Leviticus 13:1-17

Regulations About Defiling Skin Diseases

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease,[a] they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons[b] who is a priest.
3 The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean.
4 If the shiny spot on the skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days.
5 On the seventh day the priest is to examine them, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to isolate them for another seven days.
6 On the seventh day the priest is to examine them again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them clean; it is only a rash. They must wash their clothes, and they will be clean.
7 But if the rash does spread in their skin after they have shown themselves to the priest to be pronounced clean, they must appear before the priest again.
8 The priest is to examine that person, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.
9 “When anyone has a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to the priest.
10 The priest is to examine them, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling,
11 it is a chronic skin disease and the priest shall pronounce them unclean. He is not to isolate them, because they are already unclean.
12 “If the disease breaks out all over their skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the affected person from head to foot,
13 the priest is to examine them, and if the disease has covered their whole body, he shall pronounce them clean. Since it has all turned white, they are clean.
14 But whenever raw flesh appears on them, they will be unclean.
15 When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce them unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; they have a defiling disease.
16 If the raw flesh changes and turns white, they must go to the priest.
17 The priest is to examine them, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the affected person clean; then they will be clean.

Cross References 16

  • 1. ver 10,19,28,43
  • 2. ver 4,38,39; Leviticus 14:56
  • 3. ver 3,9,15; S Exodus 4:6; Leviticus 14:3,32; Numbers 5:2; Deuteronomy 24:8
  • 4. Deuteronomy 24:8
  • 5. ver 8,11,20,30; Leviticus 21:1; Numbers 9:6
  • 6. S ver 2
  • 7. ver 5,21,26,33,46; Leviticus 14:38; Numbers 12:14,15; Deuteronomy 24:9
  • 8. Leviticus 14:9
  • 9. ver 27,32,34,51
  • 10. ver 13,17,23,28,34; Matthew 8:3; Luke 5:12-14
  • 11. S Leviticus 11:25
  • 12. Leviticus 11:25; Leviticus 14:8,9,20,48; Leviticus 15:8; Numbers 8:7
  • 13. Luke 5:14
  • 14. S Exodus 4:6; S Leviticus 14:8; S Numbers 12:10; Matthew 8:2
  • 15. S ver 2
  • 16. S ver 6

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. The Hebrew word for "defiling skin disease" , traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin; here and throughout verses 3-46.
  • [b]. Or "descendants"
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