1 T he 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,

And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

2 e xcept for his own family, his mother, father, son, daughter and brother,

But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.

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

And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

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

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

5 T hey 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.

They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

6 T hey 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.

They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

7 T hey 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.

They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.

8 S o 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.

Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy.

9 I f 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.

And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

10 ‘ 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.

And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

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

Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

12 H e 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.

Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.

13 H e should take a wife who has never had a man before.

And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

14 H e 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.

A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

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

Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the Lord do sanctify him.

16 T hen the Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

17 “ 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.

Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.

18 F or 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,

For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

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

Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

20 o r 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.

Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

21 N o 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.

No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

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

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

23 B ut 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.’”

Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them.

24 S o Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.

And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.