1-2 The Lord gave Moses and Aaron the following law:The people of Israel must bring Moses a reddish-brown cow that has nothing wrong with it and that has never been used for ploughing.
3 Moses will give it to Eleazar the priest, then it will be led outside the camp and killed while Eleazar watches.
4 He will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the direction of the sacred tent.
5 Then the whole cow, including its skin, meat, blood, and insides must be burnt.
6 A priest is to throw a stick of cedar wood, a hyssop branch, and a piece of red yarn into the fire.
7 After the ceremony, the priest is to take a bath and wash his clothes. Only then can he go back into the camp, but he remains unclean and unfit for worship until evening.
8 The man who burnt the cow must also wash his clothes and take a bath, but he is also unclean until evening.