1 A nd the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

2 T his is the ritual of the law which the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no blemish, upon which a yoke has never come.

“This is the Law which the Lord has told you. Tell the people of Israel to bring you a young red cow that is perfect, one that has never pulled a load.

3 A nd you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her outside the camp, and she shall be slaughtered before him.

You will give it to Eleazar the religious leader. It will be brought away from the tents and killed in front of him.

4 E leazar the priest shall take some of her blood with his finger and sprinkle it toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times.

Next Eleazar the religious leader will take some of its blood with his finger, and put some of it toward the front of the meeting tent seven times.

5 T he heifer shall be burned in his sight, her skin, flesh, blood, and dung.

Then Eleazar will watch the young cow being burned. Its skin, its flesh, its blood and its waste will be burned.

6 A nd the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet and cast them into the midst of the burning heifer.

The religious leader will take cedar wood and hyssop and red cloth, and put it on the burning cow.

7 T hen the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; afterward he shall come into the camp, but he shall be unclean until evening.

Then the religious leader will wash his clothes and wash his body in water. After this the religious leader may come among the tents, but he will be unclean until evening.

8 H e who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening.

The one who burns it will also wash his clothes and wash his body in water. And he will be unclean until evening.

9 A nd a man who is clean shall collect the ashes of the heifer and put them outside the camp in a clean place, and they shall be kept for the congregation of the Israelites for the water for impurity; it is a sin offering.

Now a man who is clean will gather up the ashes of the young cow and put them in a clean place away from the tents. They will be kept for the people of Israel to mix with the water used to make things clean, to take away sin.

10 A nd he who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. This shall be to the Israelites and to the stranger who sojourns among them a perpetual statute.

The one who gathers the ashes of the young cow must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. This will be a Law forever to the people of Israel and to the stranger who lives among them.

11 H e who touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean for seven days.

“The one who touches the dead body of any person will be unclean for seven days.

12 H e shall purify himself with the water for impurity on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.

He must clean himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day. Then he will be clean. But if he does not clean himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will be unclean.

13 W hoever touches the corpse of any who has died and does not purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still upon him.

Whoever touches the body of any man who has died, and does not make himself clean, makes the meeting tent of the Lord unclean. That person must be cut off from Israel. Because the water for cleaning was not put upon him, he will be unclean.

14 T his is the law when a man dies in a tent: all who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean for seven days.

“This is the Law when a man dies in a tent. Everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent will be unclean for seven days.

15 A nd every open vessel, which has no covering fastened upon it, is unclean.

And every open pot that has no cover on it will be unclean.

16 A nd whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a dead man, or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.

Anyone in an open field who touches one who has been killed with a sword, or who has died, or who touches a bone of a man, or a grave will be unclean for seven days.

17 A nd for the unclean, they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering, and the running water shall be put with it in a vessel.

The person who is unclean must take some of the ashes from the burning of the sin gift. Clean water must be added to them in a pot.

18 A nd a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons who were there, and upon him who touched the bone, or the slain, or the naturally dead, or the grave.

Then a clean person must take hyssop and put it in the water, and put it on the tent and on all the objects within the tent. He must put it on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the man who was killed or the dead person or the grave.

19 A nd the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day, and on the seventh day the unclean man shall purify himself, and wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.

The clean person must put the water on whoever is unclean, on the third day and on the seventh day. He will make him clean on the seventh day. He will wash his clothes and wash himself in water, and will be clean at evening.

20 B ut the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water for purification has not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.

“But the man who is unclean and does not make himself clean, will no longer be one of God’s people. Because he has made unclean the holy place of the Lord. The water for cleaning has not been put on him. He is unclean.

21 A nd it shall be a perpetual statute to them. He who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening.

It will be a Law forever for them. He who puts the water on to be made clean must wash his clothes. And he who touches the water used to be made clean will be unclean until evening.

22 A nd whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.

Anything that the person who is unclean touches will be unclean. And the person who touches it will be unclean until evening.”