21:1 耶和華對摩西說:「你告訴亞倫子孫作祭司的說:祭司不可為民中的死人沾染自己,
21:2 除非為他骨肉之親的父母、兒女、弟兄,
21:3 和未曾出嫁、作處女的姊妹,才可以沾染自己。
21:4 祭司既在民中為首,就不可從俗沾染自己。
21:5 不可使頭光禿;不可剃除鬍鬚的周圍,也不可用刀劃身。
21:6 要歸上帝為聖,不可褻瀆上帝的名;因為耶和華的火祭,就是上帝的食物,是他們獻的,所以他們要成為聖。
21:7 不可娶妓女或被污的女人為妻,也不可娶被休的婦人為妻,因為祭司是歸上帝為聖。
21:8 所以你要使他成聖,因為他奉獻你上帝的食物;你要以他為聖,因為我─使你們成聖的耶和華─是聖的。
21:9 祭司的女兒若行淫辱沒自己,就辱沒了父親,必用火將她焚燒。
21:10 「在弟兄中作大祭司、頭上倒了膏油、又承接聖職,穿了聖衣的,不可蓬頭散髮,也不可撕裂衣服。
21:11 不可挨近死屍,也不可為父母沾染自己。
21:12 不可出聖所,也不可褻瀆上帝的聖所,因為上帝膏油的冠冕在他頭上。我是耶和華。
21:13 他要娶處女為妻。
21:14 寡婦或是被休的婦人,或是被污為妓的女人,都不可娶;只可娶本民中的處女為妻。
21:15 不可在民中辱沒他的兒女,因為我是叫他成聖的耶和華。」
21:16 耶和華對摩西說:
21:17 「你告訴亞倫說:你世世代代的後裔,凡有殘疾的,都不可近前來獻他上帝的食物。
21:18 因為凡有殘疾的,無論是瞎眼的、瘸腿的、塌鼻子的、肢體有餘的、
21:19 折腳折手的、
21:20 駝背的、矮矬的、眼睛有毛病的、長癬的、長疥的,或是損壞腎子的,都不可近前來。
21:21 祭司亞倫的後裔,凡有殘疾的,都不可近前來,將火祭獻給耶和華。他有殘疾,不可近前來獻上帝的食物。
21:22 上帝的食物,無論是聖的,至聖的,他都可以吃。
21:23 但不可進到幔子前,也不可就近壇前;因為他有殘疾,免得褻瀆我的聖所。我是叫他成聖的耶和華。」
21:24 於是,摩西曉諭亞倫和亞倫的子孫,並以色列眾人。
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the
priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself
ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, 2 except
for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his
brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since
she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. 4 He
must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so
defile himself.
5 “‘Priests
must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their
bodies. 6 They must be holy to their God and must not profane
the name of their God. Because they present the food offerings to the Lord, the food of their God, they are to
be holy.
7 “‘They
must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,
because priests are holy to their God. 8 Regard them as holy,
because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.
9 “‘If
a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her
father; she must be burned in the fire.
10 “‘The
high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on
his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let
his hair become unkempt[b] or tear his
clothes. 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead
body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, 12 nor
leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated
by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘The
woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He must not marry a
widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin
from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his
offspring among his people. I am the Lord,
who makes him holy.’”
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say
to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a
defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18 No man
who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or
deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or
who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering
or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of
Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food
offerings to the Lord. He has a
defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He
may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet
because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar,
and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord,
who makes them holy.’”
24 So
Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
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在利未支派之中,亞倫家族市擔任聖殿的祭司,與一般的利未人不同,為了服事上帝必須有些限制,不能沾染不潔,不可以參加親屬的喪禮,婚姻也要有所選擇,兒女的生活言行也要管教好,成為其他百姓的模範。因為「要歸上帝為聖,不可褻瀆上帝的名;因為耶和華的火祭,就是上帝的食物,是他們獻的,所以他們要成為聖。」「所以你要使他成聖,因為他奉獻你上帝的食物;你要以他為聖,因為我─使你們成聖的耶和華─是聖的。」
其實,這對今日的基督徒也很重要,我們也是上帝的祭司,正如亞倫家是上帝的祭司一般。使徒彼得這樣教導我們:「惟有你們是被揀選的族類,是有君尊的祭司,是聖潔的國度,是屬上帝的子民,要叫你們宣揚那召你們出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德。」(彼得前書2:9)「你們在外邦人中,應當品行端正,叫那些毀謗你們是作惡的,因看見你們的好行為,便在鑒察(或譯:眷顧)的日子歸榮耀給上帝。」(彼得前書2:12)
也因為如此,我們要存感謝的心,活出上帝榮耀與聖潔的祭司得樣式,靠主耶穌的寶血在上帝和人的中間服事,如同亞倫家一般!