Rules for Priests
1The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron. Tell them, ‘A priest must not make himself “unclean” by going near the dead body of any of his people. 2But he can go near the body of a close relative. It could be his mother, father, son, daughter or brother. 3He can also go near a sister who is not married. She would have depended on him because she did not have a husband. The priest can make himself “unclean” by going near her body. 4But he must not make himself “unclean” by going near the bodies of people only related to him by marriage. Going near them would make him “unclean.”
5“ ‘Priests must not shave any part of their heads. They must not shave off the edges of their beards. They must not make cuts on their bodies when someone dies. 6Priests must be holy. They must be set apart for me. I am their God. They must not treat my name as if it were not holy. They must be holy because they bring food offerings to me. That is my food.
7“ ‘They must not get married to women who are “unclean” because they are prostitutes. They must not marry women who are divorced from their husbands. That is because priests are holy. They are set apart for me. I am their God. 8Consider them as holy, because they offer up food to me. Consider them as holy, because I am holy. I am the Lord. I make you holy.
9“ ‘Suppose a priest’s daughter makes herself “unclean” by becoming a prostitute. Then she brings shame on her father. She must be burned to death.
10“ ‘The high priest is the one among his brothers whose head has been anointed with olive oil. He has been appointed to wear the priest’s clothes. When someone dies, the high priest must not let his own hair hang loose. He must not tear his clothes to show how sad he is. 11He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself “unclean,” even if his father or mother dies. 12He must not leave the sacred tent of the Lord to take part in burying a body. That would bring shame on the tent. The anointing oil has set the high priest apart. I am the Lord.
13“ ‘The woman the high priest gets married to must be a virgin. 14He must not marry a widow or a woman who is divorced. He must not marry a woman who is “unclean” because she is a prostitute. He must only marry a virgin. She must come from his own people. 15If he doesn’t marry a virgin, he makes the children he has by her “unclean.” I am the Lord. I make him holy.’ ”
16The Lord said to Moses, 17“Speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘No man in your family line with any flaws may come near to offer food to the Lord. This is true for all time to come. 18No man who has any flaws can come near. No man who is blind or disabled can come. No man whose body is scarred or twisted can come. 19No man whose foot or hand is disabled can come. 20No man whose back is bent can come. No man who is too short can come. No man who has anything wrong with his eyes can come. No man who has boils or running sores can come. No man whose sex glands are crushed can come. 21No man with any flaws who is in the family line of Aaron the priest may come near me. He can’t come to bring the food offerings to the Lord. If he has any flaws, he must not come near to offer food to the Lord. 22He can eat the holy food. He can also eat my very holy food. 23But because he has a flaw, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar. If he does, he will make my sacred tent “unclean.” I am the Lord. I make everything holy.’ ”
24So Moses told all these things to Aaron and his sons. He also told them to all the Israelites.
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.
