1 T hen He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut.
Then the man brought me back the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces the east, and it was shut.
2 T he Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.
Then the Lord said to me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened and no man shall enter in by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore it shall remain shut.
3 A s for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch of the gate and shall go out by the same way.”
As for the prince, being the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch or vestibule of the gate and shall go out the same way.
4 T hen He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the house; and I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I fell on my face.
Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I fell upon my face.
5 T he 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 statutes of the house of the Lord and concerning all its laws; and mark well the entrance of the house, with all exits of the sanctuary.
And the Lord said to me, Son of man, mark well and set your heart to 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, and mark well and set your heart to know who are allowed to enter the temple and all those who are excluded from the sanctuary.
6 Y ou shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “ Enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel,
And you shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O you house of Israel, let all your previous abominations be enough for you!
7 w hen you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void— this in addition to all your abominations.
You have brought into My sanctuary aliens, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to pollute and profane it, even My house, when you offer My bread, the fat and the blood; and through it all and in addition to all your abominations, they and you have broken My covenant.
8 A nd you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have set foreigners to keep charge of My sanctuary.”
And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have chosen foreign keepers to please yourselves and have set them in charge of My sanctuary.
9 ‘ Thus says the Lord God, “ No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.
Therefore thus says the Lord God: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh shall enter into My sanctuary, of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.
10 B ut the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity.
But the Levites who went far away from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity and guilt.
11 Y et they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house and ministering in the house; they shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.
They shall minister in My sanctuary, having oversight as guards at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall attend the people to serve them.
12 B ecause they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn against them,” declares the Lord God, “that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity.
Because ministered to before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity and guilt to the house of Israel, therefore I have lifted up My hand and have sworn against them, says the Lord God, that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity and guilt.
13 A nd they shall not come near to Me to serve as a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.
And they shall not come near to Me to do the office of a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things that are most sacred; but they shall bear their shame and their punishment for the abominations which they have committed.
14 Y et I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, of all its service and of all that shall be done in it. Ordinances for the Levites
Yet I will appoint them as caretakers to have charge of the temple, for all the service of the temple and for all that will be done in it.
15 “ But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood,” declares the Lord God.
But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me, and they shall attend Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God.
16 “ They shall enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and keep My charge.
They shall enter into My sanctuary; and they shall come near to My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.
17 I t shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court and in the house.
When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed in linen garments; no wool shall be on them while they minister at the gates of the inner court and within the temple.
18 L inen turbans shall be on their heads and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat.
They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.
19 W hen they go out into the outer court, into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.
And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they ministered and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments, lest by contact of their garments with the people they should consecrate (separate and set apart for holy use) such persons.
20 A lso they shall not shave their heads, yet they shall not let their locks grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads.
Neither shall they shave their heads or allow their locks to grow long; they shall only cut short or trim the hair of their heads.
21 N or shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner court.
Neither shall any priest drink wine when he enters the inner court.
22 A nd they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman but shall take virgins from the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
Neither shall they take for their wives a widow or a woman separated or divorced from her husband; but they shall marry maidens of the offspring of the house of Israel or a widow previously married to a priest.
23 M oreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
The priests shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common or profane, and cause them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
24 I n a dispute they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts and sanctify My sabbaths.
And in a controversy they shall act as judges, and they shall judge according to My judgments; and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and they shall keep My Sabbaths holy.
25 T hey shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may defile themselves.
And they shall go near to no dead person to defile themselves, except for father or for mother, for son or for daughter, for brother or for sister who has had no husband; for them they may defile themselves.
26 A fter he is cleansed, seven days shall elapse for him.
And after he is cleansed they shall reckon to him seven days more before returning to the temple.
27 O n the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering,” declares the Lord God.
And on the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, says the Lord God.
28 “ And it shall be with regard to an inheritance for them, that I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel—I am their possession.
This shall be to them as an inheritance, for I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.
29 T hey shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs.
They shall eat the meal offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering, and every offering in Israel dedicated by a solemn vow to God shall be theirs.
30 T he first of all the first fruits of every kind and every contribution of every kind, from all your contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your dough to cause a blessing to rest on your house.
And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priest the first of your coarse meal and bread dough, that a blessing may rest on your house.
31 T he priests shall not eat any bird or beast that has died a natural death or has been torn to pieces.
The priests shall not eat of anything that has died of itself or is torn, whether it be bird or beast.