Leviticus 16

King James Version

Full text for Leviticus Chapter 16

1¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;

2And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy [place] within the vail before the mercy seat, which [is] upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

3Thus shall Aaron come into the holy [place]: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.

4He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these [are] holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and [so] put them on.

5¶ And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

6And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which [is] for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

7And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

8And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

9And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him [for] a sin offering.

10But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [and] to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

11And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which [is] for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which [is] for himself:

12And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring [it] within the vail:

13And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that [is] upon the testimony, that he die not:

14And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle [it] with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

15¶ Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that [is] for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

16And he shall make an atonement for the holy [place], because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

17And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy [place], until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

18And he shall go out unto the altar that [is] before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar round about.

19And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

20¶ And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy [place], and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

21And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send [him] away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

22And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

23And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy [place], and shall leave them there:

24And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.

25And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.

26And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.

27And the bullock [for] the sin offering, and the goat [for] the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy [place], shall [one] carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.

28And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.

29¶ And [this] shall be a statute for ever unto you: [that] in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, [whether it be] one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

30For on that day shall [the priest] make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, [that] ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

31It [shall be] a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

32And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, [even] the holy garments:

33And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

34And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Leviticus 16 details the annual Day of Atonement rituals, initiated after the death of Aaron's sons. Aaron, as High Priest, performs specific ceremonies to make atonement for himself, his household, and the entire congregation of Israel. This involves sacrifices, blood sprinkling in the Most Holy Place, and the symbolic sending away of a scapegoat bearing the people's sins into the wilderness. This day is established as a perpetual statute for cleansing from sin.

Medium Summary

Following the death of Aaron's sons, the LORD instructs Moses on the proper procedures for Aaron to enter the Most Holy Place. This chapter outlines the elaborate rituals for the annual Day of Atonement, a solemn occasion for national cleansing. Aaron first purifies himself and his household with a bullock offering, then enters the holy place with incense and blood. For the people, two goats are presented: one is sacrificed as a sin offering, its blood sprinkled within the veil to atone for the sanctuary's defilement by Israel's uncleanness. The second goat, designated as the scapegoat, has the congregation's iniquities confessed over its head before being sent into the wilderness, symbolically bearing away their sins. The chapter concludes by establishing this day, the tenth day of the seventh month, as a perpetual statute for Israel, a day of rest and self-affliction for atonement.

Long Summary

Leviticus chapter 16 establishes the comprehensive rituals for the annual Day of Atonement, a critical event for the spiritual cleansing of the Israelite nation, prompted by the previous transgression and death of Aaron's sons. The LORD commands Aaron, the High Priest, to enter the Most Holy Place only at specific times and with specific preparations to avoid death, as the divine presence appears there in a cloud. Aaron must first offer a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering for himself and his household, donning holy linen garments after washing. For the congregation, two goats are selected for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Lots are cast upon the two goats, one designated for the LORD and the other as the scapegoat. Aaron sacrifices his bullock, then takes burning coals and sweet incense into the Most Holy Place, creating a cloud to cover the mercy seat. He then sprinkles the bullock's blood upon and before the mercy seat. Subsequently, he slays the goat designated for the LORD, bringing its blood within the veil to sprinkle it similarly, making atonement for the holy place, the tabernacle, and the altar, which are defiled by the uncleanness and transgressions of the Israelites. After these reconciliations, Aaron lays his hands upon the live scapegoat, confessing all the iniquities of the children of Israel over its head, symbolically transferring their sins onto it. This goat is then sent away by a fit man into the wilderness, bearing away their iniquities to an uninhabited land. Following these central rites, Aaron changes his garments, washes, and offers the burnt offerings for himself and the people. The carcasses of the sin offerings whose blood was brought into the holy place are carried and burned outside the camp, and those involved in handling them must wash. This entire elaborate procedure is declared an everlasting statute, to be observed annually on the tenth day of the seventh month as a solemn sabbath of rest and self-affliction, ensuring the cleansing of the people from all their sins before the LORD.

Core Concepts

  • Day of AtonementThe annual, solemn day (Yom Kippur) established for the High Priest to perform comprehensive rituals to cleanse the sanctuary, priests, and the entire congregation of Israel from their sins and uncleanness.
  • High Priest's RoleAaron, as the High Priest, is the sole individual permitted to enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, performing intricate sacrifices and blood rituals for himself, his household, and the nation.
  • Sin OfferingA sacrifice, typically a bullock for the priest and a goat for the people, whose blood is used to make atonement for sins, particularly by sprinkling it within the Most Holy Place and upon the altar.
  • ScapegoatOne of two goats chosen by lot; the live goat upon whose head the High Priest confesses the sins of Israel, symbolically transferring their iniquities before it is sent away into the wilderness, bearing their sins to a land not inhabited.
  • Most Holy PlaceThe innermost sanctuary of the tabernacle, separated by a veil, where the ark of the covenant and mercy seat reside; the High Priest enters this sacred space only once a year on the Day of Atonement.
  • AtonementThe process by which sins and uncleanness are covered or purged, achieved through specific sacrificial rituals, blood sprinkling, and the symbolic removal of sin, making reconciliation between God and His people.
  • Perpetual StatuteThe declaration that the Day of Atonement rituals and its observance on the tenth day of the seventh month are to be an enduring law for the children of Israel, to be kept forever.