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15 1-2 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to give the people of Israel these further instructions:

“Any man who has a genital discharge[a] is ceremonially defiled. This applies not only while the discharge is active, but also for a time after it heals. Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is contaminated: so anyone touching the man’s bed is ceremonially defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. Anyone sitting on a seat the man has sat upon while defiled is himself ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. The same instructions apply to anyone touching him. Anyone he spits on is ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. Any saddle he rides on is defiled. 10 Anyone touching or carrying anything else that was beneath him shall be defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 11 If the defiled man touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening. 12 Any earthen pot touched by the defiled man must be broken, and every wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.

13 “When the discharge stops, he shall begin a seven-day cleansing ceremony by washing his clothes and bathing in running water. 14 On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and give them to the priest. 15 The priest shall sacrifice them there, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; thus the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.

16 “Whenever a man’s semen goes out from him, he shall take a complete bath and be ceremonially impure until the evening. 17 Any clothing or bedding the semen spills on must be washed and remain ceremonially defiled until evening. 18 After sexual intercourse, the woman as well as the man must bathe, and they are ceremonially defiled until the next evening.

19 “Whenever a woman menstruates, she shall be in a state of ceremonial defilement for seven days afterwards, and during that time anyone touching her shall be defiled until evening. 20 Anything she lies on or sits on during that time shall be defiled. 21-23 Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits upon shall wash his clothes and bathe himself and be ceremonially defiled until evening. 24 A man having sexual intercourse with her during this time is ceremonially defiled for seven days, and every bed he lies upon shall be defiled.

25 “If the menstrual flow continues after the normal time, or at some irregular time during the month, the same rules apply as indicated above, 26 so that anything she lies upon during that time is defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period, and everything she sits on is in a similar state of defilement. 27 Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits on shall be defiled, and shall wash his clothes and bathe and be defiled until evening. 28 Seven days after the menstruating stops, she is no longer ceremonially defiled.

29 “On the eighth day, she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, 30 and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for her before the Lord for her menstrual defilement. 31 In this way you shall cleanse the people of Israel from their defilement, lest they die because of defiling my Tabernacle that is among them.”

32 This, then, is the law for the man who is defiled by a genital disease[b] or by a seminal emission; 33 and for a woman’s menstrual period; and for anyone who has sexual intercourse with her while she is in her period of defilement afterwards.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 15:1 a genital discharge, literally, “an issue out of his flesh.”
  2. Leviticus 15:32 is defiled by a genital disease, literally, “has an issue.”

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