¹ And Jehovah said to^▵ Moses, Say to^▵ the priests, the sons of Aaron, and Say to^▵ them, He shall not defile himself as·​·to the soul^* among^◦ his people;

² but^◦ for his kin, that is near to^▵ him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,

³ and for his sister, a virgin, that is near to^▵ him, who has not had^◦ a husband^◦; for her he may defile himself.

⁴ But he shall not defile himself, being a master^* among his people, to profane himself.

⁵ They shall not make·​·bald a baldness on^◦ their head, neither shall they shave·​·off the corner^▵ of their beard, nor on^◦ their flesh lacerate with a laceration.

⁶ They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the fire·​·offerings of Jehovah, and the bread of their God, they^◦ do offer: and they shall be holy.

⁷ They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, and they shall not take a profane woman driven·​·out from her husband^◦; for he^◦ is holy to his God.

⁸ And thou shalt sanctify him; for he^◦ offers the bread of thy God; he^◦ shall be holy to thee: for I^◦ Jehovah, who sanctifies you, am holy.

⁹ And the daughter of a man^◦ a priest, if^▫ she profanes herself by committing·​·harlotry, she^◦ is profaning her father, she shall be burnt·​·up with fire.

¹⁰ And the great priest of his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil was poured, and whose hand is filled to clothe with the garments, his head he shall not expose, and his garments he shall not unstitch;

¹¹ neither shall he go·​·in to any dead soul, nor defile himself for his father, or^◦ for his mother;

¹² neither shall he go·​·out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown^◦ of the anointing oil of his God is upon him; I^◦ am Jehovah.

¹³ And he^◦ shall take a wife in her virginity;

¹⁴ a widow, and her that is driven·​·out, and a profane harlot, these he shall not take; but^◦ he shall take a virgin from his own people for a wife.

¹⁵ Neither shall he profane his seed among^◦ his people; for I^◦, Jehovah, do sanctify him.

¹⁶ And Jehovah spoke to^▵ Moses, saying,

¹⁷ Speak to^▵ Aaron, saying, A man^◦ of thy seed for their generations who hath in him a blemish, he shall not come·​·near to offer the bread of his God.

¹⁸ For whatever man^◦ he be who has a blemish, he shall not come·​·near; a blind man^◦, or a lame, or he that is·​·shortened, or too·​·long^◦,

¹⁹ or a man^◦ that has a broken foot or broken hand,

²⁰ or hunchbacked, or crushed, or confused in his eye, or that has scabies, or warts, or a crumpled testis;

²¹ Any man^◦, of the seed of Aaron the priest, who has a blemish, shall not approach to offer the fire·​·offerings of Jehovah; he has a blemish; he shall not approach to offer the bread of his God.

²² He shall eat the bread of his God, from the holies of the holies, and from the holies^*.

²³ Surely he shall not go·​·in to^▵ the veil, nor shall he approach the altar, for he has a blemish; that he profane not My sanctuaries; for I^◦, Jehovah, do sanctify them.

²⁴ And Moses spoke it to^▵ Aaron, and to^▵ his sons, and to^▵ all the sons of Israel.

¹ For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob.

² The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in Yahweh's land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

³ It will happen in the day that Yahweh will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve,

⁴ that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!"

⁵ Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

⁶ who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.

⁷ The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out song.

⁸ Yes, the fir trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, "Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us."

⁹ Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

¹⁰ They all will answer and ask you, "Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?"

¹¹ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.

¹² How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!

¹³ You said in your heart, "I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north!

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!"

¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.

¹⁶ Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, "Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;

¹⁷ who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who didn't release his prisoners to their home?"

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.

¹⁹ But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain, who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot.

²⁰ You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The seed of evildoers will not be named forever.

²¹ Prepare for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise up and possess the earth, and fill the surface of the world with cities.

²² "I will rise up against them," says Yahweh of Armies, "and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son," says Yahweh.

²³ "I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," says Yahweh of Armies.

²⁴ Yahweh of Armies has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

²⁵ that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.

²⁶ This is the plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

²⁷ For Yahweh of Armies has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"

²⁸ This burden was in the year that king Ahaz died.

²⁹ Don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent's root an adder will emerge, and his fruit will be a fiery flying serpent.

³⁰ The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will be killed.

³¹ Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

³² What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will take refuge.