1Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who died when they came too close to Yahweh.
2Yahweh told Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the curtain, in front of the mercy seat on the ark, whenever he wants, or he will die; for I appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
3“Aaron is to enter the sanctuary with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
4He must put on the holy linen tunic, wear the linen shorts on his body, tie the linen sash around him, and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments. He must bathe his body in water before putting them on.
5From the community of the people of Israel, he must take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
6“Aaron must offer the bull for the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and his household.
7Then he is to take the two goats and present them before Yahweh at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
8Aaron will cast lots for the two goats, one lot for Yahweh and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9Aaron must present the goat chosen by lot for Yahweh and offer it as a sin offering.
10But the goat chosen by lot to be the scapegoat must be presented alive before Yahweh to make atonement for it, then sent away into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
11Aaron must present the bull for the sin offering, which is for himself. He must make atonement for himself and his household, then kill the bull for his own sin offering.
12Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before Yahweh, and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring them inside the curtain.
13He must put the incense on the fire before Yahweh so that the cloud of incense covers the atonement cover on the stone tablets, and he will not die.
14He must take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the atonement cover; then he must sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger in front of the atonement cover.
15Then he must kill the goat for the sin offering meant for the people, bring its blood inside the curtain, and do with its blood just as he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on the atonement cover and in front of it.
16He must make atonement for the Holy Place because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel, their rebellions, and all their sins. He must do the same for the Meeting Tent, which stays among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17No one is allowed in the Meeting Tent when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out after making atonement for himself, his household, and the entire community of Israel.
18He must go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it. He must take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it around the horns of the altar.
19He must sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and make it holy from the uncleanness of the people of Israel.
20When he has finished making atonement for the Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he must present the live goat.
21Aaron must lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wrongdoings, rebellions, and sins of the people of Israel. He must put them on the goat's head and send it away into the wilderness with a man who is ready for the task.
22The goat will carry all their wrongdoings to a desolate land, and he must let the goat go in the wilderness.
23Aaron must go into the Meeting Tent, take off the linen clothes he wore when he entered the Holy Place, and leave them there.
24Then he must bathe himself with water in a holy place, put on his regular clothes, and come out to offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, making atonement for himself and for the people.
25He must burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26The person who leads the scapegoat away must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; after that, he may come back 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, must be carried outside the camp. Their hides, meat, and waste must be burned with fire.
28The person who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; after that, he may come back into the camp.
29This is a law for you forever: on the tenth day of the seventh month, you must deny yourselves and not do any work, whether you are a native-born Israelite or a foreigner living among you.
30Because on this day, purification will be made for you, cleaning you from all your sins, so you will be clean before Yahweh.
31This is a special day of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a law forever.
32The priest who has been appointed and set apart to serve as priest in his father’s place will perform the purification. He will put on the linen garments, which are the holy garments.
33He will then purify the Most Holy Place, and he will purify the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and he will purify the priests and all the people of the assembly.
34This will be an everlasting law for you, to purify the people of Israel once a year for all their sins.” And it was done just as Yahweh commanded Moses.