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

Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the holy place, toward the east, and it was shut.

2 A nd 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.

The Lord said to me, “This gate must stay shut. It must not be opened. No one may come in through it, for the Lord God of Israel has come in through it. So it must stay shut.

3 A s 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

Only the ruler may sit at the gate to eat bread before the Lord. He must come in through the porch of the gate, and go out the same way.” Those Who Could Go In to the House of God

4 A lso 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.

Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the house. There I saw the shining-greatness of the Lord filling the Lord’s house, and I fell with my face to the ground.

5 A nd 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.

The Lord said to me, “Son of man, be careful to see with your eyes and to hear with your ears everything that I say to you about all the rules and laws of the Lord’s house. Be careful to learn which persons are allowed to go in and out of the Lord’s house, and which persons are not allowed.

6 “ 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.

Tell the sinful people of Israel, ‘The Lord God says, “Enough of your hated sins, O people of Israel!

7 W hen 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.

You have brought in strangers, who had not gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew, and who were sinful in their heart. You brought them into My holy place to make it unclean, when you brought My food of the fat and the blood. You have broken My agreement by all your hated sins.

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

And you have not taken care of My holy things yourselves. You have let strangers take care of My holy place.”

9 T hus 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

‘So the Lord God says, “No stranger among the people of Israel who has not gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew, and is sinful in his heart, may come into My holy place. Levites Cannot Be Religious Leaders

10 “ 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.

“The Levites who went far from Me when Israel left Me to follow their false gods, will be punished for their sin.

11 Y et 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.

They may do the work in My holy place. They may watch over the gates of the house and do the work in the house. They may kill the burnt gifts and the gifts brought by the people. And they may stand in front of the people to serve them.

12 B ecause 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.

But because they served them in front of their false gods and caused the people of Israel to sin, I have promised,” says the Lord God, “that they will be punished for their sin.

13 A nd 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.

They must not come near Me to serve Me as a religious leader. They must not come near any of My holy things and the things that are most holy. But they must suffer their shame because of the hated sins they have done.

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

Yet I will have them take care of the house and do all the work that is needed to be done in it. Zadok’s Sons to Serve in the House of God

15 “ 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.

“But the Levite religious leaders of the sons of Zadok took care of My holy place when the people of Israel left Me. So they will come near Me to serve Me. They will stand before Me to give Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord God.

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

“They will come into My holy place and come near My table, to serve Me and to do My work.

17 A nd 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.

When they come through the gates of the inner open space, they will be dressed in linen clothing. They must not wear any wool while they are serving inside the gates of the inner open space or in the house.

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

They will wear linen head-coverings and linen underclothes. They must not dress in anything that makes their bodies wet with heat.

19 W hen 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.

When they go out to the people in the outer open space, they must take off the clothes they wear while they serve Me, and lay them in the holy rooms. Then they will put on other clothes, so that they do not make the people holy because of their clothing.

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

And they must not cut all the hair from their heads, yet they must not let their hair grow long. They must only cut their hair shorter.

21 N o priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.

None of the religious leaders may drink wine when they come into the inner open space.

22 T hey 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.

They must not marry a woman whose husband has died, or who has been divorced. But they may marry women of Israel who have never had a man, or a woman whose husband was a religious leader before he died.

23 “ 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.

They will teach My people the difference between what is holy and what is not. And they will teach them to know what is unclean and what is clean.

24 I n 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.

In an argument, the religious leaders will serve as judges, and will judge by My Laws. They will also keep My Laws in all My special suppers. And they will keep My Day of Rest holy.

25 “ 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.

They must not make themselves unclean by going near a dead person. But they may make themselves unclean if the dead person is their father or mother, son or daughter, brother, or sister who was not married.

26 A fter he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him.

After a religious leader has become clean again, he must wait seven days.

27 A nd 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.

And on the day he goes into the holy place, into the inner open space to serve in the holy place, he must bring his sin gift,” says the Lord God.

28 “ 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.

“I am to be the only part that the religious leaders have. You must not give them any land in Israel for their own. I am their part.

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

They will eat the grain gift, the sin gift, and the guilt gift. Everything in Israel that is set apart to Me will be theirs.

30 T he 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.

The first of all the first fruits of every kind, and every kind of gift you bring, will be for the religious leaders. And you must give them the first of your grain, so that good will come to your house.

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

The religious leaders must not eat any bird or animal that has died of itself or has been torn to pieces.