Instructions for Priests
1 The Lord gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests:
Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So don't go near a dead relative, 2 except your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, 3 or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her. 4 Don't make yourself unclean by attending the funeral of someone related to you by marriage. 5 Don't shave any part of your head or trim your beard or cut yourself to show that you are mourning. 6 I am the Lord your God, and I have chosen you alone to offer sacrifices of food to me on the altar. That's why you must keep yourselves holy. 7 Don't marry a divorced woman or a woman who has served as a temple prostitute. You are holy, 8 because I am holy. And so, you must be treated with proper respect, since you offer food sacrifices to me, the God of holiness.
9 If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.
10 If you are the high priest, you must not mess up your hair or tear your clothes in order to mourn for the dead. 11 Don't make yourself unclean by going near a dead body, not even that of your own father or mother. 12 If you leave the sacred place to attend a funeral, both you and the sacred place become unclean, because you are the high priest.
13 If you are the high priest, you must marry only a virgin 14 from your own tribe. Don't marry a divorced woman or any other woman who has already had sex, including a temple prostitute. 15 In this way, your descendants will be qualified to serve me. Remember—I am the Lord, and I have chosen you.
16 The Lord told Moses 17-18 to say to Aaron:
No descendant of yours can ever serve as my priest if he is blind or lame, if his face is disfigured, if one leg is shorter than the other, 19 if either a foot or a hand is paralyzed, 20 if he is a hunchback or a dwarf, if an eye or his skin is diseased, or if his testicles have been damaged. 21 These men may not serve as my priests and burn sacrifices to me. 22 They may eat the food offerings presented to me, 23 but they may not enter the sacred place or serve me at the altar. Remember—I am the Lord, the one who makes a priest holy.
24 Moses told all of this to Aaron, his sons, and the people of Israel.
1 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Speake vnto the Priestes the sonnes of Aaron, and say vnto them, Let none be defiled by the dead among his people, 2 But by his kinseman that is neere vnto him: to wit, by his mother, or by his father, or by his sonne, or by his daughter, or by his brother, 3 Or by his sister a maid, that is neere vnto him, which hath not had a husband: for her he may lament. 4 He shall not lament for the Prince among his people, to pollute him selfe. 5 They shall not make balde partes vpon their head, nor shaue off the locks of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not pollute the name of their God: for the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God they doe offer: therefore they shalbe holie. 7 They shall not take to wife an whore, or one polluted, neither shall they marrie a woman diuorced from her husband: for such one is holy vnto his God. 8 Thou shalt sanctifie him therefore, for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy vnto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctifie you, am holy. 9 If a Priestes daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father: therefore shall she be burnt with fire. 10 Also ye hie Priest among his brethren, (vpon whose head the anointing oyle was powred, and hath consecrated his hand to put on the garments) shall not vncouer his head, nor rent his clothes, 11 Neither shall he goe to any dead bodie, nor make him selfe vncleane by his father or by his mother, 12 Neither shall he goe out of the Sanctuarie, nor pollute the holy place of his God: for the crowne of the anoynting oyle of his God is vpon him: I am the Lord. 13 Also he shall take a maide vnto his wife: 14 But a widowe, or a diuorced woman, or a polluted, or an harlot, these shall he not marrie, but shall take a maide of his owne people to wife: 15 Neyther shall he defile his seede among his people: for I am the Lord which sanctifie him. 16 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 17 Speake vnto Aaron, and say, Whosoeuer of thy seede in their generations hath any blemishes, shall not prease to offer the bread of his God: 18 For whosoeuer hath any blemish, shall not come neere: as a man blinde or lame, or that hath a flat nose, or that hath any misshapen member, 19 Or a man that hath a broken foote, or a broken hande, 20 Or is crooke backt, or bleare eyed, or hath a blemish in his eye, or be skiruie, or skabbed, or haue his stones broken. 21 None of the seede of Aaron the Priest that hath a blemish, shall come neere to offer the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire, hauing a blemish: he shall not prease to offer the bread of his God. 22 The bread of his God, euen of the most holie, and of the holy shall he eate: 23 But he shall not goe in vnto the vaile, nor come neere the altar, because hee hath a blemish, least he pollute my Sanctuaries: for I am the Lord that sanctifie them. 24 Thus spake Moses vnto Aaron, and to his sonnes, and to all the children of Israel.