1 N ow the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

2 “ 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.

“This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come.

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

You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him;

4 N ext 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.

and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting.

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

Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned.

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

And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.

7 T hen 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.

Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening.

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

And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening.

9 N ow 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.

Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin.

10 T he 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.

And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.

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

‘He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.

12 H e 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.

He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean.

13 W hoever 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.

Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.

14 “ 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.

‘This 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 seven days;

15 A nd every open pot that has no cover on it will be unclean.

and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean.

16 A nyone 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.

Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

17 T he 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.

‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel.

18 T hen 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.

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

19 T he 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.

The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.

20 “ 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.

‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.

21 I t 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.

It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening.

22 A nything that the person who is unclean touches will be unclean. And the person who touches it will be unclean until evening.”

Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’”