SECTION XXVIII.

 

 

METSORA.

 

 

               XIV. And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying: This shall be the law for the leper on the day of his purification: He shall be brought to the priest; and the priest shall go forth out of the camp, and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the leper be healed of his leprosy, then the priest shall direct that there be brought for him who is to be cleansed two birds, alive, clean, and wood of cedar and scarlet (wood) and hyssop. And the priest shall direct that one of the birds be killed in  an earthen vessel with spring water. And he shall take the living bird with the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that had been killed over the spring water. And he shall sprinkle it on him who is to be cleansed form leprosy seven times, and he shall be clean: and the living bird he shall send forth upon the face of the field. And he who is cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself clean with water, and afterward he may come into the camp; but he shall dwell without his tent seven days. And on the seventh day he shall (again) shave off all the hair of his head, and his beard and his eyebrows, the whole of his hair shall he shave off, and wash his clothes, and wash his flesh with water, and he shall be clean. And on the eighth day let him take two (he) lambs unblemished, and one ewe lamb of the year unblemished, and three tenths of flour sprinkled with oil for a mincha, and one loga of oil. And the priest who maketh him clean shall make the man who is cleansed to stand with them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance. And the priest shall take one lamb and offer him for a trespass offering, and the loga of oil, and shall uplift them an elevation before the Lord. And he shall slay the lamb on the place where the sin offering is killed, and the burnt offering, (namely,) in the holy place; for as the sin, so the trespass, offering is the priestŐs: it is most sacred. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him who is cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the tow of his right foot. And the priest shall take of the log of oil and pour it on the priestŐs left hand. And the priest shall dip the finger of his right hand in the oil which is upon his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. And of the rest of the oil which is upon his hand the priest shall put upon  the tip of the right ear of him who is cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the tow of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering. And the remainder of the oil which is upon the priestŐs hand he shall put upon the head of him who is cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord. And the priest shall perform the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is cleansed from his defilement, and afterwards shall he kill the burnt offering. And the priest shall sacrifice the burnt offering with the mincha at the altar, and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

 

               But should he be a poor man, and his hand have not (so much) pertaining (to him), let him take one lamb for the trespass offering for the elevation to atone for him, and one-tenth of flour sprinkled with oil for the mincha, and a loga of oil and two turtle doves or two young pigeons which his hand may possess; and one shall be the sin offering, and one the burnt offering. And he shall bring them on the eighth day of his purification unto the priest, at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance before the Lord. And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall uplift them, an elevation before the Lord. And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him who is cleansed, and on the finger of his right hand, and on the tow of his right foot. And of the oil the priest shall pour (some) upon the priestŐs left hand; and the priest shall put of the oil which is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him who is cleansed, and on the finger of his right hand, and on the tow of his right foot, upon the spot of the blood of the trespass offering. And the remainder of the oil which is in the priestŐs hand he shall put upon the head of him who is cleansed, to propitiate for him before the Lord. And he shall offer (perform) one of the turtle doves, or of the young pigeons, which his hand may possess, the one for a sin offering, and one for a burnt offering, with the mincha; and the priest shall make atonement for him who is cleansed, before the Lord. This is the law for him in whom hath been the plague of leprosy, whose hand hath not had sufficiency for (the sacrifices of) his purification.

 

               And the Lord spake with Mosheh and to Aharon, saying: When you have entered the land of Kenaan, which I will give unto you for a possession; and I have put the plague of leprosy upon a house in the land of your possession; and he who owns the house shall come and show to the priest, saying, There is a plague, as it appeareth to me, in the house: the priest shall direct that they turn out (all that is in) the house before the priest goeth in to inspect the plague; that all that is in the house be not (condemned as) unclean; and afterward the priest shall enter to survey the house. Then he shall look at the plague; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house in seams, green or red, and they appear to be deeper than the (surface of the) wall, then the priest shall go out from the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days. And the priest shall return on the seventh day, and look, and, behold, if the plague hath increased in the walls of the house, then the priest shall order that they take down the stones of the house in which the plague is, and cast them without the town into an unclean place. And they shall scrape the house within round about, and throw the plaster (dust) which they have scraped off without the town, into an unclean place. And they shall take other stones, and insert them in the place of the former stones, and shall take other plaster and cover the house. And if the plague return and increase in the house after that the stones have been taken down, nad after they have scraped the house, and after it hath been plastered (anew); then the priest shall enter, and, behold, if the plague hath increased in the house, it is a corroding leprosy in the house, it is unclean. And they shall break down the house, the stones of it, the timber, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them[1] (have them carried) without the town unto an unclean place. And whoso goeth into the house all the days that it is shut up, shall be unclean until the evening. And he who may sleep in the house shall wash his clothes, and he who eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. But if the priest, having entered, shall look, and, behold, the plague hath not increased in the house after the house hath been plastered, the priest shall make (pronounce) the house to be clean, for the plague hath been cured. And he shall take, to purify the house, two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. And he shall kill the one bird in a vessel of pottery with spring water, and take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird; and dip them in the blood of the bird which had been killed and in the spring water, and sprinkle the house seven times. And he shall purify the house with the blood of the bird, and with the spring water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet. But he shall send forth the living bird out of town, upon the face of the field, and make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.

 

               This is the law for every plague of leprosy and of scorbutics, and for leprosy in clothing, and in a house: and for abscess, and scar, and inflamed spot: to teach on what day it is unclean, and on what day it is purified. This is the law for the leprosy.

 

               XV. And the Lord spake with Mosheh and to Aharon, saying: Speak with the sons of Israel, and say to them: When any man hath a defluxion by the running of his flesh, he is unclean. And this shall be his uncleanness by his defluxion, when his defluxion floweth form his flesh, or his flesh hath ceased from its flowing, it is (the cause) of his uncleanness. Every bed whereon he lieth who hath the defluxion shall be unclean; and anything whereon he sitteth shall be unclean. And whoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. And he who sitteth on a thing whereon he who hath the issue hath sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. And he who toucheth the flesh of  him who hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And if he who hath the issue spit upon one who is clean, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And  any saddle (or carriage) that he who hath the issue may ride upon shall be unclean; and whoever toucheth any things that have been under him shall be unclean until evening. And whomsoever he who hath the issue toucheth, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And every vessel of earthenware which he who hath the issue may have touched shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

 

               And when he who hath had a defluxion shall be cleansed of his issue, he shall number to himself seven days for his purification, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in spring water, and be clean. And on the eighth day let him take two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, and bring before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance, and give them to the priest. And the priest shall perform (the offering of) them; one for the sin, and one for the burnt, offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, for his issue. And if seed of copulation go out from a man, he shall wash all his flesh with water, and be unclean until evening. The woman with whom a man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall bathe themselves with water, and be unclean until evening.

 

               If a woman have a defluxion of blood in her flesh, seven days shall be for her separation, and whoso toucheth her shall be unclean until evening. And every thing on which she lieth in her separation shall be unclean, and any thing that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And any one who toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; and any one who toucheth a thing upon which she hath sat shall was his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And if it be on her bed, or any thing on which she hath sat, when he hath touched it, he shall be unclean until the evening. And if a man lie with her, and her separation be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and any bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.

 

               And if a woman hath a defluxion of blood many days beyond the time of her separation, if it run beyond (the time) of her separation, all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation; she shall be unclean. Any bed on which she lieth all the days of her defluxion shall be as the bed of her separation, and every thing on which she sitteth shall be unclean as the uncleanness of her separation. And whoso toucheth them shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

 

               But if she be cleansed form her defluxion, then let her number to herself seven days, and afterward she is clean. And on the eighth day let her take or herself two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance. And the priest shall make the one a sin offering, and one burnt offering, and the priest shall atone before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness. And (thus) shall you separate the children of Israel form their uncleanness, that they die not, by defiling My Tabernacle which is among them. This is the law for him who   

                   

 



[1] Sam. Vers., Ňthey shall destroy.Ó