Holiness Required of Priests

(1 Timothy 4:6-16)

1And Jehovah said to Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none make himself unclean for a dead person among his peoples, 2except for his immediate relation, who is near unto him -- for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother; 3and for his sister, a virgin, that is near unto him, who hath had no husband, for her may he make himself unclean. 4He shall not make himself unclean [who is] a chief among his peoples, to profane himself. 5They shall not make any baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they present Jehovah's offerings by fire, the bread of their God; therefore shall they be holy. 7They shall not take as wife a whore, or a dishonoured woman; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God. 8And thou shalt hallow him; for the bread of thy God doth he present: he shall be holy unto thee; for I, Jehovah, who hallow you am holy. 9And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burned with fire.

10And 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 rend his garments. 11Neither shall he come near any person dead, nor make himself unclean for his father and for his mother; 12neither 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 Jehovah. 13And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14A widow, or a divorced woman, or a dishonoured one, a harlot, these shall he not take; but he shall take as wife a virgin from among his peoples. 15And he shall not profane his seed among his peoples; for I am Jehovah who do hallow him.

16And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 17Speak unto Aaron, saying, Any of thy seed throughout their generations that hath any defect, shall not approach to present the bread of his God;

Restrictions against Those with Blemishes

18for whatever man hath a defect, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or one limb longer than the other, 19or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed, 20or hump-backed, or withered, or that hath a spot in his eye, or hath the itch, or scabs, or his testicles broken. 21No man of the seed of Aaron the priest that hath defect shall come near to present Jehovah's offerings by fire: he hath a defect; he shall not come near to present the bread of his God. 22The bread of his God, of the most holy and of the holy, shall he eat; 23only he shall not come in unto the veil, nor shall he draw near unto the altar; for he hath a defect: that he profane not my sanctuaries; for I am Jehovah who do hallow them. 24And Moses told it to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.