Leviticus 21 Parallel Bible Translations

Leviticus 21 ▼
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1 The LORD said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. “A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean by touching the dead body of a relative. And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, The 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,
2 The only exceptions are his closest relatives—his mother or father, son or daughter, brother, except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother,
3 or his virgin sister who depends on him because she has no husband. or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.
4 But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean for someone who is related to him only by marriage. He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself.
5 “The priests must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies. They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. “’Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.
6 They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the LORD, gifts of food for their God. They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the LORD’s food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. They 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 “Priests may not marry a woman defiled by prostitution, and they may not marry a woman who is divorced from her husband, for the priests are set apart as holy to their God. They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. “’They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.
8 You must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the LORD, am holy, and I make you holy. You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. Regard 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 also defiles her father’s holiness, and she must be burned to death. And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire. “’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 has the highest rank of all the priests. The anointing oil has been poured on his head, and he has been ordained to wear the priestly garments. He must never leave his hair uncombed or tear his clothing. “The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. “’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 unkempt or tear his clothes.
11 He must not defile himself by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or mother. He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother,
12 He must not defile the sanctuary of his God by leaving it to attend to a dead person, for he has been made holy by the anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD. He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the LORD. nor 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 high priest may marry only a virgin. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. “’The woman he marries must be a virgin.
14 He may not marry a widow, a woman who is divorced, or a woman who has defiled herself by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan, A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people, He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people,
15 so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the LORD who makes him holy.” that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.” so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.’”
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, The LORD said to Moses,
17 “Give the following instructions to Aaron: In all future generations, none of your descendants who has any defect will qualify to offer food to his God. “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. “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.
18 No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;
19 or has a broken foot or arm, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, no man with a crippled foot or hand,
20 or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles. or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.
21 No descendant of Aaron who has a defect may approach the altar to present special gifts to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar to offer food to his God. No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. No 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.
22 However, he may eat from the food offered to God, including the holy offerings and the most holy offerings. He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food;
23 Yet because of his physical defect, he may not enter the room behind the inner curtain or approach the altar, for this would defile my holy places. I am the LORD who makes them holy.” but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” yet 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.’”
24 So Moses gave these instructions to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites. So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel. So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
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