Leviticus 21

¹The 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 among his people;

²except for his relatives that are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother,

³and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself.

⁴He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

⁵"'They shall not shave their heads, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beards, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

⁶They 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 marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband: for he is holy to his God.

⁸You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your God: he shall be holy to you: for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.

⁹"'The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burned with fire.

¹⁰"'He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, nor tear his clothes;

¹¹neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

¹²neither 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"'He shall take a wife in her virginity.

¹⁴A widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry: but a virgin of his own people shall he take as a wife.

¹⁵He shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.'"

¹⁶The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁷"Say to Aaron, 'None of your seed throughout their generations who has a blemish, may approach to offer the bread of his God.

¹⁸For whatever man he is that has a blemish, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity,

¹⁹or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand,

²⁰or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles;

²¹no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, who has a blemish, shall come near to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire. Since has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

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

²³He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.'"

²⁴So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

Leviticus 21

¹And 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:

²But 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,

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

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

⁵They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

⁶They 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.

⁷They 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.

⁸Thou 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.

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

¹⁰And 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;

¹¹Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

¹²Neither 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.

¹³And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

¹⁴A 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.

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

¹⁶And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

¹⁷Speak 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.

¹⁸For 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,

¹⁹Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

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

²¹No 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.

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

²³Only 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.

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