Leviticus 21
21
Rules for Priests
1The Lord said to Moses, “Tell these things to Aaron’s sons, the priests: A priest must not make himself unclean by touching a dead person. 2But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he can touch the dead body. The priest can make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother or 3his unmarried#21:3 unmarried Literally, “virgin,” a girl who was never married and never had sexual relations. sister. (This sister is close to him because she has no husband. So the priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies.) 4But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only one of his slaves.#21:4 Or “A master must not become unclean for his people.”
5“Priests must not shave their heads bald. They must not shave off the edges of their beards. They must not make any cuts in their bodies. 6Priests must be holy for their God. They must show respect for God’s name. They offer the bread and special gifts to the Lord, so they must be holy.
7“A priest serves God in a special way, so he must not marry a woman who has had sexual relations with any other man. He must not marry a prostitute or a divorced woman. 8A priest serves God in a special way. So you must treat him in a special way, because he carries holy things. He brings the holy bread to me, and I am holy. I am the Lord, and I make you holy.
9“If a priest’s daughter becomes a prostitute, she ruins her reputation and brings shame to her father. She must be burned to death in the fire!
10“The high priest was chosen from among his brothers. The anointing oil was poured on his head. In this way he was chosen for the special job of being high priest. He was chosen to wear the special clothes, so he must not do things to show his sadness in public. He must not let his hair grow wild. He must not tear his clothes. 11He must not make himself unclean by touching a dead body. He must not go near a dead body, even if it is his own father or mother. 12The high priest must not leave God’s holy place, because he might become unclean and then make God’s holy place unclean. The anointing oil was poured on the high priest’s head. This separated him from the rest of the people. I am the Lord.
13“The high priest must marry a woman who is a virgin. 14He must not marry a woman who has had sexual relations with any man. He must not marry a prostitute, a divorced woman, or a widow. The high priest must marry a virgin from his own people. 15In this way people will show respect for his children.#21:15 people … children Or “his children will not become unclean from the people.” I, the Lord, have separated the high priest for his special work.”
16The Lord said to Moses, 17“Tell Aaron: If any of your descendants have anything wrong with them, they must not carry the special bread to God. 18Any man who has something wrong with him must not serve as priest and bring sacrifices to me. These men cannot serve as priests: blind men, crippled men, men with bad scars on their faces, men with arms or legs that are too long, 19men with broken feet or hands, 20men with bent backs, men who are dwarfs,#21:20 dwarfs A small person whose body stopped growing properly. men who are cross-eyed, men with rashes or bad skin diseases, and men with crushed testicles.
21“If one of Aaron’s descendants has something wrong with him, he cannot approach the altar to bring gifts to the Lord. And he cannot carry the special bread to God. 22He is from the family of priests, so he can eat the holy bread. He can also eat the very holy bread. 23But he cannot go through the curtain into the Most Holy Place and he cannot go near the altar. This is because he has something wrong with him. He must not make my holy places unholy. I am the Lord, and I make these places holy.”
24So Moses told these things to Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and all the Israelites.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Leviticus 21
21
Holiness Code for Kohanim
1Then Adonai said to Moses, “Speak to the kohanim, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: A kohen is not to allow himself to become unclean for the dead among his people,
2except for his relatives that are nearest to him—his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,
3or his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband. For her he may allow himself to become unclean.
4But he is not to defile himself—a husband among his people—and so profane himself.
5“Kohanim are not to shave their heads, nor shave off the corners of their beards, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
6They are to be holy to their God, and not profane the Name of their God, for they present the offerings of Adonai made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they are to be holy.
7They are not to marry women who are defiled as prostitutes, or profane. Neither shall they marry women divorced from their husbands, for a kohen is holy to his God.
8Therefore you are to sanctify him, because he offers the bread of your God. He should be holy to you, for I, Adonai, who sanctifies you, am holy.
9“The daughter of any kohen, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, profanes her father. She is to be burned with fire.
10“He who is the kohen gadol among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured and is consecrated to put on the garments, is not to let the hair of his head hang loose or tear his clothes,
11nor shall he go near any dead person, defiling himself, even for his father or his mother.
12He is not to go out of the Sanctuary or profane the Sanctuary of his God—for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am Adonai.
13“He shall take a wife in her virginity.
14A widow, or one divorced, or one who has been defiled as a prostitute, he is not to marry. He is to take a virgin from his own people as a wife,
15so as not to corrupt his offspring among his people. For I am Adonai who sanctifies him.”
16Adonai spoke to Moses saying:
17“Say to Aaron: None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may approach to offer the food of his God.
18Any man who has a defect is not to draw near: no one blind or lame or disfigured or deformed,
19or a man who has a crippled foot or crippled hand
20or a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect or a rash or scabs, or who has damaged testicles.
21None of the offspring of Aaron the kohen who has a defect shall come near to present the offerings of Adonai made by fire. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.
22He may eat the food of his God, both from the most holy and the holy.
23But he is not to approach the curtain or come near the altar, because of the defect on him, so that he may not desecrate My sanctuaries, for I am Adonai who sanctifies them.”
24So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons, and to all Bnei-Yisrael.
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