| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people, | 1The LORD said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. “A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean by touching the dead body of a relative. |
| 2except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, | 2The only exceptions are his closest relatives—his mother or father, son or daughter, brother, |
| 3or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband. | 3or his virgin sister who depends on him because she has no husband. |
| 4He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself. | 4But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean for someone who is related to him only by marriage. |
| 5Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies. | 5“The priests must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies. |
| 6They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the offerings made by fire, the food of their God, they must be holy. | 6They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the LORD, gifts of food for their God. |
| 7A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. | 7“Priests may not marry a woman defiled by prostitution, and they may not marry a woman who is divorced from her husband, for the priests are set apart as holy to their God. |
| 8You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart. | 8You must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the LORD, am holy, and I make you holy. |
| 9If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire. | 9“If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father’s holiness, and she must be burned to death. |
| 10The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments. | 10“The high priest has the highest rank of all the priests. The anointing oil has been poured on his head, and he has been ordained to wear the priestly garments. He must never leave his hair uncombed or tear his clothing. |
| 11He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother. | 11He must not defile himself by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or mother. |
| 12He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD. | 12He must not defile the sanctuary of his God by leaving it to attend to a dead person, for he has been made holy by the anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD. |
| 13The woman he marries must be a virgin. | 13“The high priest may marry only a virgin. |
| 14He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, | 14He may not marry a widow, a woman who is divorced, or a woman who has defiled herself by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan, |
| 15so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.” | 15so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the LORD who makes him holy.” |
| 16Then the LORD said to Moses, | 16Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 17“Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God. | 17“Give the following instructions to Aaron: In all future generations, none of your descendants who has any defect will qualify to offer food to his God. |
| 18No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed; | 18No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, |
| 19no man who has a broken foot or hand, | 19or has a broken foot or arm, |
| 20or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle. | 20or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles. |
| 21No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God. | 21No descendant of Aaron who has a defect may approach the altar to present special gifts to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar to offer food to his God. |
| 22He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food, | 22However, he may eat from the food offered to God, including the holy offerings and the most holy offerings. |
| 23but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’ ” | 23Yet because of his physical defect, he may not enter the room behind the inner curtain or approach the altar, for this would defile my holy places. I am the LORD who makes them holy.” |
| 24Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites. | 24So Moses gave these instructions to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites. |
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