Our Father Speaks to Moses and Aaron
13 1 Our Father spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
Skin Diseases: The Priest's Examination
2 When anyone has a swelling, a rash, or a bright spot on their skin that develops into a defiling skin disease, he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. 1 1 v2 The skin condition described here is not the modern disease called leprosy (Hansen's disease); it covers a range of spreading skin, fabric, and surface conditions that made a person ceremonially unclean. 3 The priest shall examine the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the mark has turned white and the mark appears deeper than the skin of the body, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean. 4 But if the bright spot on the skin of his body is white and does not appear deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall isolate the affected person for seven days. 5 On the seventh day the priest shall examine him, and if the mark looks unchanged to the priest and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall isolate him for another seven days. 6 On the seventh day the priest shall examine him again, and if the mark has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. He shall wash his clothes and be clean. 7 But if the rash spreads further on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall show himself to the priest again. 8 The priest shall examine him, and if the rash has spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.
9 When a defiling skin disease appears on a person, he shall be brought to the priest. 10 The priest shall examine him, and if there is a white swelling on the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, 11 it is a chronic skin disease on his skin, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not isolate him, for he is already unclean.
12 But if the disease breaks out all over the skin, so that, as far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the affected person from head to foot, 13 the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce the affected person clean; since it has all turned white, he is clean. 14 But on the day raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. 15 The priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean. It is a defiling skin disease. 16 But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, he shall come to the priest. 17 The priest shall examine him, and if the mark has turned white, the priest shall pronounce the affected person clean; he is clean.
18 When someone has a boil on their skin and it heals, 19 and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish-white bright spot, it shall be shown to the priest. 20 The priest shall examine it, and if it appears lower than the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a defiling skin disease that has broken out in the boil. 21 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it and it is not lower than the skin and has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 22 If it spreads further on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a mark of disease. 23 But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
24 Or when there is a burn from fire on the skin of the body, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a reddish-white or white bright spot, 25 the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the bright spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, it is a skin disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. 26 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the bright spot and it is not lower than the skin and has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 27 On the seventh day the priest shall examine him; if it has spread further on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. 28 But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread on the skin and has faded, it is the swelling of the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is only the scar of the burn.
29 When a man or a woman has a mark on the head or in the beard, 30 the priest shall examine the mark, and if it appears deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an itch, a skin disease of the head or beard. 31 But if the priest examines the mark of the itch and it does not appear deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest shall isolate the affected person for seven days. 32 On the seventh day the priest shall examine the mark, and if the itch has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and the itch does not appear deeper than the skin, 33 the person shall shave, but not the area with the sore; and the priest shall isolate the affected person for another seven days. 34 On the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch, and if the itch has not spread on the skin and does not appear deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean. 35 But if the itch spreads further on the skin after his cleansing, 36 the priest shall examine him, and if the itch has spread on the skin, the priest need not look for yellow hair; he is unclean. 37 But if the itch looks the same to the priest and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed; he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
38 When a man or a woman has white bright spots on their skin, 39 the priest shall examine them, and if the bright spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; he is clean.
40 When a man loses the hair on his head, he is bald, but he is clean. 41 If he loses the hair from the front of his head, he has a bald forehead, but he is clean. 42 But if there is on the bald head or forehead a reddish-white mark, it is a skin disease breaking out on his bald head or forehead. 43 The priest shall examine him, and if there is a reddish-white swelling on his bald head or forehead, like a skin disease elsewhere on the body, 44 he is a man with a defiling skin disease; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; his mark is on his head.
45 The person with the defiling skin disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of their head hang loose, and they shall cover their upper lip and cry out, "Unclean! Unclean!" 2 2 v45 Covering the upper lip was an ancient sign of mourning and of being cut off from the community. 46 As long as they have the mark, they shall remain unclean. They are unclean; they shall live alone, and their dwelling shall be outside the camp.
Mildew in Garments
47 When a garment has a mark of mildew in it, whether a wool or a linen garment,
Examining the Cloth or Leather
48 whether in the woven or the knitted material of the linen or the wool, or in a piece of leather or anything made of leather, 49 if the mark is greenish or reddish in the garment or the leather, in the woven or the knitted material, or in any leather article, it is a mark of mildew and shall be shown to the priest. 50 The priest shall examine the mark and isolate the affected article for seven days. 51 On the seventh day he shall examine the mark, and if it has spread in the garment, in the woven or the knitted material, or in the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mildew; it is unclean. 52 He shall burn the garment, or the woven or knitted material, of wool or linen, or any leather article in which the mark is found, for it is a destructive mildew; it must be burned in the fire.
53 But if the priest examines it and the mark has not spread in the garment, in the woven or the knitted material, or in any leather article, 54 the priest shall command that the affected article be washed, and he shall isolate it for another seven days. 55 After the affected article has been washed, the priest shall examine it, and if the mark has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire; it is a corroding spot, whether on the inside or the outside. 56 But if the priest examines it and the mark has faded after it has been washed, he shall tear it out of the garment or the leather, or out of the woven or the knitted material. 57 If it appears again in the garment, in the woven or the knitted material, or in any leather article, it is spreading; you shall burn in the fire whatever has the mark. 58 But the garment, or the woven or the knitted material, or any leather article that you wash and from which the mark departs, shall be washed a second time, and it will be clean.
59 This is the law concerning a mark of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, in the woven or the knitted material, or in any leather article, to pronounce it clean or unclean.