Leviticus 21

²⁵A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,

¹¹He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.

⁶Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the Lord will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the Lord has ignited.

⁷You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.

²⁸You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

¹⁴This is the law when a person dies in a tent: Everyone who enters the tent and everyone already in the tent will be unclean for seven days,

¹⁶Anyone in the open field who touches someone who has been killed by the sword or has died of natural causes, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.

⁶None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.

¹³Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

¹⁶“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.

¹⁷Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

¹You are sons of the Lord your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,

²⁰They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.

²⁷You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.

²⁸You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

¹²On that day the Lord God of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.

¹⁰I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

¹⁶Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.

¹¹Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, a food offering to the Lord.

²¹You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

³Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent.

¹²You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

⁸You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the Lord am holy—I who set you apart.

¹³The woman he marries must be a virgin.

¹⁴He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people,

²²And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.

⁸You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the Lord am holy—I who set you apart.

¹¹In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.

¹This is what the Lord says: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you? Look, you were sold for your iniquities, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

¹If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.

²If, after leaving his house, she goes and becomes another man’s wife,

⁷Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.

⁸And you shall keep My statutes and practice them. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

⁴⁴For I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.

⁴⁵For I am the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

²“Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

⁶They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the Lord the food offerings, the food of their God, they must be holy.

¹⁹For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.

²⁶Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

²⁴About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”

²⁹You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.

⁶An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.

³⁴And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.

⁴An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity.

⁵For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God?

²⁵“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the Lord will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.

⁶Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the Lord will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the Lord has ignited.

⁷You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.

³²The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments

⁶⁵At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

²⁹The holy garments that belong to Aaron will belong to his sons after him, so they can be anointed and ordained in them.

³⁰The son who succeeds him as priest and enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must wear them for seven days.

¹²He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.

²⁵The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

¹⁴This is the law when a person dies in a tent: Everyone who enters the tent and everyone already in the tent will be unclean for seven days,

¹Then the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people,

²except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,

²⁸You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

⁷Even if his father or mother or brother or sister should die, he is not to defile himself, because the symbol of consecration to his God is upon his head.

⁴⁶While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.

⁴⁷Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

¹⁶So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

⁷You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.

³⁶You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE Lord.

⁹Moses also put the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the holy diadem, on the front of the turban, as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁰Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them.

⁶Put the turban on his head and attach the holy diadem to the turban.

⁷Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.

³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

³⁰Next, Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well as Aaron’s sons and their garments.

⁷A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.

²²And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.

²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

⁴These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

⁷A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.

²²And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.

¹⁶If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

⁸You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the Lord am holy—I who set you apart.

¹¹Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the Lord’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.

²Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”

¹⁹For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, in order that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

⁴Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts! We are filled with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.

³Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent.

⁵Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses He will bring near to Himself.

¹⁰You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed.

²⁶Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

²¹No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the food offerings to the Lord. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.

²An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

³not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.

¹⁹must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf.

²⁰You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

¹⁹You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?

¹⁶Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

¹⁷You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?

¹⁰For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,

⁷Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil.

¹No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the Lord.

³Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will utterly exclude me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.”

⁶They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the Lord the food offerings, the food of their God, they must be holy.

⁸You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the Lord am holy—I who set you apart.

¹⁷“Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.

³The remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings to the Lord.

¹“Now this is the law of the guilt offering, which is most holy:

¹⁰But the remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings to the Lord.

⁹A portion of the most holy offerings reserved from the fire will be yours. From all the offerings they render to Me as most holy offerings, whether grain offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons.

¹⁰You are to eat it as a most holy offering, and every male may eat it. You shall regard it as holy.

¹⁰No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it.

¹¹But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.

⁸Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the Lord on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant.

⁹It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the food offerings to the Lord—his portion forever.”

¹²He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord.

²⁶Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil,

²⁷and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded him.

³¹You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.

⁶Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.

⁷And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.

⁹This is what the Lord God says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh may enter My sanctuary—not even a foreigner who lives among the Israelites.

¹⁰Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity.

¹⁸Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,

¹⁷Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”

²And the things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well.

¹“And now this decree is for you, O priests:

²If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the Lord of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.