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Leviticus 21
1599 Geneva Bible
Leviticus 21
1599 Geneva Bible
21 2 For whom the Priests may lament. 6 How pure the Priests ought to be, both in themselves, and in their family.
1 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,
2 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,
3 Or by his sister a [b]maid, that is near unto him, which had not had an husband: for her [c]he may lament.
4 He shall not lament for the [d]Prince among his people, to pollute himself.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 ¶ 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
- Leviticus 21:1 By touching the dead, lamenting, or being at their burial.
- Leviticus 21:3 For being married she seemed to be cut off from his family.
- Leviticus 21:3 Hebrew, he may be defiled.
- Leviticus 21:4 The Priest was permitted to mourn for his next kindred only.
- Leviticus 21:7 Which hath an evil name or is defamed.
- Leviticus 21:8 Thou shalt count them holy and reverence them.
- Leviticus 21:8 The showbread.
- Leviticus 21:10 He shall use no such ceremonies as the mourners observed.
- Leviticus 21:11 Or, to the houses of the dead.
- Leviticus 21:12 To go to the dead.
- 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.
- Leviticus 21:14 Not only of his tribe, but of all Israel.
- Leviticus 21:15 By marrying any unchaste or defamed woman.
- Leviticus 21:18 Which is deformed or bruised.
- Leviticus 21:18 As not of equal proportion, or having in number more or less.
- Leviticus 21:20 Or that hath a web or pearl.
- Leviticus 21:21 As the showbread, and meat offerings.
- Leviticus 21:22 As of sacrifice for sin.
- Leviticus 21:22 As of the tenths and firstfruits.
- Leviticus 21:23 Into the Sanctuary.
Leviticus 21
New International Version
Leviticus 21
New International Version
Rules for Priests
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,(A) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean(B) for any of his people who die,(C) 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,(D) his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.(E) 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.
5 “‘Priests must not shave(F) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards(G) or cut their bodies.(H) 6 They must be holy to their God(I) and must not profane the name of their God.(J) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,(K) the food of their God,(L) they are to be holy.(M)
7 “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,(N) because priests are holy to their God.(O) 8 Regard them as holy,(P) because they offer up the food of your God.(Q) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.(R)
9 “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.(S)
10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head(T) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,(U) must not let his hair become unkempt[b] or tear his clothes.(V) 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.(W) He must not make himself unclean,(X) even for his father or mother,(Y) 12 nor leave the sanctuary(Z) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil(AA) of his God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.(AB) 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect(AC) may come near to offer the food of his God.(AD) 18 No man who has any defect(AE) may come near: no man who is blind(AF) or lame,(AG) disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.(AH) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect(AI) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.(AJ) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.(AK) 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God,(AL) as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect,(AM) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.(AN) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(AO)’”
24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people
- Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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