God gives rules for priests: whom they may marry and the cases in which they must stay clean. A priest with a physical defect may eat the food of the sanctuary but not offer the sacrifices.
1 And the LORD said unto Moses , Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron , and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people :
2 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 ,
3 And for his sister a virgin , that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband ; for her may he be defiled .
4 But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people , to profane himself.
5 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 .
6 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 .
7 They shall not take a wife that is a whore , or profane ; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband : for he is holy unto his God .
8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God : he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD , which sanctify you, am holy .
9 And the daughter of any priest , if she profane herself by playing the whore , she profaneth her father : she shall be burnt with fire .
10 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 ;
11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body , nor defile himself for his father , or for his mother ;
12 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 .
13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity .
14 A widow , or a divorced woman , or profane , or an harlot , these shall he not take : but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife .
15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people : for I the LORD do sanctify him.
16 And the LORD spake unto Moses , saying ,
17 Speak unto Aaron , saying , Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish , let him not approach to offer the bread of his God .
18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish , he shall not approach : a blind man , or a lame , or he that hath a flat nose , or any thing superfluous ,
19 Or a man that is brokenfooted , or brokenhanded ,
20 Or crookbackt , or a dwarf , or that hath a blemish in his eye , or be scurvy , or scabbed , or hath his stones broken ;
21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire : he hath a blemish ; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God .
22 He shall eat the bread of his God , both of the most holy , and of the holy .
23 Only he shall not go in unto the vail , nor come nigh unto the altar , because he hath a blemish ; that he profane not my sanctuaries : for I the LORD do sanctify them.
24 And Moses told it unto Aaron , and to his sons , and unto all the children of Israel .