Font Size
Leviticus 21
Evangelical Heritage Version
Leviticus 21
Evangelical Heritage Version
Protecting the Holiness of the Priests
21 The Lord told Moses to speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and tell them this:
No one shall make himself unclean for a dead person among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives. He may do it for his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, or his brother, 3 and also for his virgin sister, who is close to him because she does not have a husband—for her he may make himself unclean. 4 But he shall not make himself unclean for his relatives by marriage and so defile himself.
5 The priests shall not cut a bald patch on to their heads or cut off the edges of their beards or gash their bodies. 6 They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not defile the name of their God. Because they present offerings made by fire,[a] the food of their God, they are to be set apart as holy.
7 They shall not marry a woman who has been a prostitute or is defiled. Neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for each priest is holy to his God. 8 So you shall treat him as holy. Since he presents the food of your God, he shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sets you apart as holy, am holy.
9 When the daughter of a man who is a priest defiles herself through prostitution, she is defiling her father. She shall be burned in fire.
10 The high priest, who is greater than his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been ordained to wear the holy garments, shall not dishevel his hair nor tear his garments. 11 He shall not enter any place where there is a dead person. He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother. 12 He shall not leave the sanctuary, so that he will not defile the sanctuary of his God, for the mark of consecration with the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am the Lord.
13 The high priest shall marry a woman who is a virgin. 14 A widow or a divorcée or a woman defiled because of prostitution—these he shall not marry. Instead, he shall take a virgin from his own people as a wife, 15 so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord, who sets him apart as holy.
Disqualification From Priestly Service
16 The Lord told Moses 17 to tell Aaron this:
Any man from your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may not approach to present the food of his God. 18 Indeed, any man who has a defect shall not approach—a man who is blind or lame, or who has a limb that is too short or too long, 19 or a man who has a crippled foot or a crippled hand, 20 or who is deformed or abnormally small, or who has a growth in his eye, or a festering boil, or some other disfiguring skin condition,[b] or a damaged testicle. 21 Any man among the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall not draw near to present the gifts of the Lord. He has a defect, so he shall not draw near to present the food of his God.
22 But he may eat the food of his God from the most holy things and from the holy things. 23 Nevertheless, he shall not go in front of the veil and shall not approach the altar because he has a defect, so that he does not defile my holy things, for I am the Lord, who sets them apart as holy.
24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 21:6 Or food offerings. Here the Hebrew text has an additional word that specifies that this is a food offering.
- Leviticus 21:20 The meaning of this and some of the other terms in this section is uncertain.
Leviticus 21
New International Version
Leviticus 21
New International Version
Rules for Priests
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,(A) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean(B) for any of his people who die,(C) 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,(D) his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.(E) 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.
5 “‘Priests must not shave(F) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards(G) or cut their bodies.(H) 6 They must be holy to their God(I) and must not profane the name of their God.(J) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,(K) the food of their God,(L) they are to be holy.(M)
7 “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,(N) because priests are holy to their God.(O) 8 Regard them as holy,(P) because they offer up the food of your God.(Q) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.(R)
9 “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.(S)
10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head(T) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,(U) must not let his hair become unkempt[b] or tear his clothes.(V) 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.(W) He must not make himself unclean,(X) even for his father or mother,(Y) 12 nor leave the sanctuary(Z) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil(AA) of his God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.(AB) 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect(AC) may come near to offer the food of his God.(AD) 18 No man who has any defect(AE) may come near: no man who is blind(AF) or lame,(AG) disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.(AH) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect(AI) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.(AJ) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.(AK) 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God,(AL) as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect,(AM) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.(AN) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(AO)’”
24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people
- Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.