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:

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

3 And for a maiden sister, who hath had no husband:

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

4 But not even for the prince of his people shall he do any thing that may make him unclean.

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

5 Neither shall they shave their head, nor their beard, nor make incisions 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 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 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 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,

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 And offer the leaves of proposition. Let them therefore be holy, because I also am holy, the Lord, who sanctify them.

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 If the daughter of a priest be taken in whoredom, and dishonour the name of her father, she shall be burnt with fire.

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

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:

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 Nor shall he go in at all to any dead person: not even for his father, or his mother, shall he be defiled:

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 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.

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 virgin unto his wife:

The high priest must marry a virgin as his wife.

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:

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 mingle the stock of his kindred with the common people of his nation: for I am the Lord who sanctify him.

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

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Yahweh spoke to 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 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 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,

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 If his foot, or if his hand be broken,

a man with a crippled hand or foot,

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:

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 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 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 nevertheless of the loaves, that are offered in the sanctuary,

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

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.

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 Moses therefore spoke to Aaron, and to his sons and to all Israel, all the things that had been commanded him.

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