Leviticus 21

Rules for the Priests

1 The Lord said to Moses: “Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron – say to them, ‘For a dead persont no priestt is to defile himself among his people,s2 except for his close relative who is near to him:t his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,3 and his virgin sister who is near to him,t who has no husband; he may defile himself for her.4 He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself.t

5 Priestst must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body.t
6 “‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profanes the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord’s gifts,s the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy.s7 They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution,t nor are they to take a wife divorced from her husband,s for the priestt is holy to his God.t8 You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be holy to you because I, the Lord who sanctifies you all,t am holy.

9 If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.t

Rules for the High Priest

10 “‘The hight priest – who is greater than his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, who has been ordainedt to wear the priestly garments – must neither dishevel the hair of his head nor tear his garments.t11 He must not go where there is any dead person;s he must not defile himself even for his father and his mother.12 He must not go out from the sanctuary and must not profanes the sanctuary of his God, because the dedication of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord.13 He must take a wife who is a virgin.t14 He must not marryt a widow, a divorced woman, or one profaned by prostitution; he may only take a virgin from his peoples as a wife.

15 He must not profane his children among his people,s for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’”

Rules for the Priesthood

16 The Lord spoke to Moses:17 “Tell Aaron, ‘No man from your descendants throughout their generationst who has a physical flawt is to approach to present the food of his God.18 Certainlyt no man who has a physical flaw is to approach: a blind man, or one who is lame, or one with a slit nose,t or a limb too long,19 or a man who has had a broken leg or arm,t20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf,t or one with a spot in his eye,t or a festering eruption, or a feverish rash,t or a crushed testicle.21 No man from the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a physical flaw may step forwardt to present the Lord’s gifts; he has a physical flaw, so he must not step forward to present the food of his God.22 He may eat both the most holy and the holy food of his God,

23 but he must not go into the veil-canopys or step forward to the altar because he has a physical flaw. Thust he must not profane my holy places, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

24 Sot Moses spoke these thingst to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites.

LEVITICUS 21

Instructions for Priests

1 The [Lord] gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests:
Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So don't go near a dead relative, 2 except your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, 3 or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her. 4 Don't make yourself unclean by attending the funeral of someone related to you by marriage.t 5 t Don't shave any part of your head or trim your beard or cut yourself to show that you are mourning. 6 I am the [Lord] your God, and I have chosen you alone to offer sacrifices of food to me on the altar. That's why you must keep yourselves holy. 7 Don't marry a divorced woman or a woman who has served as a temple prostitute. You are holy,

8 because I am holy. And so, you must be treated with proper respect, since you offer food sacrifices to me, the God of holiness.

9 If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.
10 If you are the high priest, you must not mess up your hair or tear your clothes in order to mourn for the dead. 11 Don't make yourself unclean by going near a dead body, not even that of your own father or mother.

12 If you leave the sacred place to attend a funeral, both you and the sacred place become unclean, because you are the high priest.
13 If you are the high priest, you must marry only a virgin 14 from your own tribe. Don't marry a divorced woman or any other woman who has already had sex, including a temple prostitute.

15 In this way, your descendants will be qualified to serve me. Remember—I am the [Lord], and I have chosen you.
16 The [Lord] told Moses

17-18 to say to Aaron:
No descendant of yours can ever serve as my priest if he is blind or lame, if his face is disfigured, if one leg is shorter than the other, 19 if either a foot or a hand is paralyzed, 20 if he is a hunchback or a dwarf, if an eye or his skin is diseased, or if his testicles have been damaged. 21 These men may not serve as my priests and burn sacrifices to me. 22 They may eat the food offerings presented to me,

23 but they may not enter the sacred place or serve me at the altar. Remember—I am the [Lord], the one who makes a priest holy.
24 Moses told all of this to Aaron, his sons, and the people of Israel.