Study Desk

"From the whole community of Israel, Aaron will accept two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

Then he will offer the bull for the sin offering. This sin offering is for himself. He will do this to purify himself and his family.

Aaron will throw lots for the two goats. One lot will be for the Lord . The other lot will be for Azazel.

"Then Aaron will offer the goat chosen by the lot for the Lord . Aaron will make this goat a sin offering.

But the goat chosen by the lot for Azazel will be brought alive before the Lord . Then this goat will be sent out to Azazel in the desert. This is to make the people pure.

"Then Aaron will offer the bull as a sin offering for himself. He will purify himself and his family. He will kill the bull for the sin offering for himself.

"Then Aaron will kill the goat of the sin offering for the people. He will bring this goat's blood into the room behind the curtain. He will do with the goat's blood as he did with the bull's blood. He will sprinkle the goat's blood on the mercy-cover and in front of it.

"The bull and the goat for the sin offerings will be taken outside the camp. (The blood from these animals was brought into the Holy Place to make the holy things pure.) The skins, bodies, and body waste of those animals will be burned in the fire.

"This law will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must not eat food. You must not do any work. None of the travelers or foreigners living in your land can do any work either.

You must humble yourselves because this day is a very important day of rest for you. This law will continue forever.

If you don't wash your clothes and bathe your whole body, you will be responsible for your guilt."

You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your father's brother. You must not go near your uncle's wife for sexual relations. She is your aunt.

"So you must obey my laws and rules. You must not do any of these terrible sins. These rules are for the citizens of Israel and the people living among you.

"Do not worship idols. Do not make statues of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

Don't pick all the grapes in your vineyards or pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. You must leave those things for your poor people and for people traveling through your country. I am the Lord your God.

The man must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He must bring a ram for a guilt offering.

The priest will make him pure by offering the ram as a guilt offering before the Lord . The offering is for the man's sins, which will then be forgiven.

"In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, you must wait three years before you can use any of the fruit from that tree. You must not use that fruit.

Then, in the fifth year, you can eat the fruit from that tree. And the tree will produce more and more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God.

"Do not go to mediums or wizards for advice—they will only make you unclean. I am the Lord your God.