Leviticus 21

New King James Version

Regulations for Conduct of Priests^(A)

21 And theLordsaid to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them:^(B)‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people,² except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother;³ also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.⁴ Otherwisehe shall not defile himself,beinga^[a]chief man among his people, to profane himself.

^5 (C)‘They shall not make any baldplaceon their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh.⁶ They shall be^(D)holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of theLordmade by fire,andthe^(E)bread of their God;^(F)therefore they shall be holy.^7 (G)They shall not take a wifewho isa harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman^(H)divorced from her husband; for^[b]the priestis holy to his God.⁸ Therefore you shall^[c]consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for^(I)I theLord, who^(J)sanctify you,amholy.⁹ The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be^(K)burned with fire.

¹⁰ ‘He who isthe high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was^(L)poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not^(M)uncover^[d]his head nor tear his clothes;¹¹ nor shall he go^(N)near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;^12 (O)nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the^(P)consecration of the anointing oil of his Godisupon him: IamtheLord.¹³ And he shall take a wife in her virginity.¹⁴ A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled womanora harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.¹⁵ Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I theLordsanctify him.’ ”

¹⁶ And theLordspoke to Moses, saying,¹⁷ “Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants insucceedinggenerations, who hasanydefect, may approach to offer the bread of his God.¹⁸ For any man who has a^(Q)defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marredfaceor anylimb^(R)too long,¹⁹ a man who has a broken foot or broken hand,²⁰ or is a hunchback or a dwarf, ora manwho has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.²¹ No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to theLord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.²² He may eat the bread of his God,boththe most holy and the holy;²³ only he shall not go near the^(S)veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest^(T)he profane My sanctuaries; for I theLordsanctify them.’ ”

²⁴ And Moses tolditto Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.