Leviticus 21

1 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Speake vnto the Priestes the sonnes of Aaron, and say vnto them, Let none be defiled by the dead among his people,

Yahweh also said to Moses/me, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them,

2 But by his kinseman that is neere vnto him: to wit, by his mother, or by his father, or by his sonne, or by his daughter, or by his brother,

‘You priests must not cause yourselves to become unfit to do my work by [touching] corpses. Priests are permitted to touch only the corpses of close relatives, such as the priest’s mother or father or his son or daughter or his brother.

3 Or by his sister a maid, that is neere vnto him, which hath not had a husband: for her he may lament.

Priests are also permitted to touch the corpse of a sister if she is not married, because she has no husband [to bury her body].

4 He shall not lament for the Prince among his people, to pollute him selfe.

Priests must not cause themselves to become unfit to do my work [DOU] by [touching corpses of] people who were married to one of their close relatives.

5 They shall not make balde partes vpon their head, nor shaue off the locks of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

You priests must not shave your heads or shave the edges of your beards or cut your bodies [to show that you are mourning for someone who has died].

6 They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not pollute the name of their God: for the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God they doe offer: therefore they shalbe holie.

You must act in ways that I, your God, consider to be holy, and not disgrace my name/reputation. You are the ones who present to me the offerings that are burned. [It is as though] those offerings are food for me, your God; so you must act in ways that are holy.

7 They shall not take to wife an whore, or one polluted, neither shall they marrie a woman diuorced from her husband: for such one is holy vnto his God.

You priests must not marry women who have been prostitutes or who have been divorced from their husbands, because you priests are (set apart for me/holy).

8 Thou shalt sanctifie him therefore, for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy vnto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctifie you, am holy.

You must consider that you are holy, because you offer food to me, your God. Consider yourselves to be holy because I, Yahweh, [the one who caused you to be priests and] the one who enables you to be holy, am holy.

9 If a Priestes daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father: therefore shall she be burnt with fire.

If a priest’s daughter disgraces herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; and she must be killed by being burned in a fire.

10 Also ye hie Priest among his brethren, (vpon whose head the anointing oyle was powred, and hath consecrated his hand to put on the garments) shall not vncouer his head, nor rent his clothes,

The Supreme Priest is the one among his relatives who has been [appointed for that work] by having his head anointed with olive oil. He is also the one who has been appointed to wear the special garments that priests wear. He must not allow the hair on his [head] to remain uncombed, and he must not tear his clothes [when he is mourning for someone].

11 Neither shall he goe to any dead bodie, nor make him selfe vncleane by his father or by his mother,

He must not enter some place where there is a corpse. He must not do that and cause himself to become unfit for his work, even if it is his father or his mother who has died.

12 Neither shall he goe out of the Sanctuarie, nor pollute the holy place of his God: for the crowne of the anoynting oyle of his God is vpon him: I am the Lord.

He must not leave the Sacred Tent [to join those who are mourning], because he would cause himself to become unfit for his work and would also defile/desecrate the Sacred Tent. He must not leave the Sacred Tent [at that time], because by being anointed with olive oil he has been (appointed/set apart) to serve his God [in the Sacred Tent]. I, Yahweh, [am the one who am commanding this].

13 Also he shall take a maide vnto his wife:

Women whom you priests marry must be virgins.

14 But a widowe, or a diuorced woman, or a polluted, or an harlot, these shall he not marrie, but shall take a maide of his owne people to wife:

You priests must not marry widows or prostitutes or divorced women, because if you did that, [if you later have] sons, they would not be acceptable to be priests among your people. You must marry only virgins from among your own people. I am Yahweh, who sets priests apart to be holy.’”

15 Neyther shall he defile his seede among his people: for I am the Lord which sanctifie him.

16 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

17 Speake vnto Aaron, and say, Whosoeuer of thy seede in their generations hath any blemishes, shall not prease to offer the bread of his God:

“Say this to Aaron: 'For all future time, none of your descendants who has any defects [on his body] will be allowed to come near [the altar] to offer [sacrifices to me which will be like] [MET] my food:

18 For whosoeuer hath any blemish, shall not come neere: as a man blinde or lame, or that hath a flat nose, or that hath any misshapen member,

No one who is blind or lame or deformed, or whose [face is] disfigured,

19 Or a man that hath a broken foote, or a broken hande,

no man with a crippled foot or a crippled hand,

20 Or is crooke backt, or bleare eyed, or hath a blemish in his eye, or be skiruie, or skabbed, or haue his stones broken.

no man who is a hunchback or a dwarf, no man whose eyes are defective, no man who has a skin disease [DOU] or whose testicles have been damaged is allowed to brings sacrifices.

21 None of the seede of Aaron the Priest that hath a blemish, shall come neere to offer the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire, hauing a blemish: he shall not prease to offer the bread of his God.

No descendant of Aaron, the [first Supreme] Priest, who has any defect is allowed to come to the altar to offer to me, his God, sacrifices that will be burned.

22 The bread of his God, euen of the most holie, and of the holy shall he eate:

Priests who have defects are permitted to eat the various kinds of holy food offered to me.

23 But he shall not goe in vnto the vaile, nor come neere the altar, because hee hath a blemish, least he pollute my Sanctuaries: for I am the Lord that sanctifie them.

But because of their defects, they must not go near the curtain [in the Sacred Tent] or near the altar, because if they did that, they would desecrate my Sacred Tent. I am Yahweh, the one who sets those places apart as being holy.'”

24 Thus spake Moses vnto Aaron, and to his sonnes, and to all the children of Israel.

So Moses/I told this to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israeli people.