Instructions for the Priests

​Instructions for the Priests

The Lord said to Moses, 

“Give the following instructions to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. 

“A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean, by touching the dead body, of a relative. 

The only exceptions are his closest relatives—his mother or father, son or daughter, brother, or his virgin sister, who depends on him, because she has no husband. 

But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean, for someone, who is related to him, only by marriage. 

“The priests must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies. They must be set apart, as holy, to their God, and must never bring shame, on the name of God. 

They must be holy, for they are the ones, who present the special gifts, to the Lord, gifts of food, for their God. 

“Priests may not marry a woman, who is defiled by prostitution, and they may not marry a woman, who is divorced, from her husband, for the priests are set apart, as holy,  to their God. 

You must treat them, as holy, because they offer up food, to your God. 

You must consider them holy,  because I, the Lord, am holy, and I make you holy. “If a priest’s daughter, defiles herself, by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father’s holiness, and she must be burned, to death. 

“The high priest has the highest rank, of all the priests. 

The anointing oil has been poured, on his head, and he has been ordained, to wear the priestly garments. 

He must never leave his hair uncombed or tear his clothing. 

He must not defile himself, by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean, even for his father or mother. 

He must not defile the sanctuary, of his God, by leaving it, to attend, to a dead person, for he has been made holy, by the anointing oil, of his God. 

I am the Lord. 

“The high priest may marry only a virgin. 

He may not marry a widow, or a woman, who is divorced, or a woman, who has defiled herself, by prostitution. 

She must be a virgin, from his own clan, so that he will not dishonor, his descendants, among his clan, for I am the Lord, who makes him holy.” 

Then the Lord said to Moses, 

“Give the following instructions to Aaron: 

In all future generations, none of your descendants, who has any defect, will qualify, to offer food, to his God. 

No one, who has a defect, qualifies, whether he is blind, or lame, or disfigured, or deformed, or has a broken foot or arm, or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles. No descendant of Aaron, who has a defect, may approach the altar, to present special gifts, to the Lord. 

Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar, to offer food to his God. However, he may eat from the food offered to God, including the holy offerings and the most holy offerings. 

Yet, because of his physical defect, he may not enter the room behind the inner curtain, or approach the altar, for this would defile my holy places. 

I am the Lord who makes them holy.” 

Moses gave these instructions to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites. 

Leviticus 21:1–24 (NLT)

Praise be to God!