Leviticus 14:21-57
An Offering for the Poor
21If, however, the person is poor and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil,
22and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
23On the eighth day he is to bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD.
24The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25And after he slaughters the lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of 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.
26Then the priest is to pour some of the oil into his left palm
27and sprinkle with his right forefinger some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the LORD.
28The priest shall also put some of the oil 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 the same places as the blood of the guilt offering.
29The 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.
30Then he must sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford,
31one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the one to be cleansed.
32This is the law for someone who has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”
33Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land,
35the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’
36The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.
37He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall,
38the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.
39On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls,
40he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city.
41And he shall have the inside of the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the city.
42So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.
43If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered,
44the priest must come and inspect it. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean.
45It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place.
46Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening.
47And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.
48If, however, the priest comes and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.
49He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house;
50and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
51Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
52And he shall cleanse the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.
53Finally, he is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
54This is the law for any infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak,
55for mildew in clothing or in a house,
56and for a swelling, rash, or spot,
57to determine when something is clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and mildew.”
Berean Standard Bible
If the person being cleansed cannot afford the full offering, one male lamb is brought for the guilt offering, together with fine flour and oil. Two turtledoves or young pigeons are brought, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.
The priest presents the offerings on the eighth day. He places blood and oil on the person's ear, thumb, and toe, then makes atonement with the sin and burnt offerings. The person is declared clean before the LORD without the cost of the full set of animals.
The LORD then gives Moses and Aaron instructions for a mark of mildew in a house. The priest examines the house, orders it emptied, and may shut it for seven days. If the mark spreads, affected stones are removed and taken outside the city to an unclean place.
If the mark returns or spreads, the house is demolished and its stones, timber, and plaster are carried away. If it has not spread after repairs and washing, the priest declares it clean. The chapter closes by explaining how to distinguish a spreading mark from a harmless stain.
How We Know
The reduced offering is not a lesser path to forgiveness. It is an explicit provision for a poor worshiper. The house regulations likewise concern ritual status and communal protection, not a modern building-code diagnosis; the text does not give enough information to identify every material condition with certainty.
Questions
1 What could a poor person bring?
AnswerA poor person could bring one lamb, two birds, fine flour, and oil according to the prescribed offerings.
2 Where were blood and oil placed?
AnswerBlood and oil were placed on the person's right ear, right thumb, and right big toe.
3 What happened when a house showed a spreading mark?
AnswerThe affected stones were removed and taken outside the city to an unclean place.
4 What if the mark returned after repair?
AnswerThe house was demolished and its materials were carried away as unclean.
What This Means for Us
God's provision includes the person with limited means. The poor worshiper receives a genuine path to cleansing, not a humiliating exception that leaves forgiveness out of reach.
The law makes room for a poor person to bring birds instead of a lamb, so access to atonement is not reserved for the wealthy. Luke 2:22-24 records Mary and Joseph bringing the poorer offering for Jesus, a small detail that places the Messiah inside this law’s world.
Prayer
Lord, make our communities accessible to the poor and careful with what threatens health or belonging. Teach us to provide real paths of restoration without shame or careless certainty. Amen.