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

Entonces el hombre me hizo volver por el camino de la puerta exterior del santuario que da hacia el oriente, y estaba cerrada.

2 T he 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.

Y el Señor me dijo: “Esta puerta estará cerrada; no se abrirá y nadie entrará por ella, porque el Señor, Dios de Israel, ha entrado por ella; por tanto permanecerá cerrada.

3 O nly 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

En cuanto al príncipe, él, como príncipe, se sentará allí para comer pan delante del Señor; entrará por el camino del vestíbulo de la puerta y por el mismo camino saldrá.”

4 T hen 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.

Luego me llevó por el camino de la puerta del norte al frente del templo; miré que la gloria del Señor llenaba la casa del Señor, y me postré sobre mi rostro.

5 T he 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.

Y el Señor me dijo: “Hijo de hombre, pon atención, mira con tus ojos y oye con tus oídos todo lo que te digo acerca de todos los estatutos de la casa del Señor y acerca de todas sus leyes; y fíjate bien en cuanto a la entrada del templo y a todas las salidas del santuario.

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

Y dirás a los rebeldes, a la casa de Israel: ‘Así dice el Señor Dios: “Son ya demasiadas todas sus abominaciones, oh casa de Israel,

7 Y ou 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.

cuando introdujeron extranjeros, incircuncisos de corazón e incircuncisos de carne, para que estuvieran en Mi santuario y profanaran Mi casa; cuando les ofrecieron Mi alimento, la grasa y la sangre; invalidaron, pues, Mi pacto; esto además de todas sus abominaciones.

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

No se han ocupado de guardar Mis cosas sagradas, sino que han puesto extranjeros como guardas de Mis ordenanzas en Mi santuario.”

9 ‘ 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

‘Así dice el Señor Dios: “Ningún extranjero, incircunciso de corazón e incircunciso de carne, entrará en Mi santuario; ninguno de los extranjeros que están entre los Israelitas.

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

Y los Levitas que se alejaron de Mí cuando Israel se descarriaba, y se alejaron de Mí tras sus ídolos, llevarán el castigo por su iniquidad.

11 T hey 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.

Serán servidores en Mi santuario, encargados de las puertas del templo y servidores en el templo; ofrecerán el holocausto y el sacrificio para el pueblo, y estarán delante de ellos para servirles.

12 B ut 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.

Por cuanto les sirvieron delante de sus ídolos, y fueron tropezadero de iniquidad para la casa de Israel, por tanto he jurado contra ellos,” declara el Señor Dios “que llevarán el castigo por su iniquidad.

13 T hey 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.

No se acercarán a Mí para servirme de sacerdotes, ni se acercarán a ninguna de Mis cosas santas, ni a las cosas santísimas, sino que cargarán su ignominia y las abominaciones que han cometido.

14 Y et 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

Los pondré como guardas de las ordenanzas del templo, de todo su servicio y de todo lo que se ha de hacer en él.

15 “ 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.

Pero los sacerdotes Levitas, hijos de Sadoc, que se ocupaban de guardar Mi santuario cuando los Israelitas se alejaron de Mí, se acercarán a Mí para servirme, y estarán delante de Mí para ofrecerme la grasa y la sangre,” declara el Señor Dios.

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

“Ellos entrarán en Mi santuario, y se acercarán a Mi mesa para servirme y guardar Mis ordenanzas.

17 W hen 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.

Cuando entren por las puertas del atrio interior, se pondrán vestiduras de lino; no se pondrán lana mientras estén sirviendo en las puertas del atrio interior y en el templo.

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

Llevarán turbantes de lino sobre sus cabezas, y calzoncillos de lino sobre sus lomos; no se pondrán nada que los haga sudar.

19 W hen 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.

Cuando salgan al atrio exterior, al atrio exterior donde está el pueblo, se quitarán las vestiduras con que han estado sirviendo y las dejarán en las cámaras sagradas, y se pondrán otras vestiduras a fin de no santificar al pueblo con sus vestiduras.

20 A nd 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.

No se afeitarán la cabeza, ni se dejarán crecer el cabello; sólo se recortarán el pelo de su cabeza.

21 N one of the religious leaders may drink wine when they come into the inner open space.

Ningún sacerdote beberá vino cuando entre al atrio interior.

22 T hey 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.

No tomará por mujer ni a viuda ni a divorciada, sino que tomará a una virgen del linaje de la casa de Israel, o a una viuda que sea viuda de sacerdote.

23 T hey 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.

Enseñarán a Mi pueblo a discernir entre lo sagrado y lo profano, y harán que ellos sepan distinguir entre lo inmundo y lo limpio.

24 I n 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.

En un pleito actuarán como jueces; lo decidirán conforme a Mis ordenanzas. También guardarán Mis leyes y Mis estatutos en todas Mis fiestas señaladas, y santificarán Mis días de reposo.

25 T hey 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.

No se acercarán a persona muerta para no contaminar se; pero por el padre, la madre, el hijo, la hija, el hermano, la hermana que no tenga marido, sí podrán contaminarse.

26 A fter a religious leader has become clean again, he must wait seven days.

Después de haberse purificado, se le contarán siete días.

27 A nd 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.

El día que entre en el santuario, en el atrio interior, para ministrar en el santuario, ofrecerá su ofrenda por el pecado,” declara el Señor Dios.

28 “ 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.

“Con respecto a la heredad para ellos, Yo soy su heredad; no les darán posesión en Israel: Yo soy su posesión.

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

Comerán la ofrenda de cereal, la ofrenda por el pecado y la ofrenda por la culpa; toda cosa consagrada en Israel será de ellos.

30 T he 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.

Y las primicias de todos los primeros frutos de todo, y de toda clase de ofrenda de sus ofrendas, serán para los sacerdotes; también darán al sacerdote las primicias de sus masas para que haga reposar una bendición sobre su casa.

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

Los sacerdotes no comerán el cuerpo muerto o despedazado de ninguna ave ni de ningún animal.