The Red Heifer Sacrifice
Study note
A completely red cow without any defect, one that had never worn a yoke, was to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered. The priest sprinkled its blood seven times toward the tent of meeting, then the entire animal was burned along with cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn. The ashes were stored in a clean place outside the camp for making the water of purification.
1 The Lord gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2 "Here is a special law rule the Lord has set up. Tell the Israelites to bring you a fully red cow. It must have no flaws or marks. It must never have worn a yoke." This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:
3 "Hand it over to Eleazar the priest. He must take it outside the camp, where it will be slaughtered while he watches." And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face:
4 "Eleazar must dip his finger in its blood and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting." And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times:
5 "Then, while he watches, the entire cow must be burned -- skin, meat, blood, and waste." And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:
6 "The priest must throw cedar wood, a hyssop branch, and scarlet yarn into the fire as the cow burns." And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.
7 "After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He may then re-enter the camp, but he remains ceremonially unclean until evening." Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.
8 "The person who burns the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe in water, and will be unclean until evening." And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even.
9 "Someone who is clean must collect the cow's ashes. He must store them in a clean spot outside the camp. The ashes will be kept for the Israelites to use in making water for cleansing. This is an offering for sin." And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.
10 "The man who collects the ashes must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. This is a permanent rule for both Israelites and any foreigners living among them." And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.
Purification from Contact with the Dead
Study note
Anyone who touched a dead body was unclean for seven days. They had to purify themselves on the third and seventh days using the water mixed with the red heifer ashes. Failure to purify meant being cut off from the community. Everything and everyone in a tent where someone died was also made unclean for seven days.
11 "Anyone who touches a dead person's body will be unclean for seven days." He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
12 "They must go through purification with the special water on the third day and again on the seventh day. Then they will be clean. But if they skip the purification on the third and seventh days, they will remain unclean." He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.
13 "If someone touches a dead body and does not go through the cleaning process, that person makes the Lord's tabernacle unclean. That person must be cut off from Israel. The cleaning water was never sprinkled on them, so they are still unclean." Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.
14 "Here is the rule when someone dies inside a tent. Everyone who enters that tent will be unclean for seven days. Everyone already inside will be unclean too." This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.
15 "Any open container in the tent that does not have a lid fastened on it is also unclean." And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean.
16 "You are outside. You touch someone killed by a weapon, or someone who just died. You touch a human bone or a grave. You will be unclean for seven days." And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
How to Use the Purification Water
Study note
A clean person would take some of the ashes, put them in a jar with fresh water, and use a hyssop branch to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day the person would wash their clothes and bathe, and by evening they would be clean. Anyone who failed to go through this process would be cut off from the assembly.
17 "For the unclean person, take some ashes from the burned cleansing offering. Put fresh flowing water over them in a jar." And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:
18 "A clean person must take a hyssop branch. Dip it in the water. Sprinkle it on the tent and all inside. Sprinkle the people there too. Also sprinkle anyone who touched a bone, body, or grave." And 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 that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:
19 "The clean person must sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and the seventh day. On the seventh day, the person being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe in water. By evening they will be clean." And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
20 "But if an unclean person refuses to be made clean, that person must be sent away from the community. They have made the Lord's sanctuary dirty. The cleansing water was never put on them, so they are still unclean." But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.
21 "This will be a lasting law. Also, the person who sprinkles the cleaning water must wash their clothes. And anyone who touches the cleaning water will be unclean until evening." And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even.
22 "Anything an unclean person touches becomes unclean too. And anyone who touches that dirty item will be unclean until evening." And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.