Leviticus 21

1 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,

And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron, Let no man make himself unclean for the dead among his people;

2 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.

But only for his near relations, for his mother or his father, his son or his daughter, and his brother;

3 and for his sister, the virgin, who is near unto him, who hath not been to a man; for her he is defiled.

And for his sister, a virgin, for she is his near relation and has had no husband, he may make himself unclean.

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

But let him, being a chief among his people, not make himself unclean in such a way as to put shame on himself.

5 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;

They are not to have their hair cut off for the dead, or the hair on their chins cut short, or make cuts in their flesh.

6 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.

Let them be holy to their God and not make the name of their God common; for the fire offerings of the Lord and the bread of their God are offered by them, and they are to be holy.

7 '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;

They may not take as wife a loose or common woman, or one who has been put away by her husband: for the priest is holy to his God.

8 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.

And he is to be holy in your eyes, for by him the bread of your God is offered; he is to be holy in your eyes, for I the Lord, who make you holy, am holy.

9 'And a daughter of any priest when she polluteth herself by going a-whoring — her father she is polluting; with fire she is burnt.

And if the daughter of a priest makes herself common and by her loose behaviour puts shame on her father, let her be burned with fire.

10 '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,

And he who is the chief priest among his brothers, on whose head the holy oil has been put, who is marked out to put on the holy robes, may not let his hair go loose or have his clothing out of order as a sign of sorrow.

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

He may not go near any dead body or make himself unclean for his father or his mother;

12 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.

He may not go out of the holy place or make the holy place of his God common; for the crown of the holy oil of his God is on him: I am the Lord.

13 'And he taketh a wife in her virginity;

And let him take as his wife one who has not had relations with a man.

14 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,

A widow, or one whose husband has put her away, or a common woman of loose behaviour, may not be the wife of a priest; but let him take a virgin from among his people.

15 and he doth not pollute his seed among his people; for I [am] Jehovah, sanctifying him.'

And he may not make his seed unclean among his people, for I the Lord have made him holy.

16 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

17 '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,

Say to Aaron, If a man of your family, in any generation, is damaged in body, let him not come near to make the offering of the bread of his God.

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

For any man whose body is damaged may not come near: one who is blind, or has not the use of his legs, or one who has a broken nose or any unnatural growth,

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

Or a man with broken feet or hands,

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

Or one whose back is bent, or one who is unnaturally small, or one who has a damaged eye, or whose skin is diseased, or whose sex parts are damaged;

21 '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.

No man of the offspring of Aaron whose body is damaged in any way may come near to give the fire offerings of the Lord: he is damaged, he may not come near to make the offerings.

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

He may take of the bread of God, the holy and the most holy;

23 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.'

But he may not go inside the veil or come near the altar, because he is damaged; and he may not make my holy places common; for I the Lord have made them holy.

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

These are the words which Moses said to Aaron and to his sons and to all the children of Israel.