红母牛的灰

19 耶和华对摩西和亚伦说: “要吩咐以色列人遵行我颁布的以下律法条例。

“以色列人要牵来一头毫无残疾、从未负过轭的红母牛。 你们要把牛交给以利亚撒祭司,然后牵到营外,当着他的面把牛宰了。 以利亚撒祭司要用指头蘸牛血,向会幕前面弹七次。 然后,要当着他的面焚烧红母牛,牛的皮、肉、血和粪都要烧掉。 祭司要把香柏木、牛膝草、朱红色线扔进烧牛的火里。 之后,祭司要洗衣沐浴,才能回营,但要等到傍晚才能洁净。 负责烧牛的人也要洗衣、沐浴,并且要等到傍晚才能洁净。 要由洁净的人把红母牛灰收起来,放在营外洁净的地方,用于给以色列会众制作除秽水,作除罪之用。 10 收起牛灰的人也要洗净衣服,等到傍晚才能洁净。以色列人和寄居的外族人都要永远遵行这定例。

11 “碰过尸体的人,七天不洁净。 12 他要在第三天和第七天用除秽水自洁,才能洁净,否则就不能洁净。 13 若有人碰过尸体却不自洁,他就玷污了耶和华的圣幕,要将他从以色列人中铲除,因为除秽水没有洒在他身上,污秽还留在他身上。 14 若有人死在帐篷里,当时走进帐篷的或在场的人都七天不洁净。 15 帐篷里没有盖的敞口器皿都不洁净。 16 人若在野外碰过被杀或自然死亡之人的尸体,或碰过死人的骸骨或坟墓,就七天不洁净。 17 要拿些除罪用的红母牛灰,放在器皿里,倒上清水, 18 然后由洁净的人拿牛膝草蘸这水洒在帐篷及里面所有的人和器具上,也要洒在碰过骸骨、坟墓、被杀者尸体或自然死亡者尸体的人身上。 19 要由洁净的人在第三天和第七天把水洒在不洁净的人身上。到第七天,接受洁净礼的人要洗衣、沐浴,等到傍晚才能洁净。 20 若有人沾了污秽却没有用除秽水自洁,他就不洁净,要将他从会众中铲除,因为他玷污了耶和华的圣所。 21 你们要永远遵行这定例。洒除秽水的人要洗净衣服。碰过除秽水的人要等到傍晚才能洁净。 22 不洁净的人碰过的东西都不洁净,碰过这些东西的人傍晚之前都不洁净。”

19 2 The sacrifice of the red cow. 9 The sprinkling water. 11 He that toucheth the dead. 14 The man that dieth in a tent.

And the Lord spake to Moses, and to Aaron, saying,

[a]This is the ordinance of the Law, which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring thee a red cow without blemish, wherein is no spot, upon the which never came yoke.

And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the Priest, that he may bring her (A)without the host, and cause her to [b]be slain before his face.

Then shall Eleazar the Priest take of her blood with his (B)finger, and sprinkle it before the Tabernacle of the Congregation seven times,

And cause the cow to be burnt in his sight: with her (C)skin, and her flesh, and her blood, and her dung shall he burn her.

Then shall the Priest take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet lace, and cast them in the midst of the fire where the cow burneth.

Then shall the [c]Priest wash his clothes, and he shall wash his flesh in water, and then come into the host, and the Priest shall be unclean unto the even.

Also he that [d]burneth her, shall wash his clothes in water, and wash his flesh in water, and be unclean until even.

And a man, that is clean, shall take up the ashes of the cow, and put them without the host in a clean place: and it shall be kept for the Congregation of the children of Israel for [e]a sprinkling water: it is a sin offering.

10 Therefore he that gathereth the ashes of the cow, shall wash his clothes, and remain unclean until even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that dwelleth among them, a statute forever.

11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man, shall be unclean even seven days.

12 He shall purify himself [f]therewith the third day, and the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.

13 Whosoever toucheth the corpse of any man that is dead, and purgeth not himself, defileth the Tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be [g]cut off from Israel, because the sprinkling water was not sprinkled upon him: he shall be unclean, and his uncleanness shall remain still upon him.

14 This is the law, When a man dieth in a tent, all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.

15 And all the vessels that be open, which have no [h]covering fastened upon them, shall be unclean.

16 Also whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the field, or a dead person, or a bone of a dead man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

17 Therefore for an unclean person, they shall take of the burnt ashes of the [i]sin offering, and [j]pure water shall be put thereto in a vessel.

18 And a [k]clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and on the persons that were therein, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave.

19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean the third day, and the seventh day, and he shall purify himself the seventh day, and [l]wash his clothes, and wash himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

20 But the man that is unclean, and purifieth not himself, that person shall be cut off from among the Congregation, because he hath defiled the Sanctuary of the Lord: and the sprinkling water hath not been sprinkled upon him: therefore shall he be unclean.

21 And it shall be a perpetual law unto them, that he that sprinkleth the sprinkling water, shall wash his clothes: also he that toucheth the sprinkling water, shall be unclean until even.

22 And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean: and the person that toucheth [m]him, shall be unclean until the even.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 19:2 According to this law and ceremony ye shall sacrifice the red cow.
  2. Numbers 19:3 By another Priest.
  3. Numbers 19:7 Meaning, Eleazar.
  4. Numbers 19:8 The inferior Priest who killed her, and burned her.
  5. Numbers 19:9 Or, the water of separation because they that were separate for their uncleanness, were sprinkled therewith and made clean, Num. 8:7. It is also called holy water, because [it] was ordained to an holy use, Num. 1:17.
  6. Numbers 19:12 With the sprinkling water.
  7. Numbers 19:13 So that he should not be esteemed to be of the holy people. But as a polluted and excommunicated person.
  8. Numbers 19:15 Hebrew, a covering of cloth.
  9. Numbers 19:17 Of the red cow burnt for sin.
  10. Numbers 19:17 Water of the fountain or river.
  11. Numbers 19:18 One of the priests which is clean.
  12. Numbers 19:19 Because he had been among them that were unclean: or, else had touched the water, as verse 21.
  13. Numbers 19:22 That is, unclean.

The Water of Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer(A) without defect or blemish(B) and that has never been under a yoke.(C) Give it to Eleazar(D) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp(E) and slaughtered in his presence. Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle(F) it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.(G) The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop(H) and scarlet wool(I) and throw them onto the burning heifer. After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.(J) He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.

“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer(K) and put them in a ceremonially clean place(L) outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;(M) it is for purification from sin.(N) 10 The man who gathers up(O) the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening.(P) This will be a lasting ordinance(Q) both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.(R)

11 “Whoever touches a human corpse(S) will be unclean for seven days.(T) 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;(U) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.(V) 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,(W) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.(X) They must be cut off from Israel.(Y) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;(Z) their uncleanness remains on them.

14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container(AA) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,(AB) or anyone who touches a human bone(AC) or a grave,(AD) will be unclean for seven days.(AE)

17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes(AF) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water(AG) over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,(AH) dip it in the water and sprinkle(AI) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave(AJ) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle(AK) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.(AL) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes(AM) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20 But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled(AN) the sanctuary of the Lord.(AO) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.(AP) 21 This is a lasting ordinance(AQ) for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22 Anything that an unclean(AR) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”