Leviticus 21 – Verses from Leviticus 21 of the book of Leviticus of the Bible.
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Say this to the priests, the sons of Aaron: A priest may not become unclean because one of his people dies,
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2 except by a close relative, such as mother or father, son or daughter, sibling,
3 or a virgin sister dependent on him because she does not yet have a husband; because of it, he may become unclean.
4 He cannot become unclean and defile himself because of relatives by marriage.
5 “The priests shall not shave their heads, nor trim the ends of their beards, nor make cuts on their bodies.
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6 They will be holy to their God, and will not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the Lord the offerings prepared in the fire, food offerings from their God, they will be holy.
7 “They may not take as a wife a prostitute, a girl who has lost her virginity, or a woman divorced from her husband, because the priest is holy to his God.
8 Consider him holy, because he offers the food of your God. Consider him holy, because I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.
9 “If the daughter of a priest corrupts herself and becomes a prostitute, she dishonors her father; will be burned with fire.
10 “The high priest, the one among his brethren on whose head the anointing oil has been poured, and who has been consecrated to wear the priestly robes, shall not be disheveled or tear his clothes in mourning.
11 You will not enter where there is a dead body. You will not become unclean, not even because of your father or your mother;
12 and he will not leave the sanctuary of his God, nor defile it, because he has been consecrated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord.
13 “The woman he takes will have to be a virgin.
14 She cannot be a widow, nor a divorcee, nor a girl who has lost her virginity, nor a prostitute, but she must be a virgin of her own people,
15 so he will not profane his descendants among his people. I am the Lord, who sanctifies it.”
16 The Lord said to Moses:
17 “Say to Aaron: Throughout your generations, none of your descendants who have any defect will be able to approach to bring food offerings to their God.
18 No man who has any defect may come near: no one who is blind or crippled, who has a blemished face or a deformed body;
19 no one who has a defective foot or hand,
20 or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any defect in his eyesight, or who has festering or oozing wounds, or who has defective testicles.
21 No descendant of the priest Aaron who has any defect may approach to present offerings prepared by fire to the Lord. It has a defect; he will not be able to approach and bring them to his God.
22 He will be able to eat the most holy food of his God, and also the holy food;
23 however, because of his defect, he will not approach the veil or the altar, lest he profane my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who sanctify you.”
24 This is what Moses told Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites.
