Leviticus 13

EasyEnglish Bible

Rules for diseases in the skin

13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² ‘A person may have a kind of mark on his skin that might be a disease. He might give the disease to other people. If he has a mark like that, you must bring him to the priest. ³ The priest must look at the mark. If the hair on the mark is white, it might be a disease. If the mark is under the skin and on the skin it might be a disease. The priest must say that the person is not clean. ⁴ If the mark on the skin is white but not under the skin it might not be a disease. If the hair on the skin is not white, it might not be a bad disease. The priest must keep him separate from the people for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the person. The mark may not be any bigger. If it is not, he must keep the person separate from the people for seven more days. ⁶ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the person. The mark may not be so dark and it may not be any bigger. The priest can say that the disease has left that person. The person must wash his clothes. ⁷ A person might see that the mark on his skin had grown. This might happen after the priest had said that the disease had left him. Then the person must go again to the priest. ⁸ The priest must look at the person. The mark might be bigger. The priest must say that the person has a disease. It is a disease that he could give to other people.

⁹ If a person has a disease on his skin, you must bring him to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest must look at the person. If the skin has a white mark and white hair on it, the person has a disease. If the mark has no skin on part of it, the person has a disease. But it may not be a disease that he could give to other people. ¹¹ The priest must say that the person is not clean. The priest need not keep him separate from the people. He already has a disease.

¹² If the disease is all over the body of the person, the priest must look at the person. ¹³ If the skin is all white the priest must say that the person is clean. ¹⁴ If there is an open hole in the skin, the person is not clean. ¹⁵ The priest will see the hole in the skin. He must say that the person has a disease. ¹⁶ The hole might close up and the skin might go white. If it does, the person must go to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest must look at the skin. It may be white. The priest must say that the disease has left the person. Then he will be clean.

¹⁸ A person might have a boil on his skin. Then it might get better. ¹⁹ If there is still a red or white mark on the skin, the person must go to the priest. ²⁰ The priest must look at the person's skin. The red mark might be under the skin and the hair on the skin might be white. Then the priest must say that the person has a disease. The person is not clean. ²¹ If the red mark is not under the skin, it might not be a bad disease. There may not be any white hair on the red mark and the mark may be less red. If that is true, it might not be a bad disease. The priest must keep the person separate from the people for seven days. ²² If the red mark becomes bigger, the priest must say that the person has a bad disease. ²³ If the red mark is not becoming bigger, the disease is getting better. It is a mark that remains on the skin from the boil. The priest must say that the person is now clean again.

²⁴ A person who has burnt his skin might have a red or white mark. It might be where he burnt himself. ²⁵ The priest must look at him. If the hair on the mark is white, it is a disease. If the mark is under the skin and on the skin, it is a disease. The priest must say that the person is not clean. He might give the disease to other people. ²⁶ There may not be any white hair and the mark may not be under the skin. The disease is leaving the person. Then the priest must keep him separate from the people for seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the person. If the mark is getting bigger, it is a disease. The priest must say that the person is not clean. ²⁸ If the mark is getting smaller, it is not a disease. The mark is because the person burnt himself. The priest must say that the person is clean.

²⁹ A person may have a mark that hurts on his head. ³⁰ The priest must look at the mark. The mark may be under the skin and on the skin, and it may have thin yellow hair on it. That is a bad disease. He could give that disease to other people. The priest must say that the person is not clean. ³¹ If the mark is not under the skin, it might not be a bad disease. If there is not any black hair on the mark, it might not be a disease. The priest must keep that person separate from the people for seven days. ³² On the seventh day, the priest must look at the mark that is hurting. The mark might not be under the skin. There might not be any yellow hair on it. ³³ The person must cut the hair off his head. He must not cut the hair off where the mark is. Then the priest must keep the person separate from everyone else for seven more days. ³⁴ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the mark that is hurting. The mark may be no bigger and not under the skin. The priest can say that the person is clean. The person must wash his clothes. ³⁵ The mark might get bigger after the priest has said that the disease has left the person. ³⁶ The priest must look at the mark. If it is bigger, he need not look for yellow hair. The person is not clean. ³⁷ The mark may be no bigger and black hair may have grown on it. If that is true, the disease has left the person.

³⁸ If a person has white marks on his skin, ³⁹ the priest must look at the marks. If the colour of the marks is not bright, it is not a disease. The person is clean.

⁴⁰ The hair may fall from the head of a man until he is bald. That man remains clean. ⁴¹ If the hair falls from the front of the man's head, it is bald. The man is clean. ⁴² If the man has a red and white mark on his bald head, it is a disease. ⁴³ The priest must look at the red and white mark on the bald head. ⁴⁴ The priest must say that the man has a disease. It is a disease that he might give to other people,

⁴⁵ A person with this disease must tear his clothes. He must not comb his hair. He must cover the lower part of his face. He must shout, “I am not clean.” ⁴⁶ He must be alone all the time that he has a disease. He must live outside the camp.

Rules for clothes that have mildew

⁴⁷ Clothes might become bad because of mildew.^{[a] 48} People might have made the clothes from wool, linen or leather. ⁴⁹ If the mark in the clothes is green or red, the mildew is growing. People must show these clothes to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest must look at the mildew. And he must keep the clothes separate from other clothes for seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the clothes. If the disease is getting bigger, the person must not wear them. ⁵² The priest must burn the wool, leather or linen clothes. They have a disease that will destroy them.

⁵³ When the priest looks at the clothes, the mildew might not be getting bigger. ⁵⁴ He must tell the people that they must wash the clothes. The people must keep these clothes separate from their other clothes for seven more days. ⁵⁵ The priest will look at the clothes after the people have washed them. If the mildew still seems the same, the people must not wear the clothes. The people must burn the clothes whether the mark is inside or outside them. ⁵⁶ The colour of the mark might be less bright, after the people have washed the clothes. If it is, the priest must tear the marked part out of the clothes. ⁵⁷ If the mildew comes back to the clothes, the people must burn them. ⁵⁸ If there is no mildew in the washed clothes, the people must wash the clothes again. Then the clothes will be clean.’

⁵⁹ These are the rules for mildew in linen cloth. They are rules for wool or leather clothes. They tell the priest how to know whether they are clean or not clean.