Purification after Childbirth

¹The Lord spoke to Moses:

²‘Tell the Israelites: When a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean seven days, as she is during the days of her menstrual impurity.[#12:2 Lv 10:14; #12:2 Lv 15:19]

³The flesh of his foreskin must be circumcised on the eighth day.[#12:3 Ex 4:25; #12:3 Gn 34:14; #12:3 Gn 17:12–13; 21:4; Lk 2:21; Gl 3:5; 5:6; 6:15]

⁴She will continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch any holy thing or go into the sanctuary until completing her days of purification.[#12:4 Lv 14:2; #12:4 Lk 8:43]

⁵But if she gives birth to a female child, she will be unclean for two weeks as she is during her menstrual impurity. She will continue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-six days.

⁶‘When her days of purification are complete, whether for a son or daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.[#12:6 Or purification , also in v. 8]

⁷He will present them before the Lord and make atonement on her behalf; she will be clean from her discharge of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or female.

⁸But if she doesn’t have sufficient means , for a sheep, she may take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.’[#12:8 Lit if her hand cannot obtain what is sufficient; #12:8 Lv 14:21; #12:8 Lk 2:24]