Purification After Childbirth

¹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

²Speak to the Israelites, saying: If a woman has conceived and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days, as in the days of her monthly menstruation she shall be unclean.[#Lev 15:19; #Lev 18:19]

³On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.[#Lk 1:59; 2:21]

⁴And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying for thirty-three days. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purifying are fulfilled.

⁵But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks as in her monthly menstruation, and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.

⁶When the days of her purifying are fulfilled, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring a year-old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting,[#Lk 2:22]

⁷who shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood.

This is the law for the woman who has given birth to a male or a female child.

⁸If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for the burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.[#Lev 5:7; #Lev 4:26]