Leviticus 21

1 And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people,

2 But for his kin, that is near to him, [that is], for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,

except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,

3 And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh to him, who hath had no husband: for her he may be defiled.

or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband.

4 [But] he shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.

5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.

6 They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, [and] the bread of their God they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the offerings made by fire, the food of their God, they must be holy.

7 They shall not take a wife [that is] a lewd woman, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he [is] holy to his God.

A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.

8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore, for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy to thee: for I the LORD, who sanctify you, [am] holy.

You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart.

9 And the daughter of any priest, if she shall profane herself by lewdness, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.

10 And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments.

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

He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or 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] the LORD.

He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.

13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

The woman he marries must be a virgin.

14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, [or] a harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people for a wife.

He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people,

15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.

so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”

16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

17 Speak to Aaron, saying, whoever [he may be] of thy seed in their generations that hath [any] blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God:

“Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.

18 For whatever man [he may be] that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;

19 Or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed,

no man who has a broken foot or hand,

20 Or crooked-backed, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his peculiar members broken:

or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.

21 No man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a blemish, shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire; he hath a blemish, he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food 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 most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,

23 Only he shall not go in to the vail, nor come nigh to the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he may not profane my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”

24 And Moses told [it] to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.