Holiness Required of Priests

(1 Timothy 4:6-16)

1And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Speak unto the priests, sons of Aaron, and thou hast said unto them, For any person a priest is not defiled among his people, 2except for his relation who is near unto him -- for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother. 3and for his sister, the virgin, who is near unto him, who hath not been to a man; for her he is defiled. 4A master priest doth not defile himself among his people -- to pollute himself; 5they do not make baldness on their head, and the corner of their beard they do not shave, and in their flesh they do not make a cutting; 6they are holy to their God, and they pollute not the name of their God, for the fire-offerings of Jehovah, bread of their God, they are bringing near, and have been holy. 7A woman, a harlot, or polluted, they do not take, and a woman cast out from her husband they do not take, for he is holy to his God; 8and thou hast sanctified him, for the bread of thy God he is bringing near; he is holy to thee; for holy am I, Jehovah, sanctifying you. 9'And a daughter of any priest when she polluteth herself by going a-whoring -- her father she is polluting; with fire she is burnt.

10'And the high priest of his brethren, on whose head is poured the anointing oil, and hath consecrated his hand to put on the garments, his head doth not uncover, nor rend his garments, 11nor beside any dead person doth he come; for his father and for his mother he doth not defile himself; 12nor from the sanctuary doth he go out, nor doth he pollute the sanctuary of his God, for the separation of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am Jehovah. 13'And he taketh a wife in her virginity; 14widow, or cast out, or polluted one -- a harlot -- these he doth not take, but a virgin of his own people he doth take for a wife, 15and he doth not pollute his seed among his people; for I am Jehovah, sanctifying him.'

16And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 17'Speak unto Aaron, saying, No man of thy seed to their generations in whom there is blemish doth draw near to bring near the bread of his God,

Restrictions against Those with Blemishes

18for no man in whom is blemish doth draw near -- a man blind, or lame or dwarfed, or enlarged, 19or a man in whom there is a breach in the foot, or a breach in the hand, 20or hump-backed, or a dwarf, or with a mixture in his eye, or a scurvy person, or scabbed, or broken-testicled. 21No man in whom is blemish (of the seed of Aaron the priest) doth come nigh to bring near the fire-offerings of Jehovah; blemish is in him; the bread of his God he doth not come nigh to bring near. 22'Bread of his God -- of the most holy things, and of the holy things -- he doth eat; 23only, unto the vail he doth not enter, and unto the altar he doth not draw nigh; for blemish is in him; and he doth not pollute My sanctuaries; for I am Jehovah, sanctifying them.' 24And Moses speaketh unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the sons of Israel.