Numbers 19

Water That Makes Israel Clean After Someone Dies

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,2 “This is what the Lord’s teachings have commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red cow that is perfect, with no defects. Also, it must never have worn a yoke.t3 Give it to the priest Eleazar. It must be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.4 The priest Eleazar will take some of the blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting.5 Then the entire cow (the skin, meat, blood, and excrement) will be burned while he watches.6 The priest will take some cedar wood, a hyssop sprig, and some red yarn and throw them onto the burning cow.7 The priest must then wash his clothes and his body. After that, he may go into the camp. But he will be uncleant until evening.

8 The person who burned the calf must also wash his clothes and his body. He, too, will be unclean until evening.
9 “A man who is cleant will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. They will be kept by the community of Israel and used in the water that takes away uncleanness. The cow is an offering for sin.

10 The person who collected the ashes from the cow must also wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. This will be a permanent law for the Israelites and for the foreigners who live with them.
11 “Whoever touches the dead body of any human being will be unclean for seven days.12 The unclean person must use this water on the third day and the seventh day to take away his sin. Then he will be clean. But if he doesn’t use this water on the third day and the seventh day, he will not be clean.

13 Whoever touches the dead body of a human being and doesn’t use this water to take away his sin makes the Lord’s tent unclean. That person must be excluded from Israel, because the water that takes away uncleanness wasn’t sprinkled on him. He is unclean; his uncleanness stays with him.
14 “These are your instructions for when a person dies in a tent: Everyone who goes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent will be unclean for seven days.

15 Every container without a lid fastened on it is unclean.
16 “Whoever is outdoors and touches someone who was killed or has died naturally or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave will be unclean for seven days.17 “This is what you must do for people who become unclean from touching a dead body. Put some of the ashes from the red cow that was burned as an offering for sin into a container. Then pour fresh water on them.18 A person who is clean will take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and all the people who were in the tent with the dead body. He must also sprinkle any person who has touched a human bone or a grave and any person who has touched someone who has been killed or who has died naturally.19 A person who is clean will sprinkle these types of unclean people on the third day and the seventh day. On the seventh day the clean person will finish taking away their sins. Then they must wash their clothes and bodies, and in the evening they will be clean.20 But if the person who becomes unclean doesn’t have his sin taken away, that person must be excluded from the assembly. He has made the holy place of the Lord unclean. The water to take away uncleanness wasn’t sprinkled on him. He is unclean.

21 This will be a permanent law for them.
“Whoever sprinkles the water to take away uncleanness must wash his clothes. And whoever touches this water will be unclean until evening.

22 Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and the person who touches it will be unclean until evening.”

Numbers 19

The Red Heifer Ritual

1 s The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded: ‘Instructt the Israelites to bringt you a redt heifers without blemish, which has no defectt and has never carried a yoke.3 You must give it to Eleazar the priest so that he can take it outside the camp, and it must be slaughtered before him.s4 Eleazar the priest is to taket some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of the blood seven timess directly in front of the tent of meeting.5 Then the heifer must be burnedt in his sight – its skin, its flesh, its blood, and its offal is to be burned.t6 And the priest must take cedar wood, hyssop,s and scarlet wool and throw them into the midst of the fire where the heifer is burning.s7 Then the priest must washt his clothes and bathe himselft in water, and afterward he may comet into the camp, but the priest will be ceremonially unclean until evening.

8 The one who burns its must wash his clothes in water and bathe himself in water. He will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
9 “‘Then a man who is ceremonially clean must gather up the ashes of the red heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They must be keptt for the community of the Israelites for use in the water of purificationt – it is a purification for sin.s

10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be ceremonially unclean until evening. This will be a permanent ordinance both for the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them.

Purification from Uncleanness

11 “‘Whoever touchest the corpset of any persont will be ceremonially uncleant seven days.12 He must purify himselft with water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and the seventh day, then he will not be clean.

13 Anyone who touches the corpse of any dead person and does not purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. And that person must be cut off from Israel,s because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean; his uncleanness remains on him.
14 “‘This is the law: When a man diest in a tent, anyone who comes into the tent and all who are in the tent will be ceremonially unclean seven days.15 And every open container that has no covering fastened on it is unclean.

16 And whoever touches the body of someone killed with a sword in the open fields,t or the body of someone who died of natural causes,t or a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean seven days.s
17 “‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must taket some of the ashes of the heifert burnt for purification from sin and pourt fresh runningt water over them in a vessel.18 Then a ceremonially clean person must take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all its furnishings, and on the people who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, or one killed, or one who died, or a grave.19 And the clean person must sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he must purify him,t and then he must wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and he will be clean in the evening.

20 But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person must be cut off from among the community, because he has polluted the sanctuary of the Lord; the water of purification was not sprinkled on him, so he is unclean.
21 “‘So this will be a perpetual ordinance for them: The one who sprinklest the water of purification must wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water of purification will be unclean until evening.s

22 And whatever the unclean person touches will be unclean, and the person who touches it will be unclean until evening.’”