Leviticus 16:21-31

21 and when his ever either hand is put upon the head thereof, acknowledge the priest all the wickednesses of the sons of Israel, and all their trespasses and sins, which sins the priest shall wish, or will, (on)to the goat('s) head, and he shall send the goat out into desert by a man made ready thereto (and then he shall send this goat, that is, the scapegoat, out into the desert, or into the wilderness, by a man ordained for that task).

22 And when the goat buck hath borne all their wickednesses into (a) desert land, and he is let go there,

23 Aaron shall turn again into the tabernacle of witnessing (Aaron shall return to the Tabernacle of the Witnessing); and when the clothes be put off, in which he was clothed before, when he entered into the saintuary of God, and those clothes be left there,

24 he shall wash his flesh in the holy place, and he shall be clothed in his own clothes, and after that he hath gone out, and hath offered the burnt sacrifice of himself, and of the people, he shall pray as well for himself, as for the people; (he shall wash his flesh in a holy place, and he shall be clothed in his own clothes, and after that he hath gone out, and hath offered the burnt sacrifice for himself, and for the people, he shall pray for himself, as well as for the people;)

25 and he shall burn on the altar the inner fatness which is offered for sin. (and he shall burn on the altar the inner fat of the sin offering.)

26 Soothly he that let go the goat buck able to be sent out, shall wash his clothes and his body with water, and so he shall enter into the tents. (And he who drove the scapegoat into the desert, or into the wilderness, to Azazel, shall wash his clothes and his body in water, and then he shall return to the tents.)

27 Forsooth they shall bear out of the tents the calf and the goat buck, that were offered for sin, and whose blood was brought into the saintuary, that the cleansing were fulfilled; and they shall burn in fire as well the skins, as the flesh, and [the] dung of those beasts. (And they shall carry away from the tents the calf and the goat buck, that were the sin offerings, and whose blood was brought into the sanctuary, so that the cleansing is fulfilled; and they shall burn in the fire the skins, and the flesh, and the dung of those beasts.)

28 And whoever burneth those, he shall wash his clothes and flesh in water, and so he shall enter into the tents (and then he shall return to the tents).

29 And this shall be to you a lawful thing everlasting; in the seventh month, in the tenth day of the month, ye shall torment your souls, and ye shall not do any work, neither a man born in the land, neither a comeling that is a pilgrim among you. (And this shall be an everlasting law for you; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall torment your souls, and ye shall not do any work, not someone born in the land, nor a newcomer who is a foreigner, or a stranger, among you.)

30 The delivering from sin, and the cleansing of you, shall be in this day (shall be on this day), (and) ye shall be cleansed before the Lord from all your sins;

31 for it is the sabbath of resting, and ye shall torment your souls by everlasting religion. (for it is a sabbath of rest for you, and ye shall torment your souls; this is an everlasting law.)

Leviticus 16:21-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 16

This chapter treats of the day of atonement, and of the rites, sacrifices, and services of it, directs when Aaron should come into the holy of holies, Le 16:1,2; and in what habit he should then appear, and with what offerings both for himself, and for the people, Le 16:3-10; and that having slain his own sin offering, and that for the people, he should offer incense before the mercy seat, and sprinkle that with the blood of both, Le 16:11-15; and by these offerings make atonement for the holy place, the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, Le 16:16-19; and having done this, he was to take the live goat, lay his hands on it, confess over it, and put upon it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and then send it away by a fit man into the wilderness, Le 16:20-22; upon which he was to put off his linen garments, wash his flesh, and put them on again, and offer the burnt offering for himself, and for the people, Le 16:23-25; also he that let go the goat, and he that carried and burnt the sin offerings without the camp, were to wash themselves and clothes also, Le 16:26-28; the observance of this day, once a year, which was on the tenth of the seventh month, as a day of affliction and atonement, was to be a statute for ever to the children of Israel, Le 16:29-34.