Leviticus 21

Holiness and the Priests

1 And the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: a 'None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, 2 'except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; 3 'also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. 4 'Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a 1 chief man among his people, to profane himself. 5 b 'They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 'They shall be c holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the d bread of their God; e therefore they shall be holy. 7 f 'They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman g divorced from her husband; for 2 the priest is holy to his God. 8 'Therefore you shall 3 consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for h I the LORD, who i sanctify you, am holy. 9 'The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be j burned with fire.

10 'He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was k poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not l uncover 4 his head nor tear his clothes; 11 'nor shall he go m near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; 12 n 'nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the o consecration 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 a defiled woman or a harlot - these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. 15 'Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the LORD sanctify him.' "

16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 "Speak to Aaron, saying: 'No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 'For any man who has a p defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb q too long, 19 'a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 'or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. 21 'No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 'He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy; 23 'only he shall not go near the r veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest s he profane My sanctuaries; for I the LORD sanctify them.' " 24 And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

  1. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:28
    You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.
    Ezekiel 44:25
    They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves.
  2. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:27
    You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard.
    Deuteronomy 14:1
    You are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead.
    Ezekiel 44:20
    They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 22:31
    And you shall be holy men to Me: you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
  4. Cross References
    Leviticus 3:11
    And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 52:11
    Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD.
  6. Cross References
    Ezekiel 44:22
    They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.
  7. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 24:1
    When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.
    Deuteronomy 24:2
    When she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man's wife.
  8. Cross References
    Leviticus 11:44
    For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
    Leviticus 11:45
    For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
  9. Cross References
    Leviticus 8:12
    And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to consecrate him.
    Leviticus 8:30
    Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.
  10. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 22:21
    Then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
  11. Cross References
    Leviticus 8:12
    And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to consecrate him.
  12. Cross References
    Leviticus 10:6
    And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, "Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled.
    Leviticus 10:7
    You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses.
  13. Cross References
    Numbers 19:14
    This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days.
  14. Cross References
    Leviticus 10:7
    You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses.
  15. Cross References
    Exodus 29:6
    You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban.
    Exodus 29:7
    And you shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him.
  16. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:19 - 25
    You shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats.
  17. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:23
    Either a bull or a lamb that has any limb too long or too short you may offer as a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
  18. Cross References
    Leviticus 16:2
    And the LORD said to Moses: "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
  19. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:12
    Nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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