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Leviticus 16

World English Bible

WEB

1Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near before Yahweh, and died; 2and Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark; lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat. 3“Aaron shall come into the sanctuary with a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 4He shall put on the holy linen tunic. He shall have the linen trousers on his body, and shall put on the linen sash, and he shall be clothed with the linen turban. They are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and put them on. 5He shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6“Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. 7He shall take the two goats, and set them before Yahweh at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 8Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahweh, and offer him for a sin offering. 10But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before Yahweh, to make atonement for him, to send him away as the scapegoat into the wilderness. 11“Aaron shall present the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil. 13He shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the covenant, so that he will not die. 14He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. 16He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness. 17No one shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, and has made atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. 18“He shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the bull’s blood, and some of the goat’s blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar. 19He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and make it holy from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. 20“When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready. 22The goat shall carry all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. 23“Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. 24Then he shall bathe himself in water in a holy place, put on his garments, and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26“He who lets the goat go as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. 27The bull for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp; and they shall burn their skins, their flesh, and their dung with fire. 28He who burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. 29“It shall be a statute to you forever: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and shall do no kind of work, whether native-born or a stranger who lives as a foreigner among you; 30for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you. You shall be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. 31It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. 32The priest, who is anointed and who is consecrated to be priest in his father’s place, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments. 33Then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34“This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” It was done as Yahweh commanded Moses.

World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org

Overview

Leviticus Chapter 16 is a pivotal chapter that outlines the Day of Atonement, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur, which is a significant observance in the Jewish faith. This chapter begins with God instructing Moses on how Aaron, the high priest, is to enter the Most Holy Place only once a year, on this sacred day, to make atonement for the sins of the people of #Israel. The chapter emphasizes the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin, as Aaron must first offer a bull as a sin offering for himself and his household before he can atone for the people. This act symbolizes the need for purification and the acknowledgment of human sinfulness before approaching a holy God.

The chapter continues with the ritual of the two goats, one to be sacrificed to the Lord and the other, the scapegoat, to be sent into the wilderness. The goat for the Lord is offered as a sin offering, while the scapegoat carries the sins of the people away, illustrating the complete removal of sin from the community. This powerful imagery foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John1:29). The chapter concludes with instructions for the Israelites to observe this day as a permanent statute, emphasizing the importance of repentance and the need for atonement in maintaining a right relationship with God.

Overall, Leviticus 16 serves as a profound reminder of God’s holiness, the seriousness of sin, and the provision He has made for atonement, pointing forward to the redemptive work of Christ in the New Testament.

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Referenced by

  1. Exodus 30:10v30Exodus 30:10 discusses the annual atonement on the altar, which is further elaborated in Leviticus 16:30 as the Day of Atonement, emphasizing the need for purification and reconciliation with God.
  2. Numbers 4:19v2Numbers 4:19 provides instructions to prevent the Kohathites from dying when handling holy objects, similar to the warning in Leviticus 16:2 about entering the Holy of Holies.
  3. Numbers 8:10v21In Numbers 8:10, the laying on of hands is part of the Levites' consecration, similar to the laying on of hands on the scapegoat in Leviticus 16:21, symbolizing the transfer of responsibility or sin.
  4. Numbers 29:7v29Numbers 29:7 refers to the Day of Atonement, which is further explained in Leviticus 16:29-31 as a day of fasting and atonement for sins.
  5. Nehemiah 12:30v30Nehemiah 12:30 mentions the purification of the priests, Levites, and the people, which echoes the purification rituals described in Leviticus 16:30, emphasizing the importance of holiness before God.
  6. Hebrews 2:17v15Hebrews 2:17 highlights Jesus as a merciful and faithful high priest making atonement for the sins of the people, paralleling the role of the high priest in Leviticus 16:15-16 during the Day of Atonement.
  7. Hebrews 5:1v32Hebrews 5:1 discusses the role of the high priest, which is established in Leviticus 16:32-34, where the high priest makes atonement for the people, highlighting the continuity of the priestly role from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
  8. Hebrews 9:7v34Hebrews 9:7 refers to the high priest entering the Holy of Holies once a year with blood, which is a direct reference to the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus 16:34.

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