1
After the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD, the LORD spoke to Moses.
2
The LORD said to him: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the holy place behind the veil, before the mercy seat that is upon the ark, so that he may not die; for I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
3
This is how Aaron shall enter the holy place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
4
He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and he shall cover his body with linen undergarments, and he shall wear a linen sash and wrap himself with a linen turban; these are the holy garments he shall put on after he has washed his body with water.
5
From the people of Israel he shall take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
6
Then Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself, and thus make atonement for himself and for his house.
7
He shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,
8
and Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other for Azazel.
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Then Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell and offer it as a sin offering.
10
But the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell shall be kept alive before the LORD, to make atonement over it, and then sent away for Azazel into the wilderness.
11
Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and for his house; he shall slaughter the bull.
12
He shall take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring it inside the veil.
13
Then he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, so that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he may not die.
14
He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
15
Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering for the people and bring its blood inside the veil, and he shall do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull: he shall sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
16
Thus he shall make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of all their transgressions, whatever their sins may be. So shall he do for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17
No one shall be in the Tent of Meeting when Aaron goes in to make atonement in the holy place, until he comes out, after he has made atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.
18
Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the ram and put it on the horns of the altar all around.
19
Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
20
When he has finished making atonement for the holy place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat.
21
Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions, whatever their sins may be; he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready for it.
22
Thus the goat shall carry away all the iniquities of Israel to a barren land, and the goat shall be sent away in the wilderness.
23
Afterward Aaron shall go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments that he wore when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there.
24
He shall wash his body with water in a holy place and put on his own garments; then he shall come out and offer his own burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people. Thus he shall make atonement for himself and for the people.
25
Then he shall burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26
The man who releases the goat for Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
27
The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried outside the camp; and their skins, their flesh, and their dung shall be burned up.
28
Whoever burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
29
This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and fast, and you shall do no work, whether the native-born Israelite or the foreigner who lives among you.
30
For on that day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you. You shall be cleansed from all your sins before the LORD.
31
It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall afflict yourselves and fast. It is a permanent statute.
32
And atonement shall be made by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as priest in place of his father; he shall put on the linen garments, the holy garments.
33
He shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting, and for the altar, and also for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
34
This shall be a permanent statute for you, that atonement may be made once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the LORD commanded Moses.
🩸🕊️🕍 Summary of Leviticus 16 – The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Leviticus 16 sets out the regulations for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), one of the holiest days in the calendar of the people of Israel. It is the only day in the year when the high priest enters the Most Holy Place (the Ark of the Covenant) to make atonement for the whole nation of Israel.
1. Prohibition Against Entering the Holy Place Carelessly (verses 1–2)
- After the death of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10), the LORD warned Aaron that entering behind the veil (the Most Holy Place) must not be done carelessly, lest he die.
- Only once a year, and it must be with the blood of sacrifice and incense smoke.
⚠️ The holiness of God is very serious—it cannot be approached carelessly.
2. Preparation of the High Priest (verses 3–6)
- He must bathe and put on special garments of white linen.
- He must bring:
A bull as a sin offering for himself
Two goats for the people—one as a sin offering, one as the “Azazel goat” (the goat that carries sin into the wilderness).
3. The Atonement Process (verses 7–28)
- The priest slaughters the bull for himself, sprinkling the blood on the mercy seat (the ark).
- Then he slaughters the sin offering goat for the people and sprinkles its blood in the same place.
- Burning incense in the Most Holy Place so that the cloud covers the mercy seat.
- Laying hands on the Azazel goat, confessing all the people’s sins, then sending it into the wilderness—symbolizing the removal of sin from the people.
- After everything is finished, the priest washes himself, changes his clothes, and offers the burnt offering.
🕊️ The Azazel goat is a powerful picture of “sin carried far away” by a mediator.
4. Annual Regulations and Spiritual Meaning (verses 29–34)
- The Day of Atonement must be observed every year on the 10th day of the 7th month (Tishri).
- The people must humble themselves, fast, and do no work.
- Atonement covers the whole nation and the sanctuary itself.
📖 Main Teachings
- Sin separates people from the presence of the Lord—atonement is the way of restoration.
- Atonement requires a holy mediator (the high priest) and sacrificial blood.
- The Azazel goat symbolizes forgiveness that carries our sin far away.
- The cleansing of sin touches not only people, but also the place of worship.
- Obedience, confession, and cleansing are the keys to collective spiritual restoration.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the Day of Atonement (see Hebrews 9 & 10).
➤ He is the High Priest who entered once for all, not with the blood of animals, but with His own blood.
➤ He is also the sin offering and the “scapegoat”, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). - The scapegoat teaches us that forgiveness is not only being pardoned, but sin is removed and forgotten.
- The Day of Atonement becomes a picture of how serious God is about sin, and how great His love is in providing a way out.
- Now, we are called to live in repentance and gratitude, because atonement has been fully accomplished at the cross.
