Par priesteru svētumu
(Ech 44:15–31)1 Kungs teica Mozum: “Saki priesteriem, Ārona dēliem: neviens no jums lai nepaliek nešķīsts, pieskardamies mironim no saviem ļaudīm, 2 izņemot pašus tuvākos – māti, tēvu, dēlu, meitu, brāli 3 un jaunavu māsu, kas viņam tuvākā, kurai nav vīra –, tikai tā viņš drīkst palikt nešķīsts. 4 Lai viņš nepadara sevi nešķīstu ar nevienu no pieprecētiem radiem, tā sevi sagānīdams. 5 Lai tie sev neskuj pliku galvvidu, lai neapgriež bārdai malu un savā miesā lai neiegriež brūces, 6 lai ir svēti Dievam un neapgāna sava Dieva vārdu, jo viņi pienes Kunga dedzināmos upurus, sava Dieva maizi, – lai viņi ir svēti! 7 Mauku un piesmieto lai viņi neņem, un šķirteni lai viņi neņem, jo viņi ir svēti savam Dievam. 8 Svētī viņu, jo viņš pienes tava Dieva maizi – viņš lai tev ir svēts, jo svēts esmu es, Kungs, kas jūs svētī. 9 Un, ja priestera meita sagānās maukodama, viņa ir apgānījusi savu tēvu, – lai to sadedzina ugunī.
10 Priesteris, kurš no saviem brāļiem ir augstākais, pār kura galvu ir lieta svaidāmā eļļa un kurš ir iecelts amatā, lai valkātu svētās drānas, lai neatstāj savu galvu nekoptu un lai nesaplēš savas drānas. 11 Lai viņš neiet ne pie viena miroņa, lai nepieskaras pat savam tēvam vai mātei, lai nekļūst nešķīsts. 12 Lai viņš neatstāj svētvietu un nesagāna sava Dieva svētvietu, jo viņš ir svaidīts ar sava Dieva svaidāmo eļļu – es esmu Kungs! 13 Lai viņš apņem sievu, kas jaunava! 14 Atraitni vai tādu, ko vīrs padzinis, vai ar maucību sagānītu – tādas lai viņš neņem, lai ņem sev par sievu jaunavu no paša ļaudīm. 15 Tā lai viņš nesagāna savu sēklu savā tautā, jo es esmu Kungs, kas viņu svētījis!”
16 Un Kungs sacīja Mozum: 17 “Saki Āronam: lai nevienā paaudzē neviens no taviem pēcnācējiem, kam kāda kroplība, netuvojas pienest maizi Dievam. 18 Neviens vīrs, kam ir kāda kroplība, lai netuvojas – ne akls, ne klibs, ne tāds, kam kroplība sejā vai kādā loceklī, 19 ne tāds, kam lauzta kāja vai lauzta roka, 20 vai kupris, vai kas izkastrēts, vai ar baltumu acī, vai kraupains, vai čūlains, vai kam saspiesti sēklinieki, – 21 neviens no priestera Ārona pēcnācējiem, kam kāda kroplība, lai nemēģina pienest Kungam dedzināmo upuri – ja viņam kroplība, tad lai nemēģina pienest Dievam maizi! 22 Viņš gan var ēst Dieva maizi no svētumu svētuma un svētvietas, 23 taču priekškaram lai viņš klāt nenāk un altārim netuvojas, jo viņam ir kroplība – lai viņš nesagāna svētumu, jo es esmu Kungs, kas to svētī!”
24 Tā Mozus runāja uz Āronu, uz viņa dēliem un uz visiem Israēla dēliem.
The Holiness of the Priests
1 The Lord commanded Moses to tell the Aaronite priests, “No priest is to make himself ritually unclean by taking part in the funeral ceremonies when a relative dies, 2 unless it is his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, 3 or unmarried sister living in his house. 4 He shall not make himself unclean at the death of those related to him by marriage.
5 “No priest shall shave any part of his head or trim his beard or cut gashes on his body to show that he is in mourning. 6 He must be holy and must not disgrace my name. He offers food offerings to me, and he must be holy. 7 A priest shall not marry a woman who has been a prostitute or a woman who is not a virgin or who is divorced; he is holy. 8 The people must consider the priest holy, because he presents the food offerings to me. I am the Lord; I am holy and I make my people holy. 9 If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she shall be burned to death.
10 “The High Priest has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been consecrated to wear the priestly garments, so he must not leave his hair uncombed or tear his clothes to show that he is in mourning. 11-12 He has been dedicated to me and is not to make himself ritually unclean nor is he to defile my sacred Tent by leaving it and entering a house where there is a dead person, even if it is his own father or mother. 13 He shall marry a virgin, 14 not a widow or a divorced woman or a woman who has been a prostitute. He shall marry only a virgin from his own clan. 15 Otherwise, his children, who ought to be holy, will be ritually unclean. I am the Lord and I have set him apart as the High Priest.”
16 The Lord commanded Moses 17 to tell Aaron, “None of your descendants who has any physical defects may present the food offering to me. This applies for all time to come. 18 No man with any physical defects may make the offering: no one who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed; 19 no one with a crippled hand or foot; 20 no one who is a hunchback or a dwarf; no one with any eye or skin disease; and no eunuch. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any physical defects may present the food offering to me. 22 Such a man may eat the food offered to me, both the holy food offering and the very holy food offering, 23 but because he has a physical defect, he shall not come near the sacred curtain or approach the altar. He must not profane these holy things, because I am the Lord and I make them holy.”
24 This, then, is what Moses said to Aaron, the sons of Aaron, and to all the people of Israel.
