Leviticus 14-16

New International Reader's Version

Making People “Clean” From Skin Diseases

14 The Lord spoke to Moses. He told him to say to the people, ² “Here are the rules for making anyone ‘clean’ who has had a skin disease. They apply when the person is brought to the priest. ³ The priest must go outside the camp. He must look the person over carefully. Suppose they have been healed of their skin disease. ⁴ Then the priest will order someone to bring him two live ‘clean’ birds. He will also order someone to bring him some cedar wood, bright red yarn and branches of a hyssop plant. All these things will be used to make the person ‘clean.’ ⁵ The priest will order someone to kill one of the birds. It must be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁶ Then the priest must take the live bird. He must dip it into the blood of the bird killed over the fresh water. He must dip it into the blood together with the cedar wood, the bright red yarn and the hyssop plant. ⁷ The priest will sprinkle the blood on the person who had the skin disease. That will make them ‘clean.’ The priest must sprinkle them seven times. Then the priest must announce that they are ‘clean.’ After that, the priest must let the live bird go free in the open fields.

⁸ “The person must also wash their clothes to be made ‘clean.’ They must shave off all their hair. They must take a bath. Then they will be ‘clean.’ After that, they may come into the camp. But they must stay outside their tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day they must shave off all their hair. They must shave their head. They must shave off their beard. They must also shave off their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. Then they will be ‘clean.’

¹⁰ “On the eighth day they must bring two male lambs and one female lamb as an offering. The female must be a year old. The lambs must not have any flaws. They must also bring 11 pounds of the finest flour as a grain offering. They must mix it with olive oil. They must also bring 11 ounces of oil. ¹¹ The priest who announces that the person is ‘clean’ must bring them and their offerings to me. He must do it at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

¹² “Then the priest must take one of the male lambs. He must offer it as a guilt offering. He must offer it along with 11 ounces of oil. He must lift all of it up and wave it in front of me as a wave offering. ¹³ He must kill the lamb in the holy area where sin offerings and burnt offerings are killed. The guilt offering belongs to the priest, just as the sin offering does. The guilt offering is very holy. ¹⁴ The priest must take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the person’s right earlobe. He must put some on the thumb of their right hand. He must also put some on the big toe of their right foot. ¹⁵ Then the priest must take some of the oil and pour it into his own left hand. ¹⁶ He must dip his right forefinger into the oil in his hand. He must use his finger to sprinkle some of the oil in front of me seven times. ¹⁷ The priest must put some of the oil in his hand on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering. He must put some on the person’s right earlobe. He must put some on the thumb of their right hand. He must put some on the big toe of their right foot. ¹⁸ He must put on their head the rest of the oil in his hand. It will pay for the person’s sin in my sight.

¹⁹ “Then the priest must sacrifice the sin offering. It will pay for the person’s sin. They will be made ‘clean’ after being ‘unclean.’ After that, the priest will kill the burnt offering. ²⁰ He will offer it on the altar. He will offer it together with the grain offering. It will pay for the person’s sin. Then they will be ‘clean.’

²¹ “But suppose they are poor. Suppose they can’t afford all these offerings. Then they must bring one male lamb as a guilt offering. It must be lifted up and waved in front of me to pay for their sin. They must also bring three and a half pounds of the finest flour along with the lamb. They must mix the flour with olive oil. It is a grain offering. They must offer it along with 11 ounces of oil. ²² They must also bring two doves or two young pigeons that they can afford. One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering.

²³ “On the eighth day they must bring them to the priest so they can be made ‘clean.’ They must bring them to the entrance to the tent of meeting. They must do it in my sight. ²⁴ The priest must take the lamb for the guilt offering. He must take it together with the 11 ounces of oil. He must lift all of it up and wave it in front of me as a wave offering. ²⁵ He must kill the lamb for the guilt offering. He must take some of its blood and put it on the person’s right earlobe. He must put some on the thumb of their right hand. He must also put some on the big toe of their right foot. ²⁶ The priest must pour some of the oil into his own left hand. ²⁷ He must dip his right forefinger into the oil in his hand. He must use his finger to sprinkle some of it seven times in front of me. ²⁸ Here is what he must do with some of the oil in his hand. He must put it on the same places where he put the blood of the guilt offering. He must put some on the person’s right earlobe. He must put some on the thumb of their right hand. He must also put some on the big toe of their right foot. ²⁹ He must put on their head the rest of the oil in his hand. It will pay for the person’s sin in my sight. ³⁰ The priest will sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons that the person can afford. ³¹ One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering. The priest must offer them together with the grain offering. In that way he will pay for the person’s sin in my sight. He will do it to make them ‘clean.’ ”

³² These are the rules for anyone who has a skin disease. They are for people who can’t afford the regular offerings that are required to make them “clean.”

Making Things “Clean” From Mold

³³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He told them to say to the people, ³⁴ “You will enter the land of Canaan. I am giving it to you as your own. When you enter it, suppose I put mold in one of your houses. And suppose the mold spreads. ³⁵ Then the owner of that house must go and speak to the priest. He must say, ‘I’ve seen something that looks like mold in my house.’ ³⁶ The priest must order everything to be taken out of the house. It must be done before he goes in to look carefully at the mold. If it is not done, the priest must announce that everything in the house is ‘unclean.’ After the house is empty the priest must go in and check it. ³⁷ He must look carefully at the mold on the walls. Suppose it looks as if it has green or red dents in it. And suppose the dents look as if they are behind the surface of the wall. ³⁸ Then the priest must go out the door. He must close the house up for seven days. ³⁹ On the seventh day the priest will return to check the house. Suppose the mold on the walls has spread. ⁴⁰ Then he must order someone to tear out the stones that have mold on them. He must have them thrown into an ‘unclean’ place outside the town. ⁴¹ He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped. Everything scraped off must be dumped into an ‘unclean’ place outside the town. ⁴² Then other stones must be put in the place of the stones that had mold on them. The inside walls of the house must be coated with new clay.

⁴³ “Suppose the stones have been torn out. The house has been scraped. And the walls have been coated with new clay. But the mold appears again. ⁴⁴ Then the priest must go and look things over carefully. Suppose the mold has spread in the house. Then it is the kind of mold that destroys things. The house is not ‘clean.’ ⁴⁵ It must be torn down. The stones, the wood and all the clay coating must be torn out. All of it must be taken out of the town to an ‘unclean’ place.

⁴⁶ “Suppose someone goes into the house while it is closed up. Then they will be ‘unclean’ until evening. ⁴⁷ If they sleep or eat in the house, they must wash their clothes.

⁴⁸ “But suppose the priest comes to look things over carefully. And suppose the mold has not spread after the walls had been coated with new clay. Then he will announce that the house is ‘clean.’ The mold is gone. ⁴⁹ To make the house pure, the priest must get two birds. He must also get some cedar wood, bright red yarn and branches of a hyssop plant. ⁵⁰ He must kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁵¹ Then he must take the cedar wood, the hyssop plant, the bright red yarn and the live bird. He must dip all of them into the blood of the dead bird. He must also dip them into the fresh water. He must sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² The priest will use the blood and the water to make the house pure. He will use the live bird to make it pure. He will also use the cedar wood, the hyssop plant and the bright red yarn to make it pure. ⁵³ Then he must let the live bird go free in the open fields outside the town. In that way he will make the house pure. It will be ‘clean.’ ”

⁵⁴ These are the rules for skin diseases. They apply to sores. ⁵⁵ They apply to mold in clothes or in houses. ⁵⁶ They also apply to swellings, rashes or shiny red spots on the skin. ⁵⁷ Use these rules to decide whether something is “clean” or not.

These are the rules for skin diseases and for mold.

Rules About Liquid Body Wastes

15 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Suppose liquid waste is flowing out of a man’s body. That liquid is not “clean.” ³ It does not matter whether it continues to flow out of his body or is blocked. It will make him “unclean.” Here is how his liquid body waste will make him “unclean.”

⁴ “ ‘Any bed the man who has the flow of liquid body waste lies on will be “unclean.” Anything he sits on will be “unclean.” ⁵ Anyone who touches the man’s bed must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening. ⁶ Suppose someone sits on something the man sat on. Then they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening.

⁷ “ ‘Suppose someone touches the man who has the flow of liquid body waste. Then they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening.

⁸ “ ‘Suppose someone is “clean.” And suppose the man who has the flow of liquid waste spits on them. Then they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening.

⁹ “ ‘Everything the man sits on when he is riding will be “unclean.” ¹⁰ Suppose someone touches any of the things that were under him. Then they will be “unclean” until evening. Even if they pick up those things, they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening.

¹¹ “ ‘Suppose the man who has the liquid flow touches someone. And suppose he does it without rinsing his hands with water. Then the person he touched must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening.

¹² “ ‘Suppose the man touches a clay pot. Then that pot must be broken. Any wooden thing he touches must be rinsed with water.

¹³ “ ‘Suppose the man has been healed from his liquid flow. Then he must wait seven days. He must wash his clothes. He must take a bath in fresh water. After that, he will be “clean.” ¹⁴ On the eighth day he must get two doves or two young pigeons. He must come to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. There he must give the birds to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest must sacrifice them. One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering. In that way the priest will pay for the man’s sin in the sight of the Lord. He will do it because the man had a liquid flow.

¹⁶ “ ‘Suppose semen flows from a man’s body. Then he must wash his whole body with water. He will be “unclean” until evening. ¹⁷ Suppose clothes or leather have semen on them. Then they must be washed with water. They will be “unclean” until evening. ¹⁸ Suppose a man sleeps with a woman. And suppose semen flows from his body and touches both of them. Then they must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening.

¹⁹ “ ‘Suppose a woman is having her regular monthly period. Then for seven days she will be “unclean.” Anyone who touches her will be “unclean” until evening.

²⁰ “ ‘Anything she lies on during her period will be “unclean.” Anything she sits on will be “unclean.” ²¹ Anyone who touches her bed must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening. ²² Anyone who touches anything she sits on must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening. ²³ It does not matter whether it was her bed or anything she was sitting on. If anyone touches it, they will be “unclean” until evening.

²⁴ “ ‘Suppose a man sleeps with that woman. And suppose blood from her monthly period touches him. Then he will be “unclean” for seven days. Any bed he lies on will be “unclean.”

²⁵ “ ‘Suppose blood flows from a woman’s body for many days. And it happens at a time other than her monthly period. Or blood keeps flowing after her period is over. Then she will be “unclean” as long as the blood continues to flow. She will be “unclean,” just as she is during the days of her period. ²⁶ Any bed she lies on while her blood continues to flow will be “unclean.” It is the same as it is when she is having her period. Anything she sits on will be “unclean.” ²⁷ If anyone touches those things, they will be “unclean.” They must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be “unclean” until evening.

²⁸ “ ‘Suppose the woman has been healed from her flow of blood. Then she must wait seven days. After that, she will be “clean.” ²⁹ On the eighth day she must get two doves or two young pigeons. She must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³⁰ The priest must sacrifice them. One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering. In that way he will pay for her sin in the sight of the Lord. He will do it because her flow of blood made her “unclean.”

³¹ “ ‘You must keep the Israelites away from things that make them “unclean.” Then they will not die for being “unclean.” And they will not die for making the place “unclean” where I, the Lord, live. It is in the middle of the camp.’ ”

³² These are the rules for a man who has liquid waste flowing out of his body. They apply to a man made “unclean” by semen that flows from his body. ³³ They apply to a woman having her monthly period. They apply to a man or woman who has a liquid flow. And they apply to a man who sleeps with a woman who is “unclean.”

The Day When Sin Is Paid For

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after two of Aaron’s sons had died. They were the sons who died when they came near the Lord. ² The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to your brother Aaron. Tell him not to come into the Most Holy Room just anytime he wants to. Tell him not to come behind the curtain in front of the cover of the ark. The cover is the place where sin is paid for. If he comes behind the curtain, he will die. That is because I appear in the cloud over the cover.

³ “Aaron must not enter the area of the Most Holy Room without bringing a sacrifice. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering. He must also bring a ram for a burnt offering. ⁴ He must put on the sacred inner robe made out of linen. He must wear linen underwear next to his body. He must tie the linen belt around him. And he must put the linen turban on his head. Those are sacred clothes. So he must take a bath before he puts them on. ⁵ The community of Israel must give him two male goats and a ram. The goats are for a sin offering. The ram is for a burnt offering.

⁶ “Aaron must offer the bull for his own sin offering. It will pay for his own sin and the sin of his whole family. ⁷ Then he must take the two goats and bring them to me at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ He must cast lots for the two goats. One lot is for me. The other is for the goat that carries the people’s sins away. ⁹ Aaron must bring the goat chosen for me by lot. He must sacrifice it for a sin offering. ¹⁰ But the goat chosen by the other lot must remain alive. First, it must be brought in to me to pay for the people’s sins. Then, it must be sent into the desert as a goat that carries the people’s sins away.

¹¹ “Aaron must bring the bull for his own sin offering. It will pay for his own sin and the sin of his whole family. He must kill the bull for his own sin offering. ¹² He must take a shallow cup full of burning coals from the altar in my sight. He must get two handfuls of incense completely ground up. The incense must smell sweet. He must take the cup and the incense behind the curtain. ¹³ He must put the incense on the fire in my sight. The smoke from the incense will hide the cover of the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. The cover is the place where sin is paid for. Aaron must burn the incense so that he will not die. ¹⁴ He must dip his finger in the bull’s blood. He must sprinkle it on the front of the cover of the ark. He must sprinkle some in front of the cover. He must do it seven times.

¹⁵ “Then Aaron must kill the goat for the sin offering for the people. He must take its blood behind the curtain. There he must do the same thing with it as he did with the bull’s blood. He must sprinkle it on the cover of the ark. He must also sprinkle some in front of it. ¹⁶ That is how he will make the Most Holy Room pure. He must do it because the Israelites are not ‘clean.’ They have not obeyed me. They have also committed other sins. Aaron must do the same for the tent of meeting because it stands in the middle of the camp. And the camp is ‘unclean.’ ¹⁷ Aaron will go into the Most Holy Room to pay for the people’s sin. While Aaron is there, no one may be in the tent of meeting. No one may enter the tent until Aaron comes out. He will not come out until he has paid for his own sin and the sin of his whole family. He will not come out until he has also paid for the sin of the whole community of Israel.

¹⁸ “Then he will come out to the altar for burnt offerings. It is in front of the tent where the ark of the Lord is. He will make the altar pure and clean. He will take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood. Then he will put the blood on all the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar. ¹⁹ He will sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times. He will do it to make the altar pure. He will do it to set it apart from the Israelites. They are ‘unclean.’

²⁰ “Aaron will finish making the Most Holy Room pure and ‘clean.’ He will finish making the tent of meeting and the altar pure. Then he will bring out the live goat. ²¹ He must place both of his hands on its head. While he does that, he must tell me about all the sins the Israelites have committed. He must tell me about all their evil acts and the times they did not obey me. In that way he puts their sins on the goat’s head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert. The goat will be led away by a man appointed to do it. ²² The goat will carry all their sins on itself to a place where there are no people. And the man will set the goat free in the desert.

²³ “Then Aaron must go into the tent of meeting. He must take off the linen clothes he put on before he entered the Most Holy Room. He must leave them there. ²⁴ He must take a bath in the holy area. And he must put on his regular clothes. Then he will come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself. He will also sacrifice the burnt offering for the people. That will pay for his own sin and the people’s sin. ²⁵ He will also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶ “The man who sets free the goat that carries the people’s sins away must wash his clothes. He must take a bath. After that, he can come back into the camp. ²⁷ The bull and the goat for the sin offerings must be taken outside the camp. Their blood was brought into the Most Holy Room. It paid for sin. The hides, meat and guts of the animals must be burned up. ²⁸ The man who burns them must wash his clothes. He must take a bath. After that, he can come back into the camp.

²⁹ “Here is a law for you that will last for all time to come. On the tenth day of the seventh month you must not eat anything. You must not do any work. It does not matter whether you are Israelites or outsiders. ³⁰ On that day your sin will be paid for. You will be made pure and clean. You will be clean from all your sins in my sight. ³¹ That day is a sabbath for you. You must rest on it. You must not eat anything on that day. This is a law that will last for all time to come. ³² The high priest must pay for sin. He must make everything pure and clean. He has been anointed and prepared to become the next high priest after his father. He must put on the sacred clothes that are made out of linen. ³³ He must make the Most Holy Room, the tent of meeting and the altar pure. And he must pay for the sin of the priests and all the members of the community.

³⁴ “Here is a law for you that will last for all time to come. Once a year you must pay for all the sin of the Israelites.”

So it was done, just as the Lord commanded Moses.