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Leviticus 15

New International Reader’s Version

Rules about liquid body wastes



1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 ‘Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, “Suppose liquid waste is flowing out of a man’s body. That liquid is not ‘clean’. 3 It does not matter whether it continues to flow out of his body or is blocked. It will make him ‘unclean’. Here is how his liquid body waste will make him ‘unclean’. 4 ‘ “Any bed the man who has the flow of liquid body waste lies on will be ‘unclean’. Anything he sits on will be ‘unclean’. 5 Anyone who touches the man’s bed must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 6 Suppose someone sits on something the man sat on. Then they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 7 ‘ “Suppose someone touches the man who has the flow of liquid body waste. Then they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 8 ‘ “Suppose someone is ‘clean’. And suppose the man who has the flow of liquid waste spits on them. Then they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 9 ‘ “Everything the man sits on when he is riding will be ‘unclean’. 10 Suppose someone touches any of the things that were under him. Then they will be ‘unclean’ until evening. Even if they pick up those things, they must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 11 ‘ “Suppose the man who has the liquid flow touches someone. And suppose he does it without rinsing his hands with water. Then the person he touched must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 12 ‘ “Suppose the man touches a clay pot. Then that pot must be broken. Any wooden thing he touches must be rinsed with water. 13 ‘ “Suppose the man has been healed from his liquid flow. Then he must wait seven days. He must wash his clothes. He must take a bath in fresh water. After that, he will be ‘clean’. 14 On the eighth day he must get two doves or two young pigeons. He must come to the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. There he must give the birds to the priest. 15 The priest must sacrifice them. One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering. In that way the priest will pay for the man’s sin in the sight of the LORD. He will do it because the man had a liquid flow. 16 ‘ “Suppose semen flows from a man’s body. Then he must wash his whole body with water. He will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 17 Suppose clothes or leather have semen on them. Then they must be washed with water. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 18 Suppose a man sleeps with a woman. And suppose semen flows from his body and touches both of them. Then they must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 19 ‘ “Suppose a woman is having her regular monthly period. Then for seven days she will be ‘unclean’. Anyone who touches her will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 20 ‘ “Anything she lies on during her period will be ‘unclean’. Anything she sits on will be ‘unclean’. 21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 22 Anyone who touches anything she sits on must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 23 It does not matter whether it was her bed or anything she was sitting on. If anyone touches it, they will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 24 ‘ “Suppose a man sleeps with that woman. And suppose blood from her monthly period touches him. Then he will be ‘unclean’ for seven days. Any bed he lies on will be ‘unclean’. 25 ‘ “Suppose blood flows from a woman’s body for many days. And it happens at a time other than her monthly period. Or blood keeps flowing after her period is over. Then she will be ‘unclean’ as long as the blood continues to flow. She will be ‘unclean’, just as she is during the days of her period. 26 Any bed she lies on while her blood continues to flow will be ‘unclean’. It is the same as it is when she is having her period. Anything she sits on will be ‘unclean’. 27 If anyone touches those things, they will be ‘unclean’. They must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. 28 ‘ “Suppose the woman has been healed from her flow of blood. Then she must wait seven days. After that, she will be ‘clean’. 29 On the eighth day she must get two doves or two young pigeons. She must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 30 The priest must sacrifice them. One is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering. In that way he will pay for her sin in the sight of the LORD. He will do it because her flow of blood made her ‘unclean’. 31 ‘ “You must keep the Israelites away from things that make them ‘unclean’. Then they will not die for being ‘unclean’. And they will not die for making the place ‘unclean’ where I, the LORD, live. It is in the middle of the camp.” ’ 32 These are the rules for a man who has liquid waste flowing out of his body. They apply to a man made ‘unclean’ by semen that flows from his body. 33 They apply to a woman having her monthly period. They apply to a man or woman who has a liquid flow. And they apply to a man who sleeps with a woman who is ‘unclean’. 

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Leviticus 15

English Standard Version



1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body,[1] his discharge is unclean. (Le 22:4; Nu 5:2; 2Sa 3:29) 3 And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. 4 Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. 5 And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. (Le 11:25; Le 16:26; Le 17:15) 6 And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 7 And whoever touches the body of the one with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 8 And if the one with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 9 And any saddle on which the one with the discharge rides shall be unclean. 10 And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 11 Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 12 And an earthenware vessel that the one with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. (Le 6:28; Le 11:32) 13 “And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes. And he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean. (Le 14:8; Le 15:28) 14 And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. (Le 12:8) 15 And the priest shall use them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge. (Le 4:26; Le 14:30; Le 15:30) 16 “If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. (Le 22:4; De 23:10) 17 And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water and be unclean until the evening. 18 If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening. (1Sa 21:4) 19 “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. 20 And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. (Le 15:4) 21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 22 And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. 24 And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. (Le 18:19; Le 20:18) 25 “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. (Mt 9:20; Mr 5:25; Lu 8:43) 26 Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 27 And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 28 But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. (Le 15:13) 29 And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. (Le 12:8) 30 And the priest shall use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge. 31 “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.” (Nu 5:3; Nu 19:13; Nu 19:20; Eze 5:11; Eze 23:38) 32 This is the law for him who has a discharge and for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby; (Le 15:2; Le 15:16) 33 also for her who is unwell with her menstrual impurity, that is, for anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean. (Le 15:19; Le 15:24; Le 15:25; Le 15:32) 

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