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:

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead amongst 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 relatives that are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother,

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

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

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

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

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

“‘They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh.

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 shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall 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 shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God.

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

Therefore you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, 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.

“‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burnt with fire.

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:

“‘He who is the high priest amongst his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang 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 in to any dead body, or defile himself for his father or for 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.

He shall not 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.

13 He shall take a virgin unto his wife:

“‘He shall take a wife in her virginity.

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 shall not marry a widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute. He shall take a virgin of his own people as a wife.

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.

He shall not profane his offspring amongst his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.’”

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

The LORD 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.

“Say to Aaron, ‘None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may approach to offer the bread of 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,

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

19 If his foot, or if his hand be broken,

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

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:

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.

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 of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall come near to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire. Since he has a defect, he shall 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 shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and 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.

He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a defect; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”

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 to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.