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Atonement After Giving Birth

12 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:

‘When a woman [a]gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, (A)as in the days of [b]her menstruation she shall be unclean. Now on (B)the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall remain in the blood of her cleansing for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing; and she shall not enter the sanctuary until the days of her cleansing are fulfilled. But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her [c]menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her cleansing for sixty-six days.

(C)When the days of her cleansing are fulfilled, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove (D)for a sin offering. Then he shall bring it near before Yahweh and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the [d]flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. But if [e]she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take (E)two turtledoves or two young pigeons, (F)the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the (G)priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 12:2 Lit produces seed
  2. Leviticus 12:2 Lit the impurity of her sickness
  3. Leviticus 12:5 Lit impurity
  4. Leviticus 12:7 Lit fountain
  5. Leviticus 12:8 Lit her hand does not find a sufficiency of a lamb

Purification after childbirth

12 The Lord said to Moses: Say to the Israelites: If a woman conceives a child and gives birth to a son, she will be unclean for seven days—just as she is during her menstrual period. On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin must be circumcised. For thirty-three days the mother will be in a state of blood purification. She must not touch anything holy or enter the sacred area until her time of purification is completed. But if the woman gives birth to a daughter, she will be unclean for two weeks—just as she is during her menstrual period—and will be in a state of blood purification[a] for sixty-six days.

When the time of purification is complete, whether for a son or a daughter, the mother must bring a one-year-old lamb as an entirely burned offering and a pigeon or turtledove as a purification offering to the priest at the meeting tent’s entrance. The priest will present it before the Lord and make reconciliation for her. She will then be cleansed from her blood flow. This is the Instruction for any woman who has a child, male or female. But if the mother cannot afford a sheep, she can bring two turtledoves or two pigeons—one for the entirely burned offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will then make reconciliation for her, and she will be clean.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 12:5 Heb uncertain