Numbers 19
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,2 “This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded: Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no blemish, and which was never yoked.3 You shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her forth outside of the camp, and one shall kill her before his face:4 and Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times.5 One shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:6 and the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.
8 He who burns her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.
9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up outside of the camp in a clean place; and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water for impurity: it is a sin offering.
10 He who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening: and it shall be to the children of Israel, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them, for a statute forever.
11 “He who touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days:12 the same shall purify himself with water on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he doesn’t purify himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.
13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and doesn’t purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Yahweh; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean;his uncleanness is yet on him.
14 “This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent, and everyone who is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.
15 Every open vessel, which has no covering bound on it, is unclean.
16 “Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
17 “For the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering; and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:18 and a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, and on all the vessels, and on the persons who were there, and on him who touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave:19 and the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify him; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.20 But the man who shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of Yahweh: the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
21 It shall be a perpetual statute to them: and he who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening.
22 “Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the soul that touches it shall 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.’”