Leviticus 21:1-24 - Regulations Concerning Priests

1 And LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people, 2 except for his kin, 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 a virgin, who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. 4 He shall not defile himself, [who is] a chief man 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 to their God, and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the offerings of LORD made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not take a woman who is a harlot, or profane, neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband, for he is holy to his God. 8 Thou shall sanctify him therefore, for he offers the bread of thy God. He shall be holy to thee, for I LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burnt with fire.

10 And he who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, nor tear 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 LORD.

13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a harlot, these he shall not take, but he shall take to wife a virgin of his own people. 15 And he shall not profane his seed among his people, for I am LORD who sanctifies him.

16 And LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 Speak to Aaron, saying, Whoever he is of thy seed throughout their generations who has a blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For whatever man he is who has a blemish, he shall not approach: [not] a blind man, or a lame [man], or he who has a flat nose, or anything superfluous, 19 or a man who is broken-footed, or broken-handed, 20 or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or who has a blemish in his eye, or is scurvy, or scabbed, or has his testicles broken. 21 No man of the seed of Aaron the priest, who has a blemish, shall come near to offer the offerings of 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 holy, 23 only he shall not go in to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish, that he not profane my sanctuaries, for I am LORD who sanctifies them. 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel.