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Purification After Childbirth

12 Then[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites,[b] saying, ‘When a woman becomes pregnant and she gives birth to a male,[c] then[d] she shall be unclean seven days—as in the time of her menstrual bleeding, she shall become unclean. And on the eighth day his foreskin’s flesh shall be circumcised. And for thirty-three days she shall stay in the blood of her cleansing; she must not touch any holy object, and she may not come to the sanctuary until the fulfilling of the days of her cleansing. But[e] if she gives birth to a female,[f] then[g] she shall be unclean for two weeks as in her menstruation, and for sixty-six days she shall stay through[h] the blood of her cleansing. And at the fulfilling of the days of her cleansing, whether for a son or for a daughter, she must bring to the priest at the tent of assembly’s entrance a yearling[i] male lamb as a burnt offering and young dove[j] or a turtledove as a sin offering. And the priest shall present it before[k] Yahweh, and he shall make atonement for her, so that[l] she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the regulation of childbearing[m] for the male[n] or for the female.[o] And if she cannot afford[p] a sheep,[q] then[r] she shall take two turtledoves or two young doves[s]—one as a burnt offering and one as a sin offering—and the priest shall make atonement for her, so that[t] she shall be clean.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 12:1 Or “And”
  2. Leviticus 12:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Leviticus 12:2 Or “son”
  4. Leviticus 12:2 Or “and”
  5. Leviticus 12:5 Or “And”
  6. Leviticus 12:5 Or “daughter”
  7. Leviticus 12:5 Or “and”
  8. Leviticus 12:5 Or “at” or “on”
  9. Leviticus 12:6 Literally “a son of his year”
  10. Leviticus 12:6 Literally “son of a dove”
  11. Leviticus 12:7 Literally “to the faces of”
  12. Leviticus 12:7 Or “and”
  13. Leviticus 12:7 Literally “the childbearing”
  14. Leviticus 12:7 Or “son”
  15. Leviticus 12:7 Or “daughter”
  16. Leviticus 12:8 Literally “her hand does not find enough”
  17. Leviticus 12:8 Or “small livestock”
  18. Leviticus 12:8 Or “and”
  19. Leviticus 12:8 Literally “sons of a dove”
  20. Leviticus 12:8 Or “and”

The Ritual After Childbirth(A)

12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a (B)woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then (C)she shall be [a]unclean seven days; (D)as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the (E)eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any [b]hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.

‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

(F)‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a (G)lamb [c]of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a (H)sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make [d]atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.

(I)‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. (J)So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be [e]clean.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 12:2 impure
  2. Leviticus 12:4 consecrated
  3. Leviticus 12:6 Lit. a son of his year
  4. Leviticus 12:7 Lit. covering
  5. Leviticus 12:8 pure