American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Leviticus 14
1
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest:
Reference
3
And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 13:46
4
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
Reference
5
And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 14:50
6
As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
7
And he shall sprinkle on him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.
Reference
8
And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
Reference
9
But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 6:9
10
And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.
Reference
Parallel theme
Mark 1:44
Matthew 8:4
Luke 5:14
Leviticus 14:15
Sacrifice
Leviticus 2:1
Leviticus 14:12
Leviticus 14:21
11
And the priest that makes him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
12
And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
Reference
Sacrifice
Exodus 29:24
13
And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:
Reference
Holy
Leviticus 2:3
Parallel theme
Exodus 29:11
Leviticus 4:4
Sacrifice
Leviticus 1:11
Sin
Leviticus 4:24
14
And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot:
Reference
Blood
Exodus 29:20
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 7:1
Isaiah 1:5
Romans 6:19
Romans 6:13
1 Corinthians 6:20
Philippians 1:20
Sacrifice
Romans 12:1
15
And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:
16
And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD:
17
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put on the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering:
18
And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour on the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 4:26
19
And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering:
Reference
Sacrifice
Leviticus 14:12
20
And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering on the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
Reference
Sacrifice
Leviticus 14:10
21
And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil;
Reference
22
And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
Reference
Sin
Ezekiel 7:16
23
And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD.
24
And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
25
And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it on the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot:
26
And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand:
27
And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD:
28
And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass offering:
29
And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD.
Reference
References Lord
Leviticus 14:18
30
And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get;
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 14:22
31
Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD.
32
This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertains to his cleansing.
Reference
33
And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
34
When you be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;
Reference
35
And he that ownes the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seems to me there is as it were a plague in the house:
Reference
36
Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:
37
And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall;
38
Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days:
39
And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;
40
Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city:
41
And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place:
42
And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.
43
And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he has taken away the stones, and after he has scraped the house, and after it is plastered;
44
Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house; it is unclean.
45
And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.
46
Moreover he that goes into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.
47
And he that lies in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
48
And if the priest shall come in, and look on it, and, behold, the plague has not spread in the house, after the house was plastered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 6:11
49
And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 14:4
50
And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:
51
And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
52
And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
53
But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.
55
And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house,
56
And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot:
Reference
Sin
Leviticus 13:2
Summary of Leviticus 14
Leviticus chapter 14 continues the laws concerning leprosy and other things that could render a person or thing ceremonially unclean. While chapter 13 told how the priest was to examine a person and determine whether the person was unclean, chapter 14 explains what happened if the condition appeared to be healed. It tells the process of declaring a person clean again and describes the offerings. It also gives instructions for dealing with houses that developed a spreading plague or unusual marks.
The Lord spoke to Moses, telling what was to be done when a person with leprosy was healed. The priest was to go outside the camp and examine the person. They could not simply declare the person clean without first examining the condition. If the plague had disappeared the process of purification could begin.
Two living and clean birds were required, along with cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. One of the birds was killed over running water in an earthen vessel. The living bird, together with the cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop, was dipped into the blood of the bird that had been killed.
The priest then sprinkled the person who was being cleansed seven times. Afterwards the living bird was allowed to go free into the open field. The ceremony marked their moving from an unclean condition towards restoration.
The person being cleansed then washed his clothes, shaved off all his hair and bathed himself in water. After that, he could come into the camp, although he was required to remain outside his tent for seven more days.
On the seventh day, he was to shave all his hair again, including the hair of his head, beard and eyebrows. Then he washed his clothes and bathed his body in water. Having done this he was considered clean.
On the eighth day, the person was required to bring offerings to the Lord. The normal offering included two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb, fine flour mixed with oil for a meat offering, and oil. These were brought to the door of the tabernacle.
The priest presented the person and the offerings before the Lord. One of the male lambs was used as a trespass offering. The person was to present the offering and the priest took some of its blood and placed it on the right ear of the person being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the great toe of his right foot.
The priest then took some of the oil and placed it in the same places. The rest of the oil was poured upon the person's head. These completed the person's ceremonial restoration and showed that he was once again fully accepted to the worshiping community.
The priest then offered the sin offering and the burnt offering. They atoned for him, and he was declared clean. The various sacrifices pulled together the requirements for his restoration.
The law also made provision for a person that was poor and could not afford the normal offerings. Instead of two male lambs and one ewe lamb the person could bring one male lamb as a trespass offering, along with two turtledoves or two young pigeons for the other offerings. The amount of fine flour and oil was also adjusted according to the instructions.
This provision meant that poverty did not prevent someone from completing the purification process. The person still followed the required procedure, but the law provided less expensive animals for those that could not afford the usual offerings.
The chapter then turns to houses. The Israelites were warned that a house in the land could develop a plague or troubling mark after they had settled in the land of Canaan. When this happened the owner was to tell the priest.
The priest was to examine the house and order it to be emptied before the examination. This prevented the household belongings from being declared unclean along with the house. If the priest saw greenish or reddish marks in the walls that seemed to be deeper than the surface, the house could be considered unclean.
The house was then shut up for seven days, and after that time the priest returned to examine it again. If the plague had spread over the walls, the affected stones were to be removed and taken outside the city to an unclean place. The inside of the house was also scraped, and the contaminated material was removed.
New stones were placed in the walls and the house repaired with fresh mortar. If the plague had returned afterwards, the priest examined the house again. If the problem had spread the house was considered unclean and could be broken down with its stones, timber and mortar carried outside the city.
If on the other hand the plague did not return after the house had been repaired, the priest could declare it clean. A purification ceremony was then performed using two birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. One of the birds was killed over running water and the other one used with the blood and other materials before being released into the open field.
The chapter ends by explaining that these were the laws concerning a plague of leprosy, a plague in a garment and a plague in a house. They provided the priests with a way to determine whether something was unclean and what should be done when the condition disappeared.
Leviticus chapter 14 shows that becoming clean was not just a matter of waiting for a physical condition to disappear. A person who had recovered had to go through a formal process before they could return completely to the community and its worship. The priest examined the person, the required purification ceremony was performed and sacrifices were offered.
The chapter also shows that the laws of cleanliness extended beyond individuals. Clothing, leather and houses could also be affected by conditions that were considered unclean. The priests therefore had an important role in protecting the community and maintaining the distinction between clean and unclean.
At the same time the law provided a path back for those who had recovered. A person who had once been separated from the community could be examined, purified and restored. Those who were poor were also given an alternative offering so that they could complete the process.
Overall, Leviticus chapter 14 completes the instructions begun in chapter 13. Chapter 13 explains how an unclean condition was identified, while chapter 14 explains how a healed person could be declared clean and restored to normal life. It also deals with houses affected by similar problems. The chapter emphasizes careful examination, purification, sacrifice and restoration showing once again how seriously the Israelites were expected to treat holiness and cleanliness in their daily lives.
The Lord spoke to Moses, telling what was to be done when a person with leprosy was healed. The priest was to go outside the camp and examine the person. They could not simply declare the person clean without first examining the condition. If the plague had disappeared the process of purification could begin.
Two living and clean birds were required, along with cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. One of the birds was killed over running water in an earthen vessel. The living bird, together with the cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop, was dipped into the blood of the bird that had been killed.
The priest then sprinkled the person who was being cleansed seven times. Afterwards the living bird was allowed to go free into the open field. The ceremony marked their moving from an unclean condition towards restoration.
The person being cleansed then washed his clothes, shaved off all his hair and bathed himself in water. After that, he could come into the camp, although he was required to remain outside his tent for seven more days.
On the seventh day, he was to shave all his hair again, including the hair of his head, beard and eyebrows. Then he washed his clothes and bathed his body in water. Having done this he was considered clean.
On the eighth day, the person was required to bring offerings to the Lord. The normal offering included two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb, fine flour mixed with oil for a meat offering, and oil. These were brought to the door of the tabernacle.
The priest presented the person and the offerings before the Lord. One of the male lambs was used as a trespass offering. The person was to present the offering and the priest took some of its blood and placed it on the right ear of the person being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the great toe of his right foot.
The priest then took some of the oil and placed it in the same places. The rest of the oil was poured upon the person's head. These completed the person's ceremonial restoration and showed that he was once again fully accepted to the worshiping community.
The priest then offered the sin offering and the burnt offering. They atoned for him, and he was declared clean. The various sacrifices pulled together the requirements for his restoration.
The law also made provision for a person that was poor and could not afford the normal offerings. Instead of two male lambs and one ewe lamb the person could bring one male lamb as a trespass offering, along with two turtledoves or two young pigeons for the other offerings. The amount of fine flour and oil was also adjusted according to the instructions.
This provision meant that poverty did not prevent someone from completing the purification process. The person still followed the required procedure, but the law provided less expensive animals for those that could not afford the usual offerings.
The chapter then turns to houses. The Israelites were warned that a house in the land could develop a plague or troubling mark after they had settled in the land of Canaan. When this happened the owner was to tell the priest.
The priest was to examine the house and order it to be emptied before the examination. This prevented the household belongings from being declared unclean along with the house. If the priest saw greenish or reddish marks in the walls that seemed to be deeper than the surface, the house could be considered unclean.
The house was then shut up for seven days, and after that time the priest returned to examine it again. If the plague had spread over the walls, the affected stones were to be removed and taken outside the city to an unclean place. The inside of the house was also scraped, and the contaminated material was removed.
New stones were placed in the walls and the house repaired with fresh mortar. If the plague had returned afterwards, the priest examined the house again. If the problem had spread the house was considered unclean and could be broken down with its stones, timber and mortar carried outside the city.
If on the other hand the plague did not return after the house had been repaired, the priest could declare it clean. A purification ceremony was then performed using two birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. One of the birds was killed over running water and the other one used with the blood and other materials before being released into the open field.
The chapter ends by explaining that these were the laws concerning a plague of leprosy, a plague in a garment and a plague in a house. They provided the priests with a way to determine whether something was unclean and what should be done when the condition disappeared.
Leviticus chapter 14 shows that becoming clean was not just a matter of waiting for a physical condition to disappear. A person who had recovered had to go through a formal process before they could return completely to the community and its worship. The priest examined the person, the required purification ceremony was performed and sacrifices were offered.
The chapter also shows that the laws of cleanliness extended beyond individuals. Clothing, leather and houses could also be affected by conditions that were considered unclean. The priests therefore had an important role in protecting the community and maintaining the distinction between clean and unclean.
At the same time the law provided a path back for those who had recovered. A person who had once been separated from the community could be examined, purified and restored. Those who were poor were also given an alternative offering so that they could complete the process.
Overall, Leviticus chapter 14 completes the instructions begun in chapter 13. Chapter 13 explains how an unclean condition was identified, while chapter 14 explains how a healed person could be declared clean and restored to normal life. It also deals with houses affected by similar problems. The chapter emphasizes careful examination, purification, sacrifice and restoration showing once again how seriously the Israelites were expected to treat holiness and cleanliness in their daily lives.