2
to tell Aaron and his sons, "You must not bring disgrace on my holy name, so treat with respect the sacred offerings that the people of Israel dedicate to me. I am the Lord.
3
If any of your descendants, while he is ritually unclean, comes near the sacred offerings which the people of Israel have dedicated to me, he can never again serve at the altar. This applies for all time to come. I am the Lord.
4
"None of the descendants of Aaron who has a dreaded skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the sacred offerings until he is ritually clean. Any priest is unclean if he touches anything which is unclean through contact with a corpse or if he has an emission of semen
5
or if he has touched an unclean animal or person.
6
Any priest who becomes unclean remains unclean until evening, and even then he may not eat any of the sacred offerings until he has taken a bath.
7
After the sun sets he is clean, and then he may eat the sacred offerings, which are his food.
8
He shall not eat the meat of any animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild animals; it will make him unclean. I am the Lord.
9
"All priests shall observe the regulations that I have given. Otherwise, they will become guilty and die, because they have disobeyed the sacred regulations. I am the Lord and I make them holy.
10
"Only a member of a priestly family may eat any of the sacred offerings; no one else may eat them - not even someone staying with a priest or hired by him.
11
But a priest's slaves, bought with his own money or born in his home, may eat the food the priest receives.
12
A priest's daughter who marries someone who is not a priest may not eat any of the sacred offerings.