Leviticus 11; Leviticus 12; Leviticus 13

Leviticus 11

1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,

2 "Tell the Israelites: Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat:

3 all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud.

4 However, from those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs, these are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. (Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.)

5 You must never eat rock badgers. (Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.)

6 You must never eat rabbits. (Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.)

7 You must never eat pigs. (Because pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud, they are also unclean.)

8 Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you.

9 "Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water which you may eat--anything in the seas and streams that has fins and scales.

10 However, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting.

11 They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies disgusting.

12 Every creature in the water without fins or scales is disgusting to you.

13 "Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures,

14 kites, all types of buzzards,

15 all types of crows,

16 ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons,

17 little owls, cormorants, great owls,

18 barn owls, pelicans, ospreys,

19 storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats.

20 "Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.

21 However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground.

22 You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper.

23 Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.

24 "Regarding the creatures mentioned above, this is how you would become unclean: Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

25 Whoever carries any part of their dead bodies must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening.

26 All animals whose hoofs are not completely divided or that don't chew their cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them is unclean.

27 All four-legged animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

28 Those who carry the dead body of any of these animals must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you.

29 "The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you--moles, mice, and all types of lizards:

30 geckos, monitors, lizards, skinks, and chameleons.

31 Among all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

32 When the dead body of one of these creatures falls on something, that thing will be unclean. It may be a wooden article, clothing, leather, a sack, or anything used for any purpose. It should be put in water and will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean [again].

33 "If any of these creatures falls into a piece of pottery, break the pottery because everything in it is unclean.

34 If water [from that pottery] touches any food, the food is unclean. Any liquid that you drink from that pottery is unclean.

35 Anything on which their dead bodies fall is unclean. If it is an oven or a stove, smash it. It is unclean and will remain unclean for you.

36 However, a spring or a cistern holding water will remain clean. But anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean.

37 If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean.

38 But if water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you.

39 "When any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until evening.

40 Those who eat any of its dead body must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. Those who carry its dead body away will wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening.

41 "Any creature that swarms on the ground is disgusting and must not be eaten.

42 Don't eat any creature with many legs that goes on its belly or on the ground like a four-legged animal, or any creature that swarms on the ground. Consider them disgusting.

43 Don't become disgusting by eating anything that swarms on the ground. Never allow yourselves to become unclean because of them.

44 "Here is the reason: I am the LORD your God. You must live holy lives. Be holy because I am holy. Never become unclean by touching anything that swarms or crawls on the ground.

45 Here is the reason [again]: I am the LORD. I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. Be holy because I am holy.

46 "These are the instructions about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground.

47 These instructions help you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat."

Leviticus 12

1 The LORD spoke to Moses,

2 "Tell the Israelites: When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days. This is the same number of days she is unclean for her monthly period.

3 The boy must be circumcised when he is eight days old.

4 Then she must stay at home for 33 days in order to be made clean from her bleeding. She must not touch anything holy or go into the holy place until the days needed to make her clean are over.

5 "When a woman gives birth to a girl, she will be unclean as in her monthly period. However, she will be unclean for two weeks. Then she must stay at home for 66 days in order to be made clean from her bleeding.

6 "When the days needed to make her clean are over, she must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a mourning dove as an offering for sin. She must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

7 The priest will offer them in the LORD's presence to make peace with the LORD for her. Then she will be clean from her flow of blood. "These are the instructions for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl.

8 If she cannot afford a lamb, she must use two mourning doves or two pigeons. One will be the burnt offering and the other the offering for sin. So the priest will make peace with the LORD for her, and she will be clean."

Leviticus 13

1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,

2 "If anyone has a sore, a rash, or an irritated area on his skin that turns into an infectious skin disease, he must be taken to the priest Aaron or to one of his sons who are also priests.

3 The priest will examine the disease. If the hair in the diseased area has turned white, and the diseased area looks deeper than the rest of his skin, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest has examined him, he must declare him unclean.

4 But if the irritated area is white and does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, and the hair has not turned white, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days.

5 On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the disease looks the same and has not spread, the priest must put him in isolation for another seven days.

6 On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the diseased area has faded and not spread, the priest must declare him clean. It is only a rash. The person must wash his clothes and will be clean.

7 But if the rash has spread after he has shown himself to the priest to be declared clean, he must show himself to the priest again.

8 The priest will examine him one more time, and if the rash has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease.

9 "If anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be taken to the priest.

10 The priest will examine him. If there is a white sore that has turned the hair white, and if there is raw flesh in the sore,

11 he has a chronic skin disease. Without putting him in isolation, the priest must declare him unclean because he is unclean.

12 If skin disease develops and covers the whole person from head to foot (so far as the priest can see),

13 the priest will examine him. If the disease does cover his whole body, the priest must declare the diseased person clean. His body has turned white. The person is clean.

14 But if raw flesh appears, he will be unclean.

15 The priest will examine the raw flesh and declare him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean. It is an infectious skin disease.

16 But if the raw flesh turns white again, he must go to the priest.

17 The priest will examine him again, and if the diseased area has turned white, the priest must declare the diseased person clean. He is clean.

18 "If a boil on the skin has healed

19 and in its place there is a white sore or a pink area, it must be shown to the priest.

20 The priest will examine it. If it looks deeper than the rest of the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest must declare the person unclean. An infectious skin disease has developed in the boil.

21 But if the priest examines the affected area and the hair in it is not white or the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days.

22 If the area has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is a skin disease.

23 But if the irritated area has not spread, it is a scar caused by the boil. The priest must declare him clean.

24 "If anyone has a burn on his skin and the raw flesh of the burn turns into a pink or bright white area,

25 the priest will examine it. If the hair on the affected area has turned white and the affected area looks deeper than the rest of the skin, an infectious skin disease has developed in the burn. The priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease.

26 But if the priest examines it and the hair in it is not white and the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days.

27 On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the area has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease.

28 If the irritated area does not spread but has faded, it is only a sore caused by the burn. The priest must declare him clean, because it is a scar caused by the burn.

29 "If a man or a woman has some disease on the head or chin,

30 the priest will examine the disease. If it looks deeper than the rest of the skin and there is thin yellow hair on it, the priest must declare the person unclean. It is a scab, a disease on the head or the chin.

31 But if the priest examines the scabby disease and it does not look deeper than the rest of the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest must put the person with the scabby disease in isolation for seven days.

32 On the seventh day the priest will examine the disease. If the scab has not spread, there is no yellow hair on it, and the scab does not look deeper than the rest of the skin,

33 the person will shave everything except the scab. The priest will put the person with the scab in isolation for another seven days.

34 On the seventh day the priest will examine the scab again. If the scab has not spread on the skin and does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, the priest must declare him clean. When he has washed his clothes, he will be clean.

35 But if the scab spreads after the person has been declared clean,

36 the priest will make another examination. If the scab has spread on the skin, the priest does not have to look for yellow hair. The person is unclean.

37 But if he sees that the scab hasn't spread and black hair grows on it, the scab is healed. The person is clean, so the priest must declare him clean.

38 "If a man or a woman has white irritated areas of skin,

39 the priest will make an examination. If the irritated areas on the skin are pale white, a rash has developed on the skin. The person is clean.

40 "If a man loses his hair, he is clean, even though he is bald.

41 If he loses the hair on the front of his head, he is clean, even though he is bald on the forehead.

42 But if there is a pink patch on the bald places in back or in front, a skin disease is developing in those places.

43 The priest will examine him. If the sore from the disease in the bald places in back or in front is pink like a skin disease somewhere else on the body,

44 the man has come down with an infectious skin disease. He is unclean. The priest must declare him unclean because of the skin disease on his head.

45 "People who come down with a skin disease must wear torn clothes and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their upper lips and call out, 'Unclean, unclean!'

46 As long as they have the skin disease, they are unclean. They must live outside the camp.

47 "Now about clothing--if there is a green or red area on a piece of clothing

48 that is woven or knitted from linen or wool or on any leather article,

49 it is mildew. It must be shown to the priest.

50 The priest will examine the mildew and will put the clothing in a separate place for seven days.

51 On the seventh day he will examine the area again. If the spot is spreading, it is unclean.

52 He must burn the piece of clothing or the leather article because the mildew is growing.

53 But if the priest sees that the area has not spread,

54 he must order the area to be washed and put the clothing in a separate place for seven more days.

55 The priest will examine the area again after it is washed. If it doesn't look any different and the mildew has not spread, it is still unclean. It must be burned, whether the area is on the outside or the inside.

56 If the priest sees that the area is pale after washing, he will tear it out of the clothing or the leather.

57 However, if it shows up again, you must burn the clothing or the leather article.

58 But if the area disappears from the woven or knitted clothing or any leather article when it is washed, wash it again, and it will be clean.

59 "These are the instructions for deciding whether mildew in clothing that is woven or knitted from linen or wool or in any leather article is clean or unclean."