Laws of Motherhood

¹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:

‘When a woman ^[a]gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of ^[b]her menstruation she shall be unclean. ³ On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴ Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. ⁵ But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her ^[c]menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.

⁶ ‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. ⁷ Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the ^[d]flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. ⁸ But if ^[e]she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”