Leviticus 21:1; Leviticus 21:4–5; Deuteronomy 14:1; 1 Kings 18:28; Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 41:5; Jeremiah 47:5; Jeremiah 48:37

Holiness and the Priests

21 And the Lord said to Moses, Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, aNo one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people,


He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. bThey shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body.


Clean and Unclean Food

14 You are pthe sons of the Lord your God. qYou shall not cut yourselves or make any rbaldness on your foreheads for the dead.


28 And they cried aloud and wcut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.


Both great and small shall die in this land. kThey shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or pcut himself qor make himself bald for them.


eighty men arrived from aShechem and bShiloh and cSamaria, with dtheir beards shaved and etheir clothes torn, and dtheir bodies gashed, fbringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord.


qBaldness has come upon Gaza;

rAshkelon has perished.

O remnant of their valley,

show long will you gash yourselves?


37 hFor every head is shaved and every beard cut off. iOn all the hands are gashes, and jaround the waist is sackcloth.