Leviticus 12
New American Standard Bible
Laws of Motherhood
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:
‘When a woman gives birth and delivers a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days; (A)as she is in the days of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. 3 Then on (B)the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall stay at home in her condition of [a]blood purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. 5 But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall stay at home in her condition of [b]blood purification for sixty-six days.
6 ‘(C)When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove (D)as a [c]sin offering. 7 Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the [d]flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female. 8 But if [e]she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take (E)two turtledoves or two young doves, (F)the one as a burnt offering and the other as a [f]sin offering; and the (G)priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 12:4 Lit blood of purifying; i.e., ritually clean blood from childbirth
- Leviticus 12:5 See note v 4
- Leviticus 12:6 Or purification offering
- Leviticus 12:7 Lit fountain
- Leviticus 12:8 Lit her hand does not find enough for
- Leviticus 12:8 Or purification offering
Leviticus 12
Common English Bible
Purification after childbirth
12 The Lord said to Moses: 2 Say to the Israelites: If a woman conceives a child and gives birth to a son, she will be unclean for seven days—just as she is during her menstrual period. 3 On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin must be circumcised. 4 For thirty-three days the mother will be in a state of blood purification. She must not touch anything holy or enter the sacred area until her time of purification is completed. 5 But if the woman gives birth to a daughter, she will be unclean for two weeks—just as she is during her menstrual period—and will be in a state of blood purification[a] for sixty-six days.
6 When the time of purification is complete, whether for a son or a daughter, the mother must bring a one-year-old lamb as an entirely burned offering and a pigeon or turtledove as a purification offering to the priest at the meeting tent’s entrance. 7 The priest will present it before the Lord and make reconciliation for her. She will then be cleansed from her blood flow. This is the Instruction for any woman who has a child, male or female. 8 But if the mother cannot afford a sheep, she can bring two turtledoves or two pigeons—one for the entirely burned offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will then make reconciliation for her, and she will be clean.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 12:5 Heb uncertain
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