Priesthood, Ordination, and Purity

Chapter 8

1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Take Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, 3and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.” 4So Moses did as the LORD had commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 5And Moses said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.” 6Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. 7He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He tied the woven band of the ephod around him and fastened it to him. 8Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece. 9Moses also put the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the holy diadem, on the front of the turban, as the LORD had commanded him. 10Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them. 11He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. 12He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him. 13Then Moses presented Aaron’s sons, put tunics on them, wrapped sashes around them, and tied headbands on them, just as the LORD had commanded him. 14Moses then brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 15Moses slaughtered the bull, took some of the blood, and applied it with his finger to all four horns of the altar, purifying the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that atonement could be made on it. 16Moses also took all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it all on the altar. 17But the bull with its hide, flesh, and dung he burned outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded him. 18Then Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 19Moses slaughtered the ram and splattered the blood on all sides of the altar. 20He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21He washed the entrails and legs with water and burned the entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 22After that, Moses presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 23Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24Moses also presented Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splattered the blood on all sides of the altar. 25And Moses took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with their fat—as well as the right thigh. 26And from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and he placed them on the fat portions and on the right thigh. 27He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the LORD as a wave offering. 28Then Moses took these from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 29He also took the breast—Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination—and waved it before the LORD as a wave offering, as the LORD had commanded him. 30Next, Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well as Aaron’s sons and their garments. 31And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ 32Then you must burn up the remainder of the meat and bread. 33You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are complete; for it will take seven days to ordain you. 34What has been done today has been commanded by the LORD in order to make atonement on your behalf. 35You must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the LORD’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.” 36So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.

Chapter 9

1On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2He said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and present them before the LORD. 3Then speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb—both a year old and without blemish—for a burnt offering, 4an ox and a ram for a peace offering to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.’” 5So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6And Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.” 7Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering to make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.” 8So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. 9The sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. And he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 10On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11But he burned up the flesh and the hide outside the camp. 12Then Aaron slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the altar. 13They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. 14He washed the entrails and the legs and burned them atop the burnt offering on the altar. 15Aaron then presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s sin offering, slaughtered it, and offered it for sin like the first one. 16He presented the burnt offering and offered it according to the ordinance. 17Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering. 18Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people’s peace offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the altar. 19They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver— 20and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar, 21but he waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded. 22Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having made the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down. 23Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Chapter 10

1Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. 2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: But Aaron remained silent. 4Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” 5So they came forward and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses had directed. 6Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited. 7You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed. 8Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come. 10You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean, 11so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through Moses.” 12And Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that remains from the food offerings to the LORD and eat it without leaven beside the altar, because it is most holy. 13You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings to the LORD; for this is what I have been commanded. 14And you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution in a ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. 15They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, together with the fat portions of the food offerings, to wave as a wave offering before the LORD. It will belong permanently to you and your children, as the LORD has commanded.” 16Later, Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, 17“Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before the LORD. 18Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.” 19But Aaron replied to Moses, “Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?” 20And when Moses heard this explanation, he was satisfied.

Chapter 11

1The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, telling them, 2“Say to the Israelites, ‘Of all the beasts of the earth, these ones you may eat: 3You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud. 4But of those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 5The rock badger, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 6The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 7And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. 9Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat anything with fins and scales. 10But the following among all the teeming life and creatures in the water are detestable to you: everything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales. 11They shall be an abomination to you; you must not eat their meat, and you must detest their carcasses. 12Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales shall be detestable to you. 13Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14the kite, any kind of falcon, 15any kind of raven, 16the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 20All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21However, you may eat the following kinds of flying insects that walk on all fours: those having jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. 22Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. 23All other flying insects that have four legs are detestable to you. 24These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, 25and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening. 26Every animal with hooves not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you. Whoever touches any of them will be unclean. 27All the four-footed animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, 28and anyone who picks up a carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you. 29The following creatures that move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse, any kind of great lizard, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31These animals are unclean for you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. 32When one of them dies and falls on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. 33If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean; you must break the pot. 34Any food coming into contact with water from that pot will be unclean, and any drink in such a container will be unclean. 35Anything upon which one of their carcasses falls will be unclean. If it is an oven or cooking pot, it must be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you. 36Nevertheless, a spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but one who touches a carcass in it will be unclean. 37If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean; 38but if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you. 39If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening. 40Whoever eats from the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening, and anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. 41Every creature that moves along the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable. 43Do not defile yourselves by any crawling creature; do not become unclean or defiled by them. 44For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground. 45For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. 46This is the law regarding animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that crawl along the ground. 47You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.’”

Chapter 12

1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation. 3And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised. 4The woman shall continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch anything sacred or go into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete. 5If, however, she gives birth to a daughter, the woman will be unclean for two weeks as she is during her menstruation. Then she must continue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-six days. 6When the days of her purification are complete, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7And the priest will present them before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female. 8But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

Chapter 13

1Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“When someone has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that may be an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. 3The priest is to examine the infection on his skin, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean. 4If, however, the spot on his skin is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. 5On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine him, and if he sees that the infection is unchanged and has not spread on the skin, the priest must isolate him for another seven days. 6The priest will examine him again on the seventh day, and if the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is a rash. The person must wash his clothes and be clean. 7But if the rash spreads further on his skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he must present himself again to the priest. 8The priest will reexamine him, and if the rash has spread on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a skin disease. 9When anyone develops a skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. 10The priest will examine him, and if there is a white swelling on the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, 11it is a chronic skin disease and the priest must pronounce him unclean. He need not isolate him, for he is unclean. 12But if the skin disease breaks out all over his skin so that it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, as far as the priest can see, 13the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the infected person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. 14But whenever raw flesh appears on someone, he will be unclean. 15When the priest sees the raw flesh, he must pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; it is a skin disease. 16But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, he must go to the priest. 17The priest will reexamine him, and if the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the infected person clean; then he is clean. 18When a boil appears on someone’s skin and it heals, 19and a white swelling or a reddish-white spot develops where the boil was, he must present himself to the priest. 20The priest shall examine it, and if it appears to be beneath the skin and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil. 21But when the priest examines it, if there is no white hair in it, and it is not beneath the skin and has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 22If it spreads any further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is an infection. 23But if the spot remains unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24When there is a burn on someone’s skin and the raw area of the burn becomes reddish-white or white, 25the priest must examine it. If the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection. 26But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot, and it is not beneath the skin but has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 27On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine him, and if it has spread further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection. 28But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest is to pronounce him clean; for it is only the scar from the burn. 29If a man or woman has an infection on the head or chin, 30the priest shall examine the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a scaly outbreak, an infectious disease of the head or chin. 31But if the priest examines the scaly infection and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. 32On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine the infection, and if the scaly outbreak has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 33then the person must shave himself except for the scaly area. Then the priest shall isolate him for another seven days. 34On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scaly outbreak, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is to pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. 35If, however, the scaly outbreak spreads further on the skin after his cleansing, 36the priest is to examine him, and if the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest need not look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. 37If, however, in his sight the scaly outbreak is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, then it has healed. He is clean, and the priest is to pronounce him clean. 38When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, 39the priest shall examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; the person is clean. 40Now if a man loses his hair and is bald, he is still clean. 41Or if his hairline recedes and he is bald on his forehead, he is still clean. 42But if there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on it. 43The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the infection on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white like a skin disease, 44the man is diseased; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean because of the infection on his head. 45A diseased person must wear torn clothes and let his hair hang loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp. 47If any fabric is contaminated with mildew —any wool or linen garment, 48any weave or knit of linen or wool, or any article of leather— 49and if the mark in the fabric, leather, weave, knit, or leather article is green or red, then it is contaminated with mildew and must be shown to the priest. 50And the priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the contaminated fabric for seven days. 51On the seventh day the priest shall reexamine it, and if the mildew has spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or leather, then regardless of how it is used, it is a harmful mildew; the article is unclean. 52He is to burn the fabric, weave, or knit, whether the contaminated item is wool or linen or leather. Since the mildew is harmful, the article must be burned up. 53But when the priest reexamines it, if the mildew has not spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or leather article, 54the priest is to order the contaminated article to be washed and isolated for another seven days. 55After it has been washed, the priest is to reexamine it, and if the mildewed article has not changed in appearance, it is unclean. Even though the mildew has not spread, you must burn it, whether the rot is on the front or back. 56If the priest examines it and the mildew has faded after it has been washed, he must cut the contaminated section out of the fabric, leather, weave, or knit. 57But if it reappears in the fabric, weave, or knit, or on any leather article, it is spreading. You must burn the contaminated article. 58If the mildew disappears from the fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article after washing, then it is to be washed again, and it will be clean. 59This is the law concerning a mildew contamination in wool or linen fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.”

Chapter 14

1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“This is the law for the one afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing, when he is brought to the priest. 3The priest is to go outside the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted person has healed, 4the priest shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5Then the priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot. 6And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. 7Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field. 8The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days. 9On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean. 10On the eighth day he is to bring two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished ewe lamb a year old, a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and one log of olive oil. 11The priest who performs the cleansing shall present the one to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 12Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and present it as a guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil; and he must wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 13Then he is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15Then the priest shall take some of the log of olive oil, pour it into his left palm, 16dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17And the priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 19Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering 20and offer it on the altar, with the grain offering, to make atonement for him, and he will be clean. 21If, however, the person is poor and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, 22and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23On the eighth day he is to bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. 24The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 25And after he slaughters the lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26Then the priest is to pour some of the oil into his left palm 27and sprinkle with his right forefinger some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the LORD. 28The priest shall also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot—on the same places as the blood of the guilt offering. 29The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 30Then he must sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the one to be cleansed. 32This is the law for someone who has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.” 33Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land, 35the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’ 36The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house. 37He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, 38the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. 39On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, 40he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. 41And he shall have the inside of the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the city. 42So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house. 43If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered, 44the priest must come and inspect it. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. 45It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. 46Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening. 47And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes. 48If, however, the priest comes and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone. 49He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house; 50and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. 51Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52And he shall cleanse the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. 53Finally, he is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean. 54This is the law for any infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak, 55for mildew in clothing or in a house, 56and for a swelling, rash, or spot, 57to determine when something is clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and mildew. ”

Chapter 15

1And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. 3This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness. 4Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean. 5Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 6Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 7Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 8If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 9Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean. 10Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 11If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 12Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water. 13When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, and he shall be clean. 14On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. 15The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge. 16When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 17Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. 18If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening. 19When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean, 21and anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 22Whoever touches any furniture on which she was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 23And whether it is a bed or furniture on which she was sitting, whoever touches it will be unclean until evening. 24If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean. 25When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation. 26Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period. 27Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 28When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 30The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge. 31You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them. 32This is the law of him who has a discharge, of the man who has an emission of semen whereby he is unclean, 33of a woman in her menstrual period, of any male or female who has a discharge, and of a man who lies with an unclean woman.’”

Historical Context

The book of Leviticus forms part of the Torah, or the first five books of the Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses as the primary author. These chapters, specifically 8-15, reflect the covenantal instructions given to the Israelites during their wilderness journey following the exodus from Egypt. The original audience were God's chosen people, recently liberated from slavery, as they were being formed into a holy nation. This context is one of a people learning to live in obedience to a holy God, surrounded by pagan nations with very different values and practices. The sections on priestly consecration (chapters 8–10) show the establishment of the priesthood, which was essential for mediating between God and His people. The laws regarding dietary rules, skin diseases, and bodily discharges (chapters 11–15) were practical instructions that helped maintain the holiness and purity of Israel, ensuring their set-apart status among the nations.

Theological Insight

These chapters reveal God's holiness and the seriousness of sin. God establishes clear distinctions between what is clean and unclean, holy and common, signifying that His people are to reflect His holiness in all areas of life. The consecration of Aaron and his sons shows that the priesthood was not about personal ambition but about divine calling; they were set apart to mediate between God and humanity. The narrative of Nadab and Abihu's judgment underscores the importance of approaching God on His terms and not presuming upon His holiness. These chapters also foreshadow the work of Christ as our ultimate High Priest and the ultimate sacrifice for sin, fulfilling and surpassing these ceremonial laws to provide lasting atonement for His people. Further, the laws concerning uncleanness stress humanity's need for purity to approach God, underscoring the redemptive necessity of Christ's work on the cross.

Practical Application

For a modern reader, these chapters remind us of the holiness of God and the need to approach Him with reverence. While the ceremonial laws no longer govern Christians under the new covenant, the principles of responding to God's holiness with awe, obedience, and gratitude still apply. The cleansing rituals for uncleanness also encourage us to consider what in our lives may be impure—not in the physical sense, but in our thoughts, words, and actions—and to bring those to God for cleansing through repentance and trust in Christ. The story of Nadab and Abihu warns us about the dangers of taking God's commands lightly and encourages a humble submission to His Word. Finally, the instructions about community health and purity highlight the importance of caring for our bodies and living lives marked by discipline, respect for others, and an ongoing desire for spiritual wholeness before God.

What is the significance of the detailed rituals for consecrating the priests and purifying the Israelites in these chapters, and how do they reflect God's holiness?

How do the laws concerning clean and unclean in Leviticus 8–15 point forward to the work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament?

In what ways can you cultivate holiness in your daily life as a response to God's call to 'be holy, because I am holy' (Leviticus 11:44-45)?

How might the concepts of purity and cleansing reflected in these passages shape your perspective on personal and spiritual discipline?

Heavenly Father, thank You for calling Your people to holiness and teaching us to distinguish between the clean and unclean. Help us to be set apart for You, walking in purity of heart and life. May Your presence dwell among us, transforming us through Your grace and making us whole in Your sight. Amen.

Create a free account to save your progress and reflection responses.