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Statute of the Red Heifer

19 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they take to you a (A)red heifer without blemish, in which is no defect and (B)on which a yoke has never [a]been placed. And you shall give it to (C)Eleazar the priest, and it shall (D)be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. Next Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and (E)sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; (F)its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. And the priest shall take (G)cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the [b]burning heifer. The priest (H)shall then wash his clothes and bathe his [c]body in water and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening. The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his [d]body in water and shall be unclean until evening. Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and [e]the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as (I)water to remove impurity; it is [f]purification from sin. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer (J)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the sojourner who sojourns among them.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 19:2 Lit come up
  2. Numbers 19:6 Lit burning of the heifer
  3. Numbers 19:7 Lit flesh
  4. Numbers 19:8 Lit flesh
  5. Numbers 19:9 Lit it shall be to the congregation...Israel, for a guarding as water of impurity
  6. Numbers 19:9 Or a sin offering

Laws for Purification

19 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, (A)and on which a yoke has never come. And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and (B)it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and (C)sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. (D)Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. And the priest shall take (E)cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. Then the priest (F)shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. (G)The one who burns the heifer (H)shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. And a man who is clean shall gather up (I)the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a (J)clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for (K)impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer (L)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

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