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Numbers 19
The Message
Numbers 19
The Message
The Red Cow
19 1-4 God spoke to Moses and Aaron: “This is the rule from the Revelation that God commands: Tell the People of Israel to get a red cow, a healthy specimen, ritually clean, that has never been in harness. Present it to Eleazar the priest, then take it outside the camp and butcher it while he looks on. Eleazar will take some of the blood on his finger and splash it seven times in the direction of the Tent of Meeting.
5-8 “Then under Eleazar’s supervision burn the cow, the whole thing—hide, meat, blood, even its dung. The priest then will take a stick of cedar, some sprigs of hyssop, and a piece of scarlet material and throw them on the burning cow. Afterwards the priest must wash his clothes and bathe well with water. He can then come into the camp but he remains ritually unclean until evening. The man who burns the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe with water. He also is unclean until evening.
9 “Then a man who is ritually clean will gather the ashes of the cow and place them in a ritually clean place outside the camp. The congregation of Israel will keep them to use in the Water-of-Cleansing, an Absolution-Offering.
10 “The man who gathered up the ashes must scrub his clothes; he is ritually unclean until evening. This is to be a standing rule for both native-born Israelites and foreigners living among them.
11-13 “Anyone who touches a dead body is ritually unclean for seven days. He must purify himself with the Water-of-Cleansing on the third day; on the seventh day he will be clean. But if he doesn’t follow the procedures for the third and seventh days, he won’t be clean. Anyone who touches the dead body of anyone and doesn’t get cleansed desecrates God’s Dwelling and is to be excommunicated. For as long as the Water-of-Cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he remains ritually unclean.
14-15 “This is the rule for someone who dies in his tent: Anyone who enters the tent or is already in the tent is ritually unclean for seven days, and every open container without a lid is unclean.
16-21 “Anyone out in the open field who touches a corpse, whether dead from violent or natural causes, or a human bone or a grave is unclean for seven days. For this unclean person, take some ashes from the burned Absolution-Offering and add some fresh water to it in a bowl. Find a ritually clean man to dip a sprig of hyssop into the water and sprinkle the tent and all its furnishings, the persons who were in the tent, the one who touched the bones of the person who was killed or died a natural death, and whoever may have touched a grave. Then he is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he is considered cleansed. The cleansed person must then scrub his clothes and take a bath; by evening he is clean. But if an unclean person does not go through these cleansing procedures, he must be excommunicated from the community; he has desecrated the Sanctuary of God. The Water-of-Cleansing has not been sprinkled on him and he is ritually unclean. This is the standing rule for these cases.
“The man who sprinkles the Water-of-Cleansing has to scrub his clothes; anyone else who touched the Water-of-Cleansing is also ritually unclean until evening.
22 “Anything the ritually unclean man touches becomes unclean, and the person who touches what he touched is unclean until evening.”
Numbers 19
New King James Version
Numbers 19
New King James Version
Laws of Purification
19 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the [a]ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without [b]blemish, in which there is no (A)defect (B)and on which a yoke has never come. 3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it (C)outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; 4 and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and (D)sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. 5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: (E)its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take (F)cedar wood and (G)hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 7 (H)Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9 Then a man who is clean shall gather up (I)the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel (J)for the water of [c]purification; it is for purifying from sin. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.
11 (K)‘He who touches the dead [d]body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12 (L)He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and (M)does not purify himself, (N)defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because (O)the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; (P)his uncleanness is still on him.
14 ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; 15 and every (Q)open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. 16 (R)Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
17 ‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the (S)ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and [e]running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take (T)hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. 19 The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; (U)and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.
20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has (V)defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. 22 (W)Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and (X)the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”
Footnotes
- Numbers 19:2 statute
- Numbers 19:2 defect
- Numbers 19:9 Lit. impurity
- Numbers 19:11 Lit. soul of man
- Numbers 19:17 Lit. living
Números 19
Nueva Traducción Viviente
Números 19
Nueva Traducción Viviente
Agua para la purificación
19 El Señor les dijo a Moisés y a Aarón: 2 «Este es otro requisito legal ordenado por el Señor: díganle al pueblo de Israel que traiga una novilla de color rojizo, un animal perfecto sin defectos y al que nunca se le haya colocado un yugo para el arado. 3 Entréguenla al sacerdote Eleazar para que sea llevada fuera del campamento y la maten en su presencia. 4 Entonces Eleazar tomará con el dedo un poco de la sangre y la rociará siete veces hacia el frente del tabernáculo.[a] 5 La novilla será quemada por completo—la piel, la carne, la sangre y el estiércol—en presencia de Eleazar. 6 Después, el sacerdote Eleazar tomará un palo de cedro,[b] una rama de hisopo y un poco de hilo escarlata y los arrojará en el fuego donde se quema la novilla.
7 »Luego el sacerdote lavará su ropa y se bañará en agua. Después podrá volver al campamento, aunque permanecerá ceremonialmente impuro hasta el anochecer. 8 El hombre que queme el animal también lavará su ropa y se bañará en agua, y también permanecerá impuro hasta el anochecer. 9 Luego, alguien que esté ceremonialmente puro recogerá las cenizas de la novilla y las depositará fuera del campamento en un lugar ceremonialmente puro. Las conservarán allí para que la comunidad de Israel las use en el agua para la ceremonia de purificación. Esta ceremonia se realiza para quitar los pecados. 10 El hombre que recoja las cenizas de la novilla también lavará su ropa y quedará ceremonialmente impuro hasta el anochecer. Esta será una ley perpetua para los israelitas y para todo extranjero que viva entre ellos.
11 »El que toque el cadáver de un ser humano quedará ceremonialmente impuro durante siete días. 12 Esta persona debe purificarse el tercer y el séptimo día con el agua de la purificación; entonces quedará purificada; pero si no lo hace el tercer y el séptimo día, quedará impura aun después del séptimo día. 13 El que toque un cadáver y no se purifique de la debida manera contamina el tabernáculo del Señor y será excluido de la comunidad de Israel. Ya que no se roció con el agua de la purificación, su contaminación continúa.
14 »La siguiente ley ritual se aplicará cuando alguien muera dentro de una carpa: todos los que entren en esa carpa y los que se encontraban en ella cuando la muerte ocurrió quedarán ceremonialmente impuros durante siete días. 15 Todo recipiente abierto en la carpa que no estaba cerrado con tapa también estará contaminado. 16 Y si alguien en el campo abierto toca el cadáver de alguien que mataron a espada o que murió de muerte natural, o si alguien toca un hueso de ser humano o una tumba, esa persona quedará contaminada durante siete días.
17 »Para quitar la contaminación, pongan en un frasco parte de las cenizas de la ofrenda quemada de la purificación y echen agua fresca sobre ellas. 18 Después, alguien ceremonialmente puro tomará una rama de hisopo y la mojará en el agua. Esa persona debe rociar el agua sobre la carpa, sobre todos los muebles de la carpa y sobre las personas que estaban en ella; también sobre la persona que tocó un hueso humano, o tocó a una persona que mataron o que murió de muerte natural, o tocó una tumba. 19 La persona ceremonialmente pura rociará el agua sobre los que quedaron contaminados el tercer y el séptimo día. Después, el séptimo día, las personas en proceso de purificación deben lavar sus ropas y bañarse. Entonces esa noche quedarán limpios de su contaminación.
20 »Pero los que se contaminen y no se purifiquen serán excluidos de la comunidad, porque han contaminado el santuario del Señor. Ya que el agua de la purificación no se ha rociado sobre ellos, quedarán contaminados. 21 Esta será una ley perpetua para el pueblo. Aquellos que rocíen el agua de la purificación deben lavar sus ropas después de hacerlo, y todo el que toque el agua usada para la purificación quedará contaminado hasta el anochecer. 22 Toda cosa o toda persona que toque a alguien contaminado, quedará ceremonialmente impura hasta el anochecer».
Numbers 19
New International Version
Numbers 19
New International Version
The Water of Cleansing
19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer(A) without defect or blemish(B) and that has never been under a yoke.(C) 3 Give it to Eleazar(D) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp(E) and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle(F) it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.(G) 6 The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop(H) and scarlet wool(I) and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.(J) He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8 The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer(K) and put them in a ceremonially clean place(L) outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;(M) it is for purification from sin.(N) 10 The man who gathers up(O) the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening.(P) This will be a lasting ordinance(Q) both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.(R)
11 “Whoever touches a human corpse(S) will be unclean for seven days.(T) 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;(U) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.(V) 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,(W) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.(X) They must be cut off from Israel.(Y) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;(Z) their uncleanness remains on them.
14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container(AA) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,(AB) or anyone who touches a human bone(AC) or a grave,(AD) will be unclean for seven days.(AE)
17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes(AF) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water(AG) over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,(AH) dip it in the water and sprinkle(AI) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave(AJ) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle(AK) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.(AL) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes(AM) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20 But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled(AN) the sanctuary of the Lord.(AO) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.(AP) 21 This is a lasting ordinance(AQ) for them.
“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22 Anything that an unclean(AR) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV)
La Santa Biblia, Nueva Traducción Viviente, © Tyndale House Foundation, 2010. Todos los derechos reservados.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.