Leviticus 11-15

Living Bible

⁸ You may not eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies; they are forbidden foods for you.

⁹ “As to fish, you may eat whatever has fins and scales, whether taken from rivers or from the sea; ¹⁰ but all other water creatures are strictly forbidden to you. ¹¹ You mustn’t eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. ¹² I’ll repeat it again—any water creature that does not have fins or scales is forbidden to you.

^13-19 “Among the birds, these are the ones you may not eat: the eagle, the metire, the osprey, the falcon (all kinds), the kite, the raven (all kinds), the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull, the hawk (all kinds), the owl, the cormorant, the ibis, the marsh hen, the pelican, the vulture, the stork, the heron (all kinds), the hoopoe, the bat.

²⁰ “No insects may be eaten, ^21-22 with the exception of those that jump; locusts of all varieties—ordinary locusts, bald locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers—may be eaten. ²³ All insects that fly and walk or crawl are forbidden to you.

²⁴ “Anyone touching their dead bodies shall be defiled until the evening ²⁵ and must wash his clothes immediately. He must also quarantine himself until nightfall, as being ceremonially defiled.

²⁶ “You are also defiled by touching any animal with only semiparted hoofs, or any animal that does not chew the cud. ²⁷ Any animal that walks on paws is forbidden to you as food. Anyone touching the dead body of such an animal shall be defiled until evening. ²⁸ Anyone carrying away the carcass shall wash his clothes and be ceremonially defiled until evening; for it is forbidden to you.

^29-30 “These are the forbidden small animals which scurry about your feet or crawl upon the ground: the mole, the rat, the great lizard, the gecko, the mouse, the lizard, the snail, the chameleon. ³¹ Anyone touching their dead bodies shall be defiled until evening, ³² and anything upon which the carcass falls shall be defiled—any article of wood, or of clothing, a rug, or a sack; anything it touches must be put into water and is defiled until evening. After that it may be used again. ³³ If it falls into a pottery bowl, anything in the bowl is defiled, and you shall smash the bowl. ³⁴ If the water used to cleanse the defiled article touches any food, all of it is defiled. Any drink which is in the defiled bowl is also contaminated.

³⁵ “If the dead body of such an animal touches any clay oven, it is defiled and must be smashed. ³⁶ If the body falls into a spring or cistern where there is water, that water is not defiled; yet anyone who pulls out the carcass is defiled. ³⁷ And if the carcass touches grain to be sown in the field, it is not contaminated; ³⁸ but if the seeds are wet and the carcass falls upon it, the seed is defiled.

³⁹ “If an animal which you are permitted to eat dies of disease, anyone touching the carcass shall be defiled until evening. ⁴⁰ Also, anyone eating its meat or carrying away its carcass shall wash his clothes and be defiled until evening.

^41-42 “Animals that crawl shall not be eaten. This includes all reptiles that slither along upon their bellies as well as those that have legs. No crawling thing with many feet may be eaten, for it is defiled. ⁴³ Do not defile yourselves by touching it.

⁴⁴ “I am the Lord your God. Keep yourselves pure concerning these things, and be holy, for I am holy; therefore do not defile yourselves by touching any of these things that crawl upon the earth. ⁴⁵ For I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You must therefore be holy, for I am holy.” ⁴⁶ These are the laws concerning animals, birds, and whatever swims in the water or crawls upon the ground. ⁴⁷ These are the distinctions between what is ceremonially clean and may be eaten, and what is ceremonially defiled and may not be eaten, among all animal life upon the earth.

12 The Lord told Moses to give these instructions to the people of Israel:

² “When a baby boy is born, the mother shall be ceremonially defiled for seven days, and under the same restrictions as during her monthly menstrual periods. ³ On the eighth day, her son must be circumcised. ⁴ Then, for the next thirty-three days, while she is recovering from her ceremonial impurity, she must not touch anything sacred nor enter the Tabernacle.

⁵ “When a baby girl is born, the mother’s ceremonial impurity shall last two weeks, during which time she will be under the same restrictions as during menstruation. Then for a further sixty-six days she shall continue her recovery.^[a]

⁶ “When these days of purification are ended (the following instructions are applicable whether her baby is a boy or girl), she must bring a yearling lamb as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.

She must take them to the door of the Tabernacle to the priest; ⁷ and the priest will offer them before the Lord and make atonement for her; then she will be ceremonially clean again after her bleeding at childbirth.

“These, then, are the procedures after childbirth. ⁸ But if she is too poor to bring a lamb, then she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One will be for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. The priest will make atonement for her with these, so that she will be ceremonially pure again.”

13 ^1-2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “If anyone notices a swelling in his skin, or a scab or boil or pimple with transparent skin, leprosy is to be suspected. He must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons ³ for the spot to be examined. If the hair in this spot turns white, and if the spot looks to be more than skin-deep, it is leprosy, and the priest must declare him a leper.^[b]

⁴ “But if the white spot in the skin does not seem to be deeper than the skin and the hair in the spot has not turned white, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days. ⁵ At the end of that time, on the seventh day, the priest will examine him again, and if the spot has not changed and has not spread in the skin, then the priest must quarantine him seven days more. ⁶ Again on the seventh day the priest will examine him, and if the marks of the disease have become fainter and have not spread, then the priest shall pronounce him cured; it was only a scab, and the man need only wash his clothes and everything will be normal again. ⁷ But if the spot spreads in the skin after he has come to the priest to be examined, he must come back to the priest again, ⁸ and the priest shall look again, and if the spot has spread, then the priest must pronounce him a leper.

^9-10 “When anyone suspected of having leprosy is brought to the priest, the priest is to look to see if there is a white swelling in the skin with white hairs in the spot, and an ulcer developing. ¹¹ If he finds these symptoms, it is an established case of leprosy, and the priest must pronounce him defiled. The man is not to be quarantined for further observation, for he is definitely diseased. ¹² But if the priest sees that the leprosy has erupted and spread all over his body from head to foot wherever he looks, ¹³ then the priest shall pronounce him cured of leprosy, for it has all turned white; he is cured. ^14-15 But if there is raw flesh anywhere, the man shall be declared a leper. It is proved by the raw flesh. ^16-17 But if the raw flesh later changes to white, the leper will return to the priest to be examined again. If the spot has indeed turned completely white, then the priest will pronounce him cured.

¹⁸ “In the case of a man who has a boil in his skin which heals, ¹⁹ but which leaves a white swelling or a bright spot, sort of reddish white, the man must go to the priest for examination. ²⁰ If the priest sees that the trouble seems to be down under the skin, and if the hair at the spot has turned white, then the priest shall declare him defiled, for leprosy has broken out from the boil. ²¹ But if the priest sees that there are no white hairs in this spot, and the spot does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and if the color is gray, then the priest shall quarantine him for seven days. ²² If during that time the spot spreads, the priest must declare him a leper. ²³ But if the bright spot grows no larger and does not spread, it is merely the scar from the boil, and the priest shall declare that all is well.

²⁴ “If a man is burned in some way, and the burned place becomes bright reddish white or white, ²⁵ then the priest must examine the spot. If the hair in the bright spot turns white and the problem seems to be more than skin-deep, it is leprosy that has broken out from the burn, and the priest must pronounce him a leper.^{[c] 26} But if the priest sees that there are no white hairs in the bright spot and the brightness appears to be no deeper than the skin and is fading, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days ²⁷ and examine him again the seventh day. If the spot spreads in the skin, the priest must pronounce him a leper. ²⁸ But if the bright spot does not move or spread in the skin, and is fading, it is simply a scar from the burn, and the priest shall declare that he does not have leprosy.

^29-30 “If a man or woman has a sore on the head or chin, the priest must examine him; if the infection seems to be below the skin and yellow hair is found in the sore, the priest must pronounce him a leper. ³¹ But if the priest’s examination reveals that the spot seems to be only in the skin but there is healthy hair in it, then he shall be quarantined for seven days, ³² and examined again on the seventh day. If the spot has not spread and no yellow hair has appeared, and if the infection does not seem to be deeper than the skin, ³³ he shall shave off all the hair around the spot (but not on the spot itself) and the priest shall quarantine him for another seven days. ³⁴ He shall be examined again on the seventh day, and if the spot has not spread, and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him well, and after washing his clothes, he is free.^{[d] 35} But if, later on, this spot begins to spread, ³⁶ then the priest must examine him again and, without waiting to see if any yellow hair develops, declare him a leper. ³⁷ But if it appears that the spreading has stopped and black hairs are found in the spot, then he is healed and is not a leper, and the priest shall declare him healed.

³⁸ “If a man or a woman has white, transparent areas in the skin, ³⁹ but these spots are growing dimmer, this is not leprosy, but an ordinary infection that has broken out in the skin.

⁴⁰ “If a man’s hair is gone, this does not make him a leper even though he is bald! ⁴¹ If the hair is gone from the front part of his head, he simply has a bald forehead, but this is not leprosy. ⁴² However, if in the baldness there is a reddish white spot, it may be leprosy breaking out. ⁴³ In that case the priest shall examine him, and if there is a reddish white lump that looks like leprosy, ⁴⁴ then he is a leper, and the priest must pronounce him such.

⁴⁵ “Anyone who is discovered to have leprosy must tear his clothes and let his hair grow in wild disarray, and cover his upper lip and call out as he goes, “I am a leper, I am a leper.”^{[e] 46} As long as the disease lasts, he is defiled and must live outside the camp.

^47-48 “If leprosy is suspected in a woolen or linen garment or fabric, or in a piece of leather or leatherwork, ⁴⁹ and there is a greenish or a reddish spot in it, it is probably leprosy, and must be taken to the priest to be examined. ⁵⁰ The priest will put it away for seven days ⁵¹ and look at it again on the seventh day. If the spot has spread, it is a contagious leprosy, ⁵² and he must burn the clothing, fabric, linen or woolen covering, or leather article, for it is contagious and must be destroyed by fire.

⁵³ “But if when he examines it again on the seventh day the spot has not spread, ⁵⁴ the priest shall order the suspected article to be washed, then isolated for seven more days. ⁵⁵ If after that time the spot has not changed its color, even though it has not spread, it is leprosy and shall be burned, for the article is infected through and through.^{[f] 56} But if the priest sees that the spot has faded after the washing, then he shall cut it out from the garment or leather goods or whatever it is in. ⁵⁷ However, if it then reappears, it is leprosy and he must burn it. ⁵⁸ But if after washing it there is no further trouble, it can be put back into service after another washing.”

⁵⁹ These are the regulations concerning leprosy in a garment or anything made of skin or leather, indicating whether to pronounce it leprous or not.

14 ^1-2 And the Lord gave Moses these regulations concerning a person whose leprosy disappears:

³ “The priest shall go out of the camp to examine him. If the priest sees that the leprosy is gone, ⁴ he shall require two living birds of a kind permitted for food, and shall take some cedar wood, a scarlet string, and some hyssop branches, to be used for the purification ceremony of the one who is healed. ⁵ The priest shall then order one of the birds killed in an earthenware pot held above running water. ⁶ The other bird, still living, shall be dipped in the blood, along with the cedar wood, the scarlet thread, and the hyssop branch. ⁷ Then the priest shall sprinkle the blood seven times upon the man cured of his leprosy, and the priest shall pronounce him cured, and shall let the living bird fly into the open field.

⁸ “Then the man who is cured shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself, and return to live inside the camp; however, he must stay outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ The seventh day he shall again shave all the hair from his head, beard, and eyebrows, and wash his clothes and bathe, and shall then be declared fully cured of his leprosy.

¹⁰ “The next day, the eighth day, he shall take two male lambs without physical defect, one yearling ewe-lamb without physical defect, ten quarts of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, and a pint of olive oil; ¹¹ then the priest who examines him shall place the man and his offerings before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle. ¹² The priest shall take one of the lambs and the pint of olive oil and offer them to the Lord as a guilt offering by the gesture of waving them before the altar. ¹³ Then he shall kill the lamb at the place where sin offerings and burnt offerings are killed, there at the Tabernacle; this guilt offering shall then be given to the priest for food, as in the case of a sin offering. It is a most holy offering. ¹⁴ The priest shall take the blood from this guilt offering and smear some of it upon the tip of the right ear of the man being cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the big toe of his right foot.

¹⁵ “Then the priest shall take the olive oil and pour it into the palm of his left hand, ¹⁶ and dip his right finger into it, and sprinkle it with his finger seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ Some of the oil remaining in his left hand shall then be placed by the priest upon the tip of the man’s right ear and the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot—just as he did with the blood of the guilt offering. ¹⁸ The remainder of the oil in his hand shall be used to anoint the man’s head. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.

¹⁹ “Then the priest must offer the sin offering and again^[g] perform the rite of atonement for the person being cleansed from his leprosy; and afterwards the priest shall kill the burnt offering, ²⁰ and offer it along with the grain offering upon the altar, making atonement for the man, who shall then be pronounced finally cleansed.

²¹ “If he is so poor that he cannot afford two lambs, then he shall bring only one, a male lamb for the guilt offering, to be presented to the Lord in the rite of atonement by waving it before the altar; and only three quarts of fine white flour, mixed with olive oil, for a grain offering, and a pint of olive oil.

²² “He shall also bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—whichever he is able to afford—and use one of the pair for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. ²³ He shall bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle on the eighth day, for his ceremony of cleansing before the Lord. ²⁴ The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, and the pint of oil, and wave them before the altar as a gesture of offering to the Lord. ²⁵ Then he shall kill the lamb for the guilt offering and smear some of its blood upon the tip of the man’s right ear—the man on whose behalf the ceremony is being performed—and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the big toe of his right foot.

²⁶ “The priest shall then pour the olive oil into the palm of his own left hand, ²⁷ and with his right finger he is to sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ Then he must put some of the olive oil from his hand upon the tip of the man’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the big toe of his right foot, just as he did with the blood of the guilt offering. ²⁹ The remaining oil in his hand shall be placed upon the head of the man being cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord.

³⁰ “Then he must offer the two turtledoves or two young pigeons (whichever pair he is able to afford). ³¹ One of the pair is for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, to be sacrificed along with the grain offering; and the priest shall make atonement for the man before the Lord.”

³² These, then, are the laws concerning those who are cleansed of leprosy but are not able to bring the sacrifices normally required for the ceremony of cleansing.

^33-34 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When you arrive in the land of Canaan which I have given you, and I place leprosy in some house there, ³⁵ then the owner of the house shall come and report to the priest, ‘It seems to me that there may be leprosy in my house!’

³⁶ “The priest shall order the house to be emptied before he examines it, so that everything in the house will not be declared contaminated if he decides that there is leprosy there. ³⁷ If he finds greenish or reddish streaks in the walls of the house which seem to be beneath the surface of the wall, ³⁸ he shall close up the house for seven days, ³⁹ and return the seventh day to look at it again. If the spots have spread in the wall, ⁴⁰ then the priest shall order the removal of the spotted section of wall, and the material must be thrown into a defiled place outside the city. ⁴¹ Then he shall order the inside walls of the house scraped thoroughly and the scrapings dumped in a defiled place outside the city. ⁴² Other stones shall be brought to replace those that have been removed, new mortar used, and the house replastered.

⁴³ “But if the spots appear again, ⁴⁴ the priest shall come again and look, and if he sees that the spots have spread, it is leprosy, and the house is defiled. ⁴⁵ Then he shall order the destruction of the house—all its stones, timbers, and mortar shall be carried out of the city to a defiled place. ⁴⁶ Anyone entering the house while it is closed shall be defiled until evening. ⁴⁷ Anyone who lies down or eats in the house shall wash his clothing.

⁴⁸ “But if, when the priest comes again to look, the spots have not reappeared after the fresh plastering, then he will pronounce the house cleansed and declare the leprosy gone. ⁴⁹ He shall also perform the ceremony of cleansing, using two birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop branches. ⁵⁰ He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in an earthenware bowl, ^51-52 and dip the cedar wood, hyssop branch, and scarlet thread, as well as the living bird, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water, and shall sprinkle the house seven times. In this way the house shall be cleansed. ⁵³ Then he shall let the live bird fly away into an open field outside the city. This is the method for making atonement for the house and cleansing it.”

⁵⁴ These, then, are the laws concerning the various places where leprosy may appear: ⁵⁵ in a garment or in a house, ⁵⁶ or in any swelling in one’s skin, or a scab from a burn, or a bright spot. ⁵⁷ In this way you will know whether or not it is actually leprosy. That is why these laws are given.

15 ^1-2 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to give the people of Israel these further instructions:

“Any man who has a genital discharge^[h] is ceremonially defiled. ³ This applies not only while the discharge is active, but also for a time after it heals. ⁴ Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is contaminated: ⁵ so anyone touching the man’s bed is ceremonially defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. ⁶ Anyone sitting on a seat the man has sat upon while defiled is himself ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. ⁷ The same instructions apply to anyone touching him. ⁸ Anyone he spits on is ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. ⁹ Any saddle he rides on is defiled. ¹⁰ Anyone touching or carrying anything else that was beneath him shall be defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. ¹¹ If the defiled man touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening. ¹² Any earthen pot touched by the defiled man must be broken, and every wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.

¹³ “When the discharge stops, he shall begin a seven-day cleansing ceremony by washing his clothes and bathing in running water. ¹⁴ On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and give them to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest shall sacrifice them there, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; thus the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.

¹⁶ “Whenever a man’s semen goes out from him, he shall take a complete bath and be ceremonially impure until the evening. ¹⁷ Any clothing or bedding the semen spills on must be washed and remain ceremonially defiled until evening. ¹⁸ After sexual intercourse, the woman as well as the man must bathe, and they are ceremonially defiled until the next evening.

¹⁹ “Whenever a woman menstruates, she shall be in a state of ceremonial defilement for seven days afterwards, and during that time anyone touching her shall be defiled until evening. ²⁰ Anything she lies on or sits on during that time shall be defiled. ^21-23 Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits upon shall wash his clothes and bathe himself and be ceremonially defiled until evening. ²⁴ A man having sexual intercourse with her during this time is ceremonially defiled for seven days, and every bed he lies upon shall be defiled.

²⁵ “If the menstrual flow continues after the normal time, or at some irregular time during the month, the same rules apply as indicated above, ²⁶ so that anything she lies upon during that time is defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period, and everything she sits on is in a similar state of defilement. ²⁷ Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits on shall be defiled, and shall wash his clothes and bathe and be defiled until evening. ²⁸ Seven days after the menstruating stops, she is no longer ceremonially defiled.

²⁹ “On the eighth day, she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, ³⁰ and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for her before the Lord for her menstrual defilement. ³¹ In this way you shall cleanse the people of Israel from their defilement, lest they die because of defiling my Tabernacle that is among them.”

³² This, then, is the law for the man who is defiled by a genital disease^[i] or by a seminal emission; ³³ and for a woman’s menstrual period; and for anyone who has sexual intercourse with her while she is in her period of defilement afterwards.