Leviticus 16
Instructions for approaching the Holy Place
The Existing One spoke to Moses after Aaron’s two sons died by getting to close to the Existing One. He said:
“Tell your brother Aaron that he can’t just go through the veil and enter the Holy Place where the mercy seat and ark are, or he’ll die. I’ll appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. When Aaron enters the Holy Place he needs to do it a certain way:
Sacred garments
He needs to have a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He needs to put on the sacred linen coat over the linen undergarments. He also needs to tie the linen sash around his waist and wear the linen turban. This concludes the instructions for the sacred garments. And he needs to take a bath before putting them on.
1 bull for priest & 2 goats for Israel
He should take 2 male goats from the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. He should offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, making amends for himself and his family. Then he should take the 2 goats and put them before the Existing One at the meeting tent’s entrance. Then he’ll cast lots over the two goats: one will be for the Existing One, and the other will be for Azazel. Then Aaron should present the Existing One’s goat and use it as a sin offering. Azazel’s goat should be presented alive before the Existing One to make amends over it so that it can be sent into the wilderness for Azazel.
Sacrifice the bull
Aaron should present the bull as a sin offering for himself, making amends for himself and his family. He should kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. He should take an incense burner full of coals and fire from the altar in front of the Existing One. He should take two handfuls of sweet incense, bring it inside the veil, and put it on the fire before the Existing One so that the incense cloud covers the mercy seat and he doesn’t die. Then he should take some of the bull’s blood and use his finger to sprinkle it on the front of the mercy seat (on the east side) and also in front of it seven times.
Sacrifice 1 goat
Then he should kill the goat for Israel’s sin offering, bring its blood inside the veil, and do the same thing with its blood, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of it. That will make amends for the Holy Place because of Israel’s uncleanness, their offenses, and their shortcomings. That concludes what he needs to do for the meeting tent because it stands in their midst with all their uncleanness.
No one else allowed in
No one is allowed into the meeting tent from the time he enters the Holy Place to make amends until the time he comes out and has made amends for himself, his family, and all of Israel. Then he should go out to the altar in front the Existing One and make amends for it by taking some of the blood from the bull and goat and putting it all around the altar’s horns. He should use his finger to sprinkle the blood seven times, cleansing it and consecrating it from Israel’s uncleanness.
Put sins on live goat & send to Azazel
When he’s finished making amends for the Holy Place, meeting tent, and altar, he should present the live goat. Aaron should lay both his hands on its head and confess all of Israel’s wrongdoings, offenses, and shortcomings. He’ll put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness with someone who’s ready to help. The goat will bring all their wrongdoings to a remote area, and the man should let it go free in the wilderness.
Return to camp
Then Aaron should enter the meeting tent, change out of the linen clothes, and leave them there. He should take a bath in a sacred place, get dressed, come out, and offer his burnt offering and Israel’s burnt offering, making amends for himself and the people. He should burn the sin offering’s fat on the altar. The man who brings the goat to Azazel will need to wash his clothes and take a bath before he can come back to the camp. The remains of the bull that was used for the sin offering and for making amends in the Holy Place should be taken outside the camp and burned. The person who burns them will need to wash his clothes and take a bath before coming back into the camp.
Observe this every year
It should be your custom forever that on the 10th day of the 7th month [around September or October], you and your visitors should refrain from eating and working, because thats the day that amends will be made for you to cleanse you. You need to be clean from all your shortcomings in the Existing One’s presence. You should fast because it’s a Sabbath of earnest rest for you. That should be your tradition forever. In future generations, the priest anointed in Aaron’s place needs to wear the sacred linen clothes. He should make amends for the sacred sanctuary, the meeting tent, the altar, the priests, and all of Israel. This will be your custom forever so that amends can be made for the Israelites once a year for all their shortcomings.”
And Aaron did as the Existing One had ordered Moses.