Leviticus

Skin Diseases

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

“If someone has a boil, inflammation, or a sore on his skin that could develop into leprosy, he must be brought to Aaron, the priest, or one of the priests, his descendants.

The priest shall examine him, and if the hair on the sore has turned white and the sore appears deeper than the surrounding skin, then it is indeed the sore of leprosy. When the priest sees this, he shall declare that person unclean.

But if the sore is white and does not seem deeper than the surrounding skin, and the hairs have not turned white, the priest is to isolate the sick person for seven days.

On the seventh day, the priest shall examine him again. If he observes that the sore looks the same and has not spread, he shall isolate the sick person for another seven days and examine him again on the seventh day.

If the sore has faded and has not spread, the priest shall declare that person clean: it was only eczema. Let him wash his clothes, and he will be clean.

But if the sore spreads on the skin after the sick person has been examined by the priest and declared clean, he must present himself again to the priest.

After the priest examines him and finds that the sore has spread on the skin, he must declare him unclean: it is leprosy.

When leprosy affects a man, he must be brought to the priest.

The priest must examine him. If he finds a whitish swelling on the skin that causes the hairs to turn white and an ulcer is developing,

then it is leprosy of the skin, and the priest must declare him unclean. It is pointless to isolate him for a time; he is unclean.

But if leprosy spreads all over the skin and covers a person entirely from head to toe as far as the priest can see,

then the priest must examine the sick person, and if he finds that leprosy covers his entire body, he should declare the sick person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean.

But as soon as an open sore appears, he is considered unclean.

After examining the sore, the priest will declare him unclean: the open sore is leprous.

The man must go to the priest if the sore becomes white again.

The priest will examine him, and if he finds that the disease has turned white, he shall declare the sick person clean: he is clean.

When an ulcer appears on a person’s skin that, after healing,

leaves a whitish swelling or a shiny red-white spot, that person must present themselves to the priest.

The priest shall examine them, and if he finds a spot deeper than the surrounding skin and the hairs in it have turned white, he shall declare them unclean: it is a case of leprosy that has broken out in a boil.

However, if during the examination the priest finds neither white hair nor a deep spot on the skin but observes that it is lighter in color, he shall isolate the sick person for seven days.

If the disease has indeed spread over the skin, he shall declare them unclean: it is a case of leprosy.

But if the shiny spot remains unchanged and has not spread, it is merely the scar of a boil, and the priest shall declare the man clean.

If someone has had a burn, and an ulcer forms on the burn, a shiny spot reddish-white or whitish,

then the priest must examine it. If he finds that the hairs in that spot have turned white and appear to be growing deeper than the surrounding skin, leprosy has broken out in the burn. The priest shall declare the man unclean: it is a case of leprosy.

If, on the other hand, the priest on examination does not find a white hair on the mark and it is not deeper than the surrounding skin but is light in color, then the priest shall isolate him for seven days.

On the seventh day, he shall examine him, and if the disease has spread on the skin, he shall declare him unclean: it is a case of leprosy.

If the mark is still unchanged and has not spread over the skin but is light in color, it is only a swelling due to the burn. The priest shall declare the man clean: it is merely a burn scar.

If a man or woman has a sore on the head or chin,

the priest must examine this sore; and if it seems deeper than the surrounding skin, with the hair on it yellow and thin, he must declare the sick person unclean. It is a dreaded skin disease, specifically leprosy of the head or chin.

If the priest finds no spot, which seems deeper than the surrounding skin, and no yellow hair, on examining this case, he shall isolate the person for seven days.

He shall examine the infected part on the seventh day, and if he finds that the disease has not spread, that the hair on it is not yellow, and that there is no spot which seems deeper than the surrounding skin,

the sick person will shave his hair, all except the part affected with the disease. The priest is to isolate him again for seven days.

He must examine the infected part on the seventh day, and if he finds that it has not spread over the skin and that no spot seems deeper than the surrounding skin, the priest shall declare the sick person clean. After washing his clothes, he will be clean.

But if, after this purification, the disease spreads over the skin,

the priest must examine him; if he finds that it has indeed spread over the skin, this means that the sick person is unclean, and there is no need to look and see whether the hair is yellow.

Whereas if, so far as he can see, the disease has not spread and dark hair is beginning to grow on it, the sick person is cured. He is clean, and the priest is to declare him clean.

If shiny spots appear on the skin of a man or woman, and if these spots are white,

the priest must examine them. If he finds them to be a dull white, it is a rash that has developed on the skin; the sick person is clean.

If a man loses the hair on top of his head, this is baldness of the scalp, but the man is clean.

If he loses his hair from the front of the head, this is baldness of the forehead, but the man is clean.

If, however, a reddish-white sore appears on the top of his head or forehead, this indicates that leprosy has broken out.

The priest must examine it, and if he finds a reddish-white swelling on the head or forehead that resembles leprosy of the skin,

this means that the man is leprous: he is unclean. The priest shall declare him unclean; he is suffering from leprosy of the head.

A person infected with leprosy must wear torn clothing and leave his hair uncombed; he must cover his upper lip and cry, “Unclean, unclean.”

As long as the disease lasts, he must remain unclean and live away from others: he must stay outside the camp.

Infection of Clothing

When a mark of mildew appears on a piece of clothing—whether woolen or linen,

linen or woolen textile material or covering, leather or leatherwork

and if this clothing, textile material, covering, leather, or leatherwork appears greenish or reddish, it indicates spreading mildew that must be shown to the priest.

The priest must examine it and set the object aside for seven days.

If, on the seventh day, he observes that the mildew has spread on the garment, textile material, covering, leather, or leatherwork—whatever it may be—it is a case of spreading mildew, and the object is deemed unclean.

The priest will burn this clothing, textile material, linen or woolen covering, or leather article of any kind on which the mildew has spread, and it must be destroyed by fire.

But if, upon examination, the priest determines that the mildew has not spread on the clothing, fabric, covering, or leather item,

he must order the item to be washed. He is to isolate it again for seven days.

After the cleansing, he must examine it once more, and if he finds that the mildew has not changed color, even though it has not spread, the article is considered unclean. It must be destroyed by fire.

But if the priest examines the mildew and finds that it has faded after washing, he should cut it out of the clothing, leather, textile material, or covering.

However, if the mildew reappears on the same item—whether clothing, textile material, covering, or leather—and spreads again, the owner must destroy it by fire.

Any clothing, textile material, covering, or leather item from which the mildew disappears after washing should be cleaned again after it has been washed a second time.

Such is the law for determining whether a case of leprosy in a linen or wool garment, textile material, clothing, or any skin item is clean or unclean.