Chapter 10

  1. And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled with the dead among his people 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, and for his sister, a virgin that is near unto him who has had no husband; for her may he be defiled. But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 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. They shall not take a wife that is a whore or defiled, neither shall they take a woman divorced from her husband, for he is holy unto his God. You shall sanctify him, therefore, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy unto you, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy. And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
  2. 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, neither shall he go in to touch any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or for his mother. 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. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or defiled, or a harlot — these he shall not take; but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. Neither shall he profane his seed among his people, for I the Lord do sanctify him.
  3. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whoever he be of your seed in their generations that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. For whatever man he be that has a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that has a flat nose, or anything superfluous, or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed, or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or that has a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or has his testicles damaged. No man that has a blemish of the seed of Aaron, the priest, shall come near to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire. He has a blemish. He shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy; only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come near unto the altar, because he has a blemish, that he profane not my sanctuaries; for I the Lord do sanctify them. And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.
  4. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me. I am the Lord. Say unto them, Whoever he be of all your seed, among your generations, that goes unto the holy things which the children of Israel hallow unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence. I am the Lord. Whatever man of the seed of Aaron is a leper or has a running discharge, he shall not eat of the holy things until he be clean. And whoever touches anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goes from him, or whoever touches any creeping thing whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has, the soul who has touched any such shall be unclean until sunset, and shall not eat of the holy things unless he wash his flesh with water. And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things because it is his food. That which dies of itself or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself by it. I am the Lord. They shall therefore keep my ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die for this reason. If they profane not my ordinances, I the Lord will sanctify them.
  5. There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing. A sojourner of the priest or a hired servant shall not eat of the holy thing. But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house, they shall eat of his food. If the priest’s daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things. But if the priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father’s house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s food. But there shall no stranger eat thereof. And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing. And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel which they offer unto the Lord, or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass when they eat their holy things, for I the Lord sanctify them.
  6. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatever he be, of the house of Israel or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his offering, for all his vows and for all his freewill offerings which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering, you shall offer at your own will a male without blemish of the cattle, of the sheep, or of the goats. But whatever has a blemish, that shall you not offer. For it shall not be acceptable for you. And whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in cattle or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a running sore, or scurvy, or scabbed, you shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the Lord. Either a bullock or a lamb that has anything superfluous or lacking in his parts, that may you offer for a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted. You shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, neither shall you make any offering thereof in your land. Neither from a stranger’s hand shall you offer the bread of your God of any of these, because their corruption is in them and blemishes be in them. They shall not be accepted for you.
  7. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the mother; and from the eighth day and from then on, it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And whether it be cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and her young both in one day. And when you will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer it at your own will. On the same day it shall be eaten up, you shall leave none of it until the next day. I am the Lord.
  8. Therefore shall you keep my commandments and do them. I am the Lord. Neither shall you profane my holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who hallows you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.