16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘None of your [a]descendants throughout their generations who has an impairment shall approach to offer the (A)food of his God. 18 (B)For no one who has an impairment shall approach: a man who is blind, or one who limps, or one who has a (C)slit nose, or one with any conspicuous feature, 19 or someone who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 or a contorted back, or one who is a dwarf, or has a spot in his eye, or a festering rash or scabs, or (D)crushed testicles. 21 No man among the [b]descendants of Aaron the priest who has an impairment is to come forward to offer the Lords offerings by fire; since he has an impairment, he shall not come forward to offer (E)the food of his God. 22 He may eat (F)the food of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy, 23 only he shall not come up to the veil or approach the altar, since he has an impairment, so that he does not profane My sanctuaries. For I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:17 Lit seed
  2. Leviticus 21:21 Lit seed

16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 Say to Aaron: None of your future descendants who have some kind of imperfection are allowed to offer their God’s food. 18 No one who has an imperfection will be allowed to make an offering: this includes anyone who is blind, crippled, disfigured, or deformed; 19 anyone who has a broken foot or hand; 20 anyone who is a hunchback or too small; anyone who has an eye disease, a rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.[a] 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has an imperfection will be allowed to offer the Lord’s food gifts; since he has an imperfection, he will not be allowed to offer his God’s food. 22 He may, of course, eat of his God’s most holy or holy food, 23 but since he has an imperfection, he cannot enter toward the inner curtain or officiate at the altar, making these parts of my sanctuary impure by doing so. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.

24 This is what Moses said to Aaron, his sons, and to all the Israelites.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:20 The meaning of several words in 21:18-20 is uncertain.