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Cleansing an Infected House

33 The Lord further spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

34 “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as a possession, and I put [a]a mark of leprosy on a house in your land, 35 then the one who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a mark of leprosy in my house.’ 36 The priest shall order that they empty the house before he goes in to examine the mark, so that everything in the house will not have to be declared unclean; afterward he shall go in to see the house. 37 He shall examine the mark, and if the mark on the walls of the house has greenish or reddish depressions and appears deeper than the surface, 38 the priest shall go out of the house, to the doorway, and [b]quarantine the house for seven days. 39 The priest shall return on the seventh day and look; and if the mark has spread on the walls of the house, 40 he shall order them to tear out the contaminated stones and throw them into an unclean place outside the city. 41 He shall have the entire inside area of the house scraped, and the plaster that is scraped off shall be dumped in an unclean place outside the city. 42 Then they shall take new stones and replace the [contaminated] stones, and he shall take plaster and replaster the house.

43 “If, however, the mark breaks out again in the house after he has removed the stones and has scraped and replastered the house, 44 then the priest shall come and look again, and if the mark has spread in the house, it is a malignant leprosy in the house; it is [ceremonially] unclean. 45 He shall tear down the house—its stones and its timber and all the plaster of the house—and shall take everything outside the city to an unclean place. 46 Moreover, whoever goes into the house during the time that it is quarantined becomes unclean until evening. 47 And whoever lies down in the house [to rest] shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

48 “But if the priest comes in and inspects it and the mark has not spread in the house after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean because the mark has not reappeared. 49 To cleanse the house then, he shall take two birds and cedar wood and scarlet string and hyssop; 50 and he shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware container over running water, 51 and he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet string, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird as well as in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 So he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water, along with the live bird and the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet string. 53 But he shall let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

54 This is the law for any mark of leprosy—even for a scale, 55 and for the leprous garment or house, 56 and for a swelling, and for a scab, and for a bright spot on the skin— 57 to teach when they are unclean and when they are clean. This is the law of leprosy [in regard to both persons and property].

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 14:34 Possibly mildew or mold, and so throughout the chapter. See 13:47-59 for similar instructions regarding fabric, leather, and other articles.
  2. Leviticus 14:38 Lit isolate.

Cleansing a Leprous House

33 The Lord further spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

34 (A)When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as a possession, and I put a spot of leprosy on a house in the land of your possession, 35 then the one who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘Something like (B)a spot of leprosy has become visible to me in the house.’ 36 The priest shall then command that they empty the house before the priest goes in to look at the spot, so that everything in the house need not become unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to look at the house. 37 So he shall look at the spot, and if the spot on the walls of the house has greenish or reddish depressions and appears deeper than the [a]surface, 38 the priest shall come out of the house, to the [b]doorway, and [c]quarantine the house for seven days. 39 Then the priest shall return on the seventh day and [d]make an inspection. If the spot has indeed spread on the walls of the house, 40 the priest shall order them to pull out the stones with the spot on them and throw them away [e]at an unclean place outside the city. 41 And he shall have the house scraped all around [f]inside, and they shall dump the plaster that they scrape off at an unclean place outside the city. 42 Then they shall take other stones and replace the discarded stones, and he shall take other plaster and replaster the house.

43 “If, however, the spot breaks out again in the house after he has pulled out the stones and scraped the house, and after it has been replastered, 44 then the priest shall come in and [g]make an inspection. If he sees that the spot has indeed spread in the house, it is (C)a malignant spot in the house; it is unclean. 45 The owner shall therefore tear down the house, its stones, its timbers, and all the plaster of the house, and he shall take them outside the city to an (D)unclean place. 46 Moreover, whoever goes into the house during the time that he has [h]quarantined it, becomes (E)unclean until evening. 47 Likewise, whoever lies down in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

48 “If, on the other hand, the priest comes in and [i]makes an inspection and the spot has not indeed spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean because the spot has [j]not reappeared. 49 To cleanse the house then, he shall take (F)two birds, cedar wood, a [k]scarlet string, and hyssop, 50 and he shall slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel over [l]running water. 51 Then he shall take the cedar wood, the (G)hyssop, and the [m]scarlet string, with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird as well as in the [n]running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 So he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the [o]running water, along with the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the [p]scarlet string. 53 However, he shall let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

54 This is the law for any spot of leprosy—even for a (H)scale, 55 and for the (I)leprous garment or house, 56 and (J)for a swelling, for a scab, and for a bright spot— 57 to teach [q]when they are unclean and [r]when they are clean. This is the law of leprosy.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 14:37 Lit wall
  2. Leviticus 14:38 Lit doorway of the house
  3. Leviticus 14:38 Lit separate
  4. Leviticus 14:39 Lit look
  5. Leviticus 14:40 Lit to
  6. Leviticus 14:41 Lit from the house
  7. Leviticus 14:44 Lit look
  8. Leviticus 14:46 Lit separated
  9. Leviticus 14:48 Lit looks
  10. Leviticus 14:48 Lit healed
  11. Leviticus 14:49 Lit scarlet color
  12. Leviticus 14:50 Lit living
  13. Leviticus 14:51 Lit scarlet color
  14. Leviticus 14:51 Lit living
  15. Leviticus 14:52 Lit living
  16. Leviticus 14:52 Lit scarlet color
  17. Leviticus 14:57 Lit on the day of uncleanness
  18. Leviticus 14:57 Lit on the day of cleanness