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 the LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

2 except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,

But for his kin, that is near to him, that is, 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 to him, which has had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

4 He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.

But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, 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 baldness on their head, neither shall they shave off the corner 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 to their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall 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 a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy to 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.

You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your God: he shall be holy to you: for I the LORD, which sanctify 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 profanes her father: she shall be burnt 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 he that is the high priest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

11 He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.

Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or 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 crown of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the LORD.

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 profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

15 so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”

Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.

16 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the LORD 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 to Aaron, saying, Whoever he be of your seed in their generations that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer 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 he be that has a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that has a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

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 hunch back, or a dwarf, or that has a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or has his stones 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 that has a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come near to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he has a blemish; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

22 He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,

He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.

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 go in to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify 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.