11 (A)‘He who touches the dead [a]body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12 (B)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 (C)does not purify himself, (D)defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because (E)the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; (F)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 (G)open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. 16 (H)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 (I)ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and [b]running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take (J)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; (K)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 (L)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 (M)Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and (N)the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 19:11 Lit. soul of man
  2. Numbers 19:17 Lit. living

11 “‘The one who touches a corpse of any person[a] will be unclean for seven days. 12 He will purify himself on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean. If he does not purify himself on the third day, he will not be clean on the seventh day. 13 Anyone who touches a corpse, the person of a human being who died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Yahweh, and that person will be cut off from Israel because the waters of impurity were not sprinkled on him. He will still be unclean, and uncleanness is on him.

14 “‘This is the law of a person who dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and all who are in the tent will be unclean seven days. 15 Every container that is opened that does not have a lid cord[b] on it is unclean. 16 Anyone in the open field[c] who touches one who has been slain,[d] or a corpse, or a bone of a person, or a burial site, he will be unclean for seven days. 17 For the unclean person they will take[e] from the powder of the burnt purification offering,[f] and they will put[g] running water into a container. 18 A clean person will take hyssop and dip it into the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the objects and persons who were there, and on one who touched the bone, or the one slain, or the dead, or the burial site. 19 The clean person will spatter the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he will purify him, and he will wash his garments; he will bathe in the waters, and in the evening he will be clean. 20 But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the midst of the assembly because he defiled the sanctuary of Yahweh; the water of impurity was not sprinkled on him; he is unclean.

21 “‘It will be an eternal decree for them. The one who spatters the waters of impurity will wash his garments, and the one who touches the waters of impurity will be unclean until the evening. 22 Anything that the unclean person touches will be unclean, and the person who touches it will be unclean until the evening.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 19:11 Literally “any human person”
  2. Numbers 19:15 That is, “that does not have a lid tied shut”
  3. Numbers 19:16 Literally “upon the face of a field”
  4. Numbers 19:16 Literally “the dead of sword”
  5. Numbers 19:17 Hebrew “he will take”
  6. Numbers 19:17 Or “burning of the sin offering”
  7. Numbers 19:17 Hebrew “he will put”