Leviticus Chapter 14
Showing all 57 verses for Leviticus Chapter 14.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses."
God speaks again to Moses about restoring the one who was shut out - He never forgets the person on the outside. Jesus wants you to know that His heart is always moving towards restoration, never content to leave someone excluded when a way back can be made.
"This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: "
"This is the rule for someone who had a serious skin disease, on the day he is pronounced clean: he must be brought to the priest."
The law of the leper's cleansing begins with him being brought to the priest - healing is meant to be recognised and welcomed back into community, not hidden away in shame. Jesus calls you to be the kind of person who welcomes someone back after a hard season, rather than letting them wonder if they'll ever belong again.
"And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; "
"The priest goes outside the camp to examine him, and checks whether the disease has actually healed."
The priest goes out of the camp to where the sick man is - he doesn't wait for the excluded person to fight their way back in. Jesus shows you that love takes the first step towards the isolated and hurting, going out to meet people exactly where their pain has left them.
"Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: "
"The priest orders that two live, ritually clean birds be brought for the person being cleansed, along with cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop (a bushy herb)."
Two living birds, cedar, scarlet and hyssop - ordinary things woven into a picture of life restored through death. Jesus wants you to see that behind every strange ceremonial detail in Scripture is a picture pointing towards Him, the one whose life secured your cleansing.
"And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: "
"The priest orders that one bird be killed over a clay pot containing fresh, flowing water."
One bird is killed over running (living) water, its blood becoming the means of cleansing another creature's freedom. Jesus calls you to remember that new life for you was purchased at the cost of another's - He gave Himself so you could go free.
"As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: "
"He takes the living bird, along with the cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop, and dips them all - including the live bird - into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water."
The living bird is dipped in the blood of the one that died, then set free - death and life bound together in one act. Jesus wants you to see yourself in that living bird: identified with a death that wasn't yours, and released into freedom because of it.
"And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. "
"He sprinkles the mixture on the person being cleansed seven times, declares him clean, and releases the living bird into the open countryside."
The healed man is sprinkled, pronounced clean, and the living bird is let loose into the open field - a visible, joyful declaration that the isolation is over. Jesus delights in pronouncing you clean and free, not grudgingly, but with the same joy of watching a bird finally fly.
"And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. "
"The person being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe, so that he becomes clean. After that he may enter the camp, but he must stay outside his own tent for seven more days."
Washing clothes, shaving hair, bathing in water - small outward acts marking an inward change already accomplished. Jesus knows that once He has made you clean on the inside, letting go of the old habits and associations of your former life is simply catching up with what's already true of you.
"But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. "
"On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair - head, beard, eyebrows, everything - wash his clothes, bathe himself, and then he is clean."
A full week and a complete shave before the healed man could rejoin fully - God doesn't rush restoration, He lets it settle in fully. Jesus is patient with your process of healing too; He isn't in a hurry to move you along before you're ready, but walks the whole distance with you.
"And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. "
"On the eighth day he must bring two healthy male lambs and one healthy year-old female lamb, along with a grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and a jar of oil."
On the eighth day, unblemished lambs and fine flour are brought - the very best offered in gratitude for healing received. Jesus wants your response to being restored to be generous thankfulness, giving your best back to God not to earn His favour, but because you've already received it.
"And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: "
"The priest performing the cleansing presents the man, along with the offerings, at the entrance to the tabernacle."
The man and his offering are presented together before the LORD at the tabernacle door - restoration is brought fully into God's presence, not left half-finished at the edge. Jesus wants to bring you all the way into the Father's presence, not leave you lingering outside wondering if you're welcome.
"And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: "
"The priest takes one male lamb and offers it as a guilt offering, along with the jar of oil, presenting them as a wave offering before the LORD."
The lamb is waved before the LORD as a trespass offering - even celebration and offering are directed towards God first, not treated as merely personal achievement. Jesus wants your joy over restoration to overflow towards God in worship, recognising Him as the source of your healing.
"And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: "
"He kills the lamb in the same sacred spot used for the sin offering and burnt offering, because the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priests and is treated as especially holy."
The trespass offering is slain in the same holy place as the sin offering - showing that guilt and impurity both find their remedy in the same place, at the same altar. Jesus is that one remedy for you, sufficient for every kind of failure and every kind of brokenness you carry.
"And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: "
"The priest takes some of the blood from the guilt offering and puts it on the tip of the man's right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot."
Blood touches the ear, thumb and toe of the cleansed man - marking his hearing, his working hands, and his walk as now belonging wholly to God. Jesus wants every part of your life, what you listen to, what you do, and where you go, to be shaped by the fact that you belong to Him now.
"And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: "
"The priest takes some of the oil and pours it into his own left palm."
Oil poured into the priest's own hand before it touches the healed man - the priest personally handles the substance of blessing rather than delegating it. Jesus personally, intimately involves Himself in blessing you; He doesn't hand your restoration off to someone else, He does it Himself.
"And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: "
"The priest dips his right finger into the oil in his left hand and flicks it seven times in the direction of the LORD."
The oil is sprinkled seven times before the LORD - a number of completeness, showing the blessing poured out is whole and sufficient. Jesus's grace towards you isn't partial or grudging; it is complete, full, poured out without holding back.
"And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: "
"With the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest touches the same spots as before - right ear, right thumb, right big toe - right over where the blood was already applied."
Oil is placed on top of the very spots the blood had already touched - ear, thumb, and toe doubly marked, once by sacrifice and once by anointing. Jesus not only cleanses you but then equips and empowers you for the life that follows, layering His Spirit's presence over the ground His sacrifice has already cleared.
"And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD. "
"The priest pours whatever oil is left in his hand onto the man's head, and this makes atonement for him before the LORD."
The remaining oil is poured on the man's own head, and atonement is made for him - a personal, individual blessing completing the ceremony. Jesus wants you to know His atonement isn't generic; it reaches your particular head, your particular story, your particular need.
"And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: "
"The priest then offers the sin offering to make atonement for the man's uncleanness, and afterwards kills the burnt offering."
Sin offering before burnt offering - sin is dealt with first, and only then is the fuller act of worship and dedication offered. Jesus deals with your guilt before He asks anything more of you; forgiveness always comes before further devotion, never the other way round.
"And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean. "
"The priest offers the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar, making atonement for the man - and he is now clean."
Burnt offering and meat (grain) offering together on the altar - a complete picture of surrender and thanksgiving offered once atonement is made. Jesus wants your response to forgiveness to be a whole life given over gladly, not a token gesture but a full surrender of gratitude.
"And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil; "
"But if he's poor and can't afford all that, he may bring just one lamb as a guilt offering to be waved for his atonement, along with a smaller grain offering and a jar of oil."
Provision is made for the poor man who cannot afford the full offering - God's grace scales to what a person actually has, never locking someone out because they're poor. Jesus never demands more from you than you have; He meets you exactly where your resources are, and welcomes what little you can bring.
"And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. "
"And two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can get - one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering."
Turtledoves or young pigeons stand in for lambs when a lamb can't be afforded - the humblest offering is still fully accepted before God. Jesus values what you bring in proportion to your heart and circumstance, not by comparing it to what someone wealthier could give.
"And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD. "
"He brings them on the eighth day of his cleansing to the priest, at the entrance of the tabernacle, before the LORD."
Even the poor man's offering is brought to the same door, before the same LORD - equal access regardless of what he could afford. Jesus makes sure the doorway to God is never narrower for the poor than for the rich; everyone comes through the same door to the same welcome.
"And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: "
"The priest takes the lamb for the guilt offering and the jar of oil, and waves them as a wave offering before the LORD."
The wave offering, however modest, is still lifted up and presented before the LORD - a small gift given the same dignity of ceremony as a large one. Jesus wants you to know that whatever you offer Him, however small it feels, is lifted up and treated as significant in His eyes.
"And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: "
"He kills the lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest takes some of its blood and applies it to the man's right ear, right thumb, and right big toe, just as before."
The same blood-marking of ear, thumb and toe is repeated for the poor man exactly as for anyone else - no reduced ceremony because of reduced means. Jesus applies His full cleansing to you regardless of what you could bring to the table; His grace isn't rationed by your resources.
"And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand: "
"The priest pours some of the oil into his own left palm."
Oil poured into the priest's hand once more, unchanged in its meaning whether the offerer is rich or poor. Jesus's blessing on your life carries the exact same fullness whether you feel you have much or little to offer Him.
"And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD: "
"With his right finger, the priest sprinkles some of that oil seven times before the LORD."
Seven-fold sprinkling again, the same completeness given regardless of the offerer's circumstances. Jesus's grace towards you is never a lesser version because your situation is harder; it is always whole, always enough.
"And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering: "
"The priest puts the oil in his hand on the same spots as before - right ear, right thumb, right big toe - over the places where the blood was applied."
Oil placed exactly where the blood had marked the poor man too - the full pattern of cleansing and anointing intact for him as for anyone else. Jesus makes no exceptions in how fully He restores someone just because their circumstances were harder.
"And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD. "
"The rest of the oil in the priest's hand he pours on the man's head, to make atonement for him before the LORD."
The remaining oil poured on the poor man's own head, atonement made for him personally - dignity given fully to someone the world might otherwise overlook. Jesus sees you as fully worth His personal attention, whoever you are and whatever your circumstances.
"And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; "
"He then offers one of the turtledoves or young pigeons - whichever he was able to get."
The turtledoves or pigeons, whichever the poor man could get, are still offered with full ceremony. Jesus asks you to bring what you have, not what you wish you had; He works with real, honest offerings, not idealised ones.
"Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. "
"Whatever he could get - one bird as a sin offering, the other as a burnt offering, along with the grain offering - and the priest makes atonement for him."
Sin offering and burnt offering together with the grain offering, and atonement is made - the poor man ends the ceremony exactly as cleansed and accepted as anyone else. Jesus's acceptance of you is never partial or second-class; wherever you started, you end up fully forgiven.
"This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing. "
"This is the rule for someone with this skin disease who cannot afford what's normally required for his cleansing."
This whole provision exists specifically for the one whose hand cannot reach the fuller requirement - a law built with compassion for limitation. Jesus tailors His grace to meet you in your actual limits, never demanding what you simply do not have.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron."
God speaks again, this time about a plague that could even affect a house - His care extends beyond people to the very homes they live in. Jesus's concern for your wellbeing reaches into every corner of your life, even the physical spaces you occupy each day.
"When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; "
"When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your own, and I put this kind of contamination in a house there;"
God speaks of the land He is giving as a possession even while warning of coming trouble in it - blessing and challenge held together honestly. Jesus doesn't promise you a trouble-free life when He gives you good gifts, but He walks with you through whatever arises in them.
"And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house: "
"The homeowner must go and tell the priest, saying, 'It looks to me like there might be a contamination in my house.'"
The homeowner himself must come and honestly report the suspected problem - he doesn't hide it or hope it goes unnoticed. Jesus calls you to that same honesty: naming what's wrong in your life rather than covering it up, trusting Him with the truth of your situation.
"Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: "
"The priest then orders the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine it, so that everything inside doesn't get declared unclean along with it - only then does he enter to inspect."
The house is emptied before the priest inspects it, so that ordinary belongings aren't needlessly declared unclean - a thoughtful protection of what people actually own. Jesus is careful and considerate with you, never careless about what matters to you even while dealing with a real problem.
"And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; "
"He examines the marks, and if there are greenish or reddish hollow-looking streaks in the walls that sit lower than the surrounding surface;"
The priest looks carefully at the actual condition of the walls rather than assuming the worst - discernment before judgement. Jesus calls you to look carefully at situations and people before drawing conclusions, refusing to assume the worst without real evidence.
"Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: "
"The priest then leaves the house, goes to its doorway, and seals the house shut for seven days."
The house is shut up for a week to see whether the problem is spreading or already resolved - patience before a final verdict. Jesus is patient in dealing with problems in your life too, giving time to see what's really going on rather than rushing to a harsh conclusion.
"And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house; "
"The priest returns on the seventh day to check, and if the marks have spread across the walls;"
The priest returns to look again, tracking whether things have actually gotten worse - ongoing attentive care, not a one-off verdict. Jesus stays attentive to you over time, watching how things are actually unfolding in your life rather than judging you by a single moment.
"Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city: "
"The priest then orders the affected stones removed and thrown away in an unclean area outside the city."
Only the affected stones are removed, not the whole house - the problem is dealt with precisely, without unnecessary destruction. Jesus deals precisely with what's actually wrong in you, never tearing down more of your identity than needs to change.
"And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place: "
"He has the inside of the house scraped all around, and the scraped-off material is dumped outside the city in an unclean place."
The house is scraped within, and the dust taken to an unclean place outside - a real, thorough removal of what was contaminated. Jesus does thorough work in you, not surface fixes; He gets underneath the problem to actually deal with it.
"And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house. "
"New stones are put in place of the old ones, and fresh mortar is used to re-plaster the house."
New stones and fresh mortar replace what was removed - restoration doesn't leave a gap, it rebuilds with something whole. Jesus doesn't just remove what's broken in your life; He replaces it with something new and good in its place.
"And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plaistered; "
"But if the contamination returns and breaks out again after the stones were removed, the house scraped, and freshly plastered;"
Even after repair, the problem can return - a realistic acknowledgment that some issues need more than a single fix. Jesus doesn't expect you to have every struggle solved perfectly the first time; He keeps working with you patiently through repeated setbacks.
"Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean. "
"The priest comes and examines it again, and if the contamination has spread through the house, it is a destructive infestation, and the house is unclean."
When the plague truly won't stop spreading, it's honestly named as a fretting, persistent problem - the truth is faced rather than denied. Jesus calls you to be honest when something really is a serious, ongoing struggle, rather than pretending it has been dealt with when it hasn't.
"And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the morter of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. "
"He must tear down the house completely - its stones, timber and all its mortar - and carry everything out of the city to an unclean place."
When the house cannot be salvaged, it is fully broken down and removed - sometimes real love means letting go of what cannot be saved, for the sake of what remains healthy. Jesus is honest with you that some things in life genuinely need to be let go of entirely, and He gives you the courage to do that rather than clinging to what harms you.
"Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. "
"Anyone who enters the house during the time it's sealed up becomes unclean until evening."
Even entering the shut-up house brings a temporary uncleanness - a reminder that proximity to trouble affects us, and needs acknowledging rather than ignored. Jesus understands that hard situations can leave a mark on you even briefly, and He doesn't shame you for needing time to recover from what you've been through.
"And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. "
"Anyone who sleeps in the house must wash their clothes, and anyone who eats there must also wash their clothes."
Washing clothes marks a simple, practical return to normal life after contact with trouble - not shame, just a process of moving forward. Jesus doesn't want you stuck in guilt after a hard season touches you; He gives you simple, practical ways to move forward into normal life again.
"And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plaistered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. "
"But if the priest comes in and sees that the marks haven't spread after the house was re-plastered, he pronounces the house clean, because the problem has been resolved."
When the plague genuinely hasn't spread, the priest declares the house clean because the plague is healed - good news is recognised and announced plainly. Jesus is quick to recognise and celebrate real healing in your life; He doesn't withhold good news or make you doubt progress that's genuinely happened.
"And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: "
"To cleanse the house, he takes two birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop."
The same two-bird ceremony used for a healed person is used for a healed house - consistency in how God pictures cleansing, whatever is being restored. Jesus's pattern of grace is consistent; the same costly love that cleanses your heart also renews every area of your life that needed restoring.
"And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water: "
"He kills one of the birds in a clay pot over running water."
One bird again killed over running water for the house's cleansing - the same costly picture repeated, showing its importance wasn't a one-off. Jesus's sacrifice is the constant behind every kind of restoration you'll ever need; it never becomes less relevant or less necessary.
"And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times: "
"He takes the cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet thread, and the living bird, dips them all in the blood of the dead bird mixed with the running water, and sprinkles the house seven times."
Cedar, hyssop, scarlet and living bird all dipped together and sprinkled on the house seven times - a full, complete application of cleansing to the whole space. Jesus wants His cleansing to reach every corner of your life, not just the parts that feel presentable.
"And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet: "
"He cleanses the house using the bird's blood, the running water, the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet thread."
The house is cleansed with blood, water, the living bird, cedar and hyssop together - multiple elements combining into one complete act of restoration. Jesus's work in you draws together everything needed for real change; nothing is left out of His restoring power.
"But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean. "
"He releases the living bird outside the city into the open fields, and this makes atonement for the house - and it becomes clean."
The living bird is set free outside the city, and atonement is made for the house - freedom and forgiveness pictured together at the very end of the process. Jesus's atonement always ends in freedom for you, never in continued confinement or fear.
"This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall, "
"This is the law covering every kind of skin disease and scalp condition,"
This is called the law for every kind of plague - a single, organised way of handling what could otherwise feel unpredictable and frightening. Jesus offers you a steady, dependable way through whatever trouble comes, rather than leaving you to face it without a plan or a guide.
"And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house, "
"and for contamination in clothing and in houses,"
The law covers even a garment or a house - showing that God's care isn't limited to people alone, but touches the ordinary things of daily life too. Jesus cares about the practical, everyday details of your life, not just the big spiritual questions.
"And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot: "
"and for swellings, scabs, and bright spots on the skin,"
Even a rising, a scab, or a bright spot - the smallest signs are named and given a clear process, nothing too minor to matter. Jesus notices the small things you're carrying too, not just the obviously big struggles; nothing about you is too minor for His attention.
"To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy. "
"to teach people when something is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law regarding this disease."
The purpose of it all is to teach the difference between clean and unclean - not to condemn, but to give understanding and a clear way forward. Jesus teaches you to discern wisely between what's healthy and unhealthy in your life, always aiming to lead you towards wholeness rather than leaving you confused or afraid.