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 saith unto Moses, 'Speak unto the priests, sons of Aaron, and thou hast said unto them, For [any] person [a priest] is not defiled among his people,
2 except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,
except for his 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, the virgin, who is near unto him, who hath not been to a man; for her he is defiled.
4 He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
'A master [priest] doth not defile himself among his people — to pollute 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 the corner of their beard they do not shave, and in their flesh they do not make a cutting;
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 pollute not the name of their God, for the fire-offerings of Jehovah, 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.
'A woman, a harlot, or polluted, they do not take, and a woman cast out from her husband they do not take, 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 thou hast sanctified him, for the bread of thy God he is bringing near; he is holy to thee; for holy [am] I, Jehovah, sanctifying you.
9 If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
'And a daughter of any priest when she polluteth herself by going a-whoring — her father she is polluting; with fire she is burnt.
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 brethren, on whose head is poured the anointing oil, and hath consecrated his hand to put on the garments, his head doth not uncover, nor rend his garments,
11 He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.
nor beside any dead person doth he come; for his father and for his mother he doth not defile himself;
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 from the sanctuary doth he go out, nor doth he pollute the sanctuary of his God, for the separation of the anointing oil of his God [is] on him; I [am] Jehovah.
13 The woman he marries must be a virgin.
'And he taketh 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,
widow, or cast out, or polluted one — a harlot — these he doth not take, but a virgin of his own people he doth take [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 doth not pollute his seed among his people; for I [am] Jehovah, sanctifying him.'
16 Then the LORD said to Moses,
And Jehovah speaketh unto 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, No man of thy seed to their generations in whom there is blemish doth draw near to bring near the bread of his God,
18 No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;
for no man in whom [is] blemish doth draw near — a man blind, or lame or dwarfed, or enlarged,
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 hump-backed, or a dwarf, or with a mixture in his eye, or a scurvy person, or scabbed, or broken-testicled.
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) doth come nigh to bring near the fire-offerings of Jehovah; blemish [is] in him; the bread of his God he doth not come nigh to bring near.
22 He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,
'Bread of his God — of the most holy things, and of the holy things — he doth 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, unto the vail he doth not enter, and unto the altar he doth not draw nigh; for blemish [is] in him; and he doth not pollute My sanctuaries; for I [am] Jehovah, sanctifying them.'
24 Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
And Moses speaketh unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the sons of Israel.
