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祭司の汚れ
1続いて、主はモーセに告げました。「縁者に不幸があった場合、遺体にさわって身を汚してはならないと祭司に命じなさい。 2-3ただし、両親、息子、娘、兄弟、同居している未婚の姉妹といった近親者の場合は例外である。 4祭司はすべての民の指導者だから、特に身をきよく保ちなさい。一般の人と同じにふるまって、身を汚してはならない。
5祭司は髪やひげをそってはならない。異教徒がするように体を傷つけてはならない。 6神の前に聖なる者となるように、神の名を冒瀆してはならない。さもないと、火で焼く食物の供え物を神にささげる資格はない。 7また、売春婦や離婚歴のある女と結婚することも許されない。祭司は神のもので、聖なる者だからだ。 8神へのいけにえをささげるために選ばれた祭司を、聖なる者としなさい。あなたがたを選び、きよい者とするわたしが聖なる者だからだ。 9祭司の娘でありながら売春婦になる者は、自分ばかりか父親のきよさまで汚すのだから、火あぶりの刑に処しなさい。
10大祭司として油を注がれ、そのための装束を身につける者は、どんなに悲しいときも、髪を乱したり衣服を引き裂いたりしてはならない。 11たとえ両親の遺体であっても、近づいてはならない。 12務めの間は聖所を離れてはならない。神聖な務めを果たす者として、神から任命されているからだ。 13-15大祭司は同族の、しかも処女を妻にしなければならない。未亡人や離婚歴のある女、売春婦と結婚してはならない。大祭司の家系に一般人の血が混じってはならない。わたしが彼を特別に選び、きよい者としたからである。」
16-17主はまた、モーセに語りました。「アロンに言いなさい。代々の子孫のうち、体に欠陥のある者は神にいけにえをささげてはならない。 18目や足の不自由な者、鼻に欠陥のある者や手足の不釣り合いな者、 19手足の折れた者、 20背中の曲がった者、小人、できものや疥癬のある者、睾丸のつぶれた者など。 21アロンの子孫のうち、以上のような体に欠陥のある者は、火で焼くいけにえを主にささげることはできない。 22ただし、いけにえのうち祭司の食物になる分は、聖なるものでも最も聖なるものでも食べてよい。 23しかし、垂れ幕や祭壇に近づいたりしてはならない。彼はわたしの聖所を汚してはならない。そこを神聖な所とするのは主だからである。」
24モーセはこれらのことをアロンとその子ら、およびイスラエルのすべての民に告げました。
Rules for priests
1The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: “A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, 2except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, 3or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband – for her he may make himself unclean. 4He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people and so defile himself.
5‘ “Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. 6They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the food offerings to the Lord, the food of their God, they are to be holy.
7‘ “They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. 8Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy – I who make you holy.
9‘ “If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.
10‘ “The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt21:10 Or not uncover his head or tear his clothes. 11He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, 12nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord.
13‘ “The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.” ’
16The Lord said to Moses, 17‘Say to Aaron: “For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.” ’
24So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
