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:
2 But 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.
4 But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
God said to Moses,
Say this to the priests, the sons of Aaron,
None of you shall defile yourself for dead people.
Except for your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, and sister (if she's an unmarried virgin).
For them you may be defiled.
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.
6 They 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.
Don't shave your head, round the corner of your beard, or make cuttings in your flesh.
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.
8 Thou 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.
Don't marry a whore or a divorced woman.
(Because you are holy to me.)
9And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
If your daughter plays the whore, burn her to death. [1]
(Because she has profaned you.)
10 And 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;
Don't uncover your head or rend your clothes.
11Neither 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 the LORD.
Don't go in to any dead body to defile yourself.
(Not even for your father or mother.)
13 And 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.
Any woman that you marry must be a virgin. [2]
You may not marry widows, divorced women, or harlots.
15Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.
Don't profane your seed among the people.
(Because I sanctify you.)
16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17 Speak 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.
22 He 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.
God said to Moses,
Say to Aaron,
Any man who has a blemish,
or is blind,
or lame,
or short,
or has a flat nose,
or damaged testicles,
or broken hands or feet,
or a crooked back,
or who has scurvy or scabs,
or who has anything superfluous
must not approach my altar. [3]
24 And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.
Moses delivered the above message from God to Aaron, his sons, and to all of the Israelites.