The Day of Purgation

1Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD.

2And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place ⁴⁰behind the veil in front of the throne seat ⁴¹on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the throne seat.

3This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a purification offering and a ram for an ascension offering.

4He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them.

5And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a purification offering ⁴²and one ram for an ascension offering.

6Aaron is to present the bull for his purification offering and effect purgation for himself and his household.

7Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

8After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the Azazel, ⁴³

9he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a purification offering.

10But the goat chosen by lot as the Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make expiation by sending it into the wilderness as the Azazel.

11When Aaron presents the bull for his purification offering and effects purgation for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own purification offering.

12Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil.

13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the throne seat above the Testimony, ⁴⁴so that he will not die.

14And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the throne seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the throne seat.

15Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the purification offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the throne seat and in front of it.

16So he shall effect purgation for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them in the midst of their impurities.

17No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to effect purgation in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has effected purgation for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.

18Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and effect purgation for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.

19He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

20When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat.

21Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat ⁴⁵and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task.

22The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.

23Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there.

24He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his ascension offering and the people’s ascension offering to effect purgation for himself and for the people.

25He is also to burn the fat of the purification offering on the altar.

26The man who released the goat as the Azazel must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

27The bull for the purification offering and the goat for the purification offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to effect purgation, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up.

28The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.

29This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves ⁴⁶and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you—

30because on this day purgation will be made for you to cleanse you, ⁴⁷and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

31It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.

32The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall effect purgation. He will put on the sacred linen garments

33and effect purgation for the Most Holy Place, ⁴⁸the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly.

34This is to be a permanent statute for you, to effect purgation once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.”
And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.