Leviticus 13

And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,

1The LORD spoke to Moses and to his brother Aaron. This is what he said.

2When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:

2A person might get a swollen bump, a rash, or a bright spot on his skin. It might look like a bad skin sickness. Then bring him to Aaron the priest. A priest is a man who served God for the people. Aaron's sons were priests too.

NoteThe old word here is "leprosy," but it covered many kinds of skin trouble, not just one sickness. The rules are about what the sore looks like, not about naming a disease.

3And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

3The priest looks closely at the sore. Maybe the hair in it has turned white. Maybe the sore looks deeper than the rest of the skin. Then it is the bad skin sickness. The priest says the man is unclean.

Note"Unclean" does not mean dirty or bad. It means a person had to stay apart from the camp and from worship for a while.

4If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days:

4Maybe the bright spot is white but not deeper than the skin. And the hair in it has not turned white. Then the priest keeps the man apart for seven days.

5And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:

5On the seventh day the priest looks at him again. Maybe the sore looks the same and has not spread. Then the priest keeps him apart seven more days.

6And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

6On the seventh day the priest looks at him once more. Maybe the sore has faded and has not spread. Then the priest says he is clean. It was only a rash. The man washes his clothes, and he is clean.

7But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again:

7But the rash may spread more after the priest has said he is clean. Then he must go to the priest again.

8And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.

8The priest looks. If the rash has spread on the skin, the priest says he is unclean. It is the skin sickness.

9When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;

9When someone gets this skin sickness, he must be brought to the priest.

10And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;

10The priest looks at him. Maybe there is a white swollen spot that turned the hair white. And maybe there is raw, open skin inside it.

11It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.

11Then it is an old sickness that has lasted a long time. The priest says he is unclean. He does not need to wait and watch him. The man is already unclean.

12And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;

12But the sickness may break out all over him. It may cover his skin from his head to his feet, everywhere the priest can see.

13Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.

13Then the priest looks carefully. If it has covered his whole body, he says the man is clean. All his skin has turned white, so he is clean.

14But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.

14But if raw, open skin shows up on him, he is unclean.

15And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.

15The priest looks at the raw skin and says he is unclean. Raw skin like that is unclean. It is the skin sickness.

16Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;

16But the raw skin may change and turn white. Then the man must come to the priest.

17And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

17The priest looks at him. If the sore has turned white, the priest says he is clean. He is clean.

18The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,

18Someone may get a boil on his skin, and then it heals. A boil is a sore red lump.

19And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest;

19Later a white swelling or a bright spot may come where the boil was. It may look white with some red in it. He must show it to the priest.

20And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.

20The priest looks at it. Maybe it looks lower than the skin, and the hair in it has turned white. Then the priest says he is unclean. The skin sickness has broken out in the old boil.

21But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:

21But the priest may see no white hairs in it. It may not be lower than the skin, and it may be faded. Then the priest keeps him apart for seven days.

22And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague.

22If it spreads a lot on the skin, the priest says he is unclean. It is the sickness.

23But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

23But the bright spot may stay the same and not spread. Then it is only the scar from the boil. The priest says he is clean.

24Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;

24Someone may get a burn on his skin. The raw place in the burn may turn into a bright spot. It may look white, or white with some red in it.

25Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

25The priest looks at it. Maybe the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot looks deeper than the skin. Then the sickness has broken out in the burn. The priest says he is unclean. It is the skin sickness.

26But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:

26But the priest may see no white hair in the spot. It may not be lower than the skin around it, and it may be faded. Then the priest keeps him apart for seven days.

27And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

27On the seventh day the priest looks at him. If it has spread a lot on the skin, he says the man is unclean. It is the skin sickness.

28And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning.

28But the bright spot may stay the same and not spread, and it may be faded. Then it is only a swelling from the burn. The priest says he is clean. It is just the mark the burn left.

29If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;

29A man or a woman may get a sore on the head or in the beard.

30Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.

30The priest looks at the sore. Maybe it looks deeper than the skin. Maybe the hairs in it are yellow and thin. Then the priest says the person is unclean. It is a scaly patch on the head or beard.

31And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days:

31The priest may look and see that it is not deeper than the skin. And there may be no black hair in it. Then the priest keeps the person apart for seven days.

32And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin;

32On the seventh day the priest looks at the sore again. Maybe it has not spread. Maybe there is no yellow hair in it. Maybe it is not deeper than the skin.

33He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more:

33Then the person shaves his hair, but not the scaly patch itself. The priest keeps him apart seven more days.

34And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

34On the seventh day the priest looks at the patch again. If it has not spread and is not deeper than the skin, he says the person is clean. The person washes his clothes and is clean.

35But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing;

35But the scaly patch may spread a lot after the priest has said he is clean.

36Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.

36Then the priest looks at him. If the patch has spread, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair. The person is unclean.

37But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

37But the patch may look the same as before, with black hair growing in it. Then it has healed. He is clean, and the priest says so.

38If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;

38A man or a woman may get bright spots on the skin. They may be white spots.

39Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean.

39The priest looks at them. If the spots are a dull, faded white, it is only a harmless rash. The person is clean.

40And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.

40A man may lose the hair on his head. He is bald, but he is still clean.

41And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

41A man may lose the hair at the front of his head. His forehead is bald, but he is still clean.

42And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

42But a sore may come on his bald head or bald forehead. It may look white with some red in it. Then the skin sickness has started there.

43Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh;

43The priest looks at it. Maybe the swollen sore is white and red on his bald head or forehead. Maybe it looks like the sickness looks on other skin.

44He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.

44Then the man has the skin sickness. He is unclean. The priest says clearly that he is unclean, because the sore is on his head.

45And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

45A person with this sickness must wear torn clothes. He leaves his hair loose and uncovered. He covers the top of his lip. And he calls out, "Unclean, unclean!"

46All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

46He stays unclean for as long as he has the sore. He must live by himself. His home must be outside the camp.

47The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment;

47A mark may show up on clothing, like a mark of the sickness. It may be on wool cloth or on linen cloth.

NoteThe same word is used for cloth as for skin. On cloth or leather it means a spreading mold or rot.

48Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin;

48It may be in the threads that run one way or the other way. It may be in linen or in wool. It may be on leather or on anything made of leather.

Note"Warp" and "woof" are the threads in woven cloth. One set runs up and down, the other runs across.

49And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be shewed unto the priest:

49The mark may look greenish or reddish on the cloth or leather. It may be in the threads or in anything made of leather. That is a harmful mark. It must be shown to the priest.

50And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days:

50The priest looks at the mark. Then he shuts the thing away for seven days.

51And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean.

51On the seventh day he looks at it again. The mark may have spread in the cloth, the threads, or the leather. It does not matter what the thing is used for. It is a mark that eats away at things. The thing is unclean.

52He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.

52So he must burn the thing that has the mark. Cloth, threads, wool, linen, or leather, it must all be burned. The mark eats away at things, so fire must burn it up.

53And 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;

53But the priest may look and see that the mark has not spread. It has not grown in the cloth, the threads, or the leather.

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

54Then the priest tells them to wash the thing with the mark. He shuts it away for seven more days.

55And 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.

55After it is washed, the priest looks at the mark again. Maybe its color has not changed, even though it has not spread. Then it is unclean. You must burn it. It is rotting inside, on the front or the back.

56And 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:

56But the mark may look faded after the washing. Then the priest tears that part out of the cloth, the leather, or the threads.

57And 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.

57The mark may still show up again in the cloth, the threads, or the leather. Then it is spreading. You must burn the thing that has it.

58And 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.

58You may wash the cloth, the threads, or the leather thing. If the mark is gone, wash it a second time. Then it is clean.

59This 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.

59These are the rules for such marks on wool or linen cloth. They cover the threads and anything made of leather. They tell how to say a thing is clean or unclean.