Leviticus 21

1 YHWH said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people;

Yahweh said to Moses: “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'No one among you shall make himself unclean for those who die among his people,

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

except for his closest relatives—his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,

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

or his virgin sister who is dependent on him, since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.

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

But he must not make himself unclean for other relatives and so defile himself.

5 "'They shall not shave their heads, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beards, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards, nor cut their bodies.

6 They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the offerings of YHWH made by fire, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

They must be holy to their God and not disgrace the name of their God, because the priests offer Yahweh's food offerings, the bread of their God. Therefore the priests must be holy.

7 "'They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband: for he is holy to his God.

They must not marry any woman who is a prostitute and who is defiled, and they must not marry a woman divorced from her husband, for they are separate for their God.

8 You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your God: he shall be holy to you: for I YHWH, who sanctify you, am holy.

You will set him apart, for he is the one who offers bread to your God. He must be holy to you, because I, Yahweh who makes you holy, am holy.

9 "'The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burned with fire.

Any daughter of any priest who defiles herself by becoming a prostitute disgraces her father. She must be burned.

10 "'He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, nor tear his clothes;

The one who is the high priest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured, and who has been consecrated to wear the special garments of the high priest, must not wear his hair loose or tear his clothes.

11 neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

He must not go anywhere that a dead body is present and defile himself, even for his father or his mother.

12 neither shall he 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 YHWH.

The high priest must not leave the sanctuary area of the tabernacle or profane the sanctuary of his God, because he has been consecrated as high priest by the anointing oil of his God. I am Yahweh.

13 "'He shall take a wife in her virginity.

The high priest must marry a virgin as his wife.

14 A widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry: but a virgin of his own people shall he take as a wife.

He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman who is a prostitute. He will not marry these kinds of women. He may only marry a virgin from his own people,

15 He shall not profane his offspring among his people: for I am YHWH who sanctifies him.'"

so he will not defile his children among his people, for I am Yahweh, who makes him holy.'”

16 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

17 "Say to Aaron, 'None of your descendants throughout their generations who has a blemish, may approach to offer the bread of his God.

“Speak to Aaron and tell him, 'Whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect, he must not approach to offer the food to his God.

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

Any man who has a bodily defect must not approach Yahweh, such as a blind man or a man who is unable to walk, one who is disfigured or deformed,

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

a man with a crippled hand or foot,

20 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;

a man who has a hump in his back or is abnormally thin or short, or a man with a defect in his eyes, or with a disease, sore, scabs, or whose testicles have been crushed.

21 no man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a blemish, shall come near to present offerings to your God made by fire. Since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

No man among the descendants of Aaron the priest with a bodily defect may come near to perform the offerings made by fire for Yahweh. Such a man has a bodily defect; he must not come near to offer the bread of his God.

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

He may eat the food of his God, whether some of the most holy or some of the holy.

23 He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am YHWH who sanctifies them.'"

However, he must not enter inside the curtain or come near the altar, because he has a bodily defect, so that he does not defile my holy place, for I am Yahweh, who makes them holy.'”

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

So Moses spoke these words to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the people of Israel.