The Day of Atonement
Leviticus 16YHWH spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near before YHWH, and died; and YHWH 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.
“Aaron is to come into the sanctuary with a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the holy linen tunic. and have linen undergarments on his body. He is to tie on a linen sash and be clothed with the linen turban. These are the holy garments. He is to bathe his body in water before he puts them on. He is to take from the congregation of the children of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
“Aaron is to offer the bull of the sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household. He is to take the two goats and set them before YHWH at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Aaron is to cast lots for the two goats: one lot for YHWH and the other lot for the scapegoat. Aaron is to present the goat chosen by lot for YHWH, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot to be the scapegoat is to be presented alive before YHWH, to make atonement for it by sending it away as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
“Aaron is to present the bull of the sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and for his house, and he is to slaughter the bull for his sin offering. He is to take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before YHWH, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil. He is to put the incense on the fire before YHWH, so that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the covenant, so that he will not die. He is to take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east. Then before the mercy seat he is to sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
“Then he is to kill the goat for the sin offering of the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull. He is to sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. He is to make atonement for the Holy Place from the uncleanness of the children of Israel because of their transgressions, and all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting that dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness. No one may 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.
“He is to go out to the altar that is before YHWH and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood, and some of the goat’s blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar. He 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 children of Israel.
“When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. Aaron is to 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. He is to put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready. The goat will carry all their iniquities on itself to a solitary land, so the man is to release the goat in the wilderness.
“Aaron is to come into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and leave them there. Then he will bathe himself in water in a holy place, put on his garments, and come out to offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. He is to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
“The one who releases the goat go as the scapegoat must wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. The 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, and their skins, flesh, and dung are to be burned with fire. The one who burns them must wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
“This is to be a permanent statute for y’all: on the tenth day of the seventh month, y’all are to humble your* souls and do no kind of work, both the native-born or a foreigner who resides among y’all; for on this day atonement will be made for y’all, to cleanse y’all. Y’all will be clean from all y’all’s sins before YHWH. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for y’all, and y’all are to humble your* souls. It is a permanent statute. The priest, who is anointed and who is consecrated to be priest in his father’s place, is to make the atonement. He will put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary. He is to make atonement for the Tent of Meeting, for the altar, for the priests, and for all the people of the assembly.
“This is to be a permanent statute for y’all, to make atonement for the children of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.”
It was done as YHWH commanded Moses.