The Skeptics Annotated Bible (110 page)

53 And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin;

54 Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more:

55 And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without.

56 And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:

57 And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire.

58 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean.

59 This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.

14
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

(14.2-52)
God’s law for lepers
Get two birds. Kill one. Dip the live bird in the blood of the dead one. Sprinkle the blood on the leper seven times, and then let the blood-soaked bird fly away. Next find a lamb and kill it. Wipe some of its blood on the patient’s right ear, thumb, and big toe. Sprinkle seven times with oil and wipe some of the oil on his right ear, thumb and big toe. Repeat. Finally find another pair of birds. Kill one and dip the live bird in the dead bird’s blood. Wipe some blood on the patient’s right ear, thumb, and big toe. Sprinkle the house with blood 7 times. That’s all there is to it.

2
This shall be the law of the leper
in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:

(14.2)
“This shall be the law of the leper.”

3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;

4
Then shall the priest
command to
take
for him that is to be cleansed
two birds alive and clean
, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

(14.4)
“Then shall the priest … take … two birds alive and clean.”

5
And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed
in an earthen vessel over running water:

(14.5)
“And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed.”

6
As for the living bird, he shall
take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall
dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed
over the running water:

(14.6)
“As for the living bird, he shall … dip the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed.”

7 And
he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose
into the open field.

(14.7)
“He shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose.”

8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.

10 And
on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish
, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.

(14.10)
“On the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish.”

11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

12
And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering
, and the log of oil,
and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD
:

(14.12)
“And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering … and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.”

13 And
he shall slay the lamb
in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering,
in the holy place
: for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering:
it is most holy
:

(14.13) “
He shall slay the lamb … in the holy place … it is most holy.”

14 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 that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot
:

(14.14)
“The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and … put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.”

15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:

16 And
the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD
:

(14.16)
“The priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.”

17 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering:

18 And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.

19 And
the priest shall offer the sin offering
, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness;
and
afterward
he shall kill the burnt offering
:

(14.19)
“The priest shall offer the sin offering … and … he shall kill the burnt offering.”

20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

21 And
if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved
, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil;

22
And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons
, such as he is able to get;
and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.

(14.21-22)
“If he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved … and two turtledoves, or two young pigeons … and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.”

23 And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD.

24 And
the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering
, and the log of oil,
and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:

(14.24)
“The priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering … and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:”

25 And
he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:

(14.25)
“He shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.”

26 And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand:

27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD:

28 And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering:

29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD.

30 And
he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get
;

(14.30)
“He shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get.”

31
Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering
: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD.

(14.31)
“Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering.”

32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.

33 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

34
When ye be come into the land of Canaan
, which I give to you for a possession, and
I put the plague of leprosy in
a house of
the land of your possession;

(14.34)
“When ye be come into the land of Canaan … I put the plague of leprosy in … the land of your possession.”
God “put the plague of leprosy” on the Canaanites.