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 YHWH says to Moses, “Speak to the priests, sons of Aaron, and you have said to them: No one defiles himself for a [dead] person among his people,

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

except for his relation who [is] near to 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, the virgin, who is near to him, who has not been to a man; he is defiled for her.

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

A master [priest] does not defile himself among his people—to defile 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 do not make baldness on their head, and they do not shave the corner of their beard, and they do not make a cutting 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 are holy to their God, and they do not defile the Name of their God, for the fire-offerings of YHWH, bread of their God, they are bringing near, and have been 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 do not take a woman of harlotry, or defiled, and they do not take a woman cast out 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.

and you have sanctified him, for he is bringing the bread of your God near. He is holy to you, for I, YHWH, sanctifying 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 when a daughter of any priest defiles herself by going whoring—she is defiling her father; she is 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 of his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who has consecrated his hand to put on the garments, does not uncover his head, nor tear his garments,

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

nor does he come beside any dead person; he does not defile himself 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.

nor does he go out from the sanctuary, nor does he defile the sanctuary of his God, for the separation of the anointing oil of his God [is] on him; I [am] YHWH.

13 The woman he marries must be a virgin.

And he takes 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 cast out, or defiled, [or] a harlot—these he does not take, but he takes a virgin of his own people [for] a wife,

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

and he does not defile his seed among his people; for I [am] YHWH, sanctifying him.”

16 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And YHWH speaks 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, No man of your seed throughout their generations in whom there is blemish draws near to bring the bread of his God near,

18 No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;

for no man in whom [is] a blemish draws near: a man blind, or lame, or disfigured, or deformed,

19 no man who has a broken foot or hand,

or a man in whom there is a breach in the foot, or a breach in the hand,

20 or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.

or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or [with] a defect in his eye, or [with] an itch, or [with] a scab, or [with] a broken testicle.

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 in whom is blemish (of the seed of Aaron the priest) comes near to bring the fire-offerings of YHWH near; blemish [is] in him; he does not come near to bring the bread of his God near.

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

Bread of his God—from the most holy things and from the holy things—he eats;

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 does not come toward the veil, and he does not draw near to the altar; for blemish [is] in him; and he does not defile My sanctuaries; for I [am] YHWH, sanctifying them.”

24 Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

And Moses speaks to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel.