1 A nd the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people,

The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, ‘No one should make himself unclean for a dead person among his people,

2 e xcept for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother;

except for his own family, his mother, father, son, daughter and brother,

3 a lso his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.

or his young sister who is near to him because she has had no husband. For her he may make himself unclean.

4 O therwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

He should not make himself unclean as a husband among his people, and so make himself sinful.

5 ‘ They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

They should not cut all the hair from any part on their heads, or cut part of the hair off their face, or make cuts in their flesh.

6 T hey shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

They should be holy to their God and not put the name of their God to shame. For they give the gifts by fire to the Lord, the bread of their God. So they must be holy.

7 T hey shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.

They should not take a woman who is unclean because of selling the use of her body. They should not take a woman who is divorced from her husband. For the religious leader is holy to his God.

8 T herefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.

So you must set him apart, for he gives the bread of your God. He will be holy to you. For I, the Lord Who sets you apart, am holy.

9 T he daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

If the daughter of any religious leader makes herself sinful by selling the use of her body, she puts her father to shame. She will be burned with fire.

10 ‘ He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes;

‘The head religious leader on whose head the holy oil has been poured, and who has been set apart to wear the clothing, must not take the covering off his head or tear his clothes.

11 n or shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;

He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother.

12 n or shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.

He must not go out of the holy place or sin against the holy place of his God. For the crown of the holy oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord.

13 A nd he shall take a wife in her virginity.

He should take a wife who has never had a man before.

14 A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.

He should not marry a woman whose husband has died, or a divorced woman, or one who has made herself sinful by selling the use of her body. But he should marry a woman from his own people, who has never had a man.

15 N or shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’”

By doing this he will not sin against his children among his people. For I am the Lord Who makes him holy.’”

16 A nd the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

17 “ Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God.

“Say to Aaron, ‘None of your children or their children who has something wrong with his body should go near to give the bread as a gift to his God.

18 F or any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long,

For no one whose body is not perfect should come near, no blind man, or man who cannot walk, or one with a marked face, or a bad arm or leg,

19 a man who has a broken foot or broken hand,

or a man who has a broken foot or hand,

20 o r is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.

or a man with a crooked upper back from birth, or a very little man, or one who has a bad eye or skin trouble or sores, or one whose sex parts have been crushed.

21 N o man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

No man among the children of Aaron the religious leader, who has something wrong with his body, should come near to give the Lord’s gifts by fire. He should not come near to give the bread of his God, because he has something wrong with him.

22 H e may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy;

He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy.

23 o nly he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.’”

But he should not come near the curtain or the altar, because he has something wrong with him, and so he may not sin against My holy places. For I am the Lord Who makes them holy.’”

24 A nd Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.