Leviticus: Unit VIII (Ch. 13:47-14:57)

47When an eruptive affection occurs in a cloth of wool or linen fabric, 48in the warp or in the woof of the linen or the wool, or in a skin or in anything made of skin; 49if the affection in the cloth or the skin, in the warp or the woof, or in any article of skin, is streaky green (Or yellow.) or red, it is an eruptive affection. It shall be shown to the priest; 50and the priest, after examining the affection, shall isolate the affected article for seven days.

51On the seventh day he shall examine the affection: if the affection has spread in the cloth whether in the warp or the woof, or in the skin, for whatever purpose the skin may be used the affection is a malignant eruption; it is unclean. 52The cloth whether warp or woof in wool or linen, or any article of skin in which the affection is found, shall be burned, for it is a malignant eruption; it shall be consumed in fire. 53But if the priest sees that the affection in the cloth whether in warp or in woof, or in any article of skin has not spread, 54the priest shall order the affected article washed, and he shall isolate it for another seven days. 55And if, after the affected article has been washed, the priest sees that the affection has not changed color and that it has not spread, it is unclean. It shall be consumed in fire; it is a fret, (Meaning of Heb. pehetheth uncertain.) whether on its inner side or on its outer side.

56But if the priest sees that the affected part, after it has been washed, is faded, he shall tear it out from the cloth or skin, whether in the warp or in the woof; 57and if it occurs again in the cloth whether in warp or in woof or in any article of skin, it is a wild growth; the affected article shall be consumed in fire. 58If, however, the affection disappears from the cloth warp or woof or from any article of skin that has been washed, it shall be washed again, and it shall be clean. 59Such is the procedure for eruptive affections of cloth, woolen or linen, in warp or in woof, or of any article of skin, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.

[14] 1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2This shall be the ritual for a leper at the time that he is to be cleansed. When it has been reported (Cf. note a at 13.2.) to the priest, 3the priest shall go outside the camp. If the priest sees that the leper has been healed of his scaly affection, 4the priest shall order two live clean birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop to be brought for him who is to be cleansed. 5The priest shall order one of the birds slaughtered over fresh water in an earthen vessel; 6and 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. 7He shall then sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the eruption and cleanse him; and he shall set the live bird free in the open country. 8The one to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water; then he shall be clean. After that he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent seven days. 9On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair of head, beard, and eyebrows. When he has shaved off all his hair, he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; then he shall be clean.

10On the eighth day he 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 meal offering, and one log of oil. 11These shall be presented before the Lord, with the man to be cleansed, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, by the priest who performs the cleansing. 12The priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it with the log of oil as a guilt offering, and he shall elevate them as an elevation offering before the Lord. 13The lamb shall be slaughtered at the spot in the sacred area where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. (See 1.11; 4.23.) For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, goes to the priest; it is most holy. 14The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the ridge of the right ear of him who is being cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15The priest shall then take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. 16And 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 the Lord. 17Some of the oil left in his palm shall be put by the priest on the ridge of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot over the blood of the guilt offering. 18The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one being cleansed. Thus the priest shall make expiation for him before the Lord. 19The priest shall then offer the sin offering and make expiation for the one being cleansed of his uncleanness. Last, the burnt offering shall be slaughtered, 20and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal offering on the altar, and the priest shall make expiation for him. Then he shall be clean.

21If, however, he is poor and his means are insufficient, he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering, to be elevated in expiation for him, one-tenth of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in for a meal offering, and a log of oil; 22and two turtledoves or two pigeons, depending on his means, the one to be the sin offering and the other the burnt offering. 23On the eighth day of his cleansing he shall bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, before the Lord. 24The priest shall take the lamb of guilt offering and the log of oil, and elevate them as an elevation offering before the Lord. 25When the lamb of guilt offering has been slaughtered, the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the ridge of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26The priest shall then pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27and 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 the Lord. 28Some of the oil in his palm shall be put by the priest on the ridge of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, over the same places as the blood of the guilt offering; 29and what is left of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one being cleansed, to make expiation for him before the Lord. 30He shall then offer one of the turtledoves or pigeons, depending on his means 31whichever he can afford the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the meal offering. Thus the priest shall make expiation before the Lord for the one being cleansed. 32Such is the ritual for him who has a scaly affection and whose means for his cleansing are limited.

33The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 34When 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, 35the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, "Something like a plague has appeared upon my house." 36The priest shall order the house cleared before the priest enters to examine the plague, so that nothing in the house may become unclean; after that the priest shall enter to examine the house. 37If, when he examines the plague, the plague in the walls of the house is found to consist of greenish (Or yellowish.) or reddish streaks (Meaning of Heb. sheqa>aruroth uncertain.) that appear to go deep into the wall, 38the priest shall come out of the house to the entrance of the house, and close up the house for seven days.

39On the seventh day the priest shall return. If he sees that the plague has spread on the walls of the house, 40the priest shall order the stones with the plague in them to be pulled out and cast outside the city into an unclean place. 41The house shall be scraped inside all around, and the coating (Lit. dust, mud.) that is scraped off shall be dumped outside the city in an unclean place. 42They shall take other stones and replace those stones with them, and take other coating and plaster the house. 43If the plague again breaks out in the house, after the stones have been pulled out and after the house has been scraped and replastered, 44the priest shall come to examine: if the plague has spread in the house, it is a malignant eruption in the house; it is unclean. 45The house shall be torn down its stones and timber and all the coating on the house and taken to an unclean place outside the city. 46Whoever enters the house while it is closed up shall be unclean until evening. 47Whoever sleeps in the house must wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house must wash his clothes.

48If, 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 clean, for the plague has healed. 49To purge the house, he shall take two birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop. 50He shall slaughter the one bird over fresh water in an earthen vessel. 51He 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. 52Having purged the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the crimson stuff, 53he 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 clean. 54Such is the ritual for every eruptive affection for scalls, 55for an eruption on a cloth or a house, 56for swellings, for rashes, or for discolorations 57to determine when they are unclean and when they are clean. Such is the ritual concerning eruptions.