Leviticus 14:33-16:34

New American Standard Bible

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.

Cleansing Unhealthiness

15 The Lord also spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ² “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘^(K)When any man has a discharge from his ^[s]body, ^[t]his discharge is unclean. ³ This, moreover, shall be his uncleanness in his discharge: it is his uncleanness whether his body allows its discharge to flow or whether his body obstructs its discharge. ⁴ Every bed on which the man with the discharge lies becomes unclean, and everything on which he sits becomes unclean. ⁵ Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening; ⁶ and whoever sits on the thing on which the man with the discharge has been sitting, shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ⁷ Also whoever touches the ^[u]man with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ⁸ Or if the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, he too shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ⁹ Every saddle on which the man with the discharge rides becomes unclean. ¹⁰ Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and the one who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ¹¹ Likewise, whomever the man with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ¹² However, an ^(L)earthenware vessel which the man with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden vessel shall be rinsed in water.

¹³ ‘Now when the man with the discharge becomes cleansed from his discharge, then he ^(M)shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing; he shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in ^[v]running water and will become clean. ¹⁴ Then on the eighth day he shall take for himself ^(N)two turtledoves or two young doves, and come before the Lord to the doorway of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest; ¹⁵ and the priest shall offer them, ^(O)one as a ^[w]sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So ^(P)the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the Lord because of his discharge.

¹⁶ ‘^(Q)Now if a ^[x]man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening. ¹⁷ As for any garment or any leather on which there is a seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening. ¹⁸ If a man sleeps with a woman so that there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be ^(R)unclean until evening.

¹⁹ ‘^(S)When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. ²⁰ Everything also on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. ²¹ Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ²² Whoever touches any object on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ²³ Whether it be on the bed or on the thing on which she is sitting, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. ^24 (T)If a man actually sleeps with her so that her menstrual impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

²⁵ ‘^(U)Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond ^[y]that period, for all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though ^[z]in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. ²⁶ Any bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her like ^[aa]her bed at menstruation; and every object on which she sits shall be unclean, like ^[ab]her uncleanness at that time. ²⁷ Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ²⁸ When she becomes clean from her discharge, she shall count off for herself seven days; and afterward she will be clean. ²⁹ Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young doves, and bring them to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. ³⁰ And the priest shall offer the ^(V)one as a ^[ac]sin offering, and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the Lord because of her impure discharge.’

³¹ “And so you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their ^(W)defiling My ^[ad]tabernacle that is among them.” ³² This is the law for the one with a discharge, and for the man ^[ae]who has a seminal emission so that he is unclean by it, ³³ and for the woman who is ill because of menstrual impurity, and for the one who has a discharge, whether a male or a female, or a man who sleeps with an unclean woman.

Law of Atonement

16 Now the Lord spoke to Moses after ^(X)the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the Lord and died. ² The Lord said to Moses:

“Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter ^(Y)at ^[af]any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the ^[ag]atoning cover which is on the ark, or he will die; for ^(Z)I will appear in the cloud over the ^[ah]atoning cover. ³ Aaron shall enter the Holy Place with this: with a ^[ai]bull as a ^[aj](AA)sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering. ⁴ He shall put on the ^(AB)holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his ^[ak]body, and he shall be wrapped about the waist with the linen sash and the linen turban wound around his forehead (these are holy garments). He shall ^(AC)bathe his ^[al]body in water and put them on. ⁵ And he shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel ^(AD)two male goats as a ^[am]sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. ⁶ Then ^(AE)Aaron shall offer the bull as the ^[an]sin offering, which is for himself, so that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. ⁷ He shall then take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ⁸ Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for ^[ao]the ^[ap]scapegoat. ⁹ Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a ^[aq]sin offering. ¹⁰ But the goat on which the lot for ^[ar]the ^[as]scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make ^(AF)atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness ^[at]as the ^[au]scapegoat.

¹¹ “Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the ^[av]sin offering ^(AG)which is for himself and make atonement for himself and ^(AH)for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the ^[aw]sin offering which is for himself. ¹² He shall take a ^(AI)firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the Lord and ^[ax]two handfuls of finely ground ^(AJ)sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. ¹³ He shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, so that the cloud of incense may cover the ^(AK)atoning cover that is on the ark of the testimony, ^(AL)otherwise he will die. ¹⁴ Moreover, ^(AM)he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it ^(AN)with his finger on the atoning cover on the east side; also in front of the atoning cover he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

¹⁵ “Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering, ^(AO)which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the atoning cover and in front of the atoning cover. ^16 (AP)He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their unlawful acts regarding all their sins; and he shall do so for the tent of meeting which remains with them in the midst of their impurities. ¹⁷ When he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, so that he may make atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. ¹⁸ Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it; he shall take some of the blood from the bull and some of the blood from the goat, and ^(AQ)put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. ^19 (AR)With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it, and consecrate it from the impurities of the sons of Israel.

²⁰ “When he finishes atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat. ²¹ Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and ^(AS)confess over it all the wrongdoings of the sons of Israel and all their unlawful acts regarding all their sins; and he shall place them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands ready. ²² Then the goat shall carry on itself all their wrongdoings to an ^[ay]isolated territory; he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

²³ “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off ^(AT)the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. ²⁴ And ^(AU)he shall bathe his ^[az]body with water in a holy place and put on ^(AV)his clothes, and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. ²⁵ Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar. ²⁶ The one who released the goat ^[ba]as the ^[bb]scapegoat ^(AW)shall wash his clothes and bathe his ^[bc]body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp. ²⁷ But the bull of the ^[bd]sin offering and the goat of the ^[be]sin offering, ^(AX)whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire. ²⁸ Then the ^(AY)one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; and afterward he shall come into the camp.

An Annual Atonement

²⁹ “This shall be a permanent statute for you: ^(AZ)in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble ^[bf]yourselves and not ^(BA)do any work, whether the native, or the stranger who resides among you; ³⁰ for it is on this day that ^[bg]atonement shall be made for you to ^(BB)cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. ³¹ It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, so that you may ^(BC)humble ^[bh]yourselves; it is a permanent statute. ³² So the priest who is anointed and ^[bi]ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall put on ^(BD)the linen garments, the holy garments, ³³ and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for ^(BE)the priests and for all the people of the assembly. ³⁴ Now you shall have this as a ^(BF)permanent statute, to ^(BG)make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so he did.