Leviticus 21 NKJV NIV Parallel

◄ Leviticus 21 ►

NKJV Parallel NIV [BSB CSB ESV HCS KJV ISV NAS NET NIV NLT HEB]

New King James Version

New International Version

1And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people,

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,

2except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother;

2except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother,

3also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.

3or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband--for her he may make himself unclean.

4Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

4He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself.

5‘They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

5"'Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.

6They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

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.

7They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.

7"'They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.

8Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy.

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.

9The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

9"'If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.

10‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes;

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.

11nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;

11He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother,

12nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

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.

13And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

13"'The woman he marries must be a virgin.

14A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.

14He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people,

15Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the LORD sanctify him.’ ”

15so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.'"

16And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

16The LORD said to Moses,

17“Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God.

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.

18For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long,

18No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;

19a man who has a broken foot or broken hand,

19no man with a crippled foot or hand,

20or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.

20or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.

21No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

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.

22He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy;

22He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food;

23only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the LORD sanctify them.’ ”

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.'"

24And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

24So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

New International Version (NIV)

Bible Hub