that person from his people. ¹¹Why? Because the life of the body is in the blood. I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar.* You must do this to make yourselves pure.* You must give that blood {to me} as payment for the life {that you took}. ¹²So I tell the people of Israel: None of you people may eat blood. And no foreigner living among you may eat blood. ¹³“If any person catches a wild animal or a bird that can be eaten, then that person must pour the blood on the ground and cover it with dirt. It does not matter if that person is a citizen of Israel or a foreigner living among you! ¹⁴Why must you do this? Because, if blood is still in the meat, that animal’s life is still in the meat. So I give this command to the people of Israel: Don’t eat meat that still has blood in it! Any person who eats blood must be separated {from his people}. ¹⁵“Also, if any person eats an animal that died by itself, or if any person eats an animal that was killed by some other animal, then that person will be unclean* until evening. That person must wash his clothes and wash his {whole} body with water. It does not matter if that person is a citizen of Israel or if he is a foreigner living among you! 16If that person does not wash {his clothes} or bathe his body, then he will be guilty {of sin}.”

Meeting Tent The Holy Tent (tabernacle) where the people of Israel went to meet with God. Holy Tent Or, “tabernacle.” The place God came to live among his people. altar A table or raised area used for offering sacrifices. prostitute(s) A woman who sells her body for sex. Sometimes this also means a person who is not faithful to God and starts worshiping other gods. make … pure Literally, “make atonement.” The Hebrew word means “to cover,” “to hide,” or “to erase sins.” unclean Not pure or not acceptable to God for worship.