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Bible in 90 Days

An intensive Bible reading plan that walks through the entire Bible in 90 days.

Duration: 88 days

Leviticus 1:1-14:32

I. Ritual of Sacrifices

A. Instructions for the Israelites

Chapter 1

Burnt Offerings. ¹The Lord called Moses, and spoke to him from the tent of meeting:^(A) ²Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any one of you^[a] brings an offering of livestock to the Lord, you shall bring your offering from the herd or from the flock.^(B)

³^[b]^(C)If a person’s offering is a burnt offering^[c] from the herd, the offering must be a male without blemish.^(D) The individual shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to find favor with the Lord, ⁴and shall lay a hand^[d] on the head^(E) of the burnt offering, so that it may be acceptable^(F) to make atonement^(G) for the one who offers it. ⁵The bull shall then be slaughtered^[e] before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall offer its blood by splashing it on all the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.^(H) ⁶Then the burnt offering shall be flayed and cut into pieces. ⁷After Aaron’s sons, the priests, have put burning embers on the altar and laid wood on them, ⁸they shall lay the pieces of meat, together with the head and the suet, on top of the wood and the embers on the altar; ⁹but the inner organs and the shanks shall be washed with water. The priest shall then burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.^(I)

¹⁰If a person’s burnt offering is from the flock, that is, a sheep or a goat, the offering must be a male without blemish. ¹¹It shall be slaughtered on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ¹²When it has been cut into pieces, the priest shall lay these, together with the head and suet, on top of the wood and the embers on the altar; ¹³but the inner organs and the shanks shall be washed with water. The priest shall then offer all of it, burning it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.

¹⁴If a person offers a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord, the offering brought must be a turtledove or a pigeon.^(J) ¹⁵Having brought it to the altar, the priest shall wring its head off and burn it on the altar. The blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.^(K) ¹⁶He shall remove its crissum^[f] by means of its feathers and throw it on the ash heap at the east side of the altar. ¹⁷Then, having torn the bird open by its wings without separating the halves, the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood and the embers. It is a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.

Chapter 2

Grain Offerings. ¹^[g]^(L)When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of bran flour. The offerer shall pour oil on it and put frankincense^(M) over it, ²and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. A priest shall take a handful of the bran flour and oil, together with all the frankincense, and shall burn it on the altar as a token of the offering,^[h] a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.^(N) ³The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons,^(O) a most holy^(P) portion from the oblations to the Lord.

⁴When you offer a grain offering baked in an oven, it must be in the form of unleavened cakes made of bran flour mixed with oil, or of unleavened wafers spread with oil.^(Q) ⁵If your offering is a grain offering that is fried on a griddle,^(R) it must be of bran flour mixed with oil and unleavened. ⁶Break it into pieces, and pour oil over it. It is a grain offering. ⁷If your offering is a grain offering that is prepared in a pan, it must be made of bran flour, fried in oil. ⁸A grain offering that is made in any of these ways you shall bring to the Lord. It shall be presented to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. ⁹The priest shall then remove from the grain offering a token and burn it on the altar as a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord. ¹⁰The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from the oblations to the Lord.

¹¹^[i]Every grain offering that you present to the Lord shall be unleavened, for you shall not burn any leaven or honey as an oblation to the Lord.^(S) ¹²Such you may present to the Lord in the offering of the first produce that is processed,^(T) but they are not to be placed on the altar for a pleasing odor. ¹³You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not let the salt of the covenant with your God^[j] be lacking from your grain offering. On every offering you shall offer salt.^(U)

¹⁴If you offer a grain offering of first ripe fruits to the Lord, you shall offer it in the form of fresh early grain, roasted by fire and crushed as a grain offering of your first ripe fruits. ¹⁵You shall put oil on it and set frankincense on it. It is a grain offering. ¹⁶The priest shall then burn some of the groats and oil, together with all the frankincense, as a token of the offering, an oblation to the Lord.

Chapter 3

Communion Sacrifices. ¹^[k]^(V)If a person’s offering is a communion sacrifice, if it is brought from the herd, be it a male or a female animal, it must be presented without blemish^(W) before the Lord. ²The one offering it shall lay a hand on the head^(X) of the offering. It shall then be slaughtered at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ³^(Y)From the communion sacrifice the individual shall offer as an oblation to the Lord the fat^[l] that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ⁴as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ⁵Aaron’s sons shall burn this on the altar with the burnt offering that is on the wood and the embers, as a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.^(Z)

⁶If the communion sacrifice one offers to the Lord is from the flock, be it a male or a female animal, it must be presented without blemish. ⁷If one presents a lamb as an offering, that person shall bring it before the Lord, ⁸and after laying a hand on the head of the offering, it shall then be slaughtered before the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ⁹From the communion sacrifice the individual shall present as an oblation to the Lord its fat: the whole fatty tail, which is removed close to the spine, the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ¹⁰as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ¹¹The priest shall burn this on the altar as food,^(AA) an oblation to the Lord.

¹²If a person’s offering is a goat, the individual shall bring it before the Lord, ¹³and after laying a hand on its head, it shall then be slaughtered before the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ¹⁴From this the one sacrificing shall present an offering as an oblation to the Lord: the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ¹⁵as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ¹⁶The priest shall burn these on the altar as food, a sweet-smelling oblation.

All the fat belongs to the Lord. ¹⁷This shall be a perpetual ordinance for your descendants wherever they may dwell. You shall not eat any fat or any blood.^[m]^(AB)

Chapter 4

Purification Offerings. ¹The Lord said to Moses: ²^(AC)Tell the Israelites: When a person inadvertently^[n] does wrong by violating any one of the Lord’s prohibitions—

For the Anointed Priest. ³If it is the anointed priest^[o] who thus does wrong and thereby makes the people guilty, he shall offer to the Lord an unblemished bull of the herd as a purification offering for the wrong he committed. ⁴Bringing the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord, he shall lay his hand on its head^(AD) and slaughter it before the Lord. ⁵^[p]The anointed priest shall then take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meeting, ⁶where, dipping his finger in the blood, he shall sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, toward the veil of the sanctuary.^(AE) ⁷The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which stands before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁸He shall remove all the fat of the bull of the purification offering: the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ⁹as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys, ¹⁰just as the fat pieces are removed from the ox of the communion sacrifice.^(AF) The priest shall burn these on the altar for burnt offerings. ¹¹^[q]But the hide of the bull and its meat, with its head, shanks, inner organs and dung, ¹²that is, the whole bull, shall be brought outside the camp to a clean place^[r] where the ashes are deposited and there be burned in a wood fire. At the place of the ash heap, there it must be burned.^(AG)

For the Community. ¹³If the whole community of Israel errs^[s] inadvertently and without even being aware of it violates any of the Lord’s prohibitions, and thus are guilty, ¹⁴when the wrong that was committed becomes known, the community shall offer a bull of the herd as a purification offering. They shall bring it before the tent of meeting. ¹⁵The elders of the community shall lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord. When the bull has been slaughtered before the Lord, ¹⁶the anointed priest shall bring some of its blood into the tent of meeting, ¹⁷and dipping his finger in the blood, he shall sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, toward the veil. ¹⁸He shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹⁹He shall remove all of its fat and burn it on the altar, ²⁰doing with this bull just as he did with the other bull of the purification offering; he will do the same thing. Thus the priest shall make atonement^(AH) on their behalf, that they may be forgiven. ²¹This bull shall also be brought outside the camp and burned,^(AI) just as the first bull. It is a purification offering for the assembly.

For the Tribal Leader. ²²Should a tribal leader^(AJ) do wrong inadvertently by violating any one of the prohibitions of the Lord his God, and thus be guilty, ²³when he learns of the wrong he committed, he shall bring as his offering an unblemished male goat. ²⁴He shall lay his hand on its head and it shall be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, before the Lord. It is a purification offering. ²⁵The priest shall then take some of the blood of the purification offering on his finger and put it on the horns^(AK) of the altar for burnt offerings. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ²⁶All of its fat he shall burn on the altar like the fat of the communion sacrifice. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the tribal leader’s behalf for his wrong, that he may be forgiven.

For the General Populace. ²⁷If anyone of the general populace does wrong inadvertently by violating one of the Lord’s prohibitions, and thus is guilty, ²⁸upon learning of the wrong committed, that person shall bring an unblemished she-goat as the offering for the wrong committed. ²⁹The wrongdoer shall lay a hand on the head of the purification offering, and the purification offering shall be slaughtered at the place of the burnt offerings. ³⁰The priest shall then take some of its blood on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ³¹He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the communion sacrifice. The priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet odor to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement, so that the individual may be forgiven.

³²If, however, a person brings a lamb as a purification offering, that person shall bring an unblemished female, and ³³lay a hand on its head. It shall be slaughtered as a purification offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴The priest shall then take some of the blood of the purification offering on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. ³⁵He shall remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the communion sacrifice. The priest shall burn these on the altar with the other oblations for the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf for the wrong committed, that the individual may be forgiven.

Chapter 5

Special Cases for Purification Offerings.^[t] ¹If a person, either having seen or come to know something, does wrong by refusing as a witness under oath to give information,^(AL) that individual shall bear the penalty; ²or if someone, without being aware of it, touches any unclean thing, such as the carcass of an unclean wild animal, or an unclean domestic animal, or an unclean swarming creature,^[u] and thus is unclean and guilty;^(AM) ³or if someone, without being aware of it, touches some human uncleanness,^(AN) whatever kind of uncleanness this may be, and then subsequently becomes aware of guilt; ⁴or if someone, without being aware of it, rashly utters an oath with bad or good intent,^(AO) whatever kind of oath this may be, and then subsequently becomes aware of guilt in regard to any of these matters— ⁵when someone is guilty in regard to any of these matters, that person shall confess the wrong committed, ⁶and make reparation to the Lord for the wrong committed: a female animal from the flock, a ewe lamb or a she-goat, as a purification offering. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the individual’s behalf for the wrong.

⁷If, however, the person cannot afford an animal of the flock,^(AP) that person shall bring to the Lord as reparation for the wrong committed two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a purification offering and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸The guilty party shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer the one for the purification offering first.^(AQ) Wringing its head at the neck, yet without breaking it off, ⁹he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the purification offering against the side of the altar. The rest of the blood shall be drained out against the base of the altar. It is a purification offering. ¹⁰The other bird he shall offer as a burnt offering according to procedure. Thus the priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf for the wrong committed, so that the individual may be forgiven.

¹¹If the person is unable to afford even two turtledoves or two pigeons, that person shall bring as an offering for the wrong committed one tenth of an ephah^[v] of bran flour for a purification offering. The guilty party shall not put oil or place frankincense on it, because it is a purification offering.^(AR) ¹²The individual shall bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful as a token of the offering and burn it on the altar with the other oblations for the Lord. It is a purification offering. ¹³Thus the priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf for the wrong committed in any of the above cases, so that the individual may be forgiven. The rest of the offering, like the grain offering, shall belong to the priest.

Reparation Offerings.^[w] ¹⁴The Lord said to Moses: ¹⁵^(AS)When a person commits sacrilege by inadvertently misusing any of the Lord’s sacred objects,^(AT) the wrongdoer shall bring to the Lord as reparation an unblemished ram from the flock, at the established value^[x] in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, as a reparation offering. ¹⁶The wrongdoer shall also restore what has been misused of the sacred objects, adding a fifth of its value,^(AU) and give this to the priest. Thus the priest shall make atonement for the person with the ram of the reparation offering, so that the individual may be forgiven.

¹⁷If someone does wrong and violates one of the Lord’s prohibitions without realizing it, that person is guilty^(AV) and shall bear the penalty. ¹⁸The individual shall bring to the priest an unblemished ram of the flock, at the established value, for a reparation offering. The priest shall then make atonement on the offerer’s behalf for the error inadvertently and unknowingly committed so that the individual may be forgiven. ¹⁹It is a reparation offering. The individual must make reparation to the Lord.

²⁰The Lord said to Moses: ²¹When someone does wrong and commits sacrilege against the Lord by deceiving^(AW) a neighbor about a deposit or a pledge or a stolen article, or by otherwise retaining a neighbor’s goods unjustly;^(AX) ²²or if, having found a lost article, the person lies about it, swearing falsely about any of the things that a person may do wrong— ²³when someone has thus done wrong and is guilty, that person shall restore the thing that was stolen, the item unjustly retained, the item left as deposit, or the lost article that was found ²⁴or whatever else the individual swore falsely about. That person shall make full restitution of the thing itself, and add one fifth of its value to it, giving it to its owner at the time of reparation. ²⁵Then that person shall bring to the priest as reparation to the Lord an unblemished ram of the flock, at the established value, as a reparation offering. ²⁶The priest shall make atonement on the person’s behalf before the Lord, so that the individual may be forgiven for whatever was done to incur guilt.

B. Instructions for the Priests

Chapter 6

The Daily Burnt Offering. ¹The Lord said to Moses: ²^[y]^(AY)Give Aaron and his sons the following command: This is the ritual^[z] for the burnt offering—the burnt offering that is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night until the next morning, while the fire is kept burning on the altar. ³The priest, clothed in his linen robe and wearing linen pants underneath, shall take away the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar, and lay them at the side of the altar. ⁴Then, having taken off these garments and put on other garments, he shall carry the ashes to a clean place outside the camp. ⁵The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest shall put firewood on it. On this he shall lay out the burnt offering^(AZ) and burn the fat of the communion offering. ⁶The fire is to be kept burning continuously on the altar; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering.^[aa] ⁷This is the ritual of the grain offering. Aaron’s sons shall offer it before the Lord, in front of the altar. ⁸A priest shall then take from the grain offering a handful of bran flour and oil, together with all the frankincense that is on it,^(BA) and this he shall burn on the altar as a token of the offering, a sweet aroma to the Lord. ⁹The rest of it Aaron and his sons may eat; but it must be eaten unleavened in a sacred place:^(BB) in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. ¹⁰It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it to them as their portion from the oblations for the Lord; it is most holy,^(BC) like the purification offering and the reparation offering. ¹¹Every male of Aaron’s descendants may eat of it perpetually throughout your generations as their rightful due from the oblations for the Lord. Whatever touches the oblations becomes holy.

High Priest’s Daily Grain Offering.^[ab] ¹²The Lord said to Moses: ¹³This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall present to the Lord on the day he is anointed: one tenth of an ephah of bran flour for the regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. ¹⁴You shall bring it well kneaded and fried in oil on a griddle.^(BD) Having broken the offering into pieces, you shall present it as a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁵The anointed priest descended from Aaron who succeeds him shall do likewise. This is the Lord’s due forever. The offering shall be wholly burned.^(BE) ¹⁶Every grain offering of a priest shall be a whole offering; it may not be eaten.

Purification Offerings.^[ac] ¹⁷The Lord said to Moses: ¹⁸^(BF)Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the ritual for the purification offering. At the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, there also, before the Lord, shall the purification offering be slaughtered. It is most holy.^(BG) ¹⁹The priest who offers the purification offering shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a sacred place,^(BH) in the court of the tent of meeting. ²⁰Whatever touches its flesh becomes holy. If any of its blood spatters on a garment, the stained part must be washed in a sacred place. ²¹A clay vessel in which it has been boiled shall be broken; if it is boiled in a copper vessel, this shall be scoured afterward and rinsed with water.^(BI) ²²Every male of the priestly line may eat it. It is most holy. ²³But no purification offering of which some blood has been brought into the tent of meeting^(BJ) to make atonement in the sanctuary shall be eaten; it must be burned with fire.^(BK)

Chapter 7

Reparation Offerings. ¹^[ad]^(BL)This is the ritual for the reparation offering. It is most holy. ²At the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the reparation offering shall also be slaughtered.^(BM) Its blood shall be splashed on all the sides of the altar. ³^(BN)All of its fat shall be offered: the fatty tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ⁴as well as the two kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ⁵The priest shall burn these on the altar as an oblation to the Lord. It is a reparation offering. ⁶Every male of the priestly line may eat of it; but it must be eaten in a sacred place.^(BO) It is most holy.^(BP)

⁷Because the purification offering and the reparation offering are alike, both have the same ritual. The reparation offering belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it. ⁸As for the priest who offers someone’s burnt offering, to him belongs the hide of the burnt offering that is offered. ⁹^[ae]^(BQ)Also, every grain offering that is baked in an oven or made in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it, ¹⁰whereas all grain offerings^(BR) that are mixed with oil or are dry shall belong to all of Aaron’s sons without distinction.

Communion Sacrifices.^[af] ¹¹^(BS)This is the ritual for the communion sacrifice that is offered to the Lord. ¹²^[ag]If someone offers it for thanksgiving, that person shall offer it with unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes made of bran flour mixed with oil and well kneaded. ¹³One shall present this offering together with loaves of leavened bread along with the thanksgiving communion sacrifice. ¹⁴From this the individual shall offer one bread of each type of offering as a contribution^[ah] to the Lord; this shall belong to the priest who splashes the blood of the communion offering.

¹⁵^[ai]^(BT)The meat of the thanksgiving communion sacrifice shall be eaten on the day it is offered; none of it may be kept till the next morning.^(BU) ¹⁶However, if the sacrifice offered is a votive or a voluntary offering,^[aj] it shall be eaten on the day the sacrifice is offered, and on the next day what is left over may be eaten.^(BV) ¹⁷But what is left over of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned in the fire. ¹⁸If indeed any of the flesh of the communion sacrifice is eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted; it will not be reckoned to the credit of the one offering it. Rather it becomes a desecrated meat. Anyone who eats of it shall bear the penalty.^[ak]

¹⁹^[al]Should the meat touch anything unclean, it may not be eaten, but shall be burned in the fire.^(BW) As for other meat, all who are clean may eat of it. ²⁰If, however, someone in a state of uncleanness eats the meat of a communion sacrifice belonging to the Lord, that person shall be cut off^[am]^(BX) from the people. ²¹Likewise, if someone touches anything unclean, whether it be human uncleanness or an unclean animal or an unclean loathsome creature, and then eats the meat of the communion sacrifice belonging to the Lord, that person, too, shall be cut off from the people.

Prohibition Against Blood and Fat. ²²The Lord said to Moses: ²³Tell the Israelites: You shall not eat the fat of any ox or sheep or goat.^(BY) ²⁴Although the fat of an animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild beasts may be put to any other use, you may not eat it.^(BZ) ²⁵If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which an oblation is made to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from the people. ²⁶^(CA)Wherever you dwell, you shall not eat any blood, whether of bird or of animal. ²⁷Every person who eats any blood shall be cut off from the people.

Portions from the Communion Sacrifice for Priests. ²⁸The Lord said to Moses: ²⁹Tell the Israelites: The person who offers a communion sacrifice to the Lord shall be the one to bring from it the offering to the Lord. ³⁰The offerer’s own hands shall carry the oblations for the Lord: the person shall bring the fat together with the brisket, which is to be raised as an elevated^(CB) offering^[an] before the Lord. ³¹The priest shall burn the fat on the altar,^(CC) but the brisket belongs to Aaron and his sons. ³²Moreover, from your communion sacrifices you shall give to the priest the right leg as a contribution. ³³The one among Aaron’s sons who offers the blood and the fat of the communion offering shall have the right leg as his portion, ³⁴for from the communion sacrifices of the Israelites I have taken the brisket that is elevated and the leg that is a contribution, and I have given them to Aaron, the priest, and to his sons as their due from the Israelites forever.^(CD)

³⁵This is the priestly share from the oblations for the Lord, allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were brought forth to be the priests of the Lord, ³⁶which the Lord ordered to be given them from the Israelites on the day they were anointed, as their due throughout their generations forever.

Summary. ³⁷This is the ritual for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the purification offering, the reparation offering, the ordination offering,^(CE) and the communion sacrifice, ³⁸which the Lord enjoined on Moses at Mount Sinai at the time when he commanded the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai to bring their offerings to the Lord.^(CF)

II. Ceremony of Ordination

Chapter 8

Ordination of Aaron and His Sons.^[ao] ¹^(CG)The Lord said to Moses: ²Take Aaron along with his sons, the vestments, the anointing oil, the bull for a purification offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, ³then assemble the whole community^[ap] at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁴Moses did as the Lord had commanded. When the community^(CH) had assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting, ⁵Moses told them: “This is what the Lord has ordered to be done.” ⁶Bringing forward Aaron and his sons, Moses first washed them with water. ⁷^[aq]Then he put the tunic on Aaron,^(CI) girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, placed the ephod on him, and girded him with the ephod’s embroidered belt, fastening the ephod on him with it. ⁸He then set the breastpiece on him, putting the Urim and Thummim^[ar] in it. ⁹He put the turban on his head, attaching the gold medallion, the sacred headband,^[as] on the front of the turban, as the Lord had commanded Moses to do.

¹⁰^[at]Taking the anointing oil, Moses anointed and consecrated the tabernacle and all that was in it.^(CJ) ¹¹Then he sprinkled some of the oil seven times on the altar, and anointed the altar, with all its utensils, and the laver, with its base, to consecrate them. ¹²He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.^(CK) ¹³Moses likewise brought forward Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, girded them with sashes, and put skullcaps on them, as the Lord had commanded him to do.

Ordination Sacrifices. ¹⁴He brought forward the bull for a purification offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. ¹⁵When it was slaughtered, Moses took the blood^[au] and with his finger he put it on the horns around the altar, thus purifying the altar.^(CL) He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Thus he consecrated it so that atonement could be made on it. ¹⁶Taking all the fat that was over the inner organs, as well as the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat,^(CM) Moses burned them on the altar. ¹⁷The bull, however, with its hide and flesh and dung he burned in the fire outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded Moses to do.^(CN)

¹⁸He next brought forward the ram of the burnt offering,^(CO) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. ¹⁹When it was slaughtered, Moses splashed the blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁰After the ram was cut up into pieces, Moses burned the head, the cut-up pieces and the suet. ²¹After the inner organs and the shanks were washed with water, Moses burned these remaining parts of the ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a sweet aroma, an oblation to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²²^[av]Then he brought forward the second ram, the ordination ram,^(CP) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. ²³When it was slaughtered, Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe^[aw] of his right foot.^(CQ) ²⁴Moses had the sons of Aaron also come forward, and he put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. The rest of the blood he splashed on all the sides of the altar. ²⁵He then took the fat: the fatty tail and all the fat over the inner organs, the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and likewise the right thigh; ²⁶from the basket of unleavened bread that was set before the Lord he took one unleavened cake, one loaf of bread made with oil, and one wafer; these he placed on top of the portions of fat and the right thigh. ²⁷He then put all these things upon the palms of Aaron and his sons, whom he had raise them as an elevated offering before the Lord.^(CR) ²⁸When Moses had removed them from their palms, he burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. They were an ordination offering for a sweet aroma, an oblation to the Lord. ²⁹He then took the brisket and raised it as an elevated offering before the Lord; this was Moses’ own portion of the ordination ram, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰Taking some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, Moses sprinkled it upon Aaron and his vestments, as well as his sons and their vestments, thus consecrating both Aaron and his vestments and his sons and their vestments.^(CS)

³¹Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of the ordination offering, in keeping with the command I have received: ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat of it.’ ³²What is left over of the meat and the bread you shall burn in the fire. ³³Moreover, you are not to depart^[ax] from the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed; for your ordination is to last for seven days. ³⁴What has been done today the Lord has commanded be done, to make atonement for you. ³⁵You must remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, carrying out the prescriptions of the Lord, so that you do not die, for this is the command I have received.”^(CT) ³⁶So Aaron and his sons did all that the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Chapter 9

Octave of the Ordination. ¹On the eighth day^[ay]^(CU) Moses summoned Aaron and his sons, together with the elders of Israel, ²and said to Aaron, “Take a calf of the herd for a purification offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. ³^[az]Tell the Israelites, too: Take a he-goat for a purification offering, a calf and a lamb, both unblemished yearlings, for a burnt offering, ⁴and an ox and a ram for a communion sacrifice, to sacrifice before the Lord, along with a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.” ⁵So they brought what Moses had ordered before the tent of meeting. When the whole community had come forward and stood before the Lord, ⁶^[ba]Moses said, “This is what the Lord orders you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you. ⁷Approach the altar,” Moses then told Aaron, “and make your purification offering and your burnt offering in atonement for yourself and for your household;^[bb] then make the offering of the people in atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”^(CV)

⁸Approaching the altar, Aaron first slaughtered the calf of the purification offering that was his own offering. ⁹When his sons presented the blood to him, he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar.^(CW) The rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. ¹⁰He then burned on the altar the fat, the kidneys and the lobe of the liver from the purification offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses; ¹¹but the flesh and the hide he burned in the fire outside the camp.^(CX) ¹²Then Aaron slaughtered the burnt offering. When his sons brought him the blood, he splashed it on all sides of the altar. ¹³They then brought him the pieces and the head of the burnt offering, and he burned them on the altar. ¹⁴Having washed the inner organs and the shanks, he burned these also with the burnt offering on the altar.^(CY)

¹⁵Then he had the people’s offering brought. Taking the goat that was for the people’s purification offering, he slaughtered it and offered it as a purification offering as before. ¹⁶Then he brought forward the burnt offering and offered it according to procedure. ¹⁷He then presented the grain offering; taking a handful of it, he burned it on the altar, in addition to the morning burnt offering.^(CZ) ¹⁸Finally he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the communion sacrifice of the people. When his sons brought him the blood, Aaron splashed it on all sides of the altar.^(DA) ¹⁹The portions of fat from the ox and from the ram, the fatty tail, the covering fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver ²⁰they placed on top of the briskets. Aaron burned the fat pieces on the altar, ²¹but the briskets and the right thigh he raised as an elevated offering^(DB) before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Revelation of the Lord’s Glory. ²²^[bc]Aaron then raised his hands over the people and blessed^(DC) them. When he came down from offering the purification offering, the burnt offering, and the communion offering, ²³Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. On coming out they blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴^[bd]Fire came forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar.^(DD) Seeing this, all the people shouted with joy and fell prostrate.

Chapter 10

Nadab and Abihu. ¹^[be]Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers and, putting incense on the fire they had set in them,^(DE) they offered before the Lord unauthorized fire, such as he had not commanded. ²Fire therefore came forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed them,^(DF) so that they died in the Lord’s presence. ³Moses then said to Aaron, “This is as the Lord said:

Through those near to me I will be sanctified;
in the sight of all the people I will obtain glory.”^[bf]^(DG)

But Aaron said nothing. ⁴^[bg]Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, with the order, “Come, carry your kinsmen from before the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” ⁵So they drew near and carried them by means of their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had commanded.

Conduct of the Priests. ⁶Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not dishevel your hair^(DH) or tear your garments,^(DI) lest you die and bring God’s wrath also on the whole community. While your kindred, the rest of the house of Israel, may mourn for those whom the Lord’s fire has burned up, ⁷you shall not go beyond the entrance of the tent of meeting,^(DJ) else you shall die; for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did as Moses told them.

⁸The Lord said to Aaron: ⁹When you are to go to the tent of meeting, you and your sons are forbidden, by a perpetual statute throughout your generations, to drink any wine or strong drink, lest you die.^(DK) ¹⁰You must be able to distinguish between what is sacred and what is profane, and between what is clean and what is unclean;^[bh]^(DL) ¹¹and you must be able to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given them through Moses.

The Eating of the Priestly Portions. ¹²Moses said to Aaron and his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering^[bi] left over from the oblations to the Lord, and eat it beside the altar in the form of unleavened cakes, since it is most holy. ¹³You must eat it in a sacred place because it is your and your sons’ due from the oblations to the Lord; such is the command I have received. ¹⁴^(DM)The brisket of the elevated offering and the leg^[bj] of the contribution, however, you and your sons and daughters may eat, in a clean place; for these have been assigned to you and your children as your due from the communion sacrifices of the Israelites. ¹⁵The leg of the contribution and the brisket of the elevated offering shall be brought in with the oblations of fat to be raised as an elevated offering before the Lord. They shall belong to you and your children as your due forever, as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶Moses inquired closely about the goat of the purification offering^[bk] and discovered that it had all been burned. So he was angry with the surviving sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, and said, ¹⁷^(DN)“Why did you not eat the purification offering in the sacred place, since it is most holy? It has been given to you that you might remove the guilt of the community and make atonement for them before the Lord. ¹⁸Since its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten the offering in the sanctuary, as I was commanded.” ¹⁹Aaron answered Moses, “Even though they presented their purification offering and burnt offering before the Lord today, still this misfortune has befallen me. Had I then eaten of the purification offering today, would it have been pleasing to the Lord?” ²⁰On hearing this, Moses was satisfied.

III. Laws Regarding Ritual Purity^[bl]

Chapter 11

Clean and Unclean Meats.^[bm] ¹^(DO)The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ²Speak to the Israelites and tell them: Of all land animals these are the ones you may eat: ³Any animal that has hoofs you may eat, provided it is cloven-footed and chews the cud. ⁴But you shall not eat^(DP) any of the following from among those that only chew the cud or only have hoofs: the camel, which indeed chews the cud, but does not have hoofs and is therefore unclean for you; ⁵the rock hyrax,^[bn] which indeed chews the cud, but does not have hoofs and is therefore unclean for you; ⁶the hare, which indeed chews the cud, but does not have hoofs and is therefore unclean for you; ⁷and the pig,^(DQ) which does indeed have hoofs and is cloven-footed, but does not chew the cud and is therefore unclean for you. ⁸You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

⁹Of the various creatures that live in the water, you may eat the following: whatever in the seas or in river waters that has both fins and scales you may eat.^(DR) ¹⁰But of the creatures that swarm in the water or of animals that otherwise live in the water, whether in the sea or in the rivers, all those that lack either fins or scales are loathsome for you, ¹¹and shall always be loathsome to you. Their meat you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall loathe. ¹²Every water creature that lacks fins or scales is loathsome for you.

¹³Of the birds,^[bo] these you shall loathe; they shall not be eaten, they are loathsome: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, ¹⁴the kite, the various species of falcons, ¹⁵the various species of crows, ¹⁶the eagle owl, the kestrel, the long-eared owl, the various species of hawks, ¹⁷the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl, ¹⁸the barn owl, the horned owl, the osprey, ¹⁹the stork, the various species of herons, the hoopoe, and the bat.

²⁰The various winged insects that walk on all fours are loathsome for you. ²¹But of the various winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those that have legs jointed above their feet for leaping on the ground; ²²hence of these you may eat the following: the various kinds of locusts, the various kinds of bald locusts, the various kinds of crickets, and the various kinds of grasshoppers.^(DS) ²³All other winged insects that have four legs are loathsome for you.

²⁴You become unclean by the following—anyone who touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening,^(DT) ²⁵and anyone who carries any part of their carcasses shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening— ²⁶by all hoofed animals that are not cloven-footed or do not chew the cud; they are unclean for you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean. ²⁷Also by the various quadrupeds that walk on paws; they are unclean for you; anyone who touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening, ²⁸and anyone who carries their carcasses shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

²⁹Of the creatures that swarm on the ground, the following are unclean for you: the rat, the mouse, the various kinds of lizards, ³⁰the gecko, the spotted lizard, the agama, the skink, and the chameleon. ³¹Among the various swarming creatures, these are unclean for you. Everyone who touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. ³²Everything on which one of them falls when dead becomes unclean, including any article of wood, cloth, leather or goat hair—any article of which use can be made. It must be immersed in water and remain unclean until evening, when it again becomes clean. ³³Should any of these creatures fall into a clay vessel, everything in it becomes unclean, and the vessel itself you must break. ³⁴Any food that can be eaten which makes contact with water, and any liquid that may be drunk, in any such vessel become unclean. ³⁵Any object on which any part of their carcasses falls becomes unclean; if it is an oven or stove, this must be broken to pieces; they are unclean and shall always be unclean to you. ³⁶However, a spring or a cistern for collecting water remains clean; but whoever touches such an animal’s carcass becomes unclean. ³⁷If any part of their carcasses falls on any sort of grain that is to be sown, it remains clean; ³⁸but if the grain has become moistened, it becomes unclean to you when any part of their carcasses falls on it.

³⁹^[bp]^(DU)When one of the animals that you could otherwise eat dies of itself, anyone who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening; ⁴⁰and anyone who eats any part of its carcass shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening;^(DV) so also, anyone who carries its carcass shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening.

⁴¹All the creatures that swarm on the ground are loathsome and shall not be eaten. ⁴²Whether it crawls on its belly, goes on all fours, or has many legs—any creature that swarms on the earth—you shall not eat them; they are loathsome. ⁴³Do not make yourselves loathsome by any swarming creature nor defile yourselves with them and so become unclean by them.^(DW) ⁴⁴For I, the Lord, am your God. You shall make and keep yourselves holy,^[bq] because I am holy.^(DX) You shall not make yourselves unclean, then, by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground. ⁴⁵Since I, the Lord, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt that I might be your God, you shall be holy, because I am holy.

⁴⁶This is the instruction for land animals, birds, and all the creatures that move about in the water, as well as any animal that swarms on the ground, ⁴⁷that you may distinguish between the clean and the unclean, and between creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.^(DY)

Chapter 12

Uncleanness of Childbirth. ¹The Lord said to Moses: ²Tell the Israelites: When a woman has a child, giving birth to a boy, she shall be unclean^[br] for seven days, with the same uncleanness as during her menstrual period.^(DZ) ³On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin shall be circumcised,^[bs]^(EA) ⁴and then she shall spend thirty-three days more in a state of blood purity; she shall not touch anything sacred nor enter the sanctuary till the days of her purification are fulfilled. ⁵If she gives birth to a girl, for fourteen days she shall be as unclean as during her menstrual period, after which she shall spend sixty-six days^[bt] in a state of blood purity.

⁶^[bu]When the days of her purification for a son or for a daughter are fulfilled,^(EB) she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a yearling lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove for a purification offering. ⁷The priest shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and thus she will be clean again after her flow of blood. Such is the ritual for the woman who gives birth to a child, male or female. ⁸If, however, she cannot afford a lamb,^(EC) she may take two turtledoves or two pigeons,^(ED) the one for a burnt offering and the other for a purification offering. The priest shall make atonement for her, and thus she will again be clean.

Chapter 13

Scaly Infection.^[bv] ¹The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ²^(EE)When someone has on the skin a mark, lesion, or blotch which appears to develop into a scaly infection, the person shall be brought to Aaron, the priest, or to one of the priests among his sons. ³If the priest, upon examination of the skin’s infection, finds that the hair on the infection has turned white and the infection itself appears to be deeper than the skin,^[bw] it is indeed a scaly infection; the priest, on seeing this, shall declare the person unclean. ⁴^[bx]If, however, the blotch on the skin is white, but does not seem to be deeper than the skin, nor has the hair turned white, the priest shall quarantine the afflicted person for seven days.^[by] ⁵Should the priest, upon examination on the seventh day, find that the infection has remained unchanged in color and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall quarantine the person for another seven days. ⁶Should the priest, upon examination again on the seventh day, find that the infection is now faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall declare the person clean; it was merely a scab. The person shall wash his garments^[bz] and so become clean. ⁷But if, after the person was examined by the priest and declared clean, the scab spreads at all on the skin, the person shall once more be examined by the priest. ⁸Should the priest, upon examination, find that the scab has indeed spread on the skin, he shall declare the person unclean; it is a scaly infection.

⁹When someone is afflicted with a scaly infection, that person shall be brought to the priest. ¹⁰Should the priest, upon examination, find that there is a white mark on the skin which has turned the hair white and that there is raw flesh in it, ¹¹it is a chronic scaly infection on the skin. The priest shall declare the person unclean without quarantine, since the individual is certainly unclean. ¹²^[ca]If the scaly infection breaks out on the skin and, as far as the priest can see, covers all the skin of the afflicted person from head to foot, ¹³should the priest then, upon examination, find that the scaly infection does cover the whole body, he shall declare the afflicted person clean; since the person has turned completely white; that individual is clean. ¹⁴But as soon as raw flesh appears, the individual is unclean; ¹⁵on observing the raw flesh, the priest shall declare the person unclean, because raw flesh is unclean; it is a scaly infection. ¹⁶If, however, the raw flesh again turns white, the person shall return to the priest; ¹⁷should the latter, upon examination, find that the infection has indeed turned white, he shall declare the afflicted person clean; the individual is clean.

¹⁸If a boil appeared on a person’s skin which later healed, ¹⁹should now in the place of the boil a white mark or a reddish white blotch develop, the person shall be examined by the priest. ²⁰If the latter, upon examination, finds that it is deeper than the skin and that the hair has turned white, he shall declare the person unclean; it is a scaly infection that has broken out in the boil. ²¹But if the priest, upon examination, finds that there is no white hair in it and that it is not deeper than the skin and is faded, the priest shall quarantine the person for seven days. ²²If it has then spread on the skin, the priest shall declare the person unclean; it is an infection. ²³But if the blotch remains the same without spreading, it is merely the scar of the boil; the priest shall therefore declare the person clean.

²⁴If there was a burn on a person’s skin, and the burned area now becomes a reddish white or a white blotch, ²⁵when the priest, upon examination, finds that the hair has turned white in the blotch and this seems to be deeper than the skin, it is a scaly infection that has broken out in the burn; the priest shall therefore declare the person unclean; it is a scaly infection. ²⁶But if the priest, upon examination, finds that there is no white hair in the blotch and that this is not deeper than the skin and is faded, the priest shall quarantine the person for seven days. ²⁷Should the priest, upon examination on the seventh day, find that it has spread at all on the skin, he shall declare the person unclean; it is a scaly infection. ²⁸But if the blotch remains the same without spreading on the skin and is faded, it is merely the spot of the burn; the priest shall therefore declare the person clean, since it is only the scar of the burn.

²⁹^[cb]When a man or a woman has an infection on the head or in the beard, ³⁰should the priest, upon examination, find that the infection appears to be deeper than the skin and that there is fine yellow hair in it, the priest shall declare the person unclean; it is a scall. It is a scaly infection of the head or beard. ³¹But if the priest, upon examining the scall infection, finds that it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, though the hair in it may not be black, the priest shall quarantine the scall-stricken person for seven days. ³²Should the priest, upon examining the infection on the seventh day find that the scall has not spread and has no yellow hair in it and does not seem to be deeper than the skin, ³³the person shall shave, but not the scall spot. Then the priest shall quarantine the scall-diseased person for another seven days. ³⁴If the priest, upon examining the scall on the seventh day, finds that it has not spread on the skin and that it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, he shall declare the person clean; the latter shall wash his garments, and will thus be clean. ³⁵But if the scall spreads at all on the skin after the person has been declared clean— ³⁶should the priest, upon examination, find that the scall has indeed spread on the skin, he need not look for yellow hair; the individual is unclean. ³⁷If, however, the scall has remained unchanged in color and black hair has grown in it, the disease has been healed; the person is clean, and the priest shall declare the individual clean.

³⁸^[cc]When the skin of a man or a woman is spotted with several white blotches, ³⁹if the priest, upon examination, finds that the blotches on the skin are pale white, it is only tetter that has broken out on the skin, and the person therefore is clean.

⁴⁰When a man loses the hair of his head, he is simply bald on the crown and not unclean.^(EF) ⁴¹So too, if he loses the hair on the front of his head, he is simply bald on the forehead and not unclean. ⁴²But when there is a reddish white infection on his bald crown or bald forehead, it is a scaly infection that is breaking out there. ⁴³If the priest, upon examination, finds that the infection spot on the bald area on the crown or forehead has the same reddish white appearance as that of a scaly infection of the skin, ⁴⁴the man has a scaly infection and is unclean. The priest shall declare him unclean; his infection is on his head.

⁴⁵^[cd]The garments of one afflicted with a scaly infection shall be rent and the hair disheveled,^(EG) and the mustache covered.^(EH) The individual shall cry out, “Unclean, unclean!” ⁴⁶As long as the infection is present, the person shall be unclean. Being unclean, that individual shall dwell apart, taking up residence outside the camp.^(EI)

Fungal Infection of Fabrics and Leather. ⁴⁷When a fungal infection is on a garment of wool or of linen, ⁴⁸or on the warp and woof^[ce] of linen or wool, or on a hide or anything made of leather, ⁴⁹if the infection on the garment or hide, or on the warp or woof, or on any leather article is greenish or reddish, the thing is indeed a fungal infection and must be examined by the priest. ⁵⁰Having examined the infection, the priest shall quarantine the infected article for seven days. ⁵¹If the priest, upon inspecting the infection on the seventh day, finds that it has spread on the garment, or on the warp or woof, or on the leather, whatever be its use, the infection is a harmful fungus; the article is unclean. ⁵²He shall therefore burn up the garment, or the warp or woof, be it of wool or linen, or any leather article which is infected; since it is a harmful fungus, it must be destroyed by fire. ⁵³But if the priest, upon examination, finds that it has not spread on the garment, or on the warp or woof, or on the leather article, ⁵⁴he shall give orders to have the infected article washed and then quarantined for another seven days. ⁵⁵If the priest, upon examination after the infection was washed, finds that it has not changed its color, even though it may not have spread, the article is unclean. You shall burn it with fire. It is a fray, be it on its inner or outer side. ⁵⁶But if the priest, upon examination, finds that the infection has faded after the washing, he shall cut it out of the garment, or the leather, or the warp or woof. ⁵⁷If, however, the infection again appears on the garment, or on the warp or woof, or on the leather article, it is still virulent and you shall burn the thing infected with fire. ⁵⁸But if, after the washing, the infection has disappeared from the garment, or the warp or woof, or the leather article, the thing shall be washed a second time, and thus it will be clean. ⁵⁹This is the instruction for a fungal^(EJ) infection on a garment of wool or linen, or on a warp or woof, or on any leather article, to determine whether it is clean or unclean.

Chapter 14

Purification After Scaly Infection. ¹^[cf]The Lord said to Moses: ²^(EK)This is the ritual for someone that had a scaly infection at the time of that person’s purification.^(EL) The individual shall be brought to the priest, ³who is to go outside the camp.^(EM) If the priest, upon inspection, finds that the scaly infection has healed in the afflicted person, ⁴he shall order that two live, clean birds,^[cg] as well as some cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be obtained for the one who is to be purified.^(EN) ⁵^[ch]The priest shall then order that one of the birds be slaughtered over an earthen vessel with fresh water in it. ⁶Taking the living bird with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, the priest shall dip them, including the live bird, in the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water, ⁷and then sprinkle seven times on the person to be purified from the scaly infection. When he has thus purified that person, he shall let the living bird fly away over the countryside.^(EO) ⁸The person being purified shall then wash his garments, shave off all hair, and bathe in water,^[ci] and so become clean. After this the person may come inside the camp, but shall still remain outside his or her tent for seven days.^(EP) ⁹On the seventh day this individual shall again shave off all hair, of the head, beard, and eyebrows—all hair must be shaved—and also wash his garments and bathe the body in water, and so become clean.

¹⁰On the eighth day the individual shall take two unblemished male lambs, one unblemished yearling ewe lamb, three tenths of an ephah of bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log^[cj] of oil. ¹¹The priest who performs the purification ceremony shall place the person who is being purified, as well as all these offerings, before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹²Taking one of the male lambs, the priest shall present it as a reparation offering,^(EQ) along with the log of oil, raising them as an elevated^(ER) offering before the Lord. ¹³This lamb shall be slaughtered in the sacred place where the purification offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered, because the reparation offering is like the purification offering; it belongs to the priest and is most holy. ¹⁴^[ck]^(ES)Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the reparation offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified. ¹⁵The priest shall also take the log of oil and pour some of it into the palm of his own left hand; ¹⁶then, dipping his right finger in the oil on his left palm, he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷Of the oil left in his hand the priest shall put some on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified, over the blood of the reparation offering. ¹⁸The rest of the oil in his hand the priest shall put on the head^(ET) of the one being purified. Thus shall the priest make atonement for the individual before the Lord. ¹⁹The priest shall next offer the purification offering,^(EU) thus making atonement on behalf of the one being purified from the uncleanness. After this the burnt offering shall be slaughtered. ²⁰The priest shall offer the burnt offering^(EV) and the grain offering on the altar before the Lord. Thus shall the priest make atonement for the person, and the individual will become clean.

Poor Person’s Sacrifices. ²¹If a person is poor and cannot afford so much,^(EW) that person shall take one male lamb for a reparation offering, to be used as an elevated offering in atonement, one tenth of an ephah of bran flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, ²²and two turtledoves or pigeons, which the individual can more easily afford, the one as a purification offering and the other as a burnt offering. ²³On the eighth day of purification the person shall bring them to the priest, at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord. ²⁴Taking the lamb of the reparation offering, along with the log of oil, the priest shall raise them as an elevated offering before the Lord. ²⁵When the lamb of the reparation offering has been slaughtered, the priest shall take some of its blood, and put it on the lobe of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified. ²⁶The priest shall then pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand ²⁷and with his right finger sprinkle some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the Lord. ²⁸Some of the oil in his hand the priest shall also put on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified, where he had sprinkled the blood of the reparation offering. ²⁹The rest of the oil in his hand the priest shall put on the head of the one being purified. Thus shall he make atonement for the individual before the Lord. ³⁰Then, of the turtledoves or pigeons, such as the person can afford, ³¹the priest shall offer one as a purification offering and the other as a burnt offering,^(EX) along with the grain offering. Thus shall the priest make atonement before the Lord for the person who is being purified. ³²This is the ritual for one afflicted with a scaly infection who has insufficient means for purification.

Footnotes

1:2 Any one of you: women as well as men bring sacrifices (see 12:6–8; 15:28–30) and are explicitly obligated in other ritual matters (e.g., 13:29, 38; Nm 5:6; 6:2; Lk 2:24). Thus, though the Hebrew formulates sacrificial and other law with male reference, the translation reflects the inclusion of women in ritual requirements. From the herd or from the flock: the only animals which could be used as sacrificial victims were domestic animals either of the bovine class (bulls, cows and calves) or the ovine class (sheep and lambs, goats and kids). Excluded, therefore, were not only all wild animals, but also such “unclean” domestic animals as the camel and the donkey (cf. 11:1–47; 27:26–27).
1:3–5 Entrance of the tent of meeting…before the Lord: probably the forecourt from the entrance of the court to the entrance of the tent (cf. Ex 27). Thus the altar in front of the tent was entirely accessible to the laity.
1:3 The burnt offering is used for regular daily (6:1–6) offerings, public festivals (Nm 28–29), purification rituals (Lv 12:6–8; 14:19–20; 15:15, 30), and individuals’ vows and voluntary offerings (22:18–20).
1:4 Lay a hand: the imposition of a single hand for the sacrifices in chaps. 1–5 may be a means of designating the animal as belonging to the offerer. See note on 16:21. Atonement: see note on 16:6.
1:5 Shall then be slaughtered: lit., “he shall slaughter the bull.” Slaughtering is not something the offerer must do (as opposed to, for example, hand placement [v. 4] or the presentation of sacrificial portions as an elevated offering [7:29–34]). Thus the verb is construed impersonally here.
1:16 Crissum: the area around the anus of the bird, lying beneath the bird’s tail.
2:1 Grain offerings are used as independent offerings (those in this chapter and cf. 6:12–16; 8:26–27; 23:10–11), as substitutes for other offerings in a case of poverty (5:11–13), and as accompaniments to animal offerings (cf. Nm 15:1–12; 28:1–29:39; Lv 14:20; 23:12, 18, 37). Chapter 2 describes two basic types of grain offering: uncooked (vv. 1–3) and cooked (vv. 4–10). The flour (sōlet) used was made of wheat (Ex 29:2) and Jewish tradition and Semitic cognates indicate that it is a coarse rather than a fine flour.
2:2 Token of the offering: lit., “reminder.” Instead of burning the whole grain offering, only this part is burned on the altar.
2:11–12 No grain offering that is leavened can be offered on the altar. Those in 7:13 and 23:17 are leavened but not offered on the altar. The Hebrew word for “honey” may refer to fruit syrup as well as to bee honey.
2:13 The salt of the covenant with your God: partaking of salt in common was an ancient symbol of friendship and alliance. Cf. Mark 9:49–50 and Col 4:6.
3:1 The exact meaning of Hebrew shelamim, “communion sacrifice,” is not clear. It has also been rendered “gift,” “(re)payment,” “peace,” “well-being,” or “covenant” offering. This offering may be brought for a vow or voluntary offering (cf. 22:21). A distinct version of the communion sacrifice is the thanksgiving offering (7:11–15 vis-à-vis vv. 16–18).
3:3–5 Fat: only part of the offering is devoted to God, as opposed to the burnt offering (chap. 1), which is wholly burnt (except for the skin). The meat is distributed among the offerer (and the offerer’s party) and the priests (cf. 7:11–36).
3:17 Any fat or any blood: this prohibition is mentioned here because portions of this offering could be eaten by lay Israelites, who may not be entirely familiar with the prohibition (cf. 7:22–27; 19:26). The fat prohibited is only the visceral fat mentioned in 3:9–10, 14–15, not muscular fat.
4:2 Inadvertently: the concern in this chapter, and much of chap. 5, is wrongs done unintentionally. Intentional (“high-handed”) sins are punished with being “cut off” from the people (Nm 15:30–31). See note on Lv 7:20. Lord’s prohibitions: not included in the faults figured here is failure to perform positive commandments. Failing to perform positive commands, however, still renders the individual liable to other punishment (e.g., failing to observe the Passover, Nm 9:13). Cf. Nm 15:22–31.
4:3 The anointed priest: the chapter presents four cases of inadvertent wrong, arranged in descending order according to the status of the wrongdoer: high priest (vv. 3–12), entire community (vv. 13–21), tribal leader (vv. 22–26), and general populace (vv. 27–35). The higher one’s position, the more deeply the sin affects the sanctuary (vv. 5–7, 17–18 versus vv. 25, 29, 34). See note on 16:6. Purification offering: the Hebrew verb ḥiṭṭē’ means “remove sin, purify” (Lv 8:15; Ez 43:20–23; 45:18–19; cf. Ex 29:36). The offering cleansed the various places to which the blood was applied or the rooms in which it was sprinkled.
4:5–7 On the structure of the sanctuary, see Ex 26–27.
4:11–12 See note on 6:17–23.
4:12 Clean place: i.e., ritually “clean” or pure. It has nothing to do with the presence of dirt or waste. See 6:4.
4:13 Whole community…errs: this case probably complements that of vv. 3–12. There the high priest sins so that the people become guilty. Those verses deal with his requirements for atonement; vv. 13–21 deal with the people’s requirements.
5:1–13 This differs from the prescriptions for purification offerings in chap. 4 by listing four specific wrongs for which a purification offering is brought and allowing the substitution of birds and grain offerings in the case of poverty.
5:2 Swarming creature: a rather imprecise categorization that includes various small creatures in the seas, such as fish that go about in large groups or swarms (Gn 1:20; Lv 11:10); or, similarly, various winged insects that mass in the skies (Lv 11:20; Dt 14:19); and, finally, various small creatures that move in swarms on land, whether crawlers, quadrupeds, or of the multilegged variety (Lv 11:41–42). According to 11:29–30, even various rodents and lizards can be included in this category.
5:11 Ephah: see note on Is 5:10.
5:14–26 This last half of the chapter deals with a distinct sacrifice, the reparation offering (Heb. ’asham). The Hebrew root for this term has a basic meaning of “be guilty.” The noun can have a consequential sense of “that which is due from guilt,” i.e., “compensation, indemnification, reparation”; hence the translation “reparation offering,” rather than the alternatives “guilt offering” or “trespass offering.” This offering is brought most often in cases of sacrilege.
5:15 At the established value: the Hebrew term ‘erkĕkā, which in context means “(established) value,” may indicate that a person could bring the monetary equivalent of a ram instead of an actual animal. See vv. 18, 25.
6:2–6 This passage may have reference to the burnt offering that is offered in the morning and late afternoon each day (cf. Ex 29:38–42; Nm 28:3–8).
6:2 Ritual: Hebrew torah, which also has the broader meaning of “instruction.” The treatment of sacrifices in chaps. 6–7 recapitulates the offerings treated in 1–5 but now with more emphasis on priestly duties and prerogatives.
6:7–11 The passage is apparently concerned with the raw grain offering of 2:1–3.
6:12–16 This seems to refer to a grain offering offered twice daily by the high priest, perhaps identical to the regular grain offering in Nm 4:16 (cf. Neh 10:34). This offering is distinct from the grain offering that accompanies the daily burnt offering.
6:17–23 There are two types of purification offering: one whose blood is used inside the tent sanctuary (4:1–12, 13–21) and another whose blood was only used at the outer sacrificial altar (4:22–26, 27–31, 32–35). The carcasses of the former, as well as of purification offerings brought by the priests themselves (cf. 8:14–17; 9:8–11), are not eaten by priests but disposed of at the ash heap outside the camp, which itself is set up around the sanctuary (Ex 29:14; Lv 4:11–12, 21; 6:23; 8:17; 9:11; 16:27). The Letter to the Hebrews compares Jesus’ suffering “outside the gate” to the disposal of purification offering carcasses outside the camp (Hb 13:11–13).
7:1–6 These prescriptions may appear here rather than in 5:14–26 where this offering is first treated because the monetary equivalent of the offering might have been brought instead of an actual animal. See note on 5:15.
7:9–10 For the distinction between uncooked and cooked grain offerings, see 2:1–10 and note on 2:1. The contradiction between v. 9 and 2:10 may reflect a development in custom, with the distribution in v. 9 coming from earlier times, when sanctuary personnel was more limited.
7:11–36 This section discusses three types of communion sacrifice: the thanksgiving offering (vv. 12–15), a votive offering, and a voluntary offering (vv. 16–18). The latter two are similar and are thus mentioned together. Verses 19–36 apply to all types of communion sacrifice.
7:12–13 Four types of breads accompany the thanksgiving offering. Three types are cooked grain offerings comparable to those in 2:4–10. Also required are loaves of leavened bread (see 2:11).
7:14 Contribution: Hebrew terumah. This does not indicate a particular ritual action. The word simply means “gift, something set apart.”
7:15–18 Sacrifices must be properly consumed for them to be effective (cf. also 19:5–8; 22:30). Similar rules obtain for the Passover offering (Ex 12:10; Nm 9:12; cf. Ex 23:18; 34:25; Dt 16:4) and the ordination offering (Ex 29:34; Lv 8:32).
7:16 Votive or a voluntary offering: these are not specific types of offerings but rather motivations for bringing the communion sacrifice (cf. 22:18). A votive offering is brought as the consequence of a promise (vow) made to God. A voluntary offering is a spontaneous gift to God independent of a prior promise. See note on 27:2–13.
7:18 Bear the penalty: this refers in many cases to punishment by God (cf. 17:16; 19:8; 20:17, 19; Nm 18:1, 23; 30:16).
7:19–21 For ritual impurity, see note on 11:1–15:33.
7:20 Cut off: a common term in the Priestly source that cannot always be reduced to a simple English equivalent, since its usage appears to involve a number of associated punishments, some or all of which may come into play in any one instance (see Ex 12:15 and note). All the same, as a punishment from God, to be “cut off” (from one’s people) frequently appears to refer to termination of the offender’s family line (and perhaps in some cases an early death); see Lv 20:2–3, 20–21; Ru 4:10; Ps 109:13; Mal 2:12.
7:30 Raised as an elevated offering: these portions of the sacrifices were specially dedicated by lifting them in presentation before God’s abode. The sanctifying effect of this action is clearly seen in 23:17–20; Nm 6:19–20.
8:1–2 This chapter presents the fulfillment of the commands in Ex 28–29; 30:26–30; and 40:9–15.
8:3–4 Community: this word (Heb. ‘edah) may refer to tribal leaders, all adult males, or the entire nation. The last is probably intended here.
8:7–9, 13 On the priestly clothing, see Ex 28–29. Ephod: according to Ex 28:6–14, the term for one of Aaron’s special vestments made of gold thread, with multicolored woolen thread woven into it as well as fine linen. In appearance it resembled a kind of apron, hung on the priest by shoulder straps and secured by an embroidered belt. A somewhat simpler “apron” was presumably worn by other priests (1 Sm 22:18).
8:8 The Urim and Thummim: see Ex 28:30 and note there. Although these terms and the object(s) they refer to are still unexplained, they appear to be small objects that functioned like dice or lots to render a decision for those making an inquiry of God, perhaps originally in legal cases where the guilt of the accused could not otherwise be determined (cf. Ex 28:30; Nm 27:21; Dt 33:8; 1 Sm 28:6; Ezr 2:63; Neh 7:65).
8:9 Headband: see Ex 39:30–31. The gold medallion, together with its cords, comprises the sacred headband.
8:10–12 Anointing with the specially prepared oil (cf. Ex 30:22–33) is one of the means of making objects and persons holy by setting them apart for a special function or purpose.
8:15 Moses took the blood: Moses is acting as a priest in this chapter.
8:22–32 The priestly ordination offering is a unique type of sacrifice but similar in many respects to the communion sacrifice (chap. 3; 7:11–34).
8:23–24 Lobe…thumb…toe: these parts of the body are meant to represent the body as a whole. The application of the blood symbolizes the priests’ passing from a profane to a holy state. Cf. 14:14–17.
8:33–35 You are not to depart: the tenor and context of this requirement in vv. 33 and 35 seem to indicate that the priests are not to leave the sanctuary precincts for any reason. Your ordination is to last for seven days…what has been done today…be done: the consecration rites in Exodus are to be performed every day for seven days (cf. Ex 29:30, 35–37).
9:1 Eighth day: this is the conclusion of the priestly initiation ceremony.
9:3–4 The seven-day consecration of the priests in chap. 8 did not require sacrifices from the community. Now communal sacrifices as well as priestly sacrifices are required.
9:6–21 Aaron and his sons now perform the offerings, instead of Moses (see note on 8:15).
9:7 For your household: unlike the Septuagint, the Hebrew reads be‘ad ha‘am, “for the people.”
9:22–23 The people are blessed twice. For the possible content of the blessing, compare the priestly blessing in Nm 6:22–27. Solomon offers a double blessing at the dedication of the Temple (1 Kgs 8:14–21, 55–61).
9:24 The theophany consists of a fire that apparently comes from the tent of meeting. God’s fiery glory is also manifested in the pillar of cloud and fire that led the Israelites and rested over the tent of meeting (Ex 13:21; 40:38; Nm 9:15–23; 10:11). On God’s fiery glory, see also Ex 24:17; Ez 1:27–28.
10:1–2 Nadab and Abihu are the older sons of Aaron (Ex 6:23–24). Their sin apparently involves using embers from an unapproved source instead of the altar (cf. 16:12). The fire that destroys them is the same type found in 9:24.
10:3 The explanation for the divine reaction indicates that improper cultic actions desecrate God and compromise God’s glory. Desecration evokes divine punishment (cf. Ex 28:43; Nm 4:15, 19–20). Those near to me: i.e., cultic officials.
10:4–5 Moses has lay people remove the bodies so that the priests can continue their cultic activities free of contamination by a corpse (cf. Nm 19).
10:10 Sacred and…profane…clean and…unclean: something or someone may be either sacred or profane (i.e., ordinary, not set apart), and at the same time clean or unclean. Priests would be particularly concerned about keeping what is unclean away from the sacred.
10:12–13 Grain offering: this is the grain offering of the people of 9:4, 17. Only the token offering had been offered; the rest was for the priests’ consumption.
10:14 Brisket…leg: these are from the Israelites’ communion sacrifices in 9:4, 18–21.
10:16–20 Goat of the purification offering: this is the people’s purification offering of 9:3, 15. Since its blood is not brought into the sanctuary, then, according to 6:17–23, this is the type of purification offering which is to be eaten by the priests in a holy place. Eleazar and Ithamar: they burned the entire goat of the people’s purification offering (9:15) instead of eating it in a sacred place (6:19) to remove ritually the sin of the community by the ingestion of the meat of the offering. Aaron’s defense of this action of his sons is somewhat vague: he merely alludes to the loss suffered in the death of Nadab and Abihu, without giving an explicit reason for Eleazar and Ithamar’s not eating the people’s purification offering, as required.
11:1–15:33 Priestly legislation manifests two types of impurity or uncleanness: tolerated and prohibited. Prohibited impurity arises from various sins (e.g., 4:1–5; 5:2–3; 18:6–23; 20:2–5; Nm 5:13–14; 6:6–7). Tolerated impurity has three main sources: certain dead bodies (animal and human; cf. Lv 11 and Nm 19), various regular and abnormal genital discharges (Lv 12; 15), and diseases (specifically “scaly infection,” chaps. 13–14). An additional tolerated impurity is that generated by the cult in order to rectify the effect of these impurities or sins (cf. chap. 4; 16:26, 28).
11:1–47 Apart from the introduction and conclusion (vv. 1–2a, 46–47), this chapter has three sections: (1) prohibitions against eating certain land, water, and air animals (vv. 2b–23); (2) consequences of contact with various animals (vv. 24–41); (3) a prohibition against eating small land animals, which is motivated by the requirement that Israel be holy as God is holy (vv. 41–45). These animals are impure only when dead. Cf. Dt 14:3–21.
11:5–6 According to modern zoology, the rock hyrax (Hyrax syriacus) is classified as an ungulate, and the hare as a rodent; neither is a ruminant. They appear to chew their food as the true ruminants do, and it is upon this appearance that the classification in the text is based.
11:13–23, 30 Birds: the term is broader, including all animals that fly (including bats, v. 19, and flying insects, vv. 20–23). The identification of the various Hebrew names for these birds and reptiles is in many cases uncertain.
11:39–40 These animals create uncleanness, but are not prohibited as food (cf. 17:15–16). Priests who have a higher degree of holiness than other Israelites may not eat these animals (22:8; cf. Ez 44:31). Cf. Ex 22:30; Dt 14:21.
11:44–45 Keep yourselves holy…you shall be holy: a similar idea is expressed in 20:25–26. There, distinguishing between the animals is compared to God’s distinguishing between the peoples and choosing Israel.
12:2–5 The mother has two stages of uncleanness or impurity: the first where her uncleanness is as severe as during her menstrual period and is contagious to profane persons and objects (cf. 15:19–24), and the second where she does not contaminate persons and objects but is still impure to what is holy, such as the sanctuary (12:4) or sacrifices. The implication is that in the second stage she may resume sexual relations with her husband (which would be prohibited in the first stage according to 18:19).
12:3 Circumcision is the sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Gn 17:1–27) and allows full participation in the religious community (Ex 12:43–49; Jos 5:2–10). This command was fulfilled after Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:21).
12:5 If she gives birth to a girl…sixty-six days: while the longer period of uncleanness following the birth of a girl, compared to that following the birth of a boy, might reflect the relative disparity in social status between men and women in ancient Israel (and attested in other cultures), this is by no means certain. There is no simple correlation in the Bible between the worth of something and the degree of impurity it can occasion.
12:6–8 Certain tolerated impurities (see note on 11:1–15:33) are strong enough to pollute the sanctuary and require purification offerings, including the parturient (see also 14:10–32; 15:13–15, 28–30). Cf. note on 4:3. Mary fulfilled the command of bringing sacrifices after the birth of Jesus (Lk 2:22–24).
13:1–14:57 These chapters deal with scaly or fungal infections (Hebrew ṣāra‘at). The older translation “leprosy” is misleading because ṣāra‘at refers to not just one but several chronic and enduring skin diseases in human beings. The disease known as “leprosy” (Hansen’s disease) is probably not included among the conditions described in the chapter. Also the term ṣāra‘at refers to fungal growths in fabrics and on the walls of houses. The reason why these conditions, and not other diseases, were considered unclean may be that they were quite visible, associated with death (cf. Nm 12:9–12), and traditionally connected with punishment by the deity (Lv 14:34; Dt 28:27, 35; 2 Sm 3:29; 2 Kgs 5:26–27; 2 Chr 26:16–21).
13:3 The symptoms of white hair and depth (perhaps a subcutaneous lesion) do not clearly correlate with known skin diseases or lesions. It may be that the symptoms are a hybrid ideal that do not reflect reality and are the result of priestly systematization. The same judgment applies to the conditions in vv. 10–11, 20, 25; cf. note on vv. 12–17.
13:4–8 The symptoms here involve a flaky patch of skin that spreads after one week or stays the same after two. This correlates with many skin diseases, such as psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis, certain mycotic infections, patchy eczema, and pityriasis rosea.
13:4 Quarantine…seven days: unless lesions have unmistakable symptoms of scaly infection, time is needed to distinguish disease from a condition which is following the natural course of healing and remission. Cf. vv. 5, 21, 26, 27, 31, 33, 50, 54; 14:38.
13:6 Wash his garments: even suspected scaly infections create some impurity, not just diagnosed infections (vv. 45–46).
13:12–17 This is not a paradox, namely where a limited lesion is impure but one that covers the whole body is pure. Rather, a white lesion that lacks ulcerated skin (“raw flesh”) is pure, even if it covers the whole body. This formulation reflects priestly interest in systematization.
13:29–37 The symptoms in this unit may include either favus (a mycotic infection) or a protein deficiency syndrome (Kwashiorkor) where the hair may be fine and copper-red to yellow.
13:38–39 This may refer to vitiligo, where patches of the skin and hair lose pigmentation.
13:45–46 The symbolic association with death is found in the mourning activities in which those diagnosed with these afflictions engage: rending clothes, disheveling the hair, and covering the mouth. They are also excluded from the camp. Cf. examples of exclusion in Nm 5:1–4; 12:14–15; 2 Kgs 7:3–10; 15:5; 2 Chr 26:21. Persons with scaly infections must have been able to pollute others in the priestly system, though this is not stated. Hence, they must cry out “Unclean, unclean!” to warn others of their presence.
13:48 Warp and woof: it is possible that the nature of the weave allowed fungus to grow separately along warp or woof. Otherwise, this may refer to the yarns before they are woven together.
14:1–32 The rites here are for purification from human scaly infections after recovery, not for healing (but cf. 2 Kgs 5:10–14).
14:4–7 The bird rite is also found for purifying a house from a fungus (vv. 49–53). The rite apparently removes impurity from the individual and, by means of the live bird, sends it away to unpopulated areas (v. 7). This is similar to the dispatch of a goat laden with sins on the Day of Atonement (16:21–22).
14:5–7 The blood from the bird serves as a ritual detergent, much like the blood from the purification offering (see notes on 4:3). It is not a sacrifice, however, since it is not performed at the sanctuary. Fresh water: lit., “living water,” taken from some source of running water, not from a cistern.
14:8 Bathe in water: This phrase occurs frequently in Lv 14–16 and is imprecise. It can refer to both ordinary and cultic washing. The context will determine the meaning. At this early period in Israel’s history it is probably not a reference to cultic immersion in a Mikveh—a Second Temple period ritual.
14:10 Log: a liquid measure of capacity attested in the Bible only here. It is apparently equal in capacity to one-half liter.
14:14–17 The application of blood and oil here facilitates the movement of the person from the severely impure to the pure profane sphere; it reintegrates him or her into the community. Cf. 8:23–24.

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