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The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
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"These are the teachings that the Lord commanded. Tell the Israelites to get a young red cow that does not have anything wrong with it and that has never been worked.
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Give the cow to Eleazar the priest; he will take it outside the camp and kill it.
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Then Eleazar the priest must put some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Meeting Tent.
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The whole cow must be burned while he watches; the skin, the meat, the blood, and the intestines must all be burned.
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Then the priest must take a cedar stick, a hyssop branch, and a red string and throw them onto the burning cow.
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After the priest has washed himself and his clothes with water, he may come back into the camp, but he will be unclean until evening.
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The man who burns the cow must wash himself and his clothes in water; he will be unclean until evening.
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"Then someone who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. The Israelites will keep these ashes to use in the cleansing water, in a special ceremony to cleanse away sin.