Leviticus 16 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, who died when they came too close to Yahweh's presence without authorization.

Yahweh said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he must not come into the inner room behind the curtain — the space in front of the cover on the chest — whenever he wants, or he will die. Because I appear in the cloud above the cover."

"This is how Aaron must enter the inner room: with a young bull for a failure-payment and a ram for a whole-burning."

"He must put on the sacred linen tunic, wear linen undergarments next to his body, tie a linen sash around his waist, and wrap his head in a linen turban. These are set-apart garments, so he must wash his whole body with water before putting them on."

"From the Israelite community he must take two male goats for a failure-payment and one ram for a whole-burning."

"Aaron must present the bull for his own failure-payment and make amends for himself and his household."

"Then he must take the two goats and present them before Yahweh at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting."

"Aaron must cast lots over the two goats — one lot marked 'For Yahweh' and the other marked 'For Azazel.'"

"Aaron must bring the goat chosen by lot for Yahweh and present it as a failure-payment."

"But the goat chosen by lot for Azazel must be presented alive before Yahweh to make amends with it, and then sent away into the wilderness to Azazel."

"Aaron must present the bull for his own failure-payment and make amends for himself and his household. He must slaughter the bull for his own failure-payment."

"Then he must take a firepan full of burning coals from the altar before Yahweh, along with two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them behind the curtain."

"He must put the incense on the fire before Yahweh so that the cloud of incense covers the seat on top of the chest that holds the covenant terms — so he won't die."

"He must take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the cover on the east side. Then he must sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times in front of the cover."

"Then he must slaughter the goat for the people's failure-payment, bring its blood behind the curtain, and do with it what he did with the bull's blood — sprinkle it on the cover and in front of the cover."

"In this way he will make amends for the inner room, purifying it from the Israelites' moral contamination — from all their rebellions and failures. He must do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which exists among them right in the middle of all their contamination."

"No one else may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron enters the inner room to make amends until he comes out. He will make amends for himself, for his household, and for the entire assembly of Israel."

"Then he must go out to the altar that stands before Yahweh and make amends for it. He must take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on the horns all around the altar."

"He must sprinkle some of the blood on the altar with his finger seven times to cleanse it and set it apart from the Israelites' contamination, making it dedicated to God again."

"When he has finished making amends for the inner room, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he must bring forward the live goat."

"Aaron must place both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the Israelites' wrongdoing — all their rebellions and all their failures. He must transfer them onto the goat's head, then send it away into the wilderness with a man assigned for the job."

"The goat will carry all their wrongdoing on itself into a desolate land, and the man must release the goat in the wilderness."

"Then Aaron must enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on when he entered the inner room, and leave them there."

"He must wash his body with water in a sacred place, then put on his regular garments. After that, he must come out and present his own whole-burning and the people's whole-burning, making amends for himself and for the people."

"He must burn the fat of the failure-payment on the altar."

"The man who released the goat to Azazel must wash his clothes and bathe his whole body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp."

"The bull for the failure-payment and the goat for the failure-payment — whose blood was brought into the inner room to make amends — must be taken outside the camp. Their hides, meat, and dung must be burned completely."

"The person who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his whole body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp."

"This is a permanent law for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must deny yourselves and not do any work — whether native-born Israelites or foreigners living among you."

"Because on this day, amends will be made for you to cleanse you. You will be clean from all your failures before Yahweh."

"It is a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a permanent law."

"The priest who is anointed and installed to serve as priest in his father's place must make the amends. He must put on the sacred linen garments"

"and make amends for the sacred inner room, make amends for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and make amends for the priests and for all the people of the assembly."

"This is a permanent law for you: once a year, amends must be made for the Israelites because of all their failures." And it was done exactly as Yahweh commanded Moses.