The Water of Cleansing
1The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2“This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. 3Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines. 6The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
9“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin. 10The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting ordinance both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.
11“Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. 12They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean. 13If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse, they defile the Lord’s tabernacle. They must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean; their uncleanness remains on them.
14“This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16“Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17“For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19The man who is clean is to sprinkle those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them. Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. 21This is a lasting ordinance for them.
“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”
Ahodwira Nsu
1Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose ne Aaron se, 2“Eyi yɛ mmara a ɛsɛ sɛ wodi so a Awurade ahyɛ: Ka kyerɛ Israelfo se wɔmfa nantwi ba bere kɔkɔɔ a onnii dɛm na ɔntwee nneɛma da mmrɛ me. 3Momfa no mma ɔsɔfo Eleasar na ɔde no bɛkɔ atenae no akyi baabi na wɔakum no wɔ nʼanim. 4Na ɔsɔfo Eleasar de ne nsateaa bɛbɔ mogya no mu na ɔde apete Ahyiae Ntamadan no anim mpɛn ason. 5Afei, ɔbɛhwɛ ama obi ahyew nantwi ba no. Wɔbɛhyew ne ho nhoma, ne nam, ne mogya ne ne nsono. 6Na egu so rehyew no, Eleasar bɛfa sida dua, adwerɛ ne asaawa kɔkɔɔ na watow agu nantwi ba bere a wɔrehyew no so. 7Eyi akyi no, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔsɔfo no horo ne ntade na oguare. Afei obetumi aba atenae hɔ, nanso ne ho rentew kosi anwummere. 8Onipa a ɔhyew aboa no nso, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔhoro ne ntade na oguare, na ɔno nso ho rentew kosi anwummere.
9“Ɔbarima a ne ho nguu fi no bɛsesaw aboa a wɔhyew no no nsõ de akogu atenae no akyi baabi a ɛhɔ yɛ kronkron. Ɛsɛ sɛ Israelfo no de sie na wɔde agu wɔn ahodwira nsu mu; ɛyɛ nea wɔde dwira wɔn ho fi bɔne ho. 10Onipa a ɔbɛboaboa nantwi ba no nsõ no ano no nso, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔhoro ne ntade, na ɔno nso ho rentew kosi anwummere. Eyi bɛyɛ mmara a ɛbɛtena hɔ afebɔɔ ama Israelfo no ne ahɔho a wɔte wɔn mu no nyinaa.
11“Obiara a obeso onipa funu mu no ho begu fi nnanson. 12Na ne nnansa ne ne nnanson so no, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔde nsu dwira ne ho ma ne ho tew. Sɛ wannwira ne ho nnansa ne nnanson so a ne ho rentew. 13Wɔn a woso nnipa funu mu na wonnwira wɔn ho no, wogu Awurade Ntamadan no ho fi. Ɛsɛ sɛ woyi saa nnipa no fi Israelfo mu. Esiane sɛ wɔamfa ahodwira nsu no bi ampete wɔn ho no nti, wɔn ho ntew; wɔn ho a agu fi no da so wɔ wɔn so.
14“Sɛ obi wu wɔ ntamadan mu a, ɛho mmara ni: Obiara a obewura saa ntamadan no mu ne wɔn a wɔwɔ mu dedaw ansa na onipa no rewu no nyinaa ho begu fi nnanson, 15na ade biara a enni mmuaso na wɔde asa no nso ho begu fi.
16“Sɛ obi a ɔwɔ abɔnten de ne nsa ka obi a ɔtɔɔ wɔ afoa ano funu anaasɛ obi a ɔnyɛ ɔtɔfo funu, anaasɛ obi de ne nsa ka onipa dompe anaa ɔda a, ne ho begu fi nnanson.
17“Nea ne ho agu fi no, fa ahodwira nsõ no bi gu kuruwa mu na hwie nsu gu so. 18Na obi a ne ho tew no mfa adwerɛ mmɔ nsu no mu mpete ntamadan no so ne nkuku ne nkaka a ɛwɔ ntamadan no mu no nso so ne obiara a na ɔwɔ ntamadan no mu a ne ho agu fi no so. Saa ara nso na obi a osoo dompe mu anaa obi a wokum no anaa nea ɔde ne ho aka ɔda no nso, wodwira ne ho. 19Wɔyɛ eyi ne nnansa ne ne nnanson so. Na nea ne ho agu fi no nso, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔhoro ne ntade na oguare, na saa anwummere no ne ho bɛtew. 20Nanso sɛ wɔn a wɔn ho agu fi na annwira wɔn ho a, ɛsɛ sɛ wotwa wɔn asu, efisɛ wɔagu Awurade kronkronbea hɔ ho fi. Wɔmfaa ahodwira nsu mpetee wɔn so ɛ, na wɔn ho ntew. 21Eyi yɛ mmara a ɛbɛtena hɔ afebɔɔ ama wɔn.
“Onipa a obetu ahodwira nsu no apete no nso, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔhoro ne ntade, na obiara a ɔde ne nsa bɛka ahodwira nsu no nso ho begu fi akosi anwummere. 22Na biribiara a obi a ne ho agu fi no beso mu no nso ho begu fi akosi anwummere.”
