On Physical Defects

¹⁶ The Lord told Moses, ¹⁷ “Tell Aaron that whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect is not to approach to offer the food of his God. ¹⁸ Indeed, any person who has a defect is not to approach the Tent of Meeting—^[a] the blind, the lame, one who is mutilated in the face or who has a very long limb, ¹⁹ or a person who has a fractured foot or hand, ²⁰ has scoliosis,^[b] is a dwarf, or has an eye defect, an itching disease, scabs, or a crushed testicle. ²¹ None of the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to approach to bring offerings of the Lord made by fire, since he has a defect. He is not to approach to offer the food of his God. ²² However, he may eat the food of his God, including the most holy and the holy offerings, ²³ but he is not to enter through the curtain nor approach the altar, since he has a defect. That way, he won’t defile my sanctuary, since I am the Lord, who sets you apart.”

²⁴ Moses told all of this^[c] to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the Israelis.