Leviticus 21

1 The Lord said also to Moses: Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and thou shalt say to them: Let not a priest incur an uncleanness at 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 But only for his kin, such as are near in blood, that is to say, for his father and for his mother, and for his son, and for his daughter, for his brother also,

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 And for a maiden sister, who hath had 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 But not even for the prince of his people shall he do any thing that may make him unclean.

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

5 Neither shall they shave their head, nor their beard, nor 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 shall not profane his name: for they offer the burnt offering of the Lord, and the bread of their God, and therefore 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 to wife a harlot or a vile prostitute, nor one that has been put away from her husband: because 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 offer the leaves of proposition. Let them therefore be holy, because I also am holy, the Lord, who sanctify 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 be taken in whoredom, and dishonour the name of her father, she shall be burnt with 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 to say, the priest, is the greatest among his brethren. upon whose head the oil of unction hath been poured, and whose hands have been consecrated for the priesthood, and who hath been vested with the holy vestments, shall not uncover his head, he shall not rend 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 Nor shall he go in at all to any dead person: not even for his father, or his mother, shall he be defiled:

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

12 Neither shall he go out of the holy places, lest he defile the sanctuary of the Lord, because the oil of the holy unction 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 unto his wife:

'And he taketh a wife in her virginity;

14 But a widow or one that is divorced, or defiled, or a harlot, he shall not take, but a maid of 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 kindred with the common people of his nation: for I am the Lord who sanctify 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: Whosoever of thy seed throughout their families, hath a blemish, he shall not offer 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 be blind, if he be lame, if he have a little, or a great, or 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 if his hand be broken,

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

20 If he be crookbacked, or blear eyed, or have a pearl in his eye, or a continual scab, or a dry scurf in his body, or a rupture:

or hump-backed, or a dwarf, or with a mixture in his eye, or a scurvy person, or scabbed, or broken-testicled.

21 Whosoever of the seed of Aaron the priest hath a blemish, he shall not approach to offer sacrifices to the Lord, nor 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 He shall eat nevertheless of the loaves, that are offered in the sanctuary,

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

23 Yet so that he enter not within the veil, nor approach to the altar, because he hath a blemish, and he must not defile my sanctuary. I am the Lord who sanctify 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 therefore spoke to Aaron, and to his sons and to all Israel, all the things that had been commanded him.

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