The Holiness of Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them:

“No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his relatives,^(A)

²⁵ They shall not defile themselves by going near a dead person; for father or mother, however, and for son or daughter and for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves.^(A)

¹⁴ “This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days.

¹¹ He shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or mother.^(A)

⁶ And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not dishevel your hair and do not tear your vestments, or you will die, and wrath will strike all the congregation; but your kindred, the whole house of Israel, may mourn the burning that the Lord has sent.^{(A) 7} You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is on you.” And they did as Moses had ordered.^(B)

⁴ Know, then, that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may hold, says the Lord of hosts.^(A)

2 And now, O priests, this command is for you.

Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah

¹⁶ Whoever in the open field touches one who has been killed by a sword or who has died naturally,^[a] or a human bone, or a grave shall be unclean seven days.^(A)

²⁸ You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.^(A)