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Leviticus 14

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1The Lord said to Moses,

2“These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest:

3The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease,

4the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.

5Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.

6He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.

7Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

8“The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. After this he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days.

9On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

10“On the eighth day he must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log of oil.

11The priest who pronounces him clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and his offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

12“Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.

13He is to slaughter the lamb in the holy place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy.

14The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

15The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand,

16dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the Lord seven times.

17The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.

18The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for him before the Lord.

19“Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering

20and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

21“If, however, he is poor and cannot afford these, he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil,

22and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

23“On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before the Lord.

24The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil, and wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.

25He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

26The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,

27and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the Lord.

28Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering–on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

29The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord.

30Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, which the person can afford,

31one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one to be cleansed.”

32These are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing.

33The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land,

35the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house.’

36The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house.

37He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall,

38the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.

39On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls,

40he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town.

41He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town.

42Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

43“If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered,

44the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean.

45It must be torn down–its stones, timbers and all the plaster–and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

46“Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.

47Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes.

48“But if the priest comes to examine it and the mildew has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.

49To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.

50He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.

51Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.

52He shall purify the house with the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.

53Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

54These are the regulations for any infectious skin disease, for an itch,

55for mildew in clothing or in a house,

56and for a swelling, a rash or a bright spot,

57to determine when something is clean or unclean. These are the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew.

Commentary

14:1-9 The priests could not cleanse the lepers; but when the Lord removed the plague, various rules were to be observed in admitting them again to the ordinances of God, and the society of his people. They represent many duties and exercises of truly repenting sinners, and the duties of ministers respecting them. If we apply this to the spiritual leprosy of sin, it intimates that when we withdraw from those who walk disorderly, we must not count them as enemies, but admonish them as brethren. And also that when God by his grace has brought to repentance, they ought with tenderness and joy, and sincere affection, to be received again. Care should always be taken that sinners may not be encouraged, nor penitents discouraged. If it were found that the leprosy was healed, the priest must declare it with the particular solemnities here described. The two birds, one killed, and the other dipped in the blood of the bird that was killed, and then let loose, may signify Christ shedding his blood for sinners, and rising and ascending into heaven. The priest having pronounced the leper clean from the disease, he must make himself clean from all remains of it. Thus those who have comfort of the remission of their sins, must with care and caution cleanse themselves from sins; for every one that has this hope in him, will be concerned to purify himself.

Chapter 14 The former chapter directed the priests how to convict a leper of ceremonial uncleanness. No prescriptions are given for his cure; but, when God had cured him, the priests are in this chapter directed how to cleanse him. The remedy here is only adapted to the ceremonial part of his disease; but the authority Christ gave to his ministers was to cure the lepers, and so to cleanse them. We have here, I. The solemn declaration of the leper’s being clean, with the significant ceremony attending it (v. 1-9). II. The sacrifices which he was to offer to God eight days after (v. 10–32). III. The management of a house in which appeared signs of a leprosy (v. 33–53). And the conclusion and summary of this whole matter (v. 54, etc.).Verses 1-9 Here, I. It is supposed that the plague of the leprosy was not an incurable disease. Uzziah’s indeed continued to the day of his death, and Gehazi’s was entailed upon his seed; but Miriam’s lasted only seven days: we may suppose that it often wore off in process of time. Though God contend long, he will not contend for ever.II. The judgment of the cure, as well as that of the disease, was referred to the priest. He must go out of the camp to the leper, to see whether his leprosy was healed, v. 3. And we may suppose the priest did not contract any ceremonial uncleanness by coming near the leper, as another person would. It was in mercy to the poor lepers that the priests particularly had orders to attend them, for the priests’ lips should keep knowledge; and those in affliction have need to be instructed both how to bear their afflictions and how to reap benefit by them, have need of the word, in concurrence with the rod, to bring them to repentance; therefore it is well for those that are sick if they have these messengers of the Lord of hosts with them, these interpreters, to show unto them God’s uprightness, Job 33:23. When the leper was shut out, and could not go to the priests, it was well that the priests might come to him. Is any sick? Let him send for the elders, the ministers, Jam. 5:14. If we apply it to the spiritual leprosy of sin, it intimates that when we withdraw from those who walk disorderly, that they may be ashamed, we must not count them as enemies, but admonish them as brethren, 2 Th. 3:15. And also that when God by his grace has brought those to repentance who were shut out of communion for scandal, they ought with tenderness, and joy, and sincere affection, to be received in again. Thus Paul orders concerning the excommunicated Corinthian that when he had given evidences of his repentance they should forgive him, and comfort him, and confirm their love towards him, 2 Co. 2:7, 8. And ministers are entrusted by our Master with the declarative power of loosing as well as binding: both must be done with great caution and deliberation, impartially and without respect of persons, with earnest prayer to God for directions, and a sincere regard to the edification of the body of Christ, due care being always taken that sinners may not be encouraged by an excess of lenity, nor penitents discouraged by an excess of severity. Wisdom and sincerity are profitable to direct in this case.III. If it was found that the leprosy was healed, the priest must declare it with a particular solemnity. The leper or his friends were to get ready two birds caught for this purpose (any sort of wild birds that were clean), and cedar-wood, and scarlet, and hyssop; for all these were to be used in the ceremony. 1. A preparation was to be made of blood and water, with which the leper must be sprinkled. One of the birds (and the Jews say, if there was any difference, it must be the larger and better of the two) was to be killed over an earthen cup of spring water, so that the blood of the bird might discolour the water. This (as some other types) had its accomplishment in the death of Christ, when out of his pierced side there came water and blood, Jn. 19:34. Thus Christ comes into the soul for its cure and cleansing, not by water only, but by water and blood, 1 Jn. 5:6. 2. The living bird, with a little scarlet wool, and a bunch of hyssop, must be fastened to a cedar stick, dipped in the water and blood, which must be so sprinkled upon him that was to be cleansed, v. 6, 7. The cedar-wood signified the restoring of the leper to his strength and soundness, for that is a sort of wood not apt to putrefy. The scarlet wool signified his recovering a florid colour again, for the leprosy made him white as snow. And the hyssop intimated the removing of the disagreeable scent which commonly attended the leprosy.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴን እንዲህ ሲል ተናገረው፦ አማርኛ BCV እግዚኣብሄር ድማ ንሙሴ ኸምዙይ በሎ፦ ትግርኛ GAZBIB Waaqayyo ammoo Museedhaan, Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወነበቦ እግዚአብሔር ለሙሴ ወይቤሎ፦ giz GAZGAZ Waaqayyo ammoo Museedhaan, Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum እግዚኣብሄር ድማ ንሙሴ ኸምዙይ በሎ፦ ትግርኛ AMHNIV እግዚአብሔር (ያህዌ) ሙሴን እንዲህ አለው፤ አማርኛ SWAHSUV Kisha Bwana akanena na Musa, na kumwambia, Kiswahili