Leviticus, 14

1. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

1. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

2. "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: Every man who is afflicted with a chronic flow from his private parts is thereby unclean.

2. 'This is the law to be applied on the day of the purification of someone who has suffered from a contagious skin-disease. Such a person will be taken to the priest,

3. Such is his uncleanness from this flow that it makes no difference whether the flow drains off or is blocked up; his uncleanness remains.

3. and the priest will go outside the camp. If he finds on examination that the person has recovered from the disease,

4. Any bed on which the man afflicted with the flow lies, is unclean, and any piece of furniture on which he sits, is unclean.

4. he will order the following to be brought for his purification: two live birds that are clean, some cedar wood, scarlet material and hyssop.

5. Anyone who touches his bed shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

5. He will then order one of the birds to be slaughtered in an earthenware pot over running water.

6. Whoever sits on a piece of furniture on which the afflicted man was sitting, shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

6. He will then take the live bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet material and the hyssop and dip all this (including the live bird) into the blood of the bird slaughtered over running water.

7. Whoever touches the body of the afflicted man shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

7. He will then sprinkle the person to be purified of the skin-disease seven times, and having declared the person clean, will set the live bird free to fly off into the countryside.

8. If the afflicted man spits on a clean man, the latter shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

8. The person who is being purified will then wash all clothing, shave off all hair, and wash, and will then be clean. After this he will return to the camp, although he will remain outside his tent for seven days.

9. Any saddle on which the afflicted man rides, is unclean.

9. On the seventh day he will shave off all his hair-head, beard and eyebrows; he will shave off all his hair. After washing his clothing and his body he will be clean.

10. Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening; whoever lifts up any such thing shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

10. 'On the eighth day he will take two unblemished lambs, an unblemished ewe one year old, three-tenths of wheaten flour mixed with oil for the cereal offering, and one log of oil.

11. Anyone whom the afflicted man touches with unrinsed hands shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

11. The priest who is performing the purification will place the person who is being purified, with all his offerings, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before Yahweh.

12. Earthenware touched by the afflicted man shall be broken; and every wooden article shall be rinsed with water.

12. He will then take one of the lambs and offer it as a sacrifice of reparation, as also the log of oil. With these he will make the gesture of offering before Yahweh.

13. "When a man who has been afflicted with a flow becomes free of his affliction, he shall wait seven days for his purification. Then he shall wash his garments and bathe his body in fresh water, and so he will be clean.

13. He will then slaughter the lamb on that spot inside the holy place where the victims for the sacrifice for sin and for the burnt offering are slaughtered. This reparatory offering, like the sacrifice for sin, will revert to the priest: it is especially holy.

14. On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, and going before the LORD, to the entrance of the meeting tent, he shall give them to the priest,

14. The priest will then take some blood of this sacrifice and put it on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person who is being purified.

15. who shall offer them up, the one as a sin offering and the other as a holocaust. Thus shall the priest make atonement before the LORD for the man's flow.

15. He will then take the log of oil and pour a little into the hollow of his left hand.

16. "When a man has an emission of seed, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until evening.

16. He will dip a finger of his right hand into the oil in the hollow of his left hand, and sprinkle the oil with his finger seven times before Yahweh.

17. Any piece of cloth or leather with seed on it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.

17. He will then take some of the oil left in the hollow of his hand and put it on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified, in addition to the blood of the sacrifice of reparation.

18. "If a man lies carnally with a woman, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

18. The rest of the oil in the hollow of his hand he will put on the head of the person who is being purified. This is how the priest will perform the rite of expiation for such a person before Yahweh.

19. "When a woman has her menstrual flow, she shall be in a state of impurity for seven days. Anyone who touches her shall be unclean until evening.

19. 'The priest will then offer the sacrifice for sin, and perform the rite of expiation for uncleanness for the person who is being purified. After this, he will slaughter the burnt offering

20. Anything on which she lies or sits during her impurity shall be unclean.

20. and offer this and the cereal offering on the altar. So, when the priest has performed the rite of expiation for him the person will be clean.

21. Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

21. 'If he is poor and cannot afford all this, he need take only one lamb, the one for the sacrifice of reparation, and this will be presented with the gesture of offering to perform the rite of expiation for him. And for the cereal offering he will only take one-tenth of wheaten flour mixed with oil, and the log of oil,

22. Whoever touches any article of furniture on which she was sitting, shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

22. and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one for a sacrifice for sin and the other for the burnt offering.

23. But if she is on the bed or on the seat when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening.

23. He will bring these on the eighth day to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh, for his purification.

24. If a man dares to lie with her, he contracts her impurity and shall be unclean for seven days; every bed on which he then lies also becomes unclean.

24. The priest will take the lamb for the sacrifice of reparation and the log of oil, and present them before Yahweh with the gesture of offering.

25. "When a woman is afflicted with a flow of blood for several days outside her menstrual period, or when her flow continues beyond the ordinary period, as long as she suffers this unclean flow she shall be unclean, just as during her menstrual period.

25. He will then slaughter the lamb for the sacrifice of reparation, take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person who is being purified.

26. Any bed on which she lies during such a flow becomes unclean, as it would during her menstruation, and any article of furniture on which she sits becomes unclean just as during her menstruation.

26. He will pour the oil into the hollow of his left hand,

27. Anyone who touches them becomes unclean; he shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

27. and with his finger sprinkle the oil in the hollow of his left hand seven times before Yahweh.

28. "If she becomes freed from her affliction, she shall wait seven days, and only then is she to be purified.

28. He will then put some of the oil on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person who is being purified, as he did with the blood of the sacrifice of reparation.

29. On the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the meeting tent.

29. The remainder of the oil in the hollow of his hand he will put on the head of the person who is being purified, thus performing the rite of expiation for him before Yahweh.

30. The priest shall offer up one of them as a sin offering and the other as a holocaust. Thus shall the priest make atonement before the LORD for her unclean flow.

30. Of the two turtledoves or two young pigeons -- whatever he has been able to afford -- he will offer

31. "You shall warn the Israelites of their uncleanness, lest by defiling my Dwelling, which is in their midst, their uncleanness be the cause of their death.

31. a sacrifice for sin with one, and with the other a burnt offering with a cereal offering -- whatever he has been able to afford. This is how the priest will perform before Yahweh the rite of expiation for the person who is being purified.

32. "This is the law for the man who is afflicted with a chronic flow, or who has an emission of seed, and thereby becomes unclean;

32. 'Such is the law concerning someone with a contagious skin-disease who cannot afford the means of purification.'

33. as well as for the woman who has her menstrual period, or who is afflicted with a chronic flow; the law for male and female; and also for the man who lies with an unclean woman."

33. Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron and said:

34.

34. 'When you reach Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, if I infect a house with a disease in the country which you are to possess,

35.

35. the owner will come and inform the priest and say, "I have seen something like a skin-disease in the house."

36.

36. The priest will order the house to be emptied before he goes to examine the infection, or everything in the house will become unclean; after which, the priest will go inside and examine the house;

37.

37. and if on examination he finds the walls of the house pitted with reddish or greenish depressions which appear to be eating away the wall,

38.

38. the priest will then go out of the house, to the door, and shut it up for seven days.

39.

39. On the seventh day, the priest will come back and if on examination he finds that the infection has spread over the walls of the house,

40.

40. he will order the infected stones to be removed and thrown into some unclean place outside the town.

41.

41. He will then have all the inside of the house scraped, and the plaster that comes off will be emptied in an unclean place outside the town.

42.

42. The stones will then be replaced with new ones and the house given a new coat of plaster.

43.

43. 'If the infection spreads again after the stones have been removed and the house scraped and replastered,

44.

44. the priest will come and examine it. If he finds that the infection has spread, this means that there is a contagious disease in the house: it is unclean.

45.

45. It must be pulled down and the stones, woodwork and all the plaster be taken to an unclean place outside the town.

46.

46. 'Anyone who enters the house while it is closed will be unclean until evening.

47.

47. Anyone who sleeps there will wash his clothes. Anyone who eats there will wash his clothes.

48.

48. But if the priest finds, when he comes to examine the infection, that it has not spread in the house since it was plastered, he will declare the house clean, for the infection is cured.

49.

49. 'As a sacrifice for the defilement of the house, he will take two birds, some cedar wood, scarlet material and hyssop.

50.

50. He will slaughter one of the birds in an earthenware pot over running water.

51.

51. He will then take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet material and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the slaughtered bird and into the running water and sprinkle the house seven times;

52.

52. and after offering the sacrifice for the defilement of the house with the blood of the bird, the running water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet material,

53.

53. he will set the live bird free to fly out of the town into the countryside. Once the rite of expiation has been performed for the house in this way it will be clean.

54.

54. 'Such is the law governing all kinds of skin-disease and tinea,

55.

55. diseases of clothing and houses,

56.

56. swellings, scabs and spots. It defines the occasions when things are unclean and when clean.

57.

57. Such is the law on skin-diseases.'