Leviticus 13: Skin disease, and mould in cloth

In plain English: Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

In plain English: "When someone has a swelling, a scab (or: flaking skin), or a bright spot on the skin of their body, and it becomes the mark (this Bible: plague) of a serious skin disease (this Bible: leprosy), they are to be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests.

The Hebrew words: "Leprosy" is tsara'at, and "plague" is nega. The dictionary gives nega as "a blow", and also "a spot": a mark on the skin.

How it is translated: This Bible says "leprosy" in 27 of the 33 verses that use tsara'at, and "mildew" in the other 6, all about cloth or houses. It says "plague" in 43 of the 46 verses in Leviticus that use nega.

What changes: Older Bibles say "leprosy", but it is not certain that tsara'at is the illness called leprosy today (Hansen's disease). Many newer Bibles say "a serious skin disease". The text describes what the priest sees and does not name an illness in today's terms. The same word is used for marks in cloth (verse 47) and in the walls of a house (14:34).

In plain English: The priest is to look at the mark on the skin. If the hair in it has turned white and the mark looks deeper than the skin, it is the mark of the skin disease. When the priest has looked at him, he is to declare him unclean.

The Hebrew words: "Unclean" is tame, and "clean" (as in verse 6) is taher, which the dictionary gives as "to be pure".

How it is translated: Hebrew has two closely related words spelled tame: one means "unclean", the other (used here) "to be or to make unclean". In Leviticus this Bible says "unclean" in all 38 verses that use the first, and in 55 of the 71 verses that use the second ("defile" in 16). For taher it says "clean", or a longer form such as "cleansed", in all 35 verses of Leviticus that use it.

Good to know: In these chapters "clean" and "unclean" are a state that the priest declares, not dirt. The text gives the way back: waiting, washing, and in some cases offerings. Chapter 13 does not say the person has done wrong.

In plain English: If the bright spot on his skin is white but does not look deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, the priest is to keep the person shut away for seven days.

In plain English: On the seventh day the priest is to look at him. If, as far as he can see, the mark has stayed the same and has not spread in the skin, the priest is to shut him away for seven more days.

In plain English: On the seventh day the priest is to look at him again. If the mark has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest is to declare him clean. It is a rash (this Bible: scab). He is to wash his clothes, and he will be clean.

In plain English: But if the rash spreads on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest to be declared clean, he is to show himself to the priest again.

In plain English: The priest is to look, and if the rash has spread in the skin, the priest is to declare him unclean. It is the skin disease.

In plain English: "When someone has the mark of the skin disease, they are to be brought to the priest,

In plain English: and the priest is to look. If there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh (literally: living flesh) in the swelling,

In plain English: it is an old (long-lasting) skin disease in the skin of his body. The priest is to declare him unclean. He is not to shut him away, because he is already unclean.

In plain English: "If the skin disease breaks out all over the skin and covers the person from head to foot, as far as the priest can see,

In plain English: the priest is to look. If the disease has covered his whole body, he is to declare the person clean of the mark. It has all turned white: he is clean.

In plain English: But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean.

In plain English: The priest is to look at the raw flesh and declare him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean. It is the skin disease.

In plain English: Or if the raw flesh changes again and turns white, he is to come to the priest.

In plain English: The priest is to look at him, and if the mark has turned white, the priest is to declare the person clean of the mark. He is clean.

In plain English: "When someone has had a boil on the skin, and it has healed,

In plain English: and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling, or a bright spot that is reddish white, it is to be shown to the priest.

In plain English: The priest is to look. If it looks deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest is to declare him unclean. It is the mark of the skin disease, broken out in the boil.

In plain English: But if the priest looks and there is no white hair in it, it is not deeper than the skin, and it has faded, the priest is to shut him away for seven days.

In plain English: If it spreads in the skin, the priest is to declare him unclean. It is a mark of the disease.

In plain English: But if the bright spot stays where it is and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest is to declare him clean.

In plain English: "Or when someone has a burn from fire on the skin, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish white or white,

In plain English: the priest is to look at it. If the hair in the bright spot has turned white and it looks deeper than the skin, it is the skin disease, broken out in the burn. The priest is to declare him unclean. It is the mark of the skin disease.

In plain English: But if the priest looks and there is no white hair in the bright spot, it is not deeper than the skin, and it has faded, the priest is to shut him away for seven days.

In plain English: On the seventh day the priest is to look at him. If it has spread in the skin, the priest is to declare him unclean. It is the mark of the skin disease.

In plain English: If the bright spot stays where it is, does not spread in the skin, and has faded, it is the swelling from the burn. The priest is to declare him clean, because it is the scar of the burn.

In plain English: "When a man or a woman has a mark on the head or in the beard,

In plain English: the priest is to look at the mark. If it looks deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest is to declare him unclean. It is an itch (a scaly patch): the skin disease of the head or the beard.

In plain English: If the priest looks at the itch and it does not look deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, the priest is to shut the person away for seven days.

In plain English: On the seventh day the priest is to look at the mark. If the itch has not spread, there is no yellow hair in it, and it does not look deeper than the skin,

In plain English: the person is to shave, but not shave the itch itself. Then the priest is to shut the person away for seven more days.

In plain English: On the seventh day the priest is to look at the itch. If it has not spread in the skin and does not look deeper than the skin, the priest is to declare him clean. He is to wash his clothes, and he will be clean.

In plain English: But if the itch spreads in the skin after he has been declared clean,

In plain English: the priest is to look at him. If the itch has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair: he is unclean.

In plain English: But if, as far as the priest can see, the itch has stayed the same and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed. He is clean, and the priest is to declare him clean.

In plain English: "When a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin, white bright spots,

In plain English: the priest is to look. If the bright spots on their skin are a dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin. The person is clean.

In plain English: "If a man's hair falls out from his head, he is bald. He is clean.

In plain English: If the hair falls out from the front of his head, his forehead is bald. He is clean.

In plain English: But if there is a reddish white mark on the bald head or the bald forehead, it is the skin disease breaking out there.

In plain English: The priest is to look at him. If the swelling of the mark on his bald head or forehead is reddish white, and looks like the skin disease on the body,

In plain English: he has the skin disease. He is unclean. The priest must declare him unclean: the mark is on his head.

In plain English: "The person who has the mark of the skin disease is to wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose. He is to cover his upper lip and call out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'

Good to know: Torn clothes and loose hair are the two things Moses tells Aaron and his sons not to do in Leviticus 10:6, after the death of Aaron's two sons.

In plain English: As long as he has the mark, he is unclean. He is unclean. He is to live alone, and his home is to be outside the camp.

In plain English: "When the mark of the disease (this Bible: leprosy) is in a piece of clothing, of wool or of linen,

In plain English: in the warp or the woof (the threads running lengthwise or across), of linen or of wool, or in leather or anything made of leather,

In plain English: and the mark in the clothing, the leather, the threads, or anything made of leather is greenish or reddish, it is the mark of the disease, and it is to be shown to the priest.

In plain English: The priest is to look at the mark and shut the thing away for seven days.

In plain English: On the seventh day he is to look at the mark. If it has spread in the clothing, in the threads, or in the leather, whatever the leather is used for, the mark is a destructive mould (this Bible: mildew). It is unclean.

In plain English: He is to burn the clothing, the threads of wool or linen, or the leather thing that has the mark, because it is a destructive mould. It is to be burned in the fire.

In plain English: "If the priest looks and the mark has not spread in the clothing, the threads, or the leather thing,

In plain English: the priest is to order them to wash the thing that has the mark, and he is to shut it away for seven more days.

In plain English: After it has been washed, the priest is to look at the mark. If it has not changed its color (literally: its eye) and has not spread, it is unclean, and you are to burn it in the fire. It is mould eating into it, whether on the inside or the outside (literally: on its bald back or its bald front).

In plain English: If the priest looks and the mark has faded after the washing, he is to tear it out of the clothing, the leather, or the threads.

In plain English: If it appears again in the clothing, the threads, or the leather thing, it is spreading. You are to burn the thing that has the mark in the fire.

In plain English: The clothing, threads, or leather thing that you wash, if the mark has gone from it, is to be washed a second time, and it will be clean."

In plain English: This is the law for the mark of mould in clothing of wool or linen, in the threads, or in anything of leather, for declaring it clean or unclean.

The Hebrew word: "Law" is torah, which the dictionary gives as "a precept or statute". This Bible says "law" in 192 of its 213 verses. Here it means the set rule for one kind of case.