Holiness Required of Priests 1 AKJV And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people,
2 AKJV But for his kin, that is near to him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother. BSB BSB: except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,
3 AKJV And for his sister a virgin, that is near to him, which has had no husband; for her may he be defiled. BSB BSB: or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband.
4 AKJV But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. BSB BSB: He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
5 AKJV They shall not make baldness on their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. BSB BSB: Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.
6 AKJV They shall be holy to 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. BSB BSB: They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the food offerings, the food of their God, they must be holy.
7 AKJV 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 to his God. BSB BSB: A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
8 AKJV You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your God: he shall be holy to you: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy. BSB BSB: You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart.
9 AKJV And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire. BSB BSB: If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
10 AKJV And he that is the high priest among his brothers, on 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; BSB BSB: The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments.
11 AKJV Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; BSB BSB: He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.
12 AKJV 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 on him: I am the LORD. BSB BSB: He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.
13 AKJV And he shall take a wife in her virginity. BSB BSB: The woman he marries must be a virgin.
14 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people,
15 AKJV Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him. BSB BSB: so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
Restrictions against Those with Blemishes 16 AKJV And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
17 AKJV Speak to Aaron, saying, Whoever he be of your seed in their generations that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. BSB BSB: “Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.
18 AKJV For whatever man he be that has a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that has a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, BSB BSB: No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;
19 AKJV Or a man that is broken footed, or broken handed, BSB BSB: no man who has a broken foot or hand,
20 AKJV Or hunch back, or a dwarf, or that has a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or has his stones broken; BSB BSB: or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.
21 AKJV No man that has a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come near to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he has a blemish; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. BSB BSB: No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the food offerings to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.
22 AKJV He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. BSB BSB: He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,
23 AKJV Only he shall not go in to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them. BSB BSB: but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
24 AKJV And Moses told it to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel. BSB BSB: Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.