¹³ Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.^(A)”

¹¹ “Whoever touches a human corpse^(A) will be unclean for seven days.^{(B) 12} They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;^(C) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.^{(D) 13} If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,^(E) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.^(F) They must be cut off from Israel.^(G) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;^(H) their uncleanness remains on them.

¹⁴ “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, ¹⁵ and every open container^(I) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

¹⁶ “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,^(J) or anyone who touches a human bone^(K) or a grave,^(L) will be unclean for seven days.^(M)

¹⁷ “For the unclean person, put some ashes^(N) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water^(O) over them. ¹⁸ Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,^(P) dip it in the water and sprinkle^(Q) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave^(R) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. ¹⁹ The man who is clean is to sprinkle^(S) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.^(T) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes^(U) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. ²⁰ But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled^(V) the sanctuary of the Lord.^(W) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.^{(X) 21} This is a lasting ordinance^(Y) for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. ²² Anything that an unclean^(Z) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”

⁶ But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean^(A) on account of a dead body.^(B) So they came to Moses and Aaron^(C) that same day ⁷ and said to Moses, “We have become unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be kept from presenting the Lord’s offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?^(D)”

⁸ Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.”^(E)

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Tell the Israelites: ‘When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body^(F) or are away on a journey, they are still to celebrate^(G) the Lord’s Passover,

² “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease^[a](A) or a discharge^(B) of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean^(C) because of a dead body.^{(D) 3} Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.^(E)”

⁴ “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease^[a] or a bodily discharge,^(A) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse^(B) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, ⁵ or if he touches any crawling thing^(C) that makes him unclean, or any person^(D) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. ⁶ The one who touches any such thing will be unclean^(E) till evening.^(F) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.^(G)