1
Then he returned me by the way of the gate of the outer sanctuary which faces toward the east; and it◦ was shut.
2
Then said Jehovah unto▵ me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no◦ man◦ shall come··in by it; because◦ Jehovah, the God of Israel, has come in by it, and it shall be shut.
3
It is for the chief; the chief, he◦ shall sit in it to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall come by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go··out by the way of it.
4
Then he brought me the way of the north gate before the house; and I saw, and, behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah; and I fell onto▵ my face.
5
And Jehovah said to▵ me, Son of man, set thy heart, and see with thine eyes, and with thine ears hear, all that I◦ speak with thee of◦ all the statutes of the house of Jehovah, and of◦ all its laws; and set thy heart to the entryway◦ of the house, with every going··out of the sanctuary.
6
And thou shalt say to▵ the rebellious, even to▵ the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Jehovih*; O ye house of Israel, let it be much for you of all your abominations,
7
in that you have brought sons of a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to profane it, even My house, when you offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have made· My covenant ·of··none··effect for◦ all your abominations.
8
And you have not kept the charge of My holy things; but you have set keepers of My charge in My sanctuary for yourselves.
9
Thus says the Lord Jehovih; Not any son of a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall come into▵ My sanctuary, of any son of a foreigner that is among▵ the sons of Israel.
10
For the Levites that are··far··away from Me, when Israel went··astray, which went··astray from Me after their idols; they shall even▵ bear their iniquity.
11
But they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge at▵ the gates of the house, and ministering to the house; they◦ shall slaughter the burnt··offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they◦ shall stand before them to minister unto them.
12
Because they ministered to them before their idols, and were to the house of Israel for a stumblingblock of iniquity; therefore I have lifted··up My hand against them, says◦ the Lord Jehovih, and they shall bear their iniquity.
13
And they shall not approach Me, to be··priests unto Me, nor to approach any of My holy things, in▵ the holy of holies; but they shall bear their humiliation, and their abominations which they have done.
14
But I will give them to be keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service of it, and for all that shall be done in it.
15
But 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, says◦ the Lord Jehovih:
16
they◦ shall come into▵ My sanctuary, and they◦ shall come··near to▵ My table, to minister unto Me, and they shall keep My charge.
17
And it shall be, that when they come··in at▵ the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed··with linen◦ garments; and no◦ wool shall come··up upon them, when they minister in the gates of the inner court, and inside.
18
Linen◦ headdresses shall be on their head, and Linen◦ breeches shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causes sweat◦.
19
And when they go··out into▵ the outer court, even into▵ the outer court to▵ the people, they shall strip··off their garments in which◦ they◦ ministered, and place them in the holy rooms, and they shall clothe· themselves ·with other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
20
And they shall not shave their head, and they shall not send down their locks; trimming they shall trim the hair of their heads.
21
And every priest shall not drink wine, when they come into▵ the inner court.
22
And they shall not take for themselves for wives a widow nor◦ her that is driven··out; for they shall take virgins from the seed of the house of Israel, or◦ a widow who was a widow from a priest.
23
And they shall instruct My people as to the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to know the unclean from the clean.
24
And over a plea they◦ shall stand to judge; and they shall judge it with My judgments; and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My solemn··occasions; and they shall sanctify My Sabbaths.
25
And to▵ the dying man they shall not come to defile themselves; but for father, or◦ for mother, or◦ for son, or◦ for daughter, or◦ for brother, or◦ for sister that has had no◦ husband◦, they may defile themselves.
26
And after his cleansing, they shall recount◦ unto him seven days.
27
And in the day when he comes into▵ the sanctuary, into▵ the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, says◦ the Lord Jehovih.
28
And it shall be unto them for an inheritance; I◦ am their inheritance: and you shall give them no◦ possession◦ in Israel: I◦ am their possession◦.
29
They◦ shall eat the gift··offering, and the sin offering, and the guilt offering; and every devoted··thing in Israel shall be for them.
30
And the beginning◦ of all the firstfruits of all things, and every uplifting◦ of all, of every sort of your upliftings◦, shall be for the priest; and you shall give to the priest the first of your dough◦, that he may cause a blessing to rest in▵ thy house.
31
The priests shall not eat of any carcass and of what is torn, from the fowl and from the beast.
