T4T LEV Chapter 12

Purifying women after they give birth

12 Yahweh also said to Moses/me, 2 “Tell this to the Israeli people: ‘If a woman gives birth to a son, she must be avoided for seven days, like she must be avoided when she is menstruating each month. 3 The baby son must be circumcised on the eighth day after he is born. 4 Then the woman must wait 33 days to be purified from her bleeding during childbirth. She must not touch anything that is sacred or enter the Sacred Tent area until that time is ended. 5 If a woman gives birth to a daughter, she must be avoided for two weeks, like she must be avoided when she is menstruating each month. Then she must wait 66 days to be purified from the bleeding that occurred when her baby was born.

6 ‘Then that time for her to be purified is ended, that woman must bring to the priest at the entrance of the Sacred Tent a one-year-old lamb to be completely burned on the altar, and a dove or a young pigeon to be sacrificed to enable her to become acceptable to Yahweh again. 7 The priest will offer them to Yahweh in order that she may be forgiven for any sins she has committed. Then she will be purified from her loss of blood when the baby was born.

‘Those are the regulations for women who give birth to a son or daughter. 8 If a woman who gives birth to a child cannot afford a lamb, she must bring two doves or two young pigeons. One will be burned completely on the altar, and one will be an offering to enable her to become acceptable to God again. By doing that, the priest will cause that she will be forgiven for any sins she has committed, and she no longer will need to be avoided.’ ”