Leviticus 21
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1The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: 'A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die,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 a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother,2The only exceptions are his closest relatives—his mother or father, son or daughter, brother,
3or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband--for her he may make himself unclean.3or his virgin sister who depends on him because she has no husband.
4He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself.4But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean for someone who is related to him only by marriage.
5"'Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut 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 must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the food offerings to the LORD, the food of their God, they are to 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.
7"'They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their 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.
8Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy--I who make you holy.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.
9"'If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces 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.
10"'The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes.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 enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, 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.
12nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. 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.
13"'The woman he marries must be a virgin.13“The high priest may marry only a virgin.
14He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only 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 will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.'"15so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the LORD who makes him holy.”
16The 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 defect may come near 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 come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;18No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed,
19no man with a crippled foot or hand,19or has a broken foot or arm,
20or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.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 any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the LORD. He has a defect; he must not 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.
23yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.'"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.”
24So Moses 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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Leviticus 20
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