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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) except for his nearest kin: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother; likewise, for a virgin sister close to him because she has had no husband, he may defile himself for her. But he shall not defile himself for those related to him by marriage and so profane himself. They shall not make bald spots upon their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or make any gashes in their flesh.(B) They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the Lord’s offerings by fire,[a] the food of their God; therefore they shall be holy.(C) They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband. For they are holy to their God,(D) and you shall treat them as holy, since they offer the food of your God; they shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, I who sanctify you, am holy. When the daughter of a priest profanes herself through prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned to death.

10 “The priest who is exalted above his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated to wear the vestments, shall not dishevel his hair nor tear his vestments.(E) 11 He shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or mother.(F) 12 He shall not go outside the sanctuary and thus profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.(G) 13 He shall marry only a woman who is a virgin.(H) 14 A widow or a divorced woman or a woman who has been defiled, a prostitute—these he shall not marry. He shall marry a virgin of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord; I sanctify him.”

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Footnotes

  1. 21.6 Or the Lord’s gifts

The Holiness of the Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make himself ceremonially unclean for a dead person among his relatives,(A) except for his immediate family: his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother. He may make himself unclean for his unmarried virgin sister in his immediate family. He is not to make himself unclean for those related to him by marriage[a] and so defile himself.

“Priests may not make bald spots on their heads, shave the edge of their beards, or make gashes on their bodies.(B) They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God.(C) For they present the food offerings to the Lord, the food of their God, and they must be holy. They are not to marry a woman defiled by prostitution.[b](D) They are not to marry one divorced(E) by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. You are to consider him holy since he presents the food of your God. He will be holy to you because I, the Lord who sets you apart, am holy. If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by promiscuity,[c](F) she defiles her father; she must be burned to death.(G)

10 “The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained[d] to wear the clothes, must not dishevel his hair[e] or tear his clothes.(H) 11 He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother.(I) 12 He must not leave the sanctuary or he will desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him;(J) I am the Lord.

13 “He is to marry a woman who is a virgin. 14 He is not to marry a widow,(K) a divorced woman,(L) or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he does not corrupt his bloodline[f] among his people, for I am the Lord who sets him apart.”

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Footnotes

  1. 21:4 Lit unclean a husband among his people
  2. 21:7 Or a prostitute, or a defiled woman
  3. 21:9 Or prostitution
  4. 21:10 Lit and one has filled his hand
  5. 21:10 Or not uncover his head
  6. 21:15 Lit not profane his seed