Leviticus

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

1The LORD spoke to Moses. This was after two of Aaron's sons died. They died when they came near to the LORD with an offering.

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.

2The LORD said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron this. He must not walk into the most holy room whenever he wants. That room is behind the curtain. Inside it is the mercy seat, the gold lid on the holy box. If he goes in the wrong way, he will die. I appear in a cloud above that gold lid."

Note"Come not at all times" does not mean Aaron may never go in. It means he may not go in whenever he likes. He may go in only on the one day, and only in the way God says.

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

3This is how Aaron must come into the holy place. He brings a young bull as a sin offering, a gift to make wrong things right. He also brings a ram as a burnt offering, an animal burned up whole as a gift to God.

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.

4He puts on the holy clothes made of linen, a light cloth. He wears the linen coat, the linen underclothes, and a linen belt. On his head he wears a linen turban, a cloth wrapped around the head. First he must wash his body with water.

5And 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.

5From the people of Israel he takes two male goats for a sin offering. He also takes 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.

6Aaron offers his own bull as a sin offering. This makes things right with God for him and for his family.

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

7Then he takes the two goats. He stands them before the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting. That is the tent where the people met with God.

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

8Aaron casts lots for the two goats. Casting lots is a way of choosing, like drawing straws. One goat is chosen for the LORD. The other becomes the scapegoat, the goat that is sent away.

9And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

9Aaron brings the goat that was chosen for the LORD. He offers that goat as 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.

10The other goat, the scapegoat, is kept alive before the LORD. It is used to make things right. Then it is sent away into the wilderness, the empty land far from people.

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:

11Aaron brings his own bull for the sin offering. It makes things right for him and for his family. Then he kills the bull.

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:

12He takes a fire pan full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD. He takes two handfuls of sweet incense ground very fine. Incense is a spice that makes sweet smoke. He carries it behind the curtain.

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:

13He puts the incense on the fire before the LORD. The smoke makes a cloud that covers the mercy seat. The mercy seat sits above the stone tablets with God's words. Then Aaron will not die.

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.

14He takes some of the bull's blood. With his finger he sprinkles it on the east side of the mercy seat. He also sprinkles blood in front of it seven times.

15Then 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:

15Then he kills the goat that is the sin offering for the people. He brings its blood behind the curtain. He does with it just what he did with the bull's blood. He sprinkles it on the mercy seat and in front of it.

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.

16This makes the most holy place right again. The people of Israel have been unclean and have done many wrong things. He does the same for the tent of meeting. That tent stays with them even while they are unclean.

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.

17No one else may be inside the tent of meeting while Aaron does this. No one may be there until he comes out again. He makes things right for himself, for his family, and for all 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.

18Then he goes out to the altar that stands before the LORD. He makes that altar right too. He takes some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood. He puts it on the horns at the altar's corners, all around.

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.

19He sprinkles some blood on the altar seven times with his finger. This makes it clean and sets it apart as holy again.

20And 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:

20When he has finished making the holy place, the tent, and the altar right, he brings out 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:

21Aaron lays both his hands on the live goat's head. He says out loud all the wrong things the people of Israel have done. He puts them all on the goat's head. Then a man chosen for the job leads the goat into the wilderness.

Note"A fit man" means a man picked and ready for this job. It does not mean a strong or healthy man.

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.

22The goat carries all their wrongs away to an empty land where no one lives. The man lets the goat go there 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:

23Then Aaron goes into the tent of meeting. He takes off the linen clothes he wore into the holy place. He leaves 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.

24He washes his body with water in a holy place. He puts on his own clothes again. Then he goes out and offers his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering. This makes things right for him and for the people.

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

25He also burns the fat of the sin offering on 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.

26The man who let the scapegoat go must wash his clothes and his body. After that he may come back 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.

27The bull and the goat for the sin offerings must be carried outside the camp. Their blood was taken into the holy place to make things right. Their skins, their meat, and their waste must all be burned in fire.

Note"Without the camp" is old English for "outside the camp." It does not mean they had no camp.

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

28The man who burns them must wash his clothes and his body. After that he may come back into the camp.

29And 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:

29This is a rule for you always. In the seventh month, on the tenth day, you must go without food. You must do no work at all. This is for people born in Israel and for visitors living among them.

Note"Afflict your souls" means to be humble and sorry for sin. People showed this by going without food for the day.

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.

30On that day the priest makes things right for you. He makes you clean. You will 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.

31It is a day of full rest for you. You must go without food and be humble. This rule lasts always.

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:

32The priest who is chosen and set apart to take his father's place will do this. He puts on the holy linen clothes.

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.

33He makes things right for the most holy place, for the tent of meeting, and for the altar. He also makes things right for the priests and for all the people.

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.

34This rule lasts always. Once each year, things are made right for Israel for all their sins. And it was done just as the LORD told Moses.