Leviticus
Chapter 21
1 God told Moses, “Tell Aaron’s priest sons, they must not make themselves unclean for a dead person among their community.”
2 But for his close family, for his mother, father, son, daughter, and brother.
3 He can become unclean for his sister if she has never been married and is close to him.
4 He must not make himself unclean, as a leader among his people, and dishonor himself.
5 They must not shave their heads, trim the edges of their beards, or cut their skin.
6 They must be holy for their God, and not disrespect their God’s name: because they present offerings made with fire and food to their God, they must be holy.
7 They must not marry a woman who sells her body or is not respected; they should not marry a woman who has been divorced, because he is holy to his God.
8 You must make him holy, because he presents the food of your God; he must be sacred to you, for I, who make you holy, am holy.
9 If a priest’s daughter dishonors herself by becoming a prostitute, she dishonors her father and must be burned to death.
10 The chief priest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and is dedicated to wear the special clothes, must not let his hair be loose or tear his clothes.
11 He must not touch any dead person or make himself unclean, even for his father or mother.
12 He must not leave the holy place or make it unclean, because he wears the anointing oil from God. I am God.
13 He must marry a woman who is a virgin.
14 He must not marry a widow, divorced woman, someone unholy, or a prostitute. Instead, he must marry a virgin from his own community.
15 He must not dishonor his children among his people, for I, God, make him holy.
16 God spoke to Moses, saying,
17 Tell Aaron that anyone from his descendants who has a flaw cannot come near to offer food to God.
18 Anyone with a defect must not come near: a blind person, someone who can’t walk, anyone with a disfigured face, or any deformity.
19 Or a man with a broken foot or broken hand.
20 Or curved spine, or a short person, or one with a flawed eye, or with skin disease, or with sores, or with injured testicles;
21 A man from Aaron the priest’s family with any defect must not come near to offering God’s fire sacrifices; he has a defect and cannot offer food to his God.
22 He may eat his God’s bread, from both the very holy and the holy parts.
23 He must not enter behind the curtain or approach the altar, because he has a flaw; he must not make my holy places impure, for I, God, make them holy.
24 Moses told Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites.