Purification After Childbirth

12 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period.^{(A) 3} On the eighth day^(B) the boy is to be circumcised.^{(C) 4} Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. ⁵ If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding.

⁶ “‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over,^(D) she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb^(E) for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.^{[a](F) 7} He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.

“‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. ⁸ But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons,^(G) one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.^(H) In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.^(I)’”

Cleansing From Defiling Skin Diseases

14 The Lord said to Moses, ² “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest:^{(A) 3} The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them.^(B) If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease,^{[a](C) 4} the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop^(D) be brought for the person to be cleansed.^{(E) 5} Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.^{(F) 6} He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.^{(G) 7} Seven times^(H) he shall sprinkle^(I) the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.^(J)

⁸ “The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes,^(K) shave off all their hair and bathe with water;^(L) then they will be ceremonially clean.^(M) After this they may come into the camp,^(N) but they must stay outside their tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day^(O) they must shave off all their hair;^(P) they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean.^(Q)

¹⁰ “On the eighth day^(R) they must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb^(S) a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah^[b](T) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering,^(U) and one log^[c] of oil.^{(V) 11} The priest who pronounces them clean shall present^(W) both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^(X)

¹² “Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering,^(Y) along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.^{(Z) 13} He is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area^(AA) where the sin offering^[d] and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest;^(AB) it is most holy. ¹⁴ The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.^{(AC) 15} The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand,^{(AD) 16} dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the Lord seven times.^{(AE) 17} The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.^{(AF) 18} The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed^(AG) and make atonement for them before the Lord.

¹⁹ “Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from their uncleanness.^(AH) After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering ²⁰ and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for them,^(AI) and they will be clean.^(AJ)

²¹ “If, however, they are poor^(AK) and cannot afford these,^(AL) they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah^[e] of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, ²² and two doves or two young pigeons,^(AM) such as they can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.^(AN)

²³ “On the eighth day they must bring them for their cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting,^(AO) before the Lord.^{(AP) 24} The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering,^(AQ) together with the log of oil,^(AR) and wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.^{(AS) 25} He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.^{(AT) 26} The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,^{(AU) 27} and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering—on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. ²⁹ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for them before the Lord.^{(AV) 30} Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, such as the person can afford,^{(AW) 31} one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering,^(AX) together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one to be cleansed.^(AY)”

³² These are the regulations for anyone who has a defiling skin disease^(AZ) and who cannot afford the regular offerings^(BA) for their cleansing.

¹³ “‘When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days^(A) for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean.^{(B) 14} On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons^(C) and come before the Lord to the entrance to the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering^[a](D) and the other for a burnt offering.^(E) In this way he will make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.^(F)

²⁸ “‘When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. ²⁹ On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons^(A) and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³⁰ The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the Lord for the uncleanness of her discharge.^(B)

The Water of Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ² “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) 3} Give it to Eleazar^(D) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp^(E) and slaughtered in his presence. ⁴ 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. ⁵ While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.^{(G) 6} The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop^(H) and scarlet wool^(I) and throw them onto the burning heifer. ⁷ 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. ⁸ The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.

⁹ “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.”