Holiness and the Priests

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, (A)No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. (B)They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. They shall be holy to their God and (C)not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food offerings, (D)the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. (E)They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman (F)divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for (G)I, the Lord, who sanctify you, (H)am holy. And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; (I)she shall be burned with fire.

10 (J)“The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, (K)shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. 11 He shall not (L)go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. 12 (M)He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he (N)profane the sanctuary of his God, for the (O)consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the Lord. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.[a] 14 A widow, (P)or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin[b] of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for (Q)I am the Lord who sanctifies him.”

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may (R)approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man (S)blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face (T)or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a (U)defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or (V)crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to (W)offer the Lord's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of (X)the most holy and of the (Y)holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not (Z)profane my sanctuaries,[c] (AA)for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:13 Or a young wife
  2. Leviticus 21:14 Hebrew young woman
  3. Leviticus 21:23 Or my holy precincts

I Will Bless the Lord

Of David.

26 (A)Vindicate me, O Lord,
    for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
    and I have (C)trusted in the Lord without wavering.
(D)Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and (E)my mind.[a]
For your (F)steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I (G)walk in your (H)faithfulness.

I do not (I)sit with men of (J)falsehood,
    nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
    and I will not sit with the wicked.

I (L)wash my hands in innocence
    and go around your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
    and telling all your (M)wondrous deeds.

O Lord, I (N)love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells.
(O)Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
    nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of (P)bribes.

11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on (Q)level ground;
    in (R)the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

27 The Lord is my (S)light and my (T)salvation;
    (U)whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[b] of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to (V)eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
    it is they who stumble and fall.

(W)Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
    yet[c] I will be confident.

(X)One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may (Y)dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon (Z)the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire[d] in his temple.

For he will (AA)hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will (AB)lift me high upon a rock.

And now my (AC)head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of (AD)joy;
(AE)I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

(AF)Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, (AG)“Seek[e] my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”[f]
    (AH)Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    (AI)O God of my salvation!
10 For (AJ)my father and my mother have forsaken me,
    but the Lord will (AK)take me in.

11 (AL)Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on (AM)a level path
    because of my enemies.
12 (AN)Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
    for (AO)false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they (AP)breathe out violence.

13 I believe that I shall look[g] upon (AQ)the goodness of the Lord
    in (AR)the land of the living!
14 (AS)Wait for the Lord;
    (AT)be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 26:2 Hebrew test my kidneys and my heart
  2. Psalm 27:1 Or refuge
  3. Psalm 27:3 Or in this
  4. Psalm 27:4 Or meditate
  5. Psalm 27:8 The command (seek) is addressed to more than one person
  6. Psalm 27:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
  7. Psalm 27:13 Other Hebrew manuscripts Oh! Had I not believed that I would look

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