Holiness and the Priests

Leviticus 21

1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and tell them to not be defiled for the dead among his people. 2 But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother and for his father and for his son and for his daughter and for his brother 3 and for his virgin sister, that is near unto him, who has had no husband; for her he may be defiled. 4 He shall not defile himself for the prince among his people, to profane himself. 5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shall be holy unto their God and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire and the bread of their God they do offer; therefore, they shall be holy. 7 They shall not take a wife that is a whore or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God. 8 Thou shalt sanctify him, therefore, for he offers the bread of thy God; he shall be holy unto thee; for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of the man who is a priest, if she begins to fornicate, she profanes her father; she shall be burnt with fire.

10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head nor rend his clothes; 11 neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or for his mother; 12 neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am the LORD. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow or a divorced woman or profane or a harlot, these he shall not take, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. 15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people, for I AM he that sanctifies him.

16 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, The man of thy seed in their generations that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no man in whom there is a blemish, shall approach: a blind man or a lame or he that lacks any thing or has any thing superfluous 19 or a man that is brokenfooted or brokenhanded 20 or crookbacked or a dwarf or that has a blemish in his eye or has scurvy or is scabbed or has his stones broken. 21 No man that has a blemish of the seed of Aaron, the priest, 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 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the sanctified things. 23 Only he shall not go inside the veil nor come near unto the altar because he has a blemish, that he not profane my sanctuary; for I AM he that sanctifies them. 24 And Moses told it unto Aaron and to his sons and unto all the sons of Israel.

Leviticus 22

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons that they abstain from the holy things of the sons of Israel and that they not profane my holy name in those things which they sanctify unto me. I am the LORD. 3 Say unto them, Any man of all your seed among your generations that goes in unto the holy things, which the children of Israel sanctify unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence. I am the LORD. 4 Whatever man of the seed of Aaron who is a leper or has a running issue shall not eat of the holy things until he is clean. And whosoever touches any thing that is unclean by the dead or a man whose seed has gone out from him 5 or the man who has touched any reptile, by which he shall be unclean, or a man of whom he shall become unclean, according to whatever uncleanness he has, 6 the person who has touched any such shall be unclean until evening and shall not eat of the holy things until he has washed his flesh with water. 7 And when the sun is down, he shall be clean and shall afterward eat of the holy things, because it is his bread. 8 That which dies of itself or is torn by beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith. I am the LORD. 9 They shall therefore keep my ordinance lest they bear sin for it and die therefore, if they profane it. I AM he who sanctifies them.

10 No stranger shall eat of the holy thing; a guest of the priest or a hired servant shall not eat of the holy thing. 11 But when the priest shall buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house, they shall eat of his bread. 12 If the priest’s daughter becomes married unto a stranger, she may not eat of that which is set apart of the holy things. 13 But if the priest’s daughter becomes a widow or divorced and has no child and is returned unto her father’s house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s bread; but no stranger shall eat thereof. 14 And if a man eats of the holy thing by error, then he shall add the fifth part thereof unto it and shall give it unto the priest with the offering that he ate. 15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the sons of Israel, which they set apart unto the LORD, 16 or suffer them to bear the iniquity of their guilt, when they eat their holy things. For I AM he who sanctifies them.

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