Leviticus 21:1-15
Evangelical Heritage Version
Protecting the Holiness of the Priests
21 The Lord told Moses to speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and tell them this:
No one shall make himself unclean for a dead person among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives. He may do it for his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, or his brother, 3 and also for his virgin sister, who is close to him because she does not have a husband—for her he may make himself unclean. 4 But he shall not make himself unclean for his relatives by marriage and so defile himself.
5 The priests shall not cut a bald patch on to their heads or cut off the edges of their beards or gash their bodies. 6 They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not defile the name of their God. Because they present offerings made by fire,[a] the food of their God, they are to be set apart as holy.
7 They shall not marry a woman who has been a prostitute or is defiled. Neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for each priest is holy to his God. 8 So you shall treat him as holy. Since he presents the food of your God, he shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sets you apart as holy, am holy.
9 When the daughter of a man who is a priest defiles herself through prostitution, she is defiling her father. She shall be burned in fire.
10 The high priest, who is greater than his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been ordained to wear the holy garments, shall not dishevel his hair nor tear his garments. 11 He shall not enter any place where there is a dead person. He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother. 12 He shall not leave the sanctuary, so that he will not defile the sanctuary of his God, for the mark of consecration with the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am the Lord.
13 The high priest shall marry a woman who is a virgin. 14 A widow or a divorcée or a woman defiled because of prostitution—these he shall not marry. Instead, he shall take a virgin from his own people as a wife, 15 so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord, who sets him apart as holy.
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- Leviticus 21:6 Or food offerings. Here the Hebrew text has an additional word that specifies that this is a food offering.
Leviticus 21:1-15
Lexham English Bible
Regulations Concerning Priests
21 Then[a] Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and say to them, ‘One must not make himself unclean for a dead person among his own people, 2 except for his direct relative closest to him: his mother and his father, and his son and his daughter, and his brother, 3 and for his sister, a virgin, who is closest to him, who has not had a husband[b]—for her he may defile himself. 4 He must not make himself unclean as a kinsman by marriage,[c] defiling himself.
5 “‘And they shall not shave bald patches on their head, and they shall not shave off the corner of their beard, and they shall not make a cut in their body. 6 They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God, because they are bringing near the offerings made by fire to[d] Yahweh—their God’s food—and they shall be holy.
7 “‘They shall not marry[e] a woman who is a prostitute and defiled, nor shall they marry[f] a woman divorced from her husband, because each priest[g] is holy for his God. 8 And you shall consecrate him, because he is bringing near your God’s food; he shall be holy to you, since I, Yahweh, who consecrates you, am holy.
9 “‘As for[h] the daughter of any priest, if she is defiled by prostituting, she is disgracing her father—she shall be burned in the fire.
10 “‘As for[i] the priest who is higher than his brothers, on whose head the oil of anointment is poured and he was ordained[j] to wear the garments, he shall not dishevel his head, and he shall not tear his garments. 11 And he shall not go near any dead person, nor shall he make himself unclean for his father or[k] for his mother. 12 And he shall not go out from the sanctuary, and he shall not profane his God’s sanctuary, because the dedication of his God’s oil of anointment is on him; I am Yahweh.
13 “‘And he himself must take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow or[l] a divorced woman or[m] a defiled woman, a prostitute—these he must not take; he shall take only[n] a virgin from his people as wife. 15 And he shall not profane his offspring among his people, because I am Yahweh, who consecrates him.’”
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- Leviticus 21:1 Or “And”
- Leviticus 21:3 Literally “who is not for a man/husband”
- Leviticus 21:4 Literally “a husband among his people”
- Leviticus 21:6 Hebrew “of”
- Leviticus 21:7 Literally “take”
- Leviticus 21:7 Literally “take”
- Leviticus 21:7 Hebrew “he”; singular antecedent specified from the context
- Leviticus 21:9 Or “And”
- Leviticus 21:10 Or “And”
- Leviticus 21:10 Literally “he has filled up his hand”
- Leviticus 21:11 Or “and”
- Leviticus 21:14 Or “and”
- Leviticus 21:14 Or “and”
- Leviticus 21:14 Or “instead”
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