How Priests Must Behave

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell these things to Aaron’s sons, the priests: ‘A priest must not make himself unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] ·by touching a dead person [^Lfor a death among his people/relatives]. ² ·But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he may touch him [^L…except for a close relative]. The priest may make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, son or daughter, brother or ³ ·unmarried [^Lvirgin] sister who is close to him because she has no husband. The priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies. ⁴ But a priest must not make himself unclean ·if the dead person was only related to him by marriage [^Las a husband among his people].

⁵ “‘Priests must not shave their heads, or shave off the edges of their beards, or cut their bodies [^Cas pagan priests often did]. ⁶ They must be holy to their God and ·show respect for [^Lnot defile] God’s name, because they present the offerings made by fire to the Lord, which is the food of their God. So they must be holy [19:27–28].

⁷ “‘A priest must not marry ·a defiled prostitute [or a prostitute or a defiled woman] or a divorced woman, because he is holy to his God. ⁸ Treat him as holy, because he offers up the food of your God. Think of him as holy; I am the Lord who ·makes you holy [consecrates/sanctifies you], and I am holy.

⁹ “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she ·shames [defiles] her father. She must be burned with fire.

¹⁰ “‘The high priest, who was ·chosen from among his brothers [^Lexalted among his brothers], had the ·special [^Lanointing] olive oil poured on his head. He was also ·appointed [consecrated] to wear the priestly clothes. So he must not let his hair go uncombed or tear his clothes [^Csigns of mourning]. ¹¹ He must not go into a house where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean [^Cin a ritual sense], even if it is for his own father or mother. ¹² The high priest must not go out of the ·Holy Place [sanctuary], because if he does and becomes ·unclean [defiled], he will make God’s ·Holy Place [sanctuary] unclean. The ·special oil used in appointing priests [^Lanointing oil] was poured on his head to separate him from the rest of the people. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘The high priest must marry a woman who is a virgin. ¹⁴ He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or ·a defiled prostitute [or a defiled woman or a prostitute; v. 7]. He must marry a virgin from his own people ¹⁵ so ·the people will respect his children as his own [he will not defile his children]. I am the Lord. I have ·set the high priest apart for his special job [sanctified/consecrated him].’”

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Tell Aaron: ‘If any of your descendants have ·something wrong with them [a blemish], they must never come near to offer the special food of their God. ¹⁸ Anyone who has ·something wrong with him [a blemish] must not come near: blind men, crippled men, men with damaged faces, deformed men, ¹⁹ men with a crippled foot or hand, ²⁰ hunchbacks, dwarfs, men who have something wrong with their eyes, men who have an itching disease or a skin disease, or men who ·have damaged testicles [are eunuchs; Acts 8:27].

²¹ “‘If one of Aaron’s descendants has ·something wrong with him [a blemish], he cannot come near to make the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has ·something wrong with him [a blemish]; he cannot offer the food of his God. ²² He may eat the most holy food and also the holy food. ²³ But he may not go through the curtain into the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary], and he may not go near the altar, because he has ·something wrong with him [a blemish]. He must not defile my ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. I am the Lord who makes these places holy.’”

²⁴ So Moses told these things to Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and all the people of Israel.