The Word Am I

The Third Book of Moses: Leviticus

Literal Standard Version 2020

- Chapter 21 -

1
And YHWH says to Moses, “Speak to the priests, sons of Aaron, and you have said to them: No one defiles himself for a [dead] person among his people,
2
except for his relation who [is] near to 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, the virgin, who is near to him, who has not been to a man; he is defiled for her.
4
A master [priest] does not defile himself among his peopleto defile himself;
5
they do not make baldness on their head, and they do not shave the corner of their beard, and they do not make a cutting in their flesh;
6
they are holy to their God, and they do not defile the Name of their God, for the fire-offerings of YHWH, bread of their God, they are bringing near, and have been holy.
7
They do not take a woman of harlotry, or defiled, and they do not take a woman cast out from her husband, for he [is] holy to his God;
8
and you have sanctified him, for he is bringing the bread of your God near. He is holy to you, for I, YHWH, sanctifying you, [am] holy.
9
And when a daughter of any priest defiles herself by going whoringshe is defiling her father; she is burned with fire.
10
And the high priest of his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who has consecrated his hand to put on the garments, does not uncover his head, nor tear his garments,
11
nor does he come beside any dead person; he does not defile himself for his father and for his mother;
12
nor does he go out from the sanctuary, nor does he defile the sanctuary of his God, for the separation of the anointing oil of his God [is] on him; I [am] YHWH.
13
And he takes a wife in her virginity;
14
a widow, or cast out, or defiled, [or] a harlotthese he does not take, but he takes a virgin of his own people [for] a wife,
15
and he does not defile his seed among his people; for I [am] YHWH, sanctifying him.”

Restrictions against Those with Blemishes

16
And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,
17
Speak to Aaron, saying, No man of your seed throughout their generations in whom there is blemish draws near to bring the bread of his God near,
18
for no man in whom [is] a blemish draws near: a man blind, or lame, or disfigured, or deformed,
19
or a man in whom there is a breach in the foot, or a breach in the hand,
20
or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or [with] a defect in his eye, or [with] an itch, or [with] a scab, or [with] a broken testicle.
21
No man in whom is blemish (of the seed of Aaron the priest) comes near to bring the fire-offerings of YHWH near; blemish [is] in him; he does not come near to bring the bread of his God near.
22
Bread of his God—from the most holy things and from the holy thingshe eats;
23
only, he does not come toward the veil, and he does not draw near to the altar; for blemish [is] in him; and he does not defile My sanctuaries; for I [am] YHWH, sanctifying them.”
24
And Moses speaks to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel.