Leviticus 21
1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people,
Yahweh said to Moses: “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'No one among you shall make himself unclean for those who die among his people,
2 except for his kin, who is near to him: for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.
except for his closest relatives—his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,
3 And for his sister a virgin, who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.
or his virgin sister who is dependent on him, since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.
4 He shall not defile himself, who is a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
But he must not make himself unclean for other relatives and so defile himself.
5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards, nor cut their bodies.
6 They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy.
They must be holy to their God and not disgrace the name of their God, because the priests offer Yahweh's food offerings, the bread of their God. Therefore the priests must be holy.
7 They shall not take a woman who is a harlot, or profane, neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband, for he is holy to his God.
They must not marry any woman who is a prostitute and who is defiled, and they must not marry a woman divorced from her husband, for they are separate for their God.
8 Thou shall sanctify him therefore, for he offers the bread of thy God. He shall be holy to thee, for I Jehovah, who sanctify you, am holy.
You will set him apart, for he is the one who offers bread to your God. He must be holy to you, because I, Yahweh who makes you holy, am holy.
9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burnt with fire.
Any daughter of any priest who defiles herself by becoming a prostitute disgraces her father. She must be burned.
10 And he who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, nor tear his clothes,
The one who is the high priest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured, and who has been consecrated to wear the special garments of the high priest, must not wear his hair loose or tear his clothes.
11 neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother,
He must not go anywhere that a dead body is present and defile himself, even for his father or his mother.
12 neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am Jehovah.
The high priest must not leave the sanctuary area of the tabernacle or profane the sanctuary of his God, because he has been consecrated as high priest by the anointing oil of his God. I am Yahweh.
13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
The high priest must marry a virgin as his wife.
14 A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a harlot, these he shall not take, but he shall take to wife a virgin of his own people.
He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman who is a prostitute. He will not marry these kinds of women. He may only marry a virgin from his own people,
15 And he shall not profane his seed among his people, for I am Jehovah who sanctifies him.
so he will not defile his children among his people, for I am Yahweh, who makes him holy.'”
16 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
17 Speak to Aaron, saying, Whoever he is of thy seed throughout their generations who has a blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.
“Speak to Aaron and tell him, 'Whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect, he must not approach to offer the food to his God.
18 For whatever man he is who has a blemish, he shall not approach: not a blind man, or a lame man, or he who has a flat nose, or anything superfluous,
Any man who has a bodily defect must not approach Yahweh, such as a blind man or a man who is unable to walk, one who is disfigured or deformed,
19 or a man who is broken-footed, or broken-handed,
a man with a crippled hand or foot,
20 or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or who has a blemish in his eye, or is scurvy, or scabbed, or has his testicles broken.
a man who has a hump in his back or is abnormally thin or short, or a man with a defect in his eyes, or with a disease, sore, scabs, or whose testicles have been crushed.
21 No man of the seed of Aaron the priest, who has a blemish, shall come near to offer the offerings of Jehovah made by fire; he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.
No man among the descendants of Aaron the priest with a bodily defect may come near to perform the offerings made by fire for Yahweh. Such a man has a bodily defect; he must not come near to offer the bread of his God.
22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy,
He may eat the food of his God, whether some of the most holy or some of the holy.
23 only he shall not go in to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish, that he not profane my sanctuaries, for I am Jehovah who sanctifies them.
However, he must not enter inside the curtain or come near the altar, because he has a bodily defect, so that he does not defile my holy place, for I am Yahweh, who makes them holy.'”
24 So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel.
So Moses spoke these words to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the people of Israel.
