Holiness Required of Priests 1 RV And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none defile himself 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 RV except for his kin, that is near unto him, 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 RV and for his sister a virgin, that is near unto him, which hath had no husband, for her may he defile himself. BSB BSB: or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband.
4 RV 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 RV 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. 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 RV They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, 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 RV They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto 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 RV 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. 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 RV And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth 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 RV And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, 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 RV 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 RV 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. 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 RV And he shall take a wife in her virginity. BSB BSB: The woman he marries must be a virgin.
14 RV A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, an harlot, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take 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 RV And he shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am the LORD which 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 RV And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
17 RV Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed throughout their generations that hath a 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 RV 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, BSB BSB: No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;
19 RV or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, BSB BSB: no man who has a broken foot or hand,
20 RV or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or is scurvy, or scabbed, or hath 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 RV no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a blemish, 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. 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 RV 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 RV Only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I am the LORD which 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 RV So Moses spake unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel. BSB BSB: Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.