Laws Governing Priests
10And the Levites that are gone away far from Me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from Me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.
11Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burned offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.
12Because they ministered to them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up My hand against them, says the Lord God, and they shall bear their iniquity.
13And they shall not come near to Me, to do the office of a priest to Me, nor to come near to any of My holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
14But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all that service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
15But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister to Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer to me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God:
16They shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.
17And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
18They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causes sweat.
19And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
20Neither shall they shave their heads, nor permit their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads. trim
21Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
22Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. divorced; offspring
23And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. common
24And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to My judgments: and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My assemblies; and they shall hallow My sabbaths. keep holy
25And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that has had no husband, they may defile themselves. go to
26And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon to him seven days.
27And in the day that he goes into the sanctuary, to the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, says the Lord God.
28And it shall be to them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and youp shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
29They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. food
30And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every oblation of all, of every sort of yourp oblations, shall be the priest’s: youp shall also give to the priest the first of yourp dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in your house. best; offerings, sacrifices
31The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.