Leviticus 13:47-59

New International Reader's Version

Rules About Mold

⁴⁷ “Suppose some clothes have mold on them. The clothes could be made out of wool or linen. ⁴⁸ Or there could be cloth woven or knitted out of linen or wool. There could be pieces of leather. Or there could be things that are made out of leather. ⁴⁹ And suppose the mold on the clothes or on the woven or knitted cloth looks green or red. Or suppose the green or red mold is on the pieces of leather or the leather goods. Then it is mold that spreads. It must be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest must look at it carefully. He must keep the thing with the mold on it away from everything else for seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day he must look at it carefully. Suppose the mold has spread in the clothes or in the woven or knitted cloth. Or suppose it has spread on the pieces of leather or on the leather goods. Then it is mold that destroys. The thing is ‘unclean.’ ⁵² The priest must burn everything with the mold in it. He must burn the clothes or the woven or knitted cloth made out of wool or linen. He must burn the leather goods. The mold destroys. So everything must be burned.

⁵³ “But suppose the priest looks at the thing carefully. The mold has not spread in the clothes. And it has not spread in the woven or knitted cloth or in the leather goods. ⁵⁴ Then he will order someone to wash the thing with the mold on it. After that, the priest must keep that thing away from everything else for another seven days. ⁵⁵ After the thing with the mold on it has been washed, the priest must look at it again carefully. Suppose the way the mold looks has not changed. Then even though the mold has not spread, it is ‘unclean.’ Burn it. It does not matter which side of the thing the mold is on. ⁵⁶ But suppose the priest looks at it carefully. And suppose the mold has faded after the thing has been washed. Then the priest must tear out the part with mold on it. He must tear it out of the clothes or leather. He must tear it out of the woven or knitted cloth. ⁵⁷ But suppose it shows up again in the clothes. Or suppose it shows up again in the woven or knitted cloth or in the leather goods. Then it is spreading. Everything with the mold on it must be burned. ⁵⁸ The clothes that have been washed and do not have any more mold on them must be washed again. So must the woven or knitted cloth or the leather goods. Then they will be ‘clean.’ ”

⁵⁹ These are the rules about what to do with anything with mold on it. They apply to clothes that are made out of wool or linen. They apply to woven and knitted cloth and to leather goods. They give a priest directions about when to announce whether something is “clean” or “unclean.”