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)

²⁵ “‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.^(A)

¹⁴ “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days,

¹¹ He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.^(A) He must not make himself unclean,^(B) even for his father or mother,^(C)

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,^(A) “Do not let your hair become unkempt^[a](B) and do not tear your clothes,^(C) or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community.^(D) But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn^(E) for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. ⁷ Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting^(F) or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil^(G) is on you.” So they did as Moses said.