King James Bible
"But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days."
After giving birth to a female child, the mother enters a state of ritual impurity for fourteen days—double the seven-day period required for a male child. This ceremonial uncleanness parallels the monthly menstrual impurity, reflecting ancient Israel's complex purity laws rather than moral judgment. The comparison to menstrual separation (niddah) indicates the same restrictions apply: isolation from sacred spaces and certain social interactions. This phrase connects childbirth impurity to the regular cycle of ritual purity that structured women's religious participation. Following the initial two weeks, an additional sixty-six days of purification are required (totaling eighty days for a female birth versus forty for a male). During this extended period, though less restricted than the first phase, the mother remains excluded from the sanctuary until completing her purification rites.