Leviticus 14:1-20
The Cleansed Person
1Then the LORD said to Moses,
2“This is the law for the one afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing, when he is brought to the priest.
3The priest is to go outside the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted person has healed,
4the priest shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.
5Then the priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot.
6And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.
7Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field.
8The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days.
9On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.
10On the eighth day he is to bring two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished ewe lamb a year old, a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and one log of olive oil.
11The priest who performs the cleansing shall present the one to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
12Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and present it as a guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil; and he must wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
13Then he is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy.
14The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
15Then the priest shall take some of the log of olive oil, pour it into his left palm,
16dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.
17And the priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
18The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.
19Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering
20and offer it on the altar, with the grain offering, to make atonement for him, and he will be clean.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD gives Moses the law for the day a person with a skin disease is brought to the priest for cleansing. The priest goes outside the camp to examine the person. If the disease has been healed, the priest orders two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop.
One bird is slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot. The live bird, cedar, scarlet, and hyssop are dipped in the blood, and the person is sprinkled seven times. The live bird is released into the open field, and the person washes clothes, shaves, bathes, and may come into the camp.
The person remains outside the tent for seven days, then shaves again, washes, and becomes clean. On the eighth day, the person brings lambs, a ewe lamb, fine flour, and oil for guilt, sin, and burnt offerings. The priest presents the person and the offerings before the LORD.
Blood from the guilt offering is placed on the right ear, thumb, and big toe of the person being cleansed. Oil is placed over the same places and on the head. The priest makes atonement, and the person is clean. Restoration involves both a public return and a renewed place before God.
How We Know
The priest's declaration follows healing; the ritual does not claim that the sacrifice medically cures the disease. “Clean” means restored to participation in Israel's communal and worship life. The detailed process protects the person from being permanently excluded after recovery.
Questions
1 Where did the priest examine the person?
AnswerThe priest went outside the camp to examine the person after the skin disease had healed.
2 What happened to the live bird?
AnswerThe live bird was dipped with the other materials and released into the open field.
3 What did the person do before returning?
AnswerThe person washed clothes, shaved, bathed, waited outside the tent, and then completed the required offerings.
4 Where was the guilt-offering blood placed?
AnswerBlood was placed on the person's right ear, right thumb, and right big toe.
What This Means for Us
The law gives a healed person a path back into the camp instead of leaving recovery socially unfinished. Restoration takes time, careful examination, and a community willing to receive the person again.
The priest examines and restores the cleansed person to the community, but Jesus does not remain distant from the unclean. In Mark 1:40-45 He touches a leper, heals him, and sends him to complete the priestly testimony described here.
Prayer
God, thank you for healing and for paths back into community. Make us patient with recovery, careful with vulnerability, and ready to welcome people whose place among us has been restored. Amen.