Translation:Mishnah/Seder Nezikin/Tractate Shevuot/Chapter 1/6

Hebrew Text

 * ועל זדון טומאת מקדש וקודשיו,
 * שעיר הנעשה בפנים ויום הכיפורים מכפר;


 * ועל שאר עבירות שבתורה –
 * הקלות והחמורות,
 * הזדונות והשגגות,
 * הודע ולא הודע,
 * עשה ולא תעשה,
 * כרתות ומיתות בית דין –
 * שעיר המשתלח מכפר.

English Translation

 * For an intentional sin involving the impurity of the Temple and its sacred objects,
 * the he-goat which [has its blood service] performed Inside and the Day of Atonement atone;


 * For the other transgressions in the Torah –
 * minor ones and major ones,
 * intentional ones and unintentional ones,
 * where one found out [about it] [later] or did not find out,
 * a positive commandment or a negative commandment,
 * ones [punishable by] excision and ones [punishable by] capital punishment –
 * the Sent He-goat atones.



Explanation
excision: The punishment of excision, or karet, is the subject of some dispute among rabbinic authorities. It either represents an early death, childlessness, or a post-mortem spiritual punishment.

Sent He-goat: A unique service performed on Yom Kippur, the Sent He-goat is selected out of a pair by lottery, after which it is sent off to "carry the sins" of Israel to the wilderness; there it is killed by a fall from a cliff. The other of the pair is, at the same time, designated as the he-goat whose service is performed in the Holy of Holies. (See Leviticus 16:5–22)