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Sanitary, Ritual, and Humanitarian Precepts

“When you are encamped against your enemies, you shall guard against every evil thing.

10 “If one of you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp; he must not come within the camp. 11 When evening comes, he shall wash himself with water, and when the sun has set, he may come back into the camp.

12 “You shall have a designated area outside the camp to which you shall go. 13 With your tools you shall have a trowel; when you relieve yourself outside, you shall dig a hole with it and then cover up your excrement. 14 Because the Lord your God travels along with your camp, to save you and to hand over your enemies to you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

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Uncleanness in the Camp

When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.(A) 10 If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there.(B) 11 But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset(C) he may return to the camp.(D)

12 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. 13 As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. 14 For the Lord your God moves(E) about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy,(F) so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.

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