Leviticus 21

¹And the Lord seide to Moyses, Speke thou to preestis, the sones of Aaron, and thou schalt seie to hem, A preest be not defoulid in the deed men of hise citeseyns,

²no but oneli in kynesmen and niy of blood, that is, on fadir and modir, and sone and douyter,

³and brother and sister, virgyn, which is not weddid to man;

⁴but nether he schal be defoulid in the prince of his puple.

⁵Preestis schulen not schaue the heed, nether beerd, nether thei schulen make keruyngis in her fleischis; thei schulen be hooli to her God,

⁶and thei schulen not defoule his name; for thei offren encense of the Lord, and the looues of her God, and therfore thei schulen be hooli.

⁷A preest schal not wedde a wijf a corrupt womman, and a `foul hoore, nether he schal wedde `hir that is forsakun of the hosebonde, for he is halewid to his God,

⁸and offrith the looues of settyng forth; therfor be he hooly, for `Y am the hooli Lord that halewith you.

⁹If the `doutir of a preest is takun in defoulyng of virgynite, and defoulith the name of hir fadir, sche schal be brent in flawmes.

¹⁰The bischop, that is the moost preest among hise britheren, on whose heed the oile of anoyntyng is sched, and whose hondis ben sacrid in preesthod, and he is clothid in hooli clothis, schal not diskyuere his heed, he schal not tere hise clothis,

¹¹and outirli he schal not entre to ony deed man; and he schal not be defoulid on his fadir and modir,

¹²nether he schal go out of hooli thingis, lest he defoule the seyntuarie of the Lord, for the oile of hooli anoyntyng of his God is on hym; Y am the Lord.

¹³He schal wedde a wijf virgyn;

¹⁴he schal not take a widewe, and forsakun, and a foul womman, and hoore, but a damesele of his puple;

¹⁵medle he not the generacioun of his kyn to the comyn puple of his folk, for Y am the Lord, that `halewe hym.

¹⁶And the Lord spak to Moyses,

¹⁷and seide, Speke thou to Aaron; a man of thi seed, bi meynes, that hath a wem, schal not offre breed to his God,

¹⁸nethir schal neiy to his seruyce;

¹⁹if he is blind; if he is crokid; if he is ether of litil, ether of greet, and wrong nose; if he is `of brokun foot, ethir hond;

²⁰if he hath a botche; ether if he is blereiyed; if he hath whijt colour in the iye, that lettith the siyt; if he hath contynuel scabbe; if he hath a drye scabbe in the bodi; ethir `is brokun `in the pryuy membris.

²¹Ech man of the seed of Aaron preest, which man hath a wem, schal not neiye to offre sacrifices to the Lord, nether `to offre looues to his God;

²²netheles he schal ete the looues that ben offrid in the seyntuarie,

²³so oneli that he entre not with ynne the veil; he schal not neiye to the auter, for he hath a wem, and he schal not defoule my seyntuarie; Y am the Lord that halewe hem.

²⁴Therfor Moises spak to Aaron, and to hise sones, and to al Israel, alle thingis that weren comaundid to hym.

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.