Examining a Skin Disease
1Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, 2“When someone has a swelling, a rash, or a shiny spot on the skin of his body that could become a skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. 3The priest is to examine the sore on the skin. If the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean. 4But if the shiny spot on his skin is white and does not appear to be more than skin deep, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days. 5On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if the sore appears unchanged and has not spread on the skin, the priest is to isolate him for another seven days. 6On the seventh day the priest is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest is to pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. 7But if the rash spreads further on his skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he must be examined again. 8If the priest sees that the rash has indeed spread on the skin, he is to pronounce him unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. 9When someone has a defiling skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. 10The priest is to examine him, and if there is a white swelling on the skin that has turned the hair white, with raw flesh showing in the swelling, 11it is a chronic skin disease, and the priest is to pronounce him unclean. He need not isolate him, because he is already unclean. 12If the disease breaks out all over his skin and, as far as the priest can see, covers all the skin of the affected person from head to foot, 13the priest is to examine him, and if the disease has covered his whole body, he is to pronounce the affected person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. 14But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he becomes unclean. 15When the priest sees the raw flesh, he is to pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; it is a skin disease. 16But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, he must go to the priest. 17The priest is to examine him, and if the sore has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the affected person clean; he is clean.
Boils, Burns, and Sores
18When someone has a boil on his skin that has healed, 19and in the place of the boil a white swelling or a reddish-white spot appears, he must show himself to the priest. 20The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest is to pronounce him unclean; it is a defiling skin disease that has broken out in the boil. 21But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it, and it is not more than skin deep, and it has faded, the priest is to isolate him for seven days. 22If it spreads further on the skin, the priest is to pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased sore. 23But if the spot stays where it is and does not spread, it is only the scar of the boil, and the priest is to pronounce him clean. 24When someone has a burn on his skin from fire, and the raw flesh from the burn becomes a reddish-white or white spot, 25the priest is to examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is a skin disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest is to pronounce him unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. 26But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in the spot, and it is no deeper than the skin, and it has faded, the priest is to isolate him for seven days. 27On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if it has spread further on the skin, the priest is to pronounce him unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. 28But if the spot has stayed where it is, has not spread on the skin, and has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest is to pronounce him clean, since it is only the scar of the burn.
Sores on the Head or Chin
29If a man or a woman has a sore on the head or the chin, 30the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is thin and yellow, the priest is to pronounce the person unclean; it is a scaly itch, a skin disease of the head or the chin. 31But if, when the priest examines the itch, it does not appear to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days. 32On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if the itch has not spread, has no yellow hair in it, and does not appear to be more than skin deep, 33the man is to shave himself, but not the itch. The priest is to isolate him for another seven days. 34On the seventh day the priest is to examine the itch, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be more than skin deep, the priest is to pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. 35But if the itch spreads further on the skin after his cleansing, 36the priest is to examine him, and if the itch has spread on the skin, he need not look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. 37But if, in his judgment, 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 pronounce him clean.
Harmless Rashes, Baldness, and Isolation
38If a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, 39the priest is to examine them, and if the spots on the skin are dull white, it is only a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; the person is clean. 40If a man loses the hair on his head, he is bald, but he is clean. 41If he loses his hair from the front of his head, he has a bald forehead, but he is clean. 42But if there is a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is a skin disease breaking out there. 43The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white, like a defiling skin disease appears on the body, 44the man is diseased; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head. 45Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, leave his hair uncombed, cover the lower part of his face, and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46As long as he has the disease he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.
Defiling Mold in Garments and Leather
47If a garment is contaminated with a defiling mold — any woolen or linen garment, 48any woven or knitted fabric of linen or wool, any leather, or anything made of leather — 49and if the contamination in the garment, the leather, the woven or knitted fabric, or any leather article is greenish or reddish, it is a defiling mold and must be shown to the priest. 50The priest is to examine the mold and isolate the affected article for seven days. 51On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mold has spread on the garment, the woven or knitted fabric, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mold; the article is unclean. 52He must burn the garment, the woven or knitted fabric of wool or linen, or any leather article that has the contamination, because the mold is destructive; the article must be burned. 53But if, when the priest examines it, the mold has not spread in the garment, the woven or knitted fabric, or the leather article, 54the priest is to order the contaminated article washed, and isolate it for another seven days. 55After the article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mold has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mold has eaten away one side or the other. 56But if, when the priest examines it, the mold has faded after being washed, he is to tear it out of the garment, the leather, or the woven or knitted fabric. 57If it reappears in the garment, the woven or knitted fabric, or the leather article, it is spreading; whatever has the mold must be burned with fire. 58The garment, the woven or knitted fabric, or any leather article that has been washed and is free of the mold, is to be washed again, and it will be clean. 59This is the law for a contaminating mold in a woolen or linen garment, in woven or knitted fabric, or in any leather article, to pronounce it clean or unclean.”
