Leviticus 12 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Ritual After Childbirth(A)

12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a (B)woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then (C)she shall be [a]unclean seven days; (D)as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. 3 And on the (E)eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any [b]hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.

5 ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

6 (F)‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a (G)lamb [c]of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a (H)sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make [d]atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.

8 (I)‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. (J)So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be [e]clean.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 12:2 impure
  2. Leviticus 12:4 consecrated
  3. Leviticus 12:6 Lit. a son of his year
  4. Leviticus 12:7 Lit. covering
  5. Leviticus 12:8 pure

Cross references

  1. Leviticus 12:1 : cf. Luke 2:22–24
  2. Leviticus 12:2 : Lev. 15:19; [Job 14:4; Ps. 51:5]
  3. Leviticus 12:2 : Ex. 22:30; Lev. 8:33; 13:4; Luke 2:22
  4. Leviticus 12:2 : Lev. 18:19
  5. Leviticus 12:3 : Gen. 17:12; Luke 1:59; 2:21; John 7:22, 23; Gal. 5:3
  6. Leviticus 12:6 : Luke 2:22
  7. Leviticus 12:6 : [John 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19]
  8. Leviticus 12:6 : Lev. 5:7
  9. Leviticus 12:8 : Lev. 5:7; Luke 2:22–24
  10. Leviticus 12:8 : Lev. 4:26