Rules for the Priests

21:1 The Lord said to Moses: “Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron—say to them, ‘For a dead person1 no priest2 is to defile himself among his people,3 21:2 except for his close relative who is near to him:4 his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 21:3 and his virgin sister who is near to him,5 who has no husband; he may defile himself for her. 21:4 He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself.6 21:5 Priests7 must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body.8

21:6 “ ‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane9 the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord’s gifts,10 the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy.11 21:7 They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution,12 nor are they to take a wife divorced from her husband,13 for the priest14 is holy to his God.15 21:8 You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be holy to you because I, the Lord who sanctifies you all,16 am holy. 21:9 If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.17