Leviticus 21

1. And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people.

2. But for his kin that is near him, for his mother and for his father and for his son and for his daughter and for his brother

3. And for his sister, a virgin, who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may be defiled.

4. But as a chief man he shall not defile himself among his people to pollute himself.

5. They shall not make a bald spot on their heads, nor shall they shave the corner of their beard, nor make any cutting in their flesh.

6. They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings made by fire of the LORD, and the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy.

7. They shall not take a wife who is a whore or defiled. Neither shall they take a woman divorced from her husband, for he is holy to his God.

8. And you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD Who sanctifies you, am holy.

9. And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the whore, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

10. And the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes.

11. Neither shall he come near to any dead person, nor defile himself for his father nor for his mother.

12. Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for the sacred anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.

13. And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

14. He shall not take a widow or a divorced woman, or profane, or a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

15. And he shall not defile his children among his people, for I the LORD do sanctify him.’ ”

16. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

17. “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your children in their generations shall draw near to offer the bread of his God if there is a blemish in him;

18. For no man in whom there is a blemish shall draw near, a blind man, or a lame man, or disfigured, or deformed,

19. Or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed,

20. Or hunchback, or a dwarf, or who has a blemish in his eye, or a scurvy or scabbed person, or one with crushed testicles.

21. No man of the seed of Aaron, the priest, in whom there is a blemish shall come near to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire. He has a blemish; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

22. However, he shall eat the bread of his God, of the most holy and of the holy.

23. Only he shall not go in to the veil, nor come near to the altar because he has a blemish; so that he does not profane My sanctuaries; for I the LORD do sanctify them.’ ”

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