21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.

And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

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

They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.

Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy.

And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.

13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the Lord do sanctify him.

16 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.

18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.

23 Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them.

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

21 2 For whom the Priests may lament. 6 How pure the Priests ought to be, both in themselves, and in their family.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the Priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, Let none be [a]defiled by the dead among his people,

But by his kinsman that is near unto him: to wit, by his mother, or by his father, or by his son, or by his daughter, or by his brother,

Or by his sister a [b]maid, that is near unto him, which had not had an husband: for her [c]he may lament.

He shall not lament for the [d]Prince among his people, to pollute himself.

They shall not make (A)bald parts upon their head, nor shave off the locks of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

They shall be holy unto their God, and not pollute the Name of their God: for the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

They shall not take to wife an whore, or [e]one polluted, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband: for such one is holy unto his God.

Thou shalt [f]sanctify him therefore, for he offereth the [g]bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord which sanctify you, am holy.

¶ If a Priest’s daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father: therefore shall she be burnt with fire.

10 ¶ Also the high Priest among his brethren, (upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and hath consecrated his hand to put on the garments) shall not [h]uncover his head nor rent his clothes.

11 Neither shall he go to any [i]dead body, nor make himself unclean by his father or by his mother,

12 Neither shall he go out of the [j]Sanctuary, nor pollute the holy place of his God: for the [k]crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.

13 Also he shall take a maid unto his wife:

14 But a widow, or a divorced woman, or a polluted, or an harlot, these shall he not marry, but shall take a maid of his own [l]people to wife:

15 Neither shall he defile his [m]seed among his people: for I am the Lord which sanctify him.

16 ¶ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

17 Speak unto Aaron, and say, Whosoever of thy seed in their generations hath any blemishes, shall not prease to offer the bread of his God:

18 For whosoever hath any blemish, shall not come near: as a man blind or lame, or that hath [n]a flat nose, or that hath any [o]misshapen member,

19 Or, a man that hath a broken foot, or a broken hand,

20 Or, is crookbacked, or bleary-eyed, [p]or hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken.

21 None of the seed of Aaron the Priest that hath a blemish, shall come near to offer the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire, having a blemish: he shall not prease to offer the [q]bread of his God.

22 The bread of his God, even of the [r]most holy, and [s]of the holy shall he eat:

23 But he shall not go in unto the [t]veil, nor come near the altar, because he hath a blemish, lest he pollute my Sanctuaries: for I am the Lord that sanctify them.

24 Thus spake Moses unto Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:1 By touching the dead, lamenting, or being at their burial.
  2. Leviticus 21:3 For being married she seemed to be cut off from his family.
  3. Leviticus 21:3 Hebrew, he may be defiled.
  4. Leviticus 21:4 The Priest was permitted to mourn for his next kindred only.
  5. Leviticus 21:7 Which hath an evil name or is defamed.
  6. Leviticus 21:8 Thou shalt count them holy and reverence them.
  7. Leviticus 21:8 The showbread.
  8. Leviticus 21:10 He shall use no such ceremonies as the mourners observed.
  9. Leviticus 21:11 Or, to the houses of the dead.
  10. Leviticus 21:12 To go to the dead.
  11. Leviticus 21:12 For by his anointing he was preferred to the other Priests and therefore could not lament the dead, lest he should have polluted his holy anointing.
  12. Leviticus 21:14 Not only of his tribe, but of all Israel.
  13. Leviticus 21:15 By marrying any unchaste or defamed woman.
  14. Leviticus 21:18 Which is deformed or bruised.
  15. Leviticus 21:18 As not of equal proportion, or having in number more or less.
  16. Leviticus 21:20 Or that hath a web or pearl.
  17. Leviticus 21:21 As the showbread, and meat offerings.
  18. Leviticus 21:22 As of sacrifice for sin.
  19. Leviticus 21:22 As of the tenths and firstfruits.
  20. Leviticus 21:23 Into the Sanctuary.