Leviticus 13-14

Easy-to-Read Version

Rules About Skin Diseases

13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Someone might have a swelling on their skin, or it may be a rash or a bright spot. If the sore looks like the disease of leprosy, the person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests. ³ The priest must look at the sore on the person’s skin. If the hair in the sore has become white, and if the sore seems deeper than the person’s skin, it is leprosy. When the priest has finished looking at the person, he must announce that the person is unclean.

⁴ “Sometimes there is a white spot on a person’s skin that does not seem deeper than the skin. If that is true, the priest must separate that person from other people for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day the priest must look at the person again. If the priest sees that the sore has not changed and has not spread on the skin, he must separate the person for seven more days. ⁶ Seven days later the priest must look at the person again. If the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean. The sore is only a rash. After washing the clothes, that person will be clean again.

⁷ “But if the rash spreads over the skin after the person has shown himself to the priest to be made clean again, that person must come again to the priest. ⁸ The priest must look, and if the rash has spread, he must announce that the person is unclean. The disease is leprosy.

⁹ “Whoever has leprosy must be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ He must look at that person. If there is a white swelling on the skin, if the hair has become white, and if the skin looks raw in the swelling, ¹¹ it is leprosy that has been there for a long time. The priest must announce that the person is unclean. He does not have to wait until after a period of separation, because he already knows that the person is unclean.

¹² “Sometimes a skin disease will spread all over a person’s body, covering the skin from head to foot. The priest must look at that person’s whole body. ¹³ If the priest sees that the skin disease covers the whole body and that it has turned all the skin white, the priest must announce that the person is clean. ¹⁴ But if the skin is raw, that person is not clean. ¹⁵ When the priest sees the raw skin, he must announce that the person is unclean. The raw skin is not clean. It is leprosy.

¹⁶ “If the raw skin changes and becomes white, the person must come to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest must look at the person. If the skin has become white, the person who had the infection is clean, and the priest must announce this.

¹⁸ “Someone might get a boil on their skin that heals over. ¹⁹ Then that boil might become a white swelling or a bright, white spot with red streaks in it. If this happens, the person must show that spot to the priest. ²⁰ The priest must look at it. If the swelling is deeper than the skin, and the hair on it has become white, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. The spot is leprosy that has broken out from inside the boil. ²¹ But if the priest looks at the spot, and there are no white hairs in it, and the spot is not deeper than the skin but is faded, the priest must separate the person for seven days. ²² If the spot spreads on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean; it is an infection. ²³ But if the bright spot stays in its place and does not spread, it is only the scar from the old boil. The priest must announce that the person is clean.

^24-25 “Someone might get a burn on the skin. If the raw skin becomes a white spot or a white spot with red streaks in it, the priest must look at it. If that white spot seems to be deeper than the skin, and the hair at that spot has become white, it is leprosy that has broken out in the burn. The priest must announce that the person is unclean. ²⁶ But if the priest looks at the spot, and there is no white hair in the bright spot, and the spot is not deeper than the skin but is faded, the priest must separate the person for seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the person again. If the spot has spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is leprosy. ²⁸ But if the bright spot has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is only a scar from the burn. The priest must announce that the person is clean.

²⁹ “Someone might get an infection on the scalp^[a] or beard. ³⁰ A priest must look at the infection. If the infection seems to be deeper than the skin, and if the hair around it is thin and yellow, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is a serious skin disease.^{[b] 31} If the disease does not seem deeper than the skin, but there is no dark hair in it, the priest must separate that person for seven days. ³² On the seventh day, the priest must look at it again. If the disease has not spread, and there are no yellow hairs growing in it, and the disease does not seem deeper than the skin, ³³ the person must shave. But the diseased area should not be shaved. The priest must separate that person for seven more days. ³⁴ On the seventh day, the priest must look at it again. If the disease has not spread, and it does not seem deeper than the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean. After washing those clothes, that person will be clean. ³⁵ But if the disease spreads on the skin after the person has become clean, ³⁶ then the priest must look at the person again. If the disease has spread, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair. The person is unclean. ³⁷ But if the priest thinks that the disease has stopped, and black hair is growing in it, the disease has healed. The person is clean, and the priest must announce this.

³⁸ “If anyone has white spots on the skin, ³⁹ a priest must look at them. If the spots on that person’s skin are dull white, the disease is only a harmless rash. That person is clean.

⁴⁰ “A man might begin to lose the hair on his head. It is only baldness, so he is clean. ⁴¹ A man might lose hair from the sides of his head. He is clean. It is only another kind of baldness. ⁴² But if there is a red and white infection on his scalp, it is a skin disease. ⁴³ A priest must look at him. If the swelling of the infection is red and white and looks like the leprosy on other parts of his body, ⁴⁴ then he has leprosy on his scalp. The person is unclean. The priest must announce that he is unclean.

⁴⁵ “People with leprosy must warn other people. They must shout, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ They must tear their clothes at the seams. They must let their hair grow wild,^[c] and they must cover their mouth. ⁴⁶ They are unclean the whole time that they have the infection. They are unclean and must live outside the camp.

^47-48 “Some clothing might have mildew on it. The cloth could be linen or wool, woven or knitted. Or the mildew might be on a piece of leather or on something made from leather. ⁴⁹ If the mildew is green or red, it must be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest must look at it and put it in a separate place for seven days. ^51-52 On the seventh day, he must look at it again. It doesn’t matter if the mildew is on leather or cloth or if the cloth is woven or knitted. And it doesn’t matter what the leather was used for. If the mildew has spread, the object is unclean because of the infection. The priest must burn it.

⁵³ “If the priest sees that the mildew did not spread on the object, it must be washed. It doesn’t matter if it is leather or cloth, or if the cloth is knitted or woven, it must be washed. ⁵⁴ He must order the people to wash it. Then he must separate the clothing for seven more days. ⁵⁵ After that time, the priest must look at it again. If the mildew still looks the same, the object is unclean. It doesn’t matter if the infection has not spread; you must burn that cloth or piece of leather.

⁵⁶ “But if the priest looks at that piece of leather or cloth, and the mildew has faded, he must tear the infected spot out of the piece of leather or cloth. It doesn’t matter if the cloth is woven or knitted. ⁵⁷ But the mildew might come back to that piece of leather or cloth. If that happens, the mildew is spreading, and the object must be burned. ⁵⁸ But if the mildew did not come back after washing, that piece of leather or cloth is clean, whether the cloth was woven or knitted.”

⁵⁹ These are the rules for mildew on pieces of leather or cloth, whether the cloth is woven or knitted.

Rules for Those With Skin Diseases

14 The Lord said to Moses, ² “These are the rules for people who have had a skin disease and have been made well. These rules are for making them clean.

“A priest must look at those who had the skin disease. ³ The priest must go to them outside the camp and look to see if the skin disease is healed. ⁴ If they are healthy, the priest will tell them to do these things: They must bring two clean birds that are still alive, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red cloth, and a hyssop plant. ⁵ Then the priest must order one bird to be killed in a clay bowl over running water. ⁶ He must take the other bird that is still alive and the piece of cedar wood, the piece of red cloth, and the hyssop plant and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. ⁷ He must sprinkle the blood seven times on those who had the skin disease. Then he must announce that they are clean. After that the priest must go to an open field and let the living bird go free.

⁸ “The people going through this purification ceremony must wash their clothes, shave off all their hair, and wash with water. Then they will be clean. They may then go into the camp, but they must stay outside their tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day, they must shave off all their hair. They must shave their head, their beard, and their eyebrows—yes, all their hair. Then they must wash their clothes and bathe their bodies in water. Then they will be clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day, anyone who had a skin disease must take two male lambs that have nothing wrong with them and a one-year-old female lamb that has nothing wrong with it. They must also take 24 cups^[d] of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering and 2/3 of a pint^[e] of olive oil. ¹¹ The priest must bring that person and those sacrifices before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. (This must be the same priest who announced that the person is clean.) ¹² The priest will take one of the lambs and the oil as a guilt offering. He will lift them in front of the Lord to show they were presented to God. ¹³ Then the priest will kill the male lamb in the holy place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest. It is very holy.

¹⁴ “The priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering. He will put some of this blood on the tip of the right ear of the person to be made clean. The priest will put some of this blood on the thumb of the right hand and on the big toe of the right foot of that person. ¹⁵ The priest will also take some of the oil and pour it into his own left palm. ¹⁶ Then the priest will dip the finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left palm. He will use his finger to sprinkle some of the oil seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ Then he will put some of the oil that is in his palm on the person to be made clean. He will put that oil on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering. The priest will put some of the oil on the tip of the person’s right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the person’s right foot. ¹⁸ He will put the oil that is left in his palm on the head of the person to be made clean. In this way he will make that person pure before the Lord.

¹⁹ “Then the priest must offer the sin offering to make that person pure. After that he will kill the animal for the burnt offering. ²⁰ He will then offer up the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. In this way the priest will make that person pure, and that person will become clean.

²¹ “A poor person might not be able to afford all these offerings. So that poor person can use one male lamb as a guilt offering. It will be presented to God so that the priest can make that person pure. The poor person must take 8 cups^[f] of fine flour mixed with oil. This flour will be used for a grain offering. The poor person must also take 2/3 of a pint of olive oil ²² and two doves or two young pigeons. Even poor people can afford these things. One bird will be a sin offering, and the other will be a burnt offering.

²³ “On the eighth day, that person will bring these things to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. These things will be offered before the Lord so that the person can become clean. ²⁴ The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the oil, and he will lift them up to show they were offered before the Lord. ²⁵ Then he will kill the lamb of the guilt offering, take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of the person to be made clean. The priest will put some of this blood on the thumb of the right hand and on the big toe of the right foot of this person. ²⁶ He will also pour some of this oil into his own left palm. ²⁷ He will use the finger of his right hand to sprinkle some of the oil that is in his left palm seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ Then he will put some of the oil that is in his palm on the same places he put the blood from the guilt offering. He will put some of the oil on the tip of the right ear of the person to be made clean. The priest will put some of the oil on the thumb of the right hand and on the big toe of the person’s right foot. ²⁹ He will put the oil that is left in his palm on the head of the person to be made clean. In this way he will make that person pure before the Lord.

³⁰ “Then the priest must offer one of the doves or young pigeons. (He must offer whichever the person can afford.) ³¹ He must offer one of these birds as a sin offering and the other bird as a burnt offering. He must offer the birds with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make that person pure before the Lord, and that person will become clean.”

³² These are the rules for making people clean after they become well from a skin disease. These are the rules for those who cannot afford the regular sacrifices for becoming clean.

Rules for Mildew in a House

³³ The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ “I am giving the land of Canaan to your people. Your people will enter that land. At that time I might cause mildew to grow in someone’s house. ³⁵ The person who owns that house must come and tell the priest, ‘I see something like mildew in my house.’

³⁶ “Then the priest must order the people to take everything out of the house before he goes in to look at the mildew. Then the priest will not have to say everything in the house is unclean. After the people have taken everything out of the house, the priest will go in to look at the house. ³⁷ He will look at the mildew. If the mildew on the walls of the house has holes that are a green or red color, and if the mildew goes into the wall’s surface, ³⁸ he must go out of the house and lock the house for seven days.

³⁹ “On the seventh day the priest must come back and check the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ then he must order the people to tear out the stones with the mildew on them and throw them away. They must put these stones at a special unclean place outside the city. ⁴¹ Then the priest must have the entire house scraped inside. The people must throw away the plaster that was scraped off the walls. They must put that plaster at a special unclean place outside the city. ⁴² Then new stones must be put in the walls, and the walls must be covered with new plaster.

⁴³ “Maybe someone took away the old stones and plaster and put in new stones and plaster. And maybe mildew again appears in that house. ⁴⁴ Then the priest must come in and check the house. If the infection has spread in the house, it is a disease that spreads quickly to other places. So the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ The house must be torn down. All the stones, plaster, and pieces of wood must be taken to the special unclean place outside the city. ⁴⁶ Anyone who goes into that house will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Anyone who eats in that house or lies down in there must wash their clothes.

⁴⁸ “After new stones and plaster are put in a house, the priest must check the house. If the mildew has not spread through the house, the priest will announce that the house is clean, because the mildew is gone.

⁴⁹ “Then, to make the house clean, the priest must take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red cloth, and a hyssop plant. ⁵⁰ He will kill one bird in a clay bowl over running water. ⁵¹ Then he will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the piece of red cloth, and the living bird and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed over running water. Then he will sprinkle that blood on the house seven times. ⁵² In this way he will use these things to make the house clean. ⁵³ He will go to an open field outside the city and let the living bird go free. In this way the priest will make the house pure. The house will be clean.”

⁵⁴ These are the rules for any infection of leprosy, ⁵⁵ for mildew on pieces of cloth or in a house. ⁵⁶ These are the rules for swellings, rashes, or bright spots on the skin. ⁵⁷ These rules teach when something is clean and when something is unclean. These are the rules about these kinds of disease.