Leviticus 21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10 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 He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.

12 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 The woman he marries must be a virgin.

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

16 Then the LORD said to Moses,

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

19 no man who has a broken foot or hand,

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

21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the food offerings to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.

22 He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,

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

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

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

3 And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

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

6 They shall be holy unto 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.

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

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

9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with 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;

11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for 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] the LORD.

13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

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

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

16 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

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

18 For whatsoever man [he 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,

19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest 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.

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

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

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

1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests, Aaron's sons, and say unto them: A priest shall not defile himself in any dead body of his people,

2 without his blood friend, who is nearest to him, as his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother

3 And his sister, which is a virgin, and is yet with him, and hath not been a man's wife; in her may he defile himself.

4 Otherwise he shall not defile himself against any that are of his people, that he may defile himself.

5 Neither shall they make a plate upon their head, nor shave off their beard, nor put a plague upon their flesh.

6 They shall be holy unto their God, and shall not profane the name of their God. For they offer the sacrifice of the LORD, the bread of their God: therefore shall they be holy.

7 They shall not take a harlot, nor an infirm woman, nor one that is put away by her husband: for he is holy unto his God.

8 Therefore thou shalt keep him holy, because he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee, because I am holy, the LORD that sanctifieth you.

9 If a priest's daughter begin to fornicate, she shall be burned with fire: for she hath defiled her father.

10 Whatsoever high priest there be of his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and his hand is filled to clothe him with the garments, he shall not uncover his head, neither shall he cut his garments;

11 And he shall not come unto any dead person, neither shall he defile himself against his father, nor against his mother.

12 He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God: for the holy crown, the anointing oil of his God, is upon him. I am the LORD.

13 And he shall take a virgin to wife.

14 But he shall not take a widow, nor an outcast, nor an infirm, nor a harlot, but a virgin of his people to wife,

15 Lest he profane his seed among his people: for I am the LORD that sanctifieth him.

16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying:

17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, If there be any blemish in any of thy seed among your generations, let him not come near to offer the bread of his God.

18 For let no man in whom there is a defect come forward. Let him be blind, let him be lame, let him have a strange nose, let him have a strange limb,

19 or who is infirm in one foot or hand,

20 or is humpbacked, or has fur on his eye, or is shy, or is grindproof, or is shabby, or is broken.

21 Whosoever therefore of Aaron the priest's seed hath a defect in him, let him not come near to offer the sacrifices of the LORD: for he hath a defect, therefore let him not come near to offer the loaves of his God.

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

23 But he shall not come nigh unto the vail, neither shall he come nigh unto the altar: for the fault is in him, that he profane not my sanctuary: for I am the LORD that sanctifieth it.

24 And Moses spake these things unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.