The Father Speaks to Moses
12 1 Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
A Mother's Purification
2 Speak to the people of Israel: When a woman conceives and gives birth to a son, she will be unclean for seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her monthly period. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin will be circumcised. 4 Then she will continue having the blood of her purification for thirty-three days. She must not touch anything holy or come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. 5 But if she gives birth to a daughter, she will be unclean for two weeks, as in her monthly period, and she will continue having the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.
6 When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she will bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7 He will offer it before our Father and make atonement for her, and she will be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for the woman who gives birth, whether to a son or a daughter.
8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she may take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean. 1 1 v8 When the family could not afford a lamb, our Father made room for the poor with this lesser gift — and this is the very offering Mary brought when she presented Jesus in the temple.