Sunday Study Source Sheet 4.16

Speak to the Israelite people thus: When a woman at childbirth bears a male, she shall be impure seven days; she shall be impure as at the time of her condition of menstrual separation.—

She shall remain in a state of blood purification for thirty-three days: she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until her period of purification is completed.

On the completion of her period of purification, for either son or daughter, she shall bring to the priest, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.

When a person has on the skin of the body a swelling, a rash, or a discoloration, and it develops into a scaly affection on the skin of the body, it shall be reported to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests.

The priest shall examine the affection on the skin of the body: if hair in the affected patch has turned white and the affection appears to be deeper than the skin of the body, it is a leprous affection; when the priest sees it, he shall pronounce the person impure.

On the seventh day the priest shall again conduct an examination: if the affection has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce the person pure. It is a rash; after washing those clothes, that person shall be pure.

But if the rash should spread on the skin after the person has been seen by the priest and pronounced pure, that person shall again report to the priest.

And if the priest sees that the rash has spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce that person impure; it is leprosy.

When a person has a scaly affection, it shall be reported to the priest.

If the priest finds on the skin a white swelling which has turned some hair white, with a patch of undiscolored flesh in the swelling,

it is chronic leprosy on the skin of the body, and the priest shall pronounce the person impure; being impure, that person need not be isolated.

When an inflammation appears on the skin of one’s body and it heals,

and a white swelling or a white discoloration streaked with red develops where the inflammation was, that person shall report to the priest.

If the priest finds that it appears lower than the rest of the skin and that the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce the person impure; it is a leprous affection that has broken out in the inflammation.

But if the priest finds that there is no white hair in it and it is not lower than the rest of the skin, and it is faded, the priest shall isolate that person for seven days.

If it should spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce the person impure; it is an affection.

But if the discoloration remains stationary, not having spread, it is the scar of the inflammation; the priest shall pronounce that person pure.

On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scall. If the scall has not spread on the skin, and does not appear to go deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce the person pure; after washing those clothes, that person shall be pure.

If, however, the scall should spread on the skin after the person has been pronounced pure,

As for the person with a leprous affection: the clothes shall be rent, the head shall be left bare, and the upper lip shall be covered over; and that person shall call out, “Impure! Impure!”

Such is the procedure for eruptive affections of cloth, woolen or linen, in warp or in woof, or of any article of skin, for pronouncing it pure or impure.

יהוה spoke to Moses, saying:

the priest shall order two live pure birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop to be brought for the one to be purified.

When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess,

the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared upon my house.”

The priest shall order the house cleared before the priest enters to examine the plague, so that nothing in the house may become impure; after that the priest shall enter to examine the house.

If the plague again breaks out in the house, after the stones have been pulled out and after the house has been scraped and replastered,

the priest shall come to examine: if the plague has spread in the house, it is a malignant eruption in the house; it is impure.

The house shall be torn down—its stones and timber and all the coating on the house—and taken to an impure place outside the city.

Whoever enters the house while it is closed up shall be impure until evening.

Whoever sleeps in the house must wash those clothes, and whoever eats in the house must wash those clothes.

If, however, the priest comes and sees that the plague has not spread in the house after the house was replastered, the priest shall pronounce the house pure, for the plague has healed.

Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When any man has a discharge issuing from his member, he is impure.

The impurity from his discharge shall mean the following—whether his member runs with the discharge or is stopped up so that there is no discharge, his impurity means this:

Any bedding on which the one with the discharge lies shall be impure, and every object on which he sits shall be impure.

Those persons who touch his bedding shall wash their clothes, bathe in water, and remain impure until evening.

Those who sit on an object on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash their clothes, bathe in water, and remain impure until evening.

If the one with a discharge spits on someone who is pure, the latter shall wash those clothes, bathe in water, and remain impure until evening.

Any means for riding that the one with a discharge has mounted shall be impure;

all those who touch anything that was under him shall be impure until evening; and all those who carry such things shall wash their clothes, bathe in water, and remain impure until evening.

All those whom the one with a discharge touches, without having rinsed his hands in water, shall wash their clothes, bathe in water, and remain impure until evening.

When the one with a discharge becomes purified of his discharge, he shall count off seven days for his purification, wash those clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; then he shall be pure.

Likewise for a woman: when a man has carnal relations with her, both shall bathe in water and remain impure until evening.

When a woman has a discharge, her discharge being blood from her body, she shall remain in her menstrual separation seven days; whoever touches her shall be impure until evening.

Anything that she lies on during her menstrual separation shall be impure; and anything that she sits on shall be impure.

All those who touch her bedding shall wash their clothes, bathe in water, and remain impure until evening;

and all those who touch any object on which she has sat shall wash their clothes, bathe in water, and remain impure until evening.

Be it the bedding or be it the object on which she has sat, on touching it one shall be impure until evening.

And if a man lies with her, her menstrual separation applies to him; he shall be impure seven days, and any bedding on which he lies shall become impure.

When a woman has had a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual separation, or when she has a discharge beyond her period of menstrual separation, she shall be impure, as though at the time of her menstrual separation, as long as her discharge lasts.

All this was made by My hand,And thus it all came into being—declares the LORD.Yet to such a one I look:To the poor and brokenhearted,Who is concerned about My word.

As for those who slaughter oxen and slay humans,Who sacrifice sheep and immolate dogs,Who present as oblation the blood of swine,Who offer incense and worship false gods—Just as they have chosen their waysAnd take pleasure in their abominations,

So will I choose to mock them,To bring on them the very thing they dread.For I called and none responded,I spoke and none paid heed.They did what I deem evilAnd chose what I do not want.

Hear the word of the LORD,You who are concerned about His word!Your kinsmen who hate you,Who spurn you because of Me, are saying,“Let the LORD manifest His Presence,So that we may look upon your joy.”But theirs shall be the shame.

Hark, tumult from the city,Thunder from the Temple!It is the thunder of the LORDAs He deals retribution to His foes.