New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Leviticus 14
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The Lord spoke to Moses. He told him to say to the people,
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"Here are the rules for making someone 'clean' if he has had a skin disease. They apply when he is brought to the priest.
Reference
3
"The priest must go outside the camp. He must look the person over carefully. Suppose he has been healed of his skin disease.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 13:46
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Then the priest will order someone to bring him two live 'clean' birds. He will also order someone to bring him some cedar wood, bright red yarn and branches of a hyssop plant. All of those things will be used to make the person 'clean.'
Reference
5
"The priest will order someone to kill one of the birds. It must be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 14:50
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Then the priest must take the live bird. He must dip it into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. He must dip it into the blood together with the cedar wood, the bright red yarn and the hyssop plant.
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"The priest will sprinkle the blood on the person who had the skin disease. That will make him 'clean.' The priest must sprinkle him seven times. Then the priest must announce that he is 'clean.' After that, the priest must let the live bird go free in the open fields.
Reference
8
"The person must also wash his clothes to be made 'clean.' He must shave off all of his hair. He must take a bath. Then he will be 'clean.' After that, he may come into the camp. But he must stay outside his tent for seven days.
Reference
9
"On the seventh day he must shave off all of his hair. He must shave his head. He must shave off his beard. He must also shave off his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes. He must take a bath. Then he will be 'clean.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 6:9
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"On the eighth day he must bring two male lambs and one female lamb as an offering. The female must be a year old. The lambs must not have any flaws. He must also bring 24 cups of fine flour as a grain offering. He must mix it with olive oil. He must also bring five ounces 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
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The priest who announces that the person is 'clean' must bring him and his offerings to me. He must do it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
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"Then the priest must take one of the male lambs. He must offer it as a guilt offering. He must offer it along with five ounces of oil. He must lift all of it up and wave it in front of me as a wave offering.
Reference
Sacrifice
Exodus 29:24
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"He must kill the lamb in the holy place where sin offerings and burnt offerings are killed. The guilt offering belongs to the priest, just as the sin offering does. The guilt offering is very holy.
Reference
Holy
Leviticus 2:3
Parallel theme
Exodus 29:11
Leviticus 4:4
Sacrifice
Leviticus 1:11
Sin
Leviticus 4:24
14
"The priest must take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the person's right ear lobe. He must put some on the thumb of his right hand. He must also put some on the big 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
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"Then the priest must take some of the oil and pour it into his own left hand.
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He must dip his right forefinger into the oil that is in his hand. He must use his finger to sprinkle some of the oil in front of me seven times.
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"The priest must put some of the oil that is in his hand on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering. He must put some on the person's right ear lobe. He must put some on the thumb of his right hand. He must put some on the big toe of his right foot.
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He must put on his head the rest of the oil that is in his hand. It will pay for the person's sin in my sight.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 4:26
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"Then the priest must sacrifice the sin offering. It will pay for the person's sin. He will be made 'clean' after being 'unclean.' After that, the priest will kill the burnt offering.
Reference
Sacrifice
Leviticus 14:12
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He will offer it on the altar. He will offer it together with the grain offering. It will pay for the person's sin. Then he will be 'clean.'
Reference
Sacrifice
Leviticus 14:10
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"But suppose he is poor. Suppose he can't afford all of those offerings. Then he must bring one male lamb as a guilt offering. It must be lifted up and waved in front of me to pay for his sin. He must also bring eight cups of fine flour along with the lamb. He must mix the flour with olive oil. It is a grain offering. He must offer it along with five ounces of oil.
Reference
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He must also bring two doves or two young pigeons that he can afford. One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering.
Reference
Sin
Ezekiel 7:16
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"On the eighth day he must bring them to the priest so he can be made 'clean.' He must bring them to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He must do it in my sight.
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"The priest must take the lamb for the guilt offering. He must take it together with the five ounces of oil. He must lift all of it up and wave it in front of me as a wave offering.
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He must kill the lamb for the guilt offering. He must take some of its blood and put it on the person's right ear lobe. He must put some on the thumb of his right hand. He must also put some on the big toe of his right foot.
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"The priest must pour some of the oil into his own left hand.
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He must dip his right forefinger into the oil that is in his hand. He must use his finger to sprinkle some of it seven times in front of me.
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"He must put some of the oil that is in his hand on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering. He must put some on the person's right ear lobe. He must put some on the thumb of his right hand. He must also put some on the big toe of his right foot.
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He must put on his head the rest of the oil that is in his hand. It will pay for the person's sin in my sight.
Reference
References Lord
Leviticus 14:18
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"The priest will sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons that the person can afford.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 14:22
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One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering. The priest must offer them together with the grain offering. In that way he will pay for the person's sin in my sight. He will do it to make him 'clean.' "
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Those are the rules for anyone who has a skin disease. They are for people who can't afford the regular offerings that are required to make them "clean."
Reference
33
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He told them to say to the people,
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"You will enter the land of Canaan. I am giving it to you as your own. When you enter it, suppose I put mold in one of your houses. And suppose the mold spreads.
Reference
35
Then the owner of that house must go and speak to the priest. He must say, 'I've seen something that looks like mold in my house.'
Reference
36
"The priest must order everything to be taken out of the house. It must be done before he goes in to look carefully at the mold. If it is not done, the priest must announce that everything in the house is 'unclean.' "After the house is empty the priest must go in and check it.
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He must look carefully at the mold that is on the walls. Suppose it looks as if it has green or red dents in it. And suppose the dents look as if they are behind the surface of the wall.
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Then the priest must go out the door. He must close the house up for seven days.
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"On the seventh day the priest will return to check the house. Suppose the mold that is on the walls has spread.
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Then he must order someone to tear out the stones that have mold on them. He must have them thrown into an 'unclean' place outside the town.
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He must have all of the inside walls of the house scraped. Everything that is scraped off must be dumped into an 'unclean' place outside the town.
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"Then other stones must be put in the place of the stones that had mold on them. The inside walls of the house must be coated with new clay.
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"Suppose the stones have been torn out. The house has been scraped. And the walls have been coated with new clay. But the mold appears again.
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"Then the priest must go and look things over carefully. Suppose the mold has spread in the house. Then it is the kind of mold that destroys things. The house is not 'clean.'
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"It must be torn down. The stones, the wood and all of the clay coating must be torn out. All of it must be taken out of the town to an 'unclean' place.
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"Suppose someone goes into the house while it is closed up. Then he will be 'unclean' until evening.
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If he sleeps or eats in the house, he must wash his clothes.
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"But suppose the priest comes to look things over carefully. And suppose the mold has not spread after the walls had been coated with new clay. Then he will announce that the house is 'clean.' The mold is gone.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 6:11
49
"To make the house pure, the priest must get two birds. He must also get some cedar wood, bright red yarn and branches of a hyssop plant.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 14:4
50
He must kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
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"Then he must take the cedar wood, the hyssop plant, the bright red yarn and the live bird. He must dip all of them into the blood of the dead bird. He must also dip them into the fresh water. He must sprinkle the house seven times.
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"The priest will use the blood and the water to make the house pure. He will use the live bird to make it pure. He will also use the cedar wood, the hyssop plant and the bright red yarn to make it pure.
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"Then he must let the live bird go free in the open fields outside the town. In that way he will make the house pure. It will be 'clean.' "
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They apply to mold in clothes or in houses.
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They also apply to swellings, rashes or bright red spots on the skin.
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.