Tzara’at on Garments
47 As for the laws regarding a garment that has the lesion of tzara’at upon it, these laws apply only to lesions (a) on woolen garments, (b) on linen garments,
48 (c) on threads prepared to be used as the warp or the woof of linen or wool garments,
(d) on unworked leather, or (e) on anything made from leather (see Figure 7, page 98).
49 If the lesion on the garment, on the warp- or woof-threads, on the leather garment, or on any leather article, covers at least an area equivalent to a square each of whose sides are equal to the diameter of a Cicilian bean [i.e., 154 mm or 0.24 in] and is pure green or pure red, it is a lesion of tzara’at, and it must therefore be shown to the priest.
50 The priest must examine the lesion, confirm that it is the required color and size, and quarantine the article with the lesion for seven days.
51 He must examine the lesion on the seventh day. If the lesion has spread on the garment, the warp- or woof-threads, the leather garment, or any article made from leather, the lesion is an onerous tzara’at-lesion—in that the article’s owner will suffer inconvenience and monetary loss on its account—since it is ritually defiled and may no longer be used.
52 Rather, he must burn the garment, the warp- or woof-threads of wool or linen, or whatever leather article that has the lesion upon it, since the lesion is an onerous tzara’at-lesion. Nonetheless, only the wool, linen, or leather must be burned and destroyed in fire; if the hems of the garment are made out of a different material, they need not be destroyed. Before it is burned, the afflicted article is ritually defiled to the same degree as a man who has suffered two or more discrete non-seminal discharges, which will be discussed in detail later.
53 But if the priest examines the lesion and the lesion has not spread on the garment, the warp- or woof-threads, or whatever leather article it is on,
54 the priest must order that the part of the article on which the lesion is located be washed, and he must quarantine it again for seven days. The entire article need not be washed; only the area containing the lesion and the adjacent part.
Seventh Reading* (Fourth when combined)
55 Then the priest must examine the article after the lesion has been washed and quarantined for a second week. If the lesion has not changed its color by turning a lighter or darker shade of red or green, and the lesion has either not spread at all or has spread but not covered the entire article, it is defiled. You must burn it in fire, for it is now clear that the lesion is a deep-looking lesion on the worn or new article. If, however, the discolored lesion spreads over the entire article, it thereby becomes rid of this defilement. If the lesion does not spread but changes in color from pure red to pure green (or vice versa), it must either be treated as a new lesion and quarantined or be pronounced defiled.
