Leviticus 21

¹The Lord also said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and you shall say to them: Do not allow a priest to be contaminated by the death of his citizens,

²except only by his blood-relatives and near-relatives, that is, by a father or mother, or by a son or daughter, or also a brother,

³or a virgin sister, who is not married to a husband.

⁴But not even by the leader of his people shall he be contaminated.

⁵Neither shall they shave their head or their beard, and they shall not make incisions in their flesh.

⁶They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not pollute his name. For they offer the incense of the Lord and the bread of their God, and because of this they shall be holy.

⁷They shall not take as a wife a promiscuous woman, or a prostitute, or her who has been repudiated by her husband. For they are consecrated to their God,

⁸and they offer the bread of the presence. Therefore, let them be holy, for I also am holy: the Lord, who sanctifies them.

⁹If the daughter of a priest will have been taken into prostitution, and will have violated the name of her father, she shall be consumed by fire.

¹⁰The high priest, that is, the priest who is the greatest among his brothers, upon whose head the oil of anointing has been poured, and whose hands have been consecrated for the priesthood, and who has been vested with the holy vestments: he shall not expose his head; he shall not rend his vestments.

¹¹And he shall not enter to any dead body whatsoever; likewise, not even by his father or mother shall he be contaminated.

¹²Neither shall he exit from the holy places, lest he pollute the Sanctuary of the Lord. For the oil of the holy anointing of his God is upon him. I am the Lord.

¹³He shall take a virgin as his wife.

¹⁴But a widow, or one who has been repudiated or defiled, or also a mistress, he shall not accept, but only a maiden from among his own people.

¹⁵He shall not mingle the stock of his family with the common people of his nation. For I am the Lord, who sanctifies him.

¹⁶And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

¹⁷Say to Aaron: A man from your offspring, throughout their families, who has a blemish, shall not offer the bread to his God.

¹⁸Neither shall he approach to minister to him: if he is blind, if he is lame, if he is small, or large, or has a crooked nose,

¹⁹if his foot or hand is broken,

²⁰if he has a bulging back or bleary eyes, or if he has a white spot in his eye, or a chronic scab, or a skin disease on his body, or a hernia.

²¹Anyone from the offspring of Aaron, the priest, who has a blemish, shall not approach to offer sacrifices to the Lord, nor the bread to his God.

²²Nevertheless, he shall eat from the loaves which are offered in the Sanctuary.

²³But even so, he may not enter within the veil, nor approach to the altar. For he has a blemish, and he must not contaminate my Sanctuary. I am the Lord, who sanctifies them.

²⁴Therefore, Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all of Israel, everything that had been commanded to him.

Leviticus 21

¹The Lord said also to Moses: Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and thou shalt say for them: Let not a priest incur an uncleanness at the death of his citizens.

²But 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:

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

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

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

⁶They 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.

⁷They 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,

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

⁹If the daughter of a priest be taken in whoredom and dishonour the name of her father, she shall be burnt with fire.

¹⁰The high priest, that is to say, the priest who 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. He shall not uncover his head: he shall not rend his garments.

¹¹Nor shall he go in at all to any dead person: not even for his father, or his mother, shall he be defiled.

¹²Neither 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.

¹³He shall take a virgin unto his wife.

¹⁴But a widow or one that is divorced, or defied, or a harlot, he shall not take: but a maid of his own people.

¹⁵He shall not mingle the stock of his kindred with the common people of this nation: for I am the Lord who sanctify him.

¹⁶And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

¹⁷Say to Aaron: Whosoever of thy seed throughout their families, hath a blemish, he shall not offer bread to his God.

¹⁸Neither 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;

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

²⁰If 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.

²¹Whosoever 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.

²²He shall eat nevertheless of the loaves that are offered in the sanctuary.

²³Yet 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.

²⁴Moses, therefore spoke to Aaron, and to his sons and to all Israel, all the things that had been commanded him.