THE THIRD BOOK OF

MOSES,
called
L E V I T I C U S

Leviticus 21 ©

Laws concerning the priests’ cleanness, in mourning over the dead, v. 1, etc. In their marriages, 7. In their daughters’ chastity, with the punishment upon them who commit whoredom, 9. Of the high priest’s cleanness, in mourning over the dead, 10. In his marriage, 13. A law concerning such as were not capable of administering the priesthood by reason of some bodily defects, 16. Although they were allowed to eat of the holy things, 22. But not to serve in the tabernacle, 23.

1

AND the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be 1defiled for 2the dead among his people:

2

But for his 3kin, 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,

3

And for his sister a virgin, that is 4nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

4

But he shall not defile himself, being a 5chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5

They shall not make 6baldness 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 unto their God, and not profane 7the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the 8bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be 9holy.

7

They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or 10profane; neither shall they take a woman 11put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.

8

Thou shalt 12sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which 13sanctify you, am holy.

9

¶And the daughter of any priest, if she 14profane herself by playing the whore, she 15profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

10

And he that is the 16high priest among his brethren, 17upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is 18consecrated to put on 19the garments, shall not 20uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

11

Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself 21for his father, or for his mother;

12

22Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor 23profane the sanctuary of his God; for the 24crown 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 25divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

15

Neither shall he 26profane 27his seed among his people: for I the LORD do 28sanctify him.

16

¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

17

Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy 29seed 30in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer 31the bread of his God.

18

For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath 32a flat nose, or any thing 33superfluous,

19

Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

20

Or crookbackt,a or a 34dwarf, or that hath a 35blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

21

No 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.

22

He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the 36most holy, and of the 37holy.

23

Only he shall not go in 38unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not 39my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

24

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