📖 Leviticus — Chapter 16 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Leviticus 16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that Rhe 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.
Leviticus 16:3 Thus shall RAaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Leviticus 16:4 He 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; Rtherefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Leviticus 16:5 And 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.
Leviticus 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, Rwhich is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Leviticus 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Leviticus 16:8 And Aaron shall Rcast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the Tscapegoat.
Leviticus 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat Rupon which the LORD’s lot Tfell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Leviticus 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, Rto make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:11 And 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:
Leviticus 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire Rfrom off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Leviticus 16:13 RAnd 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:
Leviticus 16:14 And 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.
Leviticus 16:15 RThen 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:
Leviticus 16:16 And he shall make Ran 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 Tremaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Leviticus 16:17 And there shall be Rno 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.
Leviticus 16:18 And 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.
Leviticus 16:19 And 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.
Leviticus 16:20 And when he hath made an end of Rreconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Leviticus 16:21 And Aaron shall Rlay 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 Ta fit man into the wilderness:
Leviticus 16:22 And the goat shall Rbear upon him all their iniquities unto a land Tnot inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:23 And 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:
Leviticus 16:24 And he shall Rwash 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.
Leviticus 16:25 RAnd the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
Leviticus 16:26 And Rhe that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
Leviticus 16:27 And the Rbullock 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.
Leviticus 16:28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Leviticus 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that Rin 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:
Leviticus 16:30 For 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.
Leviticus 16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
Leviticus 16:32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall RTconsecrate 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:
Leviticus 16:33 And 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.
Leviticus 16:34 And this shall be Ran 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.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Leviticus 16:1–10 — Entering the Holy Place
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
After the death of Aaron's two sons, the LORD warns that Aaron must not enter within the vail at any time he chooses. He specifies the offerings, linen garments, and washing for the appointed service. Lots are cast over two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.
Key Truth: Approaching the holy place follows the LORD's appointed time and manner.
Check What You Remember
1. Could Aaron enter within the vail whenever he chose? (Leviticus 16:2)
Find it in Leviticus 16:2 (KJV).
2. What material were his holy garments made of? (Leviticus 16:4)
Find it in Leviticus 16:4 (KJV).
3. How many goats were presented for the congregation? (Leviticus 16:5)
Find it in Leviticus 16:5 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Leviticus 16:11–22 — Atonement and the Live Goat
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Aaron presents the bullock for himself and the goat for the people, bringing incense and blood within the vail as instructed. Atonement is made for the holy place, tabernacle, and altar. He then lays both hands on the live goat, confesses Israel's sins, and sends it into the wilderness by the appointed man.
Key Truth: The service addresses the people's sins and the uncleanness affecting the sanctuary.
Check What You Remember
1. How many times was blood sprinkled before the mercy seat? (Leviticus 16:14)
Find it in Leviticus 16:14 (KJV).
2. How many hands did Aaron lay on the live goat? (Leviticus 16:21)
Find it in Leviticus 16:21 (KJV).
3. Where was the live goat sent? (Leviticus 16:21–22)
Find it in Leviticus 16:21–22 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Leviticus 16:23–34 — A Yearly Day of Atonement
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The passage completes the washing and offering instructions and sets the service on the tenth day of the seventh month. Israel is to afflict their souls and do no work. Atonement for the sanctuary, priests, and congregation is appointed once a year.
Key Truth: The LORD appoints a yearly service of atonement and rest for Israel.
Check What You Remember
1. On which day of the seventh month was this service appointed? (Leviticus 16:29)
Find it in Leviticus 16:29 (KJV).
2. Were the people to do work that day? (Leviticus 16:29)
Find it in Leviticus 16:29 (KJV).
3. How often was this atonement appointed? (Leviticus 16:34)
Find it in Leviticus 16:34 (KJV).
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does the incense cloud relate to Aaron’s restricted approach?
2. How do the lots assign different roles to the two goats?
3. How does Aaron’s household offering precede the blood offering for the people?
4. How does confession accompany sending the live goat away?
5. How does the annual statute include both native people and resident strangers?
Notes
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