16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect(A) may come near to offer the food of his God.(B) 18 No man who has any defect(C) may come near: no man who is blind(D) or lame,(E) disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.(F) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect(G) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.(H) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.(I) 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God,(J) as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect,(K) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.(L) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(M)’”

24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

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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.