Add parallel Print Page Options

Statute for Cleansing Bodily Discharges

15 Yahweh also spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(A)When any man has a discharge from his [a]body, [b]his discharge is unclean. This, moreover, shall be his uncleanness in his discharge: it is his uncleanness whether his body allows its discharge to flow or whether his body obstructs its discharge. Every bed on which the person with the discharge lies becomes unclean, and everything on which he sits becomes unclean. Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening; and whoever sits on the thing on which the man with the discharge has been sitting shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Also whoever touches the [c]person with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Or if the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, he too shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Every saddle on which the person with the discharge rides becomes unclean. 10 Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and he who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 11 Likewise, whomever the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 12 However, an (B)earthenware vessel which the person with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden vessel shall be rinsed in water.

13 ‘Now when the man with the discharge becomes cleansed from his discharge, then he (C)shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing; he shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in [d]running water and will become clean. 14 Then on the eighth day he shall take for himself (D)two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before Yahweh to the doorway of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest; 15 and the priest shall offer them, (E)one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So (F)the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before Yahweh because of his discharge.

16 (G)Now if a [e]man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening. 17 As for any garment or any leather on which there is seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening. 18 If there is a woman with whom a man lies so that there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be (H)unclean until evening.

19 (I)If a woman has a discharge, and her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20 Everything also on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. 21 And anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 22 And whoever touches any thing on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 23 Whether it be on the bed or on the thing on which she is sitting, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24 (J)If a man actually lies with her so that her menstrual impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

25 (K)Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond [f]that period, all the days of her unclean discharge she shall continue as though [g]in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. 26 Any bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her like [h]her bed at menstruation; and every thing on which she sits shall be unclean, like her uncleanness from her menstrual impurity. 27 Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 28 Now if she becomes clean from her discharge, she shall count off for herself seven days; and afterward she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them in to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 30 And the priest shall [i]offer the (L)one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before Yahweh because of her unclean discharge.’

31 “Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by (M)making My [j]tabernacle that is among them unclean.” 32 This is the law for the one with a discharge, and for the man [k]who has a seminal emission so that he is unclean by it, 33 and for the woman who is ill because of menstrual impurity, and for the one who has a discharge, whether a male or a female, or a man who lies with an unclean woman.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 15:2 Lit flesh, so in ch
  2. Leviticus 15:2 Or by his discharge, he is unclean
  3. Leviticus 15:7 Lit flesh
  4. Leviticus 15:13 Lit living
  5. Leviticus 15:16 Lit man’s...goes out from him
  6. Leviticus 15:25 Lit her menstrual impurity
  7. Leviticus 15:25 Lit in the days of
  8. Leviticus 15:26 Lit the bed of her menstrual impurity
  9. Leviticus 15:30 Lit make
  10. Leviticus 15:31 Lit dwelling place
  11. Leviticus 15:32 Lit whose seminal emission goes out from him

Purification From Bodily Discharges

15 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to speak to the Israelites and to tell them this:

Whenever a man has a discharge flowing from his flesh,[a] that discharge is unclean.

This is the law[b] about how a bodily discharge makes someone unclean: Whether his flesh secretes a discharge or it has a blocked discharge, ⎣he is unclean. As long as his flesh has a discharge or his body blocks a discharge,⎦[c] this makes him unclean.

Any bedding that the man with a discharge lies on is unclean, and every object on which he sits becomes unclean. Anyone who touches his bedding must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset. Whoever sits on any object on which the man with a discharge sat must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset. Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset.

If the man with a discharge spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset.

Any saddle on which the man with a discharge rides becomes unclean. 10 Everyone who touches anything that was under him will become unclean until sunset, and whoever carries these things must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset. 11 If the man with a discharge touches anyone without washing his hands, that person must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset. 12 Any clay pottery that the man with a discharge touches must be broken, and any vessel or utensil made of wood must be rinsed with water.

13 When the man with a discharge has been cleansed from his discharge, he shall count off seven days for his process of purification, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in water from a flowing source; then, he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and give them to the priest. 15 The priest shall present the offering for them—one bird as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering. This is how the priest shall make atonement for the man in the presence of the Lord, from his discharge.

16 When a man has an emission of semen,[d] he must bathe his whole body in water and remain unclean until sunset. 17 Any garment or leather with an emission of semen on it must be washed in water and remain unclean until sunset.

18 Also if a man lies down with a woman and has an emission of semen, they must bathe in water and remain unclean until sunset.

19 When a woman has a discharge of blood from her flesh, her menstrual impurity[e] will last for seven days. Anyone who touches her will remain unclean until sunset. 20 Everything on which she lies during her monthly period is unclean, and everything on which she sits becomes unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset, 22 and anyone who touches anything on which she sat must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset. 23 If the uncleanness is on the bed or on anything else on which she is sitting when he touches it, he will become unclean until sunset. 24 And if a man lies down with her, and her menstrual impurity comes in contact with him, he will be unclean for seven days. Any bed on which he lies will be unclean.

25 When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days besides during the time of her monthly period, or when she has a discharge that lasts longer than her monthly period, she will be unclean for as many days as her discharge continues, just as she is during her monthly period. 26 During her discharge any bed on which she lies is to be treated just like the bed during her monthly period, and every piece of furniture on which she sits will be unclean, as it would be during the impurity of her monthly period. 27 Anyone who touches them will become unclean. Any such people must wash their clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset.

28 When she is cleansed from her discharge, she shall count off seven days, and after that she will be clean. 29 On the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons for herself and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 30 The priest shall offer one dove as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering. This is how the priest is to make atonement for her in the presence of the Lord, from the impurity of her discharge.

31 In this way you shall separate the people of Israel from their impurity, so that they do not die in their impurity because they defiled my dwelling place that is in their midst.

32 This is the law for those who have a discharge: for a man who has an emission of semen by which he becomes unclean, 33 for a woman who is not well because of her menstrual period, for anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies down with a woman who is unclean.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 15:2 Flesh may be a euphemism for genitals, as it sometimes is elsewhere in the Old Testament. See verses 16 and 19 which clearly refer to discharges from the genitals.
  2. Leviticus 15:3 The words the law do not appear in the Hebrew text but are in the Greek Old Testament and agree with a pattern common throughout this section of Leviticus.
  3. Leviticus 15:3 The main Hebrew text is missing these words in half-brackets:⎣he is unclean. As long as his flesh has a discharge or his body blocks a discharge⎦. Ancient Hebrew and Greek versions support this addition to the text. The repetition of the term discharge seems to be the cause of the accidental omission from the Hebrew text, as the scribe’s eye skipped from one occurrence of discharge to the next.
  4. Leviticus 15:16 Literally a laying down of seed
  5. Leviticus 15:19 The Hebrew word translated menstrual impurity is a different word than the word commonly used for impurity or uncleanness throughout this section.