Cleansing Unhealthiness

15 The Lord also spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘(A)When any man has a discharge from his [a]body, [b]his discharge is unclean. 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. Every bed on which the man with the discharge lies becomes unclean, and everything on which he sits becomes unclean. Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening; 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. Also whoever touches the [c]man with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 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. 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 (B)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 (C)shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing; he shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in [d]running water and will become clean. 14 Then on the eighth day he shall take for himself (D)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, (E)one as a [e]sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So (F)the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the Lord because of his discharge.

16 (G)Now if a [f]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 (H)unclean until evening.

19 (I)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 (J)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 (K)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 [g]that period, for all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though [h]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 [i]her bed at menstruation; and every object on which she sits shall be unclean, like [j]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 (L)one as a [k]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 (M)defiling My [l]tabernacle that is among them.” 32 This is the law for the one with a discharge, and for the man [m]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.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 15:2 Lit flesh, and so throughout the ch
  2. Leviticus 15:2 Or by his discharge, he is unclean
  3. Leviticus 15:7 Lit flesh
  4. Leviticus 15:13 Lit living
  5. Leviticus 15:15 Or purification offering
  6. Leviticus 15:16 Lit man’s...goes out from him
  7. Leviticus 15:25 Lit her menstrual impurity
  8. Leviticus 15:25 Lit in the days of
  9. Leviticus 15:26 Lit the bed of her menstrual impurity
  10. Leviticus 15:26 Lit the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity
  11. Leviticus 15:30 Or purification offering
  12. Leviticus 15:31 Or dwelling place
  13. Leviticus 15:32 Lit whose seminal emission goes out from him

15 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.

And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.

Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean.

And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.

10 And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

11 And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

12 And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

13 And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.

14 And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest:

15 And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue.

16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.

17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.

19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.

21 And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

22 And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

23 And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.

24 And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.

25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean.

26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.

27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

28 But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness.

31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

32 This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;

33 And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.

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[a] is ceremonially defiled. This applies not only while the discharge is active, but also for a time after it heals. Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is contaminated: so anyone touching the man’s bed is ceremonially defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 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. The same instructions apply to anyone touching him. Anyone he spits on is ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 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[b] 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.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 15:1 a genital discharge, literally, “an issue out of his flesh.”
  2. Leviticus 15:32 is defiled by a genital disease, literally, “has an issue.”