1 ¶ Then he brought me back toward the outer gate of the sanctuary which looks toward the east; and it was shut.

Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut.

2 T hen the LORD said unto me: This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.

3 I t is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate and shall go out by the way of the same.

As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.” Those Admitted to the Temple

4 ¶ Then he brought me toward the north gate in front of the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD; and I fell upon my face.

Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; and I fell on my face.

5 A nd the LORD said unto me, Son of man, pay attention, and behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD and all its laws; and pay attention to the entering in of the house and to every going forth from the sanctuary.

And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

6 A nd thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: O ye house of Israel, let all your abominations cease.

“Now say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “O house of Israel, let Us have no more of all your abominations.

7 I n that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh to be in my sanctuary to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.

When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations.

8 A nd ye have not kept the charge of my holy things; but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.”

9 T hus hath the Lord GOD said; No son of a stranger, uncircumcised in heart nor uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my sanctuary, of any sons of strangers that are among the sons of Israel.

Thus says the Lord God: “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel. Laws Governing Priests

10 ¶ And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall bear their iniquity.

“And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.

11 Y et they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, gatekeepers at the gates of the house, and servants in the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to serve them.

Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.

12 B ecause they served them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore I have lifted up my hand regarding them, said the Lord GOD, that they shall bear their iniquity.

Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity.

13 A nd they shall not come near unto me, to serve me as priests, nor to come near to any of my holy things, to my most holy things: but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.

And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.

14 B ut I will make them keepers of the charge of the house for all the service thereof and for all that shall be done therein.

Nevertheless I will make them keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.

15 B ut the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, said the Lord GOD.

“But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord God.

16 T hey shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

“They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.

17 ¶ And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court and within.

And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house.

18 T hey shall have linen bonnets upon their heads and shall have linen underwear upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causes sweat.

They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat.

19 A nd when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they ministered and lay them in the chambers of the sanctuary, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.

When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall not sanctify the people.

20 N either shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut their hair.

“They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed.

21 N either shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.

22 N either shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.

They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

23 A nd they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane and teach them to discern between the clean and the unclean.

“And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

24 A nd in controversy they shall stand to judge; and they shall judge it according to my rights; and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my solemn assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

25 A nd they shall come near no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that has had no husband, they may defile themselves.

“They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves.

26 A nd after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.

After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him.

27 A nd in the day that he goes into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin, said the Lord GOD.

And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering in the inner court,” says the Lord God.

28 A nd this shall be unto them for an inheritance: I shall be their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.

“It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.

29 T hey shall eat the present, and that which was offered as sin, and that which was offered as guilt they shall eat; and every dedicated thing unto God in Israel shall be theirs.

They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.

30 A nd the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every offering of all, of every sort of your offerings, shall be the priest’s; ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.

The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.

31 T he priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.

The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.