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,

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 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 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 a virgin sister, who is not married to a 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 But not even by the leader of his people shall he be contaminated.

'A master [priest] doth not defile himself among his people — to pollute himself;

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

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 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 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 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,

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

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 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.

'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 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.

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

nor beside any dead person doth he come; for his father and for his mother he doth not defile himself;

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.

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 He shall take a virgin as his wife.

'And he taketh 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.

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 He shall not mingle the stock of his family with the common people of his nation. 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 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And Jehovah speaketh unto 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.

'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 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 no man in whom [is] blemish doth draw near — a man blind, or lame or dwarfed, or enlarged,

19 if his foot or hand is broken,

or a man in whom there is a breach in the foot, or a breach in the 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 hump-backed, or a dwarf, or with a mixture in his eye, or a scurvy person, or scabbed, or broken-testicled.

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

'Bread of his God — of the most holy things, and of the holy things — he doth eat;

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.

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

And Moses speaketh unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the sons of Israel.