Leviticus — Chapter 14

GOD spoke to Moses, saying:

This shall be the ritual for a leperaleper Heb. meṣoraʻ, a person afflicted with ṣaraʻath; see note at 13.3. at the time of being purified.When it has been reportedbit has been reported Cf. note at 13.2. to the priest,

the priest shall go outside the camp. If the priest sees that the leper has been healed of the scaly affection,

the priest shall order two live pure birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop to be brought for the one to be purified.

The priest shall order one of the birds slaughtered over fresh water in an earthen vessel;

and he shall take the live bird, along with the cedar wood, the crimson stuff, and the hyssop, and dip them together with the live bird in the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.

He shall then sprinkle it seven times on the one to be purified of the eruption and effect the purification; and he shall set the live bird free in the open country.

The one to be purified shall wash their clothes, shave off all their hair, and bathe in water—and then they shall be pure. After that, the person may enter camp but must remain outside their tent seven days.

On the seventh day they shall shave off all their hair—of head, beard [if any], and eyebrows. Having shaved off all their hair, they shall wash their clothes and bathe in water—and then they shall be pure.

On the eighth day they shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish, three-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in for a grain offering, and one log of oil.

These shall be presented before GOD, along with the person to be purified, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, by the priest who performs the purification.

The priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it with the log of oil as a reparation offering, and he shall elevate them as an elevation offering before GOD.

The lamb shall be slaughtered at the spotcthe spot See 1.11; 4.24. in the sacred area where the purgation offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. For the reparation offering, like the purgation offering, goes to the priest; it is most holy.

The priest shall take some of the blood of the reparation offering, and the priest shall put it on the ridge of the right ear of the one who is being purified, and on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot.

The priest shall then take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.

And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in the palm of his left hand and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before GOD.

Some of the oil left in his palm shall be put by the priest on the ridge of the right ear of the one being purified, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot—over the blood of the reparation offering.

The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one being purified. Thus the priest shall make expiation for them before GOD.

The priest shall then offer the purgation offering and make expiation for the one being purified of defilement. Last, the burnt offering shall be slaughtered,

and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar; the priest shall make expiation for them—then they shall be pure.

If, however, the person is poor and without sufficient means, they shall take one male lamb for a reparation offering, to be elevated in expiation, one-tenth of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in for a grain offering, and a log of oil;

and two turtledoves or two pigeons—depending on their means—the one to be the purgation offering and the other the burnt offering.

On the eighth day of purification, they shall bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, before GOD.

The priest shall take the lamb of reparation offering and the log of oil, and elevate them as an elevation offering before GOD.

When the lamb of reparation offering has been slaughtered, the priest shall take some of the blood of the reparation offering and put it on the ridge of the right ear of the one being purified, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot.

The priest shall then pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,

and with the finger of his right hand the priest shall sprinkle some of the oil that is in the palm of his left hand seven times before GOD.

Some of the oil in his palm shall be put by the priest on the ridge of the right ear of the one being purified, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot, over the same places as the blood of the reparation offering;

and what is left of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one being purified, to make expiation for them before GOD.

That person shall then offer one of the turtledoves or pigeons, depending on their means—

whichever they can afford—the one as a purgation offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. Thus the priest shall make expiation before GOD for the one being purified.

Such is the ritual for one who has a scaly affection and whose means for purification are limited.

GOD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess,

the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared upon my house.”

The priest shall order the house cleared before the priest enters to examine the plague, so that nothing in the house may become impure; after that the priest shall enter to examine the house.

If, when he examines the plague, the plague in the walls of the house is found to consist of greenishdgreenish Or “yellowish.” or reddish streaksestreaks Meaning of Heb. sheqaʻaruroth uncertain. that appear to go deep into the wall,

the priest shall come out of the house to the entrance of the house, and close up the house for seven days.

On the seventh day the priest shall return. If he sees that the plague has spread on the walls of the house,

the priest shall order the stones with the plague in them to be pulled out and cast outside the city into an impure place.

The house shall be scraped inside all around, and the coatingfcoating Lit. “dust,” “mud.” that is scraped off shall be dumped outside the city in an impure place.

They shall take other stones and replace those stones with them, and take other coating and plaster the house.

If the plague again breaks out in the house, after the stones have been pulled out and after the house has been scraped and replastered,

the priest shall come to examine: if the plague has spread in the house, it is a malignant eruption in the house; it is impure.

The house shall be torn down—its stones and timber and all the coating on the house—and taken to an impure place outside the city.

Whoever enters the house while it is closed up shall be impure until evening.

Whoever sleeps in the house must wash their clothes, and whoever eats in the house must wash their clothes.

If, however, the priest comes and sees that the plague has not spread in the house after the house was replastered, the priest shall pronounce the house pure, for the plague has healed.

To purge the house, he shall take two birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop.

He shall slaughter the one bird over fresh water in an earthen vessel.

He shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the crimson stuff, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle on the house seven times.

Having purged the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the crimson stuff,

he shall set the live bird free outside the city in the open country. Thus he shall make expiation for the house, and it shall be pure.

Such is the ritual for every eruptive affection—for scalls,

for an eruption on a cloth or a house,

for swellings, for rashes, or for discolorations—

to determine when they are impure and when they are pure.Such is the ritual concerning eruptions.