Leviticus 21
21
Holiness and the Priests
1And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, #Ezek. 44:25No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, 2except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). 4He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. 5#Ezek. 44:20; [ch. 19:27, 28; Deut. 14:1]They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. 6They shall be holy to their God and #See ch. 18:21 not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord’s food offerings, #See ch. 3:11the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7#ver. 13, 14; Ezek. 44:22 They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman #See Deut. 24:1-4divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for #ch. 22:9, 16 I, the Lord, who sanctify you, #See ch. 11:44am holy. 9And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; #[Gen. 38:24]she shall be burned with fire.
10 # ch. 8:12; 16:32; Ex. 29:29, 30; Num. 35:25 “The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, #ch. 10:6shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. 11He shall not #Num. 19:14; [ver. 1, 2]go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. 12#ch. 10:7 He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he #ver. 23 profane the sanctuary of his God, for the #[ch. 8:9, 12, 30]consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the Lord. 13And he shall take a wife in her virginity.#21:13 Or a young wife 14A widow, #ver. 7; Ezek. 44:22or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin#21:14 Hebrew young woman of his own people, 15that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for #[See ver. 8 above]I am the Lord who sanctifies him.”
16And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may #ch. 10:3; [Num. 16:5; Ps. 65:4]approach to offer the bread of his God. 18For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man #ch. 22:22 blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face #[ch. 22:23]or a limb too long, 19or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a #[See ver. 18 above] defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or #[Deut. 23:1]crushed testicles. 21No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to #ver. 6offer the Lord’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22He may eat the bread of his God, both of #ch. 2:3, 10; 6:17, 25; 7:1; 10:12, 17; 14:13; 24:9; Num. 18:9 the most holy and of the #ch. 22:10, 12holy things, 23but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not #ver. 12 profane my sanctuaries,#21:23 Or my holy precincts #ch. 22:9, 16for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” 24So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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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