1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

2But 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,

3And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

4But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner 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 the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

7They 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.

8Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.

9And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

10And 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;

11Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

12Neither 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.

13And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

14A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

15Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.

16And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

17Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.

18For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

19Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

20Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

21No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

22He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.

23Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

24And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

1 And the Lord said vnto Moses; Speake vnto the Priests the sonnes of Aaron, and say vnto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

2But for his kinne, that is neere vnto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his sonne, and for his daughter, and for his brother,

3And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh vnto him, which hath had no husband: for her may he be defiled.

4But hee shall not defile himselfe being a chiefe man among his people, to prophane himselfe.

5They shall not make baldnesse vpon their head, neither shall they shaue off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh:

6They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offrings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God they doe offer: therefore they shall be holy.

7They 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 vnto his God.

8Thou shalt sanctifie him therfore, for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shalbe holy vnto thee: for I the Lord which sanctifie you, am holy.

9 And the daughter of any Priest, if she profane her selfe, by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: shee shall be burnt with fire.

10And he that is the high Priest among his brethren, vpon whose head the anointing oyle was powred, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not vncouer his head, nor rent his clothes:

11Neither shall he goe in to any dead body, nor defile himselfe for his father, or for his mother:

12Neither shall hee goe out of the Sanctuary, nor prophane the Sanctuary of his God; for the crowne of the anointing oile of his God is vpon him: I am the Lord.

13And he shall take a wife in her virginitie.

14A widow, or a diuorced woman, or prophane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgine of his owne people to wife.

15Neither shal he prophane his seed among his people: for I the Lord doe sanctifie him.

16 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

17Speake vnto Aaron, saying, Whosoeuer he be of thy seed in their generations, that hath any blemish, let him not approche to offer the bread of his God:

18For whatsoeuer man hee be that hath a blemish, he shall not approche: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

19Or a man that is broken footed, or broken handed,

20Or crooke backt, or a dwarfe, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scuruy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken:

21No man that hath a blemish, of the seed of Aaron the Priest, shall come nigh to offer the offrings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

22He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most Holy, and of the holy:

23Onely he shall not goe in vnto the Uaile, nor come nigh vnto the Altar, because he hath a blemish, that he prophane not my Sanctuaries: for I the Lord doe sanctifie them.

24And Moses told it vnto Aaron, and to his sonnes, and vnto all the children of Israel.

I == Ezek 44:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V == Lev 19:27-28 ; Deut 14:1 ; Ezek 44:20

 

VI == Lev 3:11 ; 18:21 ; 19:12

 

 

 

VII == D3eut 24:1-2 ; Ezek 44:22

 

 

VIII == Lev 20:7-8

 

IX == Gen 38:24

 

 

 

X == Ex 28:2 ; 29:29-30 ; Lev 8:12 ; 10:6 ; 16:32 ; Num 35:25

 

XI == Lev 21:1-2 ; Num 19:14

 

XII == Ex 28:36 ; Lev 8:9 , 12 , 30 ; 10:7

 

 

XIII == Lev 21:7 ; Ezek 44:22

 

 

 

XV == Lev 21:8

 

 

 

XVII == Lev 10:3 ; Num 16:5 ; Ps 65:4

 

XVIII == Lev 22:23

 

 

 

 

 

XX == Deut 23:1

 

XXI == Lev 21:6

 

 

 

XXII == Lev 2:3 , 10 ; 6:17 , 29 ; 7:1 ; 22:10-12 ; 24:9

1 The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron's sons, the priests, and tell them: None of you shall make himself unclean for any dead person among his people,

2 except for his nearest relatives, his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother

3 or his maiden sister, who is of his own family while she remains unmarried; for these he may make himself unclean.

4 But for a sister who has married out of his family he shall not make himself unclean; this would be a profanation.

5 "The priests shall not make bare the crown of the head, nor shave the edges of the beard, nor lacerate the body.

6 To their God they shall be sacred, and not profane his name; since they offer up the oblations of the LORD, the food of their God, they must be holy.

7 "A priest shall not marry a woman who has been a prostitute or has lost her honor, nor a woman who has been divorced by her husband; for the priest is sacred to his God.

8 Honor him as sacred who offers up the food of your God; treat him as sacred, because I, the LORD, who have consecrated him, am sacred.

9 "A priest's daughter who loses her honor by committing fornication and thereby dishonors her father also, shall be burned to death.

10 "The most exalted of the priests, upon whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been ordained to wear the special vestments, shall not bare his head or rend his garments,

11 nor shall he go near any dead person. Not even for his father or mother may he thus become unclean

12 or leave the sanctuary; otherwise he will profane the sanctuary of his God, for with the anointing oil upon him, he is dedicated to his God, to me, the LORD.

13 "The priest shall marry a virgin.

14 Not a widow or a woman who has been divorced or a woman who has lost her honor as a prostitute, but a virgin, taken from his own people, shall he marry;

15 otherwise he will have base offspring among his people. I, the LORD, have made him sacred."

16 The LORD said to Moses,

17 "Speak to Aaron and tell him: None of your descendants, of whatever generation, who has any defect shall come forward to offer up the food of his God.

18 Therefore, he who has any of the following defects may not come forward: he who is blind, or lame, or who has any disfigurement or malformation,

19 or a crippled foot or hand,

20 or who is hump-backed or weakly or walleyed, or who is afflicted with eczema, ringworm or hernia.

21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any such defect may draw near to offer up the oblations of the LORD; on account of his defect he may not draw near to offer up the food of his God.

22 He may, however, partake of the food of his God: of what is most sacred as well as of what is sacred.

23 Only, he may not approach the veil nor go up to the altar on account of his defect; he shall not profane these things that are sacred to me, for it is I, the LORD, who make them sacred."

24 Moses, therefore, told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

V 1-15 These verses are laws regulating the priesthood. They are all self explanatory and devised to stress that he and his family are sanctified unto the Lord, v 8.
v 16-24. Any man of Aaron’s descendants who was blemished in any way could not serve in the priesthood, but could eat of the priests portion of the foods.