Leviticus 12

New American Standard Bible

Laws of Motherhood

12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:

‘When a woman gives birth and delivers a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days; ^(A)as she is in the days of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. ³ Then on ^(B)the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴ And she shall stay at home in her condition of ^[a]blood purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. ⁵ But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall stay at home in her condition of ^[b]blood purification for sixty-six days.

⁶ ‘^(C)When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove ^(D)as a ^[c]sin offering. ⁷ Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the ^[d]flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female. ⁸ But if ^[e]she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take ^(E)two turtledoves or two young doves, ^(F)the one as a burnt offering and the other as a ^[f]sin offering; and the ^(G)priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”