Leviticus 21

1 The Lord also said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and you shall say to them: Do not allow a priest to be contaminated by the death of his citizens,

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead amongst his people,

2 except only by his blood-relatives and near-relatives, that is, by a father or mother, or by a son or daughter, or also a brother,

except for his relatives that are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother,

3 or a virgin sister, who is not married to a husband.

and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself.

4 But not even by the leader of his people shall he be contaminated.

He shall not defile himself, being a chief man amongst his people, to profane himself.

5 Neither shall they shave their head or their beard, and they shall not make incisions in their flesh.

“‘They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh.

6 They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not pollute his name. For they offer the incense of the Lord and the bread of their God, and because of this they shall be holy.

They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy.

7 They shall not take as a wife a promiscuous woman, or a prostitute, or her who has been repudiated by her husband. For they are consecrated to their God,

“‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God.

8 and they offer the bread of the presence. Therefore, let them be holy, for I also am holy: the Lord, who sanctifies them.

Therefore you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy.

9 If the daughter of a priest will have been taken into prostitution, and will have violated the name of her father, she shall be consumed by fire.

“‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burnt with fire.

10 The high priest, that is, the priest who is the greatest among his brothers, upon whose head the oil of anointing has been poured, and whose hands have been consecrated for the priesthood, and who has been vested with the holy vestments: he shall not expose his head; he shall not rend his vestments.

“‘He who is the high priest amongst 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 hang loose, or tear his clothes.

11 And he shall not enter to any dead body whatsoever; likewise, not even by his father or mother shall he be contaminated.

He must not go in to any dead body, or defile himself for his father or for his mother.

12 Neither shall he exit from the holy places, lest he pollute the Sanctuary of the Lord. For the oil of the holy anointing of his God is upon him. I am the Lord.

He shall not 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 the LORD.

13 He shall take a virgin as his wife.

“‘He shall take a wife in her virginity.

14 But a widow, or one who has been repudiated or defiled, or also a mistress, he shall not accept, but only a maiden from among his own people.

He shall not marry a widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute. He shall take a virgin of his own people as a wife.

15 He shall not mingle the stock of his family with the common people of his nation. For I am the Lord, who sanctifies him.

He shall not profane his offspring amongst his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.’”

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

17 Say to Aaron: A man from your offspring, throughout their families, who has a blemish, shall not offer the bread to his God.

“Say to Aaron, ‘None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may approach to offer the bread of his God.

18 Neither shall he approach to minister to him: if he is blind, if he is lame, if he is small, or large, or has a crooked nose,

For whatever man he is that has a defect, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity,

19 if his foot or hand is broken,

or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand,

20 if he has a bulging back or bleary eyes, or if he has a white spot in his eye, or a chronic scab, or a skin disease on his body, or a hernia.

or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles.

21 Anyone from the offspring of Aaron, the priest, who has a blemish, shall not approach to offer sacrifices to the Lord, nor the bread to his God.

No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall come near to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire. Since he has a defect, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

22 Nevertheless, he shall eat from the loaves which are offered in the Sanctuary.

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

23 But even so, he may not enter within the veil, nor approach to the altar. For he has a blemish, and he must not contaminate my Sanctuary. I am the Lord, who sanctifies them.

He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a defect; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”

24 Therefore, Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all of Israel, everything that had been commanded to him.

So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.