Leviticus Chapter 13

Leviticus 13 — English translation

Translation: THE JPS TANAKH: Gender-Sensitive Edition. Verse numbers match the Hebrew text below.

1. 1G OD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
2. 2When a person has on their skin a swelling, a rash, or a discoloration, and it develops into a scaly affection on their skin, it shall be reported to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests.
3. 3The priest shall examine the affection on the skin: if hair in the affected patch has turned white and the affection appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a leprous is used for a variety of diseases. Where a human being is declared impure by reason of ṣaraʻath , the traditional translation “leprosy” has been retained without regard to modern medical terminology. affection; when the priest sees it, he shall pronounce the person impure.
4. 4But if it is a white discoloration on the skin that does not appear to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall isolate the affected person for seven days.
5. 5On the seventh day the priest shall conduct an examination, and if the affection has remained unchanged in color and the disease has not spread on the skin, the priest shall isolate them for another seven days.
6. 6On the seventh day the priest shall again conduct an examination: if the affection has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce the person pure. It is a rash; that person, after washing their clothes, shall be pure.
7. 7But if the rash should spread on the skin after they have been seen by the priest and pronounced pure, that person shall again report to the priest.
8. 8And if the priest sees that the rash has spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce them impure; it is leprosy.
9. 9When a person has a scaly affection, it shall be reported to the priest.
10. 10If the priest finds on the skin a white swelling that has turned some hair white, with a patch of undiscolored flesh in the swelling,
11. 11it is chronic leprosy on the skin, and the priest shall pronounce the person impure; being impure, they need not be isolated.
12. 12If the eruption spreads out over the skin so that it covers all the skin of the affected person from head to foot, wherever the priest can see—
13. 13if the priest sees that the eruption has covered the whole body—he shall pronounce as pure the affected person, who is pure from having turned all white.
14. 14But as soon as undiscolored flesh appears in it, that person shall be impure;
15. 15when the priest sees the undiscolored flesh, he shall pronounce them impure. The undiscolored flesh is impure; it is leprosy.
16. 16But if the undiscolored flesh again turns white, that person shall come to the priest,
17. 17and the priest shall conduct an examination: if the affection has turned white, the priest shall pronounce as pure the affected person, who is then pure.
18. 18When an inflammation appears on one’s skin and it heals,
19. 19and a white swelling or a white discoloration streaked with red develops where the inflammation was, that person shall report to the priest.
20. 20If the priest finds that it appears lower than the rest of the skin and that the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce them impure; it is a leprous affection that has broken out in the inflammation.
21. 21But if the priest finds that there is no white hair in it and it is not lower than the rest of the skin, and it is faded, the priest shall isolate them for seven days.
22. 22If it should spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them impure; it is an affection.
23. 23But if the discoloration remains stationary, not having spread, it is the scar of the inflammation; the priest shall pronounce them pure.
24. 24When one’s skin sustains a burn by fire, and the patch from the burn is a discoloration, either white streaked with red, or white,
25. 25the priest shall examine it. If some hair has turned white in the discoloration, which itself appears to go deeper than the skin, it is leprosy that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce the person impure; it is a leprous affection.
26. 26But if the priest finds that there is no white hair in the discoloration, and that it is not lower than the rest of the skin, and it is faded, the priest shall isolate them for seven days.
27. 27On the seventh day the priest shall conduct an examination: if it has spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them impure; it is a leprous affection.
28. 28But if the discoloration has remained stationary, not having spread on the skin, and it is faded, it is the swelling from the burn. The priest shall pronounce them pure, for it is the scar of the burn.
29. 29If a man or a woman has an affection on the head or in the beard,
30. 30the priest shall examine the affection. If it appears to go deeper than the skin and there is thin yellow hair in it, the priest shall pronounce them impure; it is a scall, a scaly eruption in the hair or beard.
31. 31But if the priest finds that the scall affection does not appear to go deeper than the skin, yet there is no black hair in it, the priest shall isolate the person with the scall affection for seven days.
32. 32On the seventh day the priest shall examine the affection. If the scall has not spread and no yellow hair has appeared in it, and the scall does not appear to go deeper than the skin,
33. 33the person with the scall shall shave—but without shaving the scall; the priest shall isolate them for another seven days.
34. 34On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scall. If the scall has not spread on the skin, and does not appear to go deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce the person pure; after washing their clothes, they shall be pure.
35. 35If, however, the scall should spread on the skin after the person has been pronounced pure,
36. 36the priest shall conduct an examination. If the scall has spread on the skin, the priest need not look for yellow hair: the person is impure.
37. 37But if the scall has remained unchanged in color, and black hair has grown in it, the scall is healed; the person is pure. The priest shall pronounce them pure.
38. 38If a man or a woman has their skin streaked with white discolorations,
39. 39and the priest sees that the discolorations on the skin are of a dull white, it is a tetter broken out on the skin; they are pure.
40. 40If a man loses the hair of his head and becomes bald, he is pure.
41. 41If he loses the hair on the front part of his head and becomes bald at the forehead, he is pure.
42. 42But if a white affection streaked with red appears on the bald part in the front or at the back of the head, it is a scaly eruption that is spreading over the bald part in the front or at the back of the head.
43. 43The priest shall examine him: if the swollen affection on the bald part in the front or at the back of his head is white streaked with red, like the leprosy of body skin in appearance,
44. 44he is a leprous man; he is impure. The priest shall pronounce him impure; he has the affection on his head.
45. 45As for the person with a leprous affection: their clothes shall be rent, their head shall be left bare, and their upper lip shall be covered over; and they shall call out, “Impure! Impure!”
46. 46They shall be impure as long as the disease is present. Being impure, they shall dwell apart—in a dwelling outside the camp.
47. 47When an eruptive affection occurs in a cloth of wool or linen fabric,
48. 48in the warp or in the woof of the linen or the wool, or in a skin or in anything made of skin;
49. 49if the affection in the cloth or the skin, in the warp or the woof, or in any article of skin, is streaky green or red, it is an eruptive affection. It shall be shown to the priest;
50. 50and the priest, after examining the affection, shall isolate the affected article for seven days.
51. 51On the seventh day he shall examine the affection: if the affection has spread in the cloth—whether in the warp or the woof, or in the skin, for whatever purpose the skin may be used—the affection is a malignant eruption; it is impure.
52. 52The cloth—whether warp or woof in wool or linen, or any article of skin—in which the affection is found, shall be burned, for it is a malignant eruption; it shall be consumed in fire.
53. 53But if the priest sees that the affection in the cloth—whether in warp or in woof, or in any article of skin—has not spread,
54. 54the priest shall order the affected article washed, and he shall isolate it for another seven days.
55. 55And if, after the affected article has been washed, the priest sees that the affection has not changed color and that it has not spread, it is impure. It shall be consumed in fire; it is a fret, uncertain. whether on its inner side or on its outer side.
56. 56But if the priest sees that the affected part, after it has been washed, is faded, he shall tear it out from the cloth or skin, whether in the warp or in the woof;
57. 57and if it occurs again in the cloth—whether in warp or in woof—or in any article of skin, it is a wild growth; the affected article shall be consumed in fire.
58. 58If, however, the affection disappears from the cloth—warp or woof—or from any article of skin that has been washed, it shall be washed again, and it shall be pure.
59. 59Such is the procedure for eruptive affections of cloth, woolen or linen, in warp or in woof, or of any article of skin, for pronouncing it pure or impure.

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