The Water of Cleansing
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
2
“This is a requirement of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke.
3
Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.
4
Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting.
5
While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.
6
The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer.
7
After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening.
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The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
9
“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.