Episode 47: Unclean mothers and leprosy

(Leviticus 12-14)

Unclean mothers

12 ¹ God said to Moses,

² If a woman has a baby boy, she is unclean for seven days.

³ When her son is eight days old, circumcise the flesh of his foreskin.

⁴ After her seven days of uncleanness pass, she must continue in the blood of her purifying for 33 days, during which she must not touch any holy thing or come into the sanctuary.

⁵ If a baby girl is born, her mother will be unclean for 14 days, and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for another 66 days.

⁶ After a mother's days of purifying are over, she must sacrifice a first-year lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering.

⁷ A priest will offer her sacrifices in front of God, and she will be cleansed from the issue of her blood.

Leprosy

13 ¹ God said to Moses,

² If a man has a scab or bright spot on his skin, he shall be brought to a priest.

³ The priest will examine his skin, and if he sees a white hair that is more than skin deep, the priest will say he has leprosy and declare him unclean.

³⁸ But if a man or woman has bright or bright white spots on their skin, and if their skin is darkish white, it is a freckled spot and the freckled person is clean.

⁴⁰ A man whose hair has fallen off his head is bald but clean.

⁴⁵ Lepers must tear up their clothes, not wear hats, cover their upper lips, and cry "unclean, unclean!"

⁴⁶ They are defiled, unclean, and must live alone, away from everyone else.

The law of the leper

14 ¹ God said to Moses,

² This is the law of the leper.

⁴ If someone has leprosy, the priest will take two birds, alive and clean. Then he'll kill one bird and dip the live bird in the dead bird's blood.

⁷ He will sprinkle the remaining blood on the leper seven times, pronounce him clean, and let the blood- soaked bird fly away.

¹⁴ The priest will take some of the blood of the trespass offering and wipe it on the leper's right ear, thumb, and big toe.

²³ On the eighth day the priest shall take the dead lamb and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord.

²⁵ The priest will kill the trespass offering and take some of its blood and wipe it on the leper's right ear, thumb, and big toe.

House leprosy

³⁵ When I put leprosy in a house, the owner of the house must tell the priest "It seems to me that there is a plague in my house."

^55-56 This is God's law for the plague of leprosy -- for leprosy in a garment, house, scab, or bright spot -- to teach when it is clean or unclean.