Leviticus 11-16
New Century Version
Rules About What May Be Eaten
11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Tell the Israelites this: ‘These are the land animals you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has split hoofs completely divided and that chews the cud.
4 “‘Some animals only chew the cud or only have split hoofs, and you must not eat them. The camel chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 5 The rock badger chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 6 The rabbit chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 7 Now the pig has a split hoof that is completely divided, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat the meat from these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.
9 “‘Of the animals that live in the sea or in a river, if the animal has fins and scales, you may eat it. 10 But whatever lives in the sea or in a river and does not have fins and scales—including the things that fill the water and all other things that live in it—you should hate. 11 You must not eat any meat from them or even touch their dead bodies, because you should hate them. 12 You must hate any animal in the water that does not have fins and scales.
13 “‘Also, these are the birds you are to hate. They are hateful and should not be eaten. You must not eat eagles, vultures, black vultures, 14 kites, any kind of falcon, 15 any kind of raven, 16 horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk, 17 little owls, cormorants, great owls, 18 white owls, desert owls, ospreys, 19 storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or bats.
20 “‘Don’t eat insects that have wings and walk on all four feet; they also are to be hated.
21 “‘But you may eat certain insects that have wings and walk on four feet. You may eat those that have legs with joints above their feet so they can jump. 22 These are the insects you may eat: all kinds of locusts, winged locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. 23 But all other insects that have wings and walk on four feet you are to hate. 24 Those insects will make you unclean, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these insects will become unclean until evening. 25 Anyone who picks up one of these dead insects must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
26 “‘Some animals have split hoofs, but the hoofs are not completely divided; others do not chew the cud. They are unclean for you, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean. 27 Of all the animals that walk on four feet, the animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean until evening. 28 Anyone who picks up their dead bodies must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; these animals are unclean for you.
29 “‘These crawling animals are unclean for you: moles, rats, all kinds of great lizards, 30 geckos, crocodiles, lizards, sand reptiles, and chameleons. 31 These crawling animals are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.
32 “‘If an unclean animal dies and falls on something, that item will also become unclean. This includes anything made from wood, cloth, leather, or rough cloth, regardless of its use. Whatever the animal falls on must be washed with water and be unclean until evening; then it will become clean again. 33 If the dead, unclean animal falls into a clay bowl, anything in the bowl will become unclean, and you must break the bowl. 34 If water from the unclean clay bowl gets on any food, that food will become unclean. 35 If any dead, unclean animal falls on something, it becomes unclean. If it is a clay oven or a clay baking pan, it must be broken into pieces. These things will be unclean; they are unclean for you.
36 “‘A spring or well that collects water will stay clean, but anyone who touches the dead body of any unclean animal will become unclean. 37 If a dead, unclean animal falls on a seed to be planted, that seed is still clean. 38 But if you put water on some seeds and a dead, unclean animal falls on them, they are unclean for you.
39 “‘Also, if an animal which you use for food dies, anyone who touches its body will be unclean until evening. 40 Anyone who eats meat from this animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up the animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 “‘Every animal that crawls on the ground is to be hated; it must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat any of the animals that crawl on the ground, including those that crawl on their stomachs, that walk on all four feet, or on many feet. They are to be hated. 43 Do not make yourself unclean by these animals; you must not become unclean by them. 44 I am the Lord your God. Keep yourselves holy for me because I am holy. Don’t make yourselves unclean with any of these crawling animals. 45 I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt to be your God; you must be holy because I am holy.
46 “‘These are the teachings about all of the cattle, birds, and other animals on earth, as well as the animals in the sea and those that crawl on the ground. 47 These teachings help people know the difference between unclean animals and clean animals; they help people know which animals may be eaten and which ones must not be eaten.’”
Rules for New Mothers
12 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel this: ‘If a woman gives birth to a son, she will become unclean for seven days, as she is unclean during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the boy must be circumcised. 4 Then it will be thirty-three days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood. She must not touch anything that is holy or enter the Holy Tent until her time of cleansing is finished. 5 But if she gives birth to a daughter, the mother will be unclean for two weeks, as she is unclean during her monthly period. It will be sixty-six days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood.
6 “‘After she has a son or daughter and her days of cleansing are over, the new mother must bring certain sacrifices to the Meeting Tent. She must give the priest at the entrance a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a dove or young pigeon for a sin offering. 7 He will offer them before the Lord to make her clean so she will belong to the Lord again; then she will be clean from her loss of blood. These are the teachings for a woman who gives birth to a boy or girl.
8 “‘If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make her clean so she will belong to the Lord again, and she will be clean.’”
Rules About Skin Diseases
13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Someone might have on his skin a swelling or a rash or a bright spot. If the sore looks like a harmful skin disease, the person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of Aaron’s sons, the priests. 3 The priest must look at the sore on the person’s skin. If the hair in the sore has become white, and the sore seems deeper than the person’s skin, it is a harmful skin disease. When he has finished looking at the person, the priest must announce that the person is unclean.
4 “If there is a white spot on a person’s skin, but the spot does not seem deeper than the skin, and if the hair from the spot has not turned white, the priest must separate that person from other people for seven days. 5 On the seventh day the priest must look at the person again. If he sees that the sore has not changed and it has not spread on the skin, the priest must keep the person separated for seven more days. 6 On the seventh day the priest must look at the person again. If the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean. The sore is only a rash. The person must wash his clothes, and he will become clean again.
7 “But if the rash spreads again after the priest has announced him clean, the person must come again to the priest. 8 The priest must look at him, and if the rash has spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean; it is a harmful skin disease.
9 “If a person has a harmful skin disease, he must be brought to the priest, 10 and the priest must look at him. If there is a white swelling in the skin, and the hair has become white, and the skin looks raw in the swelling, 11 it is a harmful skin disease. It is one he has had for a long time. The priest must announce that the person is unclean. He will not need to separate that person from other people, because everyone already knows that the person is unclean.
12 “If the skin disease spreads all over a person’s body, covering his skin from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, the priest must look at the person’s whole body. 13 If the priest sees that the disease covers the whole body and has turned all of the person’s skin white, he must announce that the person is clean.
14 “But when the person has an open sore, he is unclean. 15 When the priest sees the open sore, he must announce that the person is unclean. The open sore is not clean; it is a harmful skin disease. 16 If the open sore becomes white again, the person must come to the priest. 17 The priest must look at him, and if the sores have become white, the priest must announce that the person with the sores is clean. Then he will be clean.
18 “Someone may have a boil on his skin that is healed. 19 If in the place where the boil was, there is a white swelling or a bright red spot, this place on the skin must be shown to the priest. 20 And the priest must look at it. If the spot seems deeper than the skin and the hair on it has become white, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. The spot is a harmful skin disease that has broken out from inside the boil. 21 But if the priest looks at the spot and there are no white hairs in it and the spot is not deeper than the skin and it has faded, the priest must separate the person from other people for seven days. 22 If the spot spreads on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean; it is a disease that will spread. 23 But if the bright spot does not spread or change, it is only the scar from the old boil. Then the priest must announce that the person is clean.
24 “When a person gets a burn on his skin, if the open sore becomes white or red, 25 the priest must look at it. If the white spot seems deeper than the skin and the hair at that spot has become white, it is a harmful skin disease. The disease has broken out in the burn, and the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is a harmful skin disease. 26 But if the priest looks at the spot and there is no white hair in the bright spot, and the spot is no deeper than the skin and has faded, the priest must separate the person from other people for seven days. 27 On the seventh day the priest must look at him again. If the spot has spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is a harmful skin disease. 28 But if the bright spot has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is the swelling from the burn. The priest must announce that the person is clean, because the spot is only a scar from the burn.
29 “When a man or a woman gets a sore on the scalp or on the chin, 30 a priest must look at the sore. If it seems deeper than the skin and the hair around it is thin and yellow, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is an itch, a harmful skin disease of the head or chin. 31 But if the priest looks at it and it does not seem deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest must separate the person from other people for seven days. 32 On the seventh day the priest must look at the sore. If it has not spread, and there are no yellow hairs growing in it, and the sore does not seem deeper than the skin, 33 the person must shave himself, but he must not shave the sore place. The priest must separate that person from other people for seven more days. 34 On the seventh day the priest must look at the sore. If it has not spread on the skin and it does not seem deeper than the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean. So the person must wash his clothes and become clean. 35 But if the sore spreads on the skin after the person has become clean, 36 the priest must look at him again. If the sore has spread on the skin, the priest doesn’t need to look for the yellowish hair; the person is unclean. 37 But if the priest thinks the sore has stopped spreading, and black hair is growing in it, the sore has healed. The person is clean, and the priest must announce that he is clean.
38 “When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, 39 a priest must look at them. If the spots on the skin are dull white, the disease is only a harmless rash. That person is clean.
40 “When anyone loses hair from his head and is bald, he is clean. 41 If he loses hair from the front of his head and has a bald forehead, he is clean. 42 But if there is a red-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is a skin disease breaking out in those places. 43 A priest must look at that person. If the swelling of the sore on his bald head or forehead is red-white, like a skin disease that spreads, 44 that person has a skin disease. He is unclean. The priest must announce that the person is unclean because of the sore on his head.
45 “If a person has a skin disease that spreads, he must warn other people by shouting, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ His clothes must be torn at the seams, he must let his hair stay uncombed, and he must cover his mouth. 46 That person will be unclean the whole time he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone outside the camp.
Rules About Mildew
47 “Clothing might have mildew on it. It might be clothing made of linen or wool 48 (either woven or knitted), or of leather, or something made from leather. 49 If the mildew in the clothing, leather, or woven or knitted material is green or red, it is a spreading mildew. It must be shown to the priest. 50 The priest must look at the mildew, and he must put that piece of clothing in a separate place for seven days. 51 On the seventh day he must look at the mildew again. If the mildew has spread on the cloth (either woven or knitted) or the leather, no matter what the leather was used for, it is a mildew that destroys; it is unclean. 52 The priest must burn the clothing. It does not matter if it is woven or knitted, wool or linen, or made of leather, because the mildew is spreading. It must be burned.
53 “If the priest sees that the mildew has not spread in the cloth (either knitted or woven) or leather, 54 he must order the people to wash that piece of leather or cloth. Then he must separate the clothing for seven more days. 55 After the piece with the mildew has been washed, the priest must look at it again. If the mildew still looks the same, the piece is unclean, even if the mildew has not spread. You must burn it in fire; it does not matter if the mildew is on one side or the other.
56 “But when the priest looks at that piece of leather or cloth, the mildew might have faded after the piece has been washed. Then the priest must tear the mildew out of the piece of leather or cloth (either woven or knitted). 57 But if the mildew comes back to that piece of leather or cloth (either woven or knitted), the mildew is spreading. And whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. 58 When the cloth (either woven or knitted) or the leather is washed and the mildew is gone, it must be washed again; then it will be clean.
59 “These are the teachings about mildew on pieces of cloth (either woven or knitted) or leather, to decide if they are clean or unclean.”
Rules for Cleansing from Skin Diseases
14 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “These are the teachings for the time at which people who had a harmful skin disease are made clean.
“The person shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest must go outside the camp and look at the one who had the skin disease. If the skin disease is healed, 4 the priest will command that two living, clean birds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red string, and a hyssop plant be brought for cleansing the person with the skin disease.
5 “The priest must order one bird to be killed in a clay bowl containing fresh water. 6 Then he will take the living bird, the piece of cedar wood, the red string, and the hyssop; all these he will dip into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 The priest will sprinkle the blood seven times on the person being cleansed from the skin disease. He must announce that the person is clean and then go to an open field and let the living bird go free.
8 “The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water. Then he will be clean and may go into the camp, though he must stay outside his tent for the first seven days. 9 On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—the hair from his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will be clean.
10 “On the eighth day the person who had the skin disease must take two male lambs that have nothing wrong with them and a year-old female lamb that has nothing wrong with it. He must also take six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering and two-thirds of a pint of olive oil. 11 The priest who is to announce that the person is clean must bring him and his sacrifices before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 12 The priest will take one of the male lambs and offer it with the olive oil as a penalty offering; he will present them before the Lord as an offering. 13 Then he will kill the male lamb in the holy place, where the sin offering and the whole burnt offering are killed. The penalty offering is like the sin offering—it belongs to the priest and it is most holy.
14 “The priest will take some of the blood of the penalty offering and put it on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean. He will also put some of it on the thumb of the person’s right hand and on the big toe of the person’s right foot. 15 Then the priest will take some of the oil and pour it into his own left hand. 16 He will dip a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left hand, and with his finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times before the Lord. 17 The priest will put some oil from his hand on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean, some on the thumb of the person’s right hand, and some on the big toe of the person’s right foot. The oil will go on these places on top of the blood for the penalty offering. 18 He will put the rest of the oil that is in his left hand on the head of the person to be made clean. In this way the priest will make that person clean so he can belong to the Lord again.
19 “Next the priest will offer the sin offering to make that person clean so he can belong to the Lord again. After this the priest will kill the animal for the whole burnt offering, 20 and he will offer the burnt offering and grain offering on the altar. In this way he will make that person clean so he can belong to the Lord again.
21 “But if the person is poor and unable to afford these offerings, he must take one male lamb for a penalty offering. It will be presented to the Lord to make him clean so he can belong to the Lord again. The person must also take two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. He must also take two-thirds of a pint of olive oil 22 and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford. One bird is for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. 23 On the eighth day the person will bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, before the Lord. 24 The priest will take the lamb for the penalty offering and the oil, and he will present them as an offering before the Lord. 25 Then he will kill the lamb of the penalty offering, take some of its blood, and put it on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean. The priest will put some of this blood on the thumb of the person’s right hand and some on the big toe of the person’s right foot. 26 He will also pour some of the oil into his own left hand. 27 Then with a finger of his right hand, he will sprinkle some of the oil from his left hand seven times before the Lord. 28 The priest will take some of the oil from his hand and put it on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean. He will also put some of it on the thumb of the person’s right hand and some on the big toe of the person’s right foot. The oil will go on these places on top of the blood from the penalty offering. 29 The priest must put the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the head of the person to be made clean, to make him clean so he can belong to the Lord again. 30 Then the priest will offer one of the doves or young pigeons, which the person can afford. 31 He must offer one of the birds for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering, along with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make the person clean so he can belong to the Lord again; he will become clean.
32 “These are the teachings for making a person clean after he has had a skin disease, if he cannot afford the regular sacrifices for becoming clean.”
Rules for Cleaning Mildew
33 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “I am giving the land of Canaan to your people. When they enter that land, if I cause mildew to grow in someone’s house in that land, 35 the owner of that house must come and tell the priest. He should say, ‘I have seen something like mildew in my house.’ 36 Then the priest must order the people to empty the house before he goes in to look at the mildew. This is so he will not have to say that everything in the house is unclean. After this, the priest will go in to look at it. 37 He will look at the mildew, and if the mildew on the walls of the house is green or red and goes into the wall’s surface, 38 he must go out and close up the house for seven days. 39 On the seventh day the priest must come back and check the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls of the house, 40 the priest must order the people to tear out the stones with the mildew on them. They should throw them away, at a certain unclean place outside the city. 41 Then the priest must have all the inside of the house scraped. The people must throw away the plaster they scraped off the walls, at a certain unclean place outside the city. 42 Then the owner must put new stones in the walls, and he must cover the walls with new clay plaster.
43 “Suppose a person has taken away the old stones and plaster and put in new stones and plaster. If mildew again appears in his house, 44 the priest must come back and check the house again. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a mildew that destroys things; the house is unclean. 45 Then the owner must tear down the house, remove all its stones, plaster, and wood, and take them to the unclean place outside the city. 46 Anyone who goes into that house while it is closed up will be unclean until evening. 47 Anyone who eats in that house or lies down there must wash his clothes.
48 “Suppose after new stones and plaster have been put in a house, the priest checks it again and the mildew has not spread. Then the priest will announce that the house is clean, because the mildew is gone.
49 “Then, to make the house clean, the priest must take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red string, and a hyssop plant. 50 He will kill one bird in a clay bowl containing fresh water. 51 Then he will take the bird that is still alive, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red string, and he will dip them into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. The priest will sprinkle the blood on the house seven times. 52 He will use the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red string to make the house clean. 53 He will then go to an open field outside the city and let the living bird go free. This is how the priest makes the house clean and ready for service to the Lord.”
54 These are the teachings about any kind of skin disease, 55 mildew on pieces of cloth or in a house, 56 swellings, rashes, or bright spots on the skin; 57 they help people decide when things are unclean and when they are clean. These are the teachings about all these kinds of diseases.
Rules About a Person’s Body
15 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the people of Israel: ‘When a fluid comes from a person’s body, the fluid is unclean. 3 It doesn’t matter if the fluid flows freely or if it is blocked from flowing; the fluid will make him unclean. This is the way the fluid makes him unclean:
4 “‘If the person who discharges the body fluid lies on a bed, that bed becomes unclean, and everything he sits on becomes unclean. 5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and the person will be unclean until evening. 6 Whoever sits on something that the person who discharges the fluid sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. 7 Anyone who touches the person who discharges the body fluid must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
8 “‘If the person who discharges the body fluid spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. 9 Everything on which the person who is unclean sits when riding will become unclean. 10 Anyone who touches something that was under him will be unclean until evening. And anyone who carries these things must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
11 “‘If the person who discharges a body fluid has not washed his hands in water and touches another person, that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
12 “‘If a person who discharges a body fluid touches a clay bowl, that bowl must be broken. If he touches a wooden bowl, that bowl must be washed in water.
13 “‘When a person who discharges a body fluid is made clean, he must count seven days for himself for his cleansing. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He will give the two birds to the priest. 15 The priest will offer the birds, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest will make that person clean so he can belong to the Lord again.
16 “‘If semen[a] goes out from a man, he must bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. 17 If the fluid gets on any clothing or leather, it must be washed with water; it will be unclean until evening.
18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman and semen comes out, both people must bathe in water; they will be unclean until evening.
Rules About a Woman’s Body
19 “‘When a woman has her monthly period, she is unclean for seven days; anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything she lies on during this time will be unclean, and everything she sits on during this time will be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening. 22 Anyone who touches something she has sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening. 23 It does not matter if the person touched the woman’s bed or something she sat on; he will be unclean until evening.
24 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman and her monthly period touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; every bed he lies on will be unclean.
25 “‘If a woman has a loss of blood for many days and it is not during her regular monthly period, or if she continues to have a loss of blood after her regular period, she will be unclean, as she is during her monthly period. She will be unclean for as long as she continues to bleed. 26 Any bed she lies on during all the time of her bleeding will be like her bed during her regular monthly period. Everything she sits on will be unclean, as during her regular monthly period.
27 “‘Whoever touches those things will be unclean and must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. 28 When the woman becomes clean from her bleeding, she must wait seven days, and after this she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 30 The priest must offer one bird for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. In this way the priest will make her clean so she can belong to the Lord again.
31 “‘So you must warn the people of Israel to stay separated from things that make them unclean. If you don’t warn the people, they might make my Holy Tent unclean, and then they would have to die!’”
32 These are the teachings for the person who discharges a body fluid and for the man who becomes unclean from semen[b] coming out of his body. 33 These are the teachings for the woman who becomes unclean from her monthly period, for a man or woman who has a discharge, and for a man who becomes unclean by having sexual relations with a woman who is unclean.
The Day of Cleansing
16 Now two of Aaron’s sons had died while offering incense to the Lord, and after that time the Lord spoke to Moses. 2 The Lord said to him, “Tell your brother Aaron that there are times when he cannot go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place where the Ark is. If he goes in when I appear in a cloud over the lid on the Ark, he will die.
3 “This is how Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place: Before he enters, he must offer a bull for a sin offering and a male sheep for a whole burnt offering. 4 He must put on the holy linen inner robe, with the linen underclothes next to his body. His belt will be the cloth belt, and he will wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes, so he must bathe his body in water before he puts them on.
5 “Aaron must take from the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one male sheep for a burnt offering. 6 Then he will offer the bull for the sin offering for himself to remove sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord.
7 “Next Aaron will take the two goats and bring them before the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 8 He will throw lots for the two goats—one will be for the Lord and the other for the goat that removes sin. 9 Then Aaron will take the goat that was chosen for the Lord by throwing the lot, and he will offer it as a sin offering. 10 The other goat, which was chosen by lot to remove the sin, must be brought alive before the Lord. The priest will use it to perform the acts that remove Israel’s sin so they will belong to the Lord. Then this goat will be sent out into the desert as a goat that removes sin.
11 “Then Aaron will offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, to remove the sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord; he will kill the bull for the sin offering for himself. 12 Then he must take a pan full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of sweet incense that has been ground into powder. He must bring it into the room behind the curtain. 13 He must put the incense on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of incense will cover the lid on the Ark. Then when Aaron comes in, he will not die. 14 Also, he must take some of the blood from the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the lid; with his finger he will sprinkle the blood seven times in front of the lid.
15 “Then Aaron must kill the goat of the sin offering for the people and bring its blood into the room behind the curtain. He must do with the goat’s blood as he did with the bull’s blood, sprinkling it on the lid and in front of the lid. 16 Because the people of Israel have been unclean, Aaron will perform the acts to make the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord. Then it will be clean from the sins and crimes of the Israelites. He must also do this for the Meeting Tent, because it stays in the middle of unclean people. 17 When Aaron makes the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord, no one is allowed in the Meeting Tent until he comes out. So Aaron will perform the acts to remove sins from himself, his family, and all the people of Israel, so they will belong to the Lord. 18 Afterward he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and will make it ready for service to the Lord. Aaron will take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the corners of the altar on all sides. 19 Then, with his finger, he will sprinkle some of the blood on the altar seven times to make the altar holy for the Lord and clean from all the sins of the Israelites.
20 “When Aaron has finished making the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord, he will offer the living goat. 21 He will put both his hands on the head of the living goat, and he will confess over it all the sins and crimes of Israel. In this way Aaron will put the people’s sins on the goat’s head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert, and a man who has been appointed will lead the goat away. 22 So the goat will carry on itself all the people’s sins to a lonely place in the desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose there.
23 “Then Aaron will enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen clothes he had put on before he went into the Most Holy Place; he must leave these clothes there. 24 He will bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his regular clothes. Then he will come out and offer the whole burnt offering for himself and for the people, to remove sins from himself and the people so they will belong to the Lord. 25 Then he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 “The person who led the goat, the goat to remove sins, into the desert must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.
27 “The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make it ready for service to the Lord, must be taken outside the camp; the animals’ skins, bodies, and intestines will be burned in the fire. 28 Then the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.
29 “This law will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must deny yourself and you must not do any work. The travelers or foreigners living with you must not work either. 30 It is on this day that the priests will make you clean so you will belong to the Lord again. All your sins will be removed. 31 This is a very important day of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This law will continue forever.
32 “The priest appointed to take his father’s place, on whom the oil was poured, will perform the acts for making things ready for service to the Lord. He must put on the holy linen clothes 33 and make the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord. He must also remove the sins of the priests and all the people of Israel so they will belong to the Lord. 34 That law for removing the sins of the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord will continue forever. You will do these things once a year.”
So they did the things the Lord had commanded Moses.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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