Regulations concerning Priests

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them:

‘^(A)No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people, ^2 (B)except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother, ³ also for his virgin sister who is near to him ^[a]because she has not had a husband; for her, he may defile himself. ⁴ He shall not defile himself as a ^[b]relative by marriage among his people, so as to profane himself. ^5 (C)They shall not shave any area on their heads bald, ^(D)nor shave off the edges of their beards, ^(E)nor make any cuts in their flesh.

¹⁰ ‘The priest who is ^[a]highest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and ^[b]who has been consecrated to wear the garments, ^(A)shall not ^[c]uncover his head nor tear his clothes; ^11 (B)nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother; ^12 (C)nor shall he leave the sanctuary nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for ^(D)the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the Lord.