| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The LORD told Moses, "Speak to the priests, Aaron's sons, and tell them that no priest is to defile himself on account of the dead among his people, | 1The LORD said to Moses: "Speak to Aaron's sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make himself ceremonially unclean for a dead person among his relatives, |
| 2except his close relatives—his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or | 2except for his immediate family: his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother. |
| 3virgin sister (who is a near relative of him and did not have a husband— he may defile himself for her). | 3He may make himself unclean for his young unmarried sister in his immediate family. |
| 4Because he is a husband among his people, he is not to defile himself, thereby polluting himself. | 4He is not to make himself unclean for those related to him by marriage and so defile himself." |
| 5"They are not to cut their hair in ritualistic patterns on their heads, deface the edges of their beards, or make incisions in their flesh. | 5Priests may not make bald spots on their heads, shave the edge of their beards, or make gashes on their bodies. |
| 6They are to be holy to their God. They are not to defile the name of their God, because they're the ones who bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire—the food of their God—so they are to be holy. | 6They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the fire offerings to Yahweh, the food of their God, and they must be holy. |
| 7"They are not to marry a prostitute or a woman who has been dishonored or who was divorced from her husband, because the priest is holy to his God. | 7They are not to marry a woman defiled by prostitution. They are not to marry one divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. |
| 8Consecrate him, because he's the one who offers the food of your God. He is to be holy for you, because I, the LORD, the one who sanctifies you, am holy. | 8You are to consider him holy since he presents the food of your God. He will be holy to you because I, Yahweh who sets you apart, am holy. |
| 9"Now if the daughter of any priest defiles herself by being a prostitute, she defiles her father. She is to be incinerated. | 9If a priest's daughter defiles herself by promiscuity, she defiles her father; she must be burned up." |
| 10"The high priest among his relatives—whose head has been anointed with oil and who has been consecrated to put on the priestly clothing—is not to let his hair hang loose or to tear his clothes. | 10The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the garments, must not dishevel his hair or tear his garments. |
| 11He is not to come near any dead body—whether the deceased is his father or his mother—so as not to defile himself. | 11He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother. |
| 12He is not to go out of the sanctuary or defile the sanctuary of his God, because his God's consecrating oil of anointing rests on him. I am the LORD. | 12He must not leave the sanctuary or he will desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am Yahweh." |
| 13"Furthermore, he is to marry a true virgin. | 13He is to marry a woman who is a virgin. |
| 14He is not to marry a widow or one who has been divorced, has been defiled, or has been a prostitute. Instead, he is to take a virgin from among his people as his wife. | 14He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, |
| 15"He is not to defile his children among his people, because I am the LORD, who sets him apart." | 15so that he does not corrupt his bloodline among his people, for I am Yahweh who sets him apart." |
| 16The LORD told Moses, | 16The LORD spoke to Moses: " |
| 17"Tell Aaron that whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect is not to approach to offer the food of his God. | 17Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect is to come near to present the food of his God. |
| 18Indeed, any person who has a defect is not to approach the Tent of Meeting— the blind, the lame, one who is mutilated in the face or who has a very long limb, | 18No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed; |
| 19or a person who has a fractured foot or hand, | 19no man who has a broken foot or hand, |
| 20has scoliosis, is a dwarf, or has an eye defect, an itching disease, scabs, or a crushed testicle. | 20or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle. |
| 21None of the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to approach to bring offerings of the LORD made by fire, since he has a defect. He is not to approach to offer the food of his God. | 21No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to come near to present the fire offerings to the LORD. He has a defect and is not to come near to present the food of his God. |
| 22However, he may eat the food of his God, including the most holy and the holy offerings, | 22He may eat the food of his God from what is especially holy as well as from what is holy. |
| 23but he is not to enter through the curtain nor approach the altar, since he has a defect. That way, he won't defile my sanctuary, since I am the LORD, who sets you apart." | 23But because he has a defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar. He is not to desecrate My sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sets them apart." |
| 24Moses told all of this to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the Israelis. | 24Moses said this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites. |
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