He: in English this clearly refers to the priest, but in those languages that do not distinguish between masculine and feminine pronouns, it will be especially important to put the noun “priest” in place of the pronoun, in order to avoid confusion.

It: this pronoun refers to the two types of offerings brought by the woman (see verse 6). New American Bible and New International Version have “them.” Many translators will prefer to spell this out more clearly. In addition one may consider also “her offerings” (compare Good News Translation).

Make atonement for her: the Hebrew verb used here usually means “to take away sin,” but in this case it is not a question of “sin” in the usual sense of the word. (Compare 8.15, “to take away the sin of the altar.”) Here it is a matter of removing ritual impurity. This is made clear in the Good News Translation rendering.

From the flow of her blood: this is left implicit in Good News Translation, and the same may be done in some other languages if the repetition at this point is seen as unnatural or unnecessary.

This is the law: compare 6.9, 14, 25. One may also say “This is what is required” or “This, then, is what a woman must do…” (Good News Translation). Some versions set this off as a separate paragraph to highlight its summary character (Bible en français courant).

Either male or female: this information is considered redundant in Good News Translation, since the regulation is general and includes the birth of any child.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .