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) 2} except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,^(D) his son or daughter, his brother, ³ or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.^(E)

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)

¹¹ “Whoever touches a human corpse^(A) will be unclean for seven days.^{(B) 12} They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;^(C) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.^{(D) 13} If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,^(E) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.^(F) They must be cut off from Israel.^(G) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;^(H) their uncleanness remains on them.

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, ¹⁵ and every open container^(I) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

¹⁶ “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,^(J) or anyone who touches a human bone^(K) or a grave,^(L) will be unclean for seven days.^(M)

¹⁷ “For the unclean person, put some ashes^(N) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water^(O) over them. ¹⁸ Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,^(P) dip it in the water and sprinkle^(Q) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave^(R) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. ¹⁹ The man who is clean is to sprinkle^(S) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.^(T) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes^(U) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. ²⁰ But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled^(V) the sanctuary of the Lord.^(W) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.^{(X) 21} This is a lasting ordinance^(Y) for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. ²² Anything that an unclean^(Z) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”