< Leviticus 21 >
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people,
And Jehovah said to Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none make himself unclean for a dead person among his peoples,
2 except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,
except for his immediate relation, who is near unto him — for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother;
3 or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband.
and for his sister, a virgin, that is near unto him, who hath had no husband, for her may he make himself unclean.
4 He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
He shall not make himself unclean [who is] a chief among his peoples, to profane himself.
5 Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.
They shall not make any baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
6 They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the offerings made by fire, the food of their God, they must be holy.
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they present Jehovah's offerings by fire, the bread of their God; therefore shall they be holy.
7 A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
They shall not take as wife a whore, or a dishonoured woman; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God.
8 You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart.
And thou shalt hallow him; for the bread of thy God doth he present: he shall be holy unto thee; for I, Jehovah, who hallow you am holy.
9 If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burned with fire.
10 The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments.
And the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his garments.
11 He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.
Neither shall he come near any person dead, nor make himself unclean for his father and for his mother;
12 He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.
neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am Jehovah.
13 The woman he marries must be a virgin.
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
14 He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people,
A widow, or a divorced woman, or a dishonoured one, a harlot, these shall he not take; but he shall take as wife a virgin from among his peoples.
15 so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
And he shall not profane his seed among his peoples; for I am Jehovah who do hallow him.
16 Then the LORD said to Moses,
And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
17 “Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.
Speak unto Aaron, saying, Any of thy seed throughout their generations that hath any defect, shall not approach to present the bread of his God;
18 No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;
for whatever man hath a defect, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or one limb longer than the other,
19 no man who has a broken foot or hand,
or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed,
20 or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.
or hump-backed, or withered, or that hath a spot in his eye, or hath the itch, or scabs, or his testicles broken.
21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.
No man of the seed of Aaron the priest that hath defect shall come near to present Jehovah's offerings by fire: he hath a defect; he shall not come near to present the bread of his God.
22 He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,
The bread of his God, of the most holy and of the holy, shall he eat;
23 but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
only he shall not come in unto the veil, nor shall he draw near unto the altar; for he hath a defect: that he profane not my sanctuaries; for I am Jehovah who do hallow them.
24 Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
And Moses told it to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.