Leviticus 21Leviticus21

King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

1. Holiness Required of Priests

2. 1KJVAnd 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:BSBBSB: 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,
3. 2KJVBut 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,BSBBSB: except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,
4. 3KJVAnd for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.BSBBSB: or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband.
5. 4KJVBut he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.BSBBSB: He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
6. 5KJVThey shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.BSBBSB: Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.
7. 6KJVThey 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.BSBBSB: 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.
8. 7KJVThey 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.BSBBSB: A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
9. 8KJVThou 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.BSBBSB: 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.
10. 9KJVAnd the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.BSBBSB: If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
11. 10KJVAnd 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;BSBBSB: 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.
12. 11KJVNeither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;BSBBSB: He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.
13. 12KJVNeither 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.BSBBSB: 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.
14. 13KJVAnd he shall take a wife in her virginity.BSBBSB: The woman he marries must be a virgin.
15. 14KJVA 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.BSBBSB: 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,
16. 15KJVNeither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.BSBBSB: so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”

17. Restrictions against Those with Blemishes

18. 16KJVAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,BSBBSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
19. 17KJVSpeak 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.BSBBSB: “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.
20. 18KJVFor 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,BSBBSB: No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;
21. 19KJVOr a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,BSBBSB: no man who has a broken foot or hand,
22. 20KJVOr crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;BSBBSB: or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.
23. 21KJVNo 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.BSBBSB: 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.
24. 22KJVHe shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.BSBBSB: He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,
25. 23KJVOnly 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.BSBBSB: 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.’”
26. 24KJVAnd Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.BSBBSB: Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.