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Leviticus 12
Christian Standard Bible

Purification after Childbirth

12 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites: When a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a male child,(A) she will be unclean seven days, as she is during the days of her menstrual impurity.(B) 3 The flesh of his foreskin(C) must be circumcised(D) on the eighth day.(E) 4 She will continue in purification(F) from her bleeding(G) for thirty-three days. She must not touch any holy thing or go into the sanctuary until completing her days of purification. 5 But if she gives birth to a female child, she will be unclean for two weeks as she is during her menstrual impurity. She will continue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-six days.

6 “When her days of purification are complete, whether for a son or daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin[a] offering. 7 He will present them before the Lord and make atonement on her behalf; she will be clean from her discharge of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or female. 8 But if she doesn’t have sufficient means[b](H) for a sheep, she may take two turtledoves or two young pigeons,(I) one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.”

Footnotes

  1. 12:6 Or purification, also in v. 8
  2. 12:8 Lit if her hand cannot obtain what is sufficient
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Leviticus 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 12

Uncleanness of Childbirth. 1 The Lord said to Moses: 2 Tell the Israelites: When a woman has a child, giving birth to a boy, she shall be unclean[a] for seven days, with the same uncleanness as during her menstrual period.(A) 3 On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin shall be circumcised,[b](B) 4 and then she shall spend thirty-three days more in a state of blood purity; she shall not touch anything sacred nor enter the sanctuary till the days of her purification are fulfilled. 5 If she gives birth to a girl, for fourteen days she shall be as unclean as during her menstrual period, after which she shall spend sixty-six days[c] in a state of blood purity.

6 [d]When the days of her purification for a son or for a daughter are fulfilled,(C) she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a yearling lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove for a purification offering. 7 The priest shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and thus she will be clean again after her flow of blood. Such is the ritual for the woman who gives birth to a child, male or female. 8 If, however, she cannot afford a lamb,(D) she may take two turtledoves or two pigeons,(E) the one for a burnt offering and the other for a purification offering. The priest shall make atonement for her, and thus she will again be clean.

Footnotes

  1. 12:2–5 The mother has two stages of uncleanness or impurity: the first where her uncleanness is as severe as during her menstrual period and is contagious to profane persons and objects (cf. 15:19–24), and the second where she does not contaminate persons and objects but is still impure to what is holy, such as the sanctuary (12:4) or sacrifices. The implication is that in the second stage she may resume sexual relations with her husband (which would be prohibited in the first stage according to 18:19).
  2. 12:3 Circumcision is the sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Gn 17:1–27) and allows full participation in the religious community (Ex 12:43–49; Jos 5:2–10). This command was fulfilled after Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:21).
  3. 12:5 If she gives birth to a girl…sixty-six days: while the longer period of uncleanness following the birth of a girl, compared to that following the birth of a boy, might reflect the relative disparity in social status between men and women in ancient Israel (and attested in other cultures), this is by no means certain. There is no simple correlation in the Bible between the worth of something and the degree of impurity it can occasion.
  4. 12:6–8 Certain tolerated impurities (see note on 11:1–15:33) are strong enough to pollute the sanctuary and require purification offerings, including the parturient (see also 14:10–32; 15:13–15, 28–30). Cf. note on 4:3. Mary fulfilled the command of bringing sacrifices after the birth of Jesus (Lk 2:22–24).
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Leviticus 11
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.