Leviticus 13

Rules about skin diseases

Some skin diseases are contagious. This means that a healthy person can get the disease if he is too close to a person who has the disease. In this section, many different skin diseases are called "leprosy". This may not be the same as the modern skin disease called leprosy (another name is Hansen's Disease). 

God talked to Moses and Aaron and gave them rules about skin diseases.  
[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,

If a person has something in his skin like a sore, scab, or a spot, he should go to see Aaron or his sons the priests.
[2] When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or a bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:


The priest will look at the skin. If the hair in the sore has changed to white, and if the sore looks deep, it is a contagious skin disease. The priest will say that the person is unclean.
[3] And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.


If the spot on his skin is white, but it is not deep, and the hair has not changed to white, he must stay away from other people for 7 days.
[4] If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days:


On the 7th day, the priest will look at the person's skin. If the white spot has not gotten bigger or spread, the person should continue to stay away from people for 7 more days. 
[5] And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:


The priest will check him for a third time on the 7th day.  If the white spot has gotten dark and hasn't spread, then the sore was only a scab. The person should wash his clothes, and then he is clean again.
[6] And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

But if the same scab comes back and gets bigger later, the person must see the priest again.  The priest will say that he has a contagious skin disease. The person will be unclean. 
[7] But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again:
[8] And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.


If anyone has a skin problem, he must go to see the priest. 
[9] When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;



If the priest sees pus in the sore, the hair in the sore is white, and the sore is raw (broken open), the priest will say that the person is unclean. But he is not contagious. He does not need to stay away from other people. 
[10] And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;
[11] It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.


If a person has a skin disease and the white skin covers all of his body, the priest will say that the person is clean
[12] And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;
[13] Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.

But if the skin breaks open and it is raw, the person is unclean. The priest will look at it and say that he is unclean. 
[14] But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.
[15] And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.


It the raw skin turns white again, the priest should look at the person again. The priest will say the person is clean again.
[16] Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;
[17] And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.


If a person had a boil (a deep sore) that healed, but later he sees pus in the skin again, he should go see the priest.
The priest will look at it. If the hair in the sore is white, and if the sore is deeper than the skin around it, the priest will say that the person is unclean. He has a bad skin disease that started in the boil.
[18] The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,
[19] And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest;
[20] And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.


But if the priests sees no white hair and the sore is not deeper than the skin around it, but the skin is dark, the person should stay away from other people for 7 days.  
[21] But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:

The priest will check the skin again later. If the dark skin has spread, the priest will say the person is unclean. But if the dark skin does not spread, it is not a bad skin disease. It is just an infected sore. 
[22] And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague.
[23] But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

Skin that has been burned


If a person has been burned, and the burned skin is white or reddish, he will go see the priest. The priest will look at the skin. If the hair in the burned spot is white, and the burned spot is deeper than the skin around it, the person has a bad skin disease. The priest will say he is unclean.  
[24] Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;
[25] Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.


But if the hair in the burned skin is not white and the burned spot is not deeper than the skin around it, but it is dark, the person must stay away from other people for 7 days.  After 7 days, the priest will look at the spot again. If the darkness has spread, the priest will say the person is unclean. He has a bad skin disease.  If the darkness stayed the same, the priest will say the person is clean. The darkness is from the burn and is not a bad skin disease. 
[26] But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:
[27] And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.
[28] And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning.

Skin diseases on the head


If a man or a woman has a sore on his head or chin, the priest needs to look at it.   If the sore is deeper than the other skin, and the hair is thin and yellow, the person is unclean. He has a bad skin disease.
[29] If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;
[30] Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.


If the sore on the head or chin is not deep, but there is no hair in it, the person should stay away from other people for 7 days.
[31] And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days:


After 7 days, the priest will look at the sore again.  If it has not gotten bigger, there is no yellow hair in it, and the sore is not deeper than the skin around it, the person will need to stay away from other people for 7  more days.  The person's hair must be shaved, but he should not shave the sore. 
[32] And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin;
[33] He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more:


After these 7 days, the priest will check the sore again.  If it has not spread and it is not deeper than the skin around it, the priest will say the person is clean. He should go and wash his clothes and be clean. 
[34] And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.


If the sore starts to spread later, the priest should look at it again.  Even if there is no yellow hair, the priest will say the person is unclean.  
[35] But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing;
[36] Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.


If the sore does not get bigger and there is black hair in it, the sore is better. The priest will say the person is clean.
[37] But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

If a man or a woman has a bright or white spot on their skin, he must go and see the priest. If the priest looks at the spot and sees that it is a dull white color, he will say the person is clean.
[38] If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;
[39] Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean.


If a man is bald in the front or the back, he is clean.
[40] And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.
[41] And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.


But if the bald spot has a reddish-white sore in it, the person has a bad skin disease. The priest will look at it.  If the priests sees the sore, he will say the person is unclean. 
[42] And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.
[43] Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh;
[44] He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.

The rule for people who are unclean because of a bad skin disease.


The people who have the bad skin disease are unclean.  They should rip their clothes (the Israelite way to show grief or sadness), not comb their hair, put coverings over their upper lip, and yell, "Unclean, unclean!" to warn other people to stay away from him. He must also live outside the camp by himself.
[45] And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
[46] All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.