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21 And the Lord said to Moses, Speak thou to [the] priests, the sons of Aaron, and thou shalt say to them, A priest be not defouled in the dead men of his citizens (A priest shall not be defiled with the dead among his fellow citizens),

no but only in his kinsmen, and nigh of blood, that is, on father, and mother, and son, and daughter, and brother, (only with his own relatives, and next of kin, that is, with his father, and mother, and son, and daughter, and brother,)

and sister, (who is) a virgin, that is not wedded to man;

but neither he shall be defouled in the prince of his people. (but he shall not be defiled even with the ruler of his people.)

Priests shall not shave their head, neither beard, neither they shall make (any) carvings in their fleshes;

they shall be holy to their God, and they shall not defoul his name; for they offer incense of the Lord, and the loaves of their God, and therefore they shall be holy. (they shall be holy to their God, and they shall not defile his name; for they offer incense to the Lord, and the loaves to their God, and so they shall be holy.)

A priest shall not wed (for) a wife a corrupt woman, and a foul whore, neither he shall wed her that is forsaken of the husband, for he is hallowed to his God, (A priest shall not wed for a wife any corrupt woman, or a foul whore, nor shall he wed she who is forsaken by her husband, for he is holy to his God,)

and offereth the loaves of setting forth; therefore be he holy, for I am the holy Lord that halloweth you. (and offereth the loaves of proposition; and so regard him as holy, for I am holy, the Lord who maketh you holy.)

If the daughter of a priest is taken in defouling of virginity, and defouleth the name of her father, she shall be burnt in fire. (If a priest’s daughter is caught in defiling her own virginity, and so defileth her father’s name, she shall be burned in the fire.)

10 The bishop, that is the most priest among his brethren, upon whose head the oil of anointing is poured, and whose hands be (made) sacred in priesthood, and he is clothed in holy clothes, shall not discover his head, he shall not tear his clothes, (The High Priest, who is the highest priest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil was poured, who is consecrated in priesthood, and who is clothed in holy clothes, shall not uncover his head, and he shall not tear his clothes,)

11 and utterly he shall not enter [in] to any dead man; and he shall not be defouled on his father, and mother (yea, he shall not even be defiled for his father, or his mother),

12 neither he shall go out of [the] holy places, lest he defoul the saintuary of the Lord, for the oil of holy anointing of his God is on him; I am the Lord. (nor shall he go out of the holy place, lest he defile the Lord’s sanctuary, for the holiness of the anointing oil of his God is upon him; I am the Lord.)

13 He shall wed to wife a virgin; (He shall wed a virgin for his wife;)

14 he shall not take a widow, and a forsaken woman, and a foul woman, and (a) whore, but a virgin of his people; (he shall not wed a widow, or a forsaken woman, or a defiled woman, or a whore, but only a virgin out of his people;)

15 meddle he not the generation of his kin to the common people of his folk, for I am the Lord, that halloweth him. (and so he shall not mix together, or dishonour, any of the generation of his kin among the common people, for I am the Lord, who maketh him holy.)

16 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

17 Speak thou to Aaron; a man of thy seed, by families, that hath a wem, that is, a notable foulness, shall not offer bread to his God, (Say thou to Aaron, A man of thy seed, among thy families, who hath a blemish, that is, a notable foulness, shall not offer the bread, or the loaves, to his God,)

18 neither shall nigh to his service; (nor,) if he is blind; if he is crooked; if he is either of little, either of great, or wrong nose; (nor shall he come to do his service; nor, as well, if he is blind, or lame; or too small, or too big;)

19 if he is of broken foot, either hand; (if he hath a crippled, or deformed, hand or foot;)

20 if he hath a botch, or a bulge, on his back; either if he is bleary-eyed; if he hath white colour, or a pearl, in his eye, that hindereth his sight; if he hath (a) continual scab; if he hath a dry scab in his body (if he hath a dry scab on his body); either if he be bruised in (the) privy members.

21 Each man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a wem (who hath any blemish, or any fault), shall not nigh to offer sacrifices to the Lord, neither to offer loaves to his God;

22 nevertheless he shall (still) eat the loaves that be offered in the saintuary,

23 so only that he enter not within the veil; he shall not nigh to the altar, for he hath a wem, and he shall not defoul my saintuary; I am the Lord, that hallow them. (so only that he not come within the Veil; he shall not approach the altar, for he hath a blemish, or a fault, and he shall not defile my sanctuary; I am the Lord who maketh them holy.)

24 Therefore Moses spake to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all Israel, all things that were commanded to him.

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) except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,(D) his son or daughter, his brother, or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.(E) He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.

“‘Priests must not shave(F) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards(G) or cut their bodies.(H) 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)

“‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,(N) because priests are holy to their God.(O) 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)

“‘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

  1. Leviticus 21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people
  2. Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head

21 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:

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.