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16 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron and say: No one of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the food of his God.(A) 18 Indeed, no one who has a blemish shall draw near, one who is blind or lame, or one who is mutilated or deformed,[a](B) 19 or one who has a broken foot or a broken hand, 20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or a man with a defect in his eyes or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.(C) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord’s offerings by fire;[b] since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the food of his God.(D) 22 He may eat the food of his God, of the most holy as well as of the holy. 23 But he shall not come near the curtain or approach the altar because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord; I sanctify them.”(E) 24 Thus Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israelites.

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Footnotes

  1. 21.18 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 21.21 Or the Lord’s gifts

Physical Defects and Priests

16 The Lord spoke to Moses: 17 “Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect(A) is to come near to present the food(B) of his God. 18 No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed; 19 no man who has a broken foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf,[a](C) or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs,(D) or a crushed testicle.(E) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to come near to present the fire offerings to the Lord. He has a defect and is not to come near to present the food of his God. 22 He may eat the food of his God from what is especially holy as well as from what is holy. 23 But because he has a defect, he must not go near the curtain(F) or approach the altar. He is not to desecrate My sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sets them apart.”(G) 24 Moses said this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:20 Or or emaciated