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Ezekiel 44
New International Version

The Priesthood Restored

44 Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east,(A) and it was shut. 2 The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.(B) It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. 3 The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence(C) of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.(D)”

4 Then the man brought me by way of the north gate(E) to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple(F) of the Lord, and I fell facedown.(G)

5 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord. Give attention to the entrance(H) to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.(I) 6 Say to rebellious Israel,(J) ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! 7 In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart(K) and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.(L) 8 Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary.(M) 9 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.(N)

10 “‘The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray(O) and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin.(P) 11 They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings(Q) and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.(R) 12 But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall(S) into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand(T) that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord.(U) 13 They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame(V) of their detestable practices.(W) 14 And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.(X)

15 “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok(Y) and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat(Z) and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AA) 16 They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table(AB) to minister before me and serve me as guards.(AC)

17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes;(AD) they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. 18 They are to wear linen turbans(AE) on their heads and linen undergarments(AF) around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.(AG) 19 When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated(AH) through contact with their garments.(AI)

20 “‘They must not shave(AJ) their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.(AK) 21 No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.(AL) 22 They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.(AM) 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common(AN) and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.(AO)

24 “‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges(AP) and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals,(AQ) and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.(AR)

25 “‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.(AS) 26 After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days.(AT) 27 On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary(AU) to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering[a](AV) for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.

28 “‘I am to be the only inheritance(AW) the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. 29 They will eat(AX) the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted[b] to the Lord(AY) will belong to them.(AZ) 30 The best of all the firstfruits(BA) and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal(BB) so that a blessing(BC) may rest on your household.(BD) 31 The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead(BE) or torn by wild animals.(BF)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 44:27 Or purification offering; also in verse 29
  2. Ezekiel 44:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
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Ezekiel 44
English Standard Version

The Gate for the Prince

44 Then he brought me (A)back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, (B)which faces east. And it was shut. 2 And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for (C)the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut. 3 Only (D)the prince may sit in it (E)to eat bread before the Lord. He (F)shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.”

4 Then he brought me by way of (G)the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, (H)the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. And (I)I fell on my face. 5 And the Lord said to me, (J)“Son of man, mark well, (K)see with your eyes, (L)and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning (M)all the statutes of the temple of the Lord and all its laws. And mark well (N)the entrance to the temple and all the exits from the sanctuary. 6 And say to (O)the rebellious house,[a] to the (P)house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O house of Israel, (Q)enough of all your abominations, 7 in (R)admitting foreigners, (S)uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, (T)profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You[b] have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations. 8 And (U)you have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary.

9 “Thus says the Lord God: (V)No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary. 10 But (W)the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols (X)when Israel went astray, (Y)shall bear their punishment.[c] 11 They shall be (Z)ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight (AA)at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and (AB)they shall stand before the people, to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and became (AC)a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have (AD)sworn concerning them, declares the Lord God, and they shall bear their punishment. 13 They (AE)shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but (AF)they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them to keep (AG)charge of the temple, (AH)to do all its service and all that is to be done in it.

Rules for Levitical Priests

15 “But (AI)the Levitical priests, (AJ)the sons of Zadok, who kept (AK)the charge of my sanctuary (AL)when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me (AM)to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me (AN)the fat and the blood, declares the Lord God. 16 They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach (AO)my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge. 17 When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear (AP)linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within. 18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering (AQ)and lay them in the holy chambers. And (AR)they shall put on other garments, (AS)lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments. 20 (AT)They shall not shave their heads or (AU)let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads. 21 (AV)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 (AW)They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. 23 (AX)They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and (AY)show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. 24 (AZ)In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and (BA)they shall keep my Sabbaths holy. 25 (BB)They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves. 26 (BC)After he[d] has become clean, they shall count seven days for him. 27 And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, (BD)into the inner court, to minister in the Holy Place, (BE)he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord God.

28 (BF)“This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and (BG)you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. 29 (BH)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and (BI)every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 (BJ)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. (BK)You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, (BL)that a blessing may rest on your house. 31 (BM)The priests shall not eat of (BN)anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn by wild animals.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 44:6 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks house
  2. Ezekiel 44:7 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew They
  3. Ezekiel 44:10 Or iniquity; also verse 12
  4. Ezekiel 44:26 That is, a priest
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Ezekiel 44
New American Standard Bible

Gate for the Prince

44 Then He brought me back by way of the (A)outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. 2 And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the (B)Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the (C)prince, he shall sit in it as prince to (D)eat bread before the Lord; he shall (E)enter by way of the (F)porch of the gate and shall go out [a]by the same way.”

4 Then He brought me by way of the (G)north gate to the front of the house; and I looked, and behold, the (H)glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I (I)fell on my face. 5 And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, [b](J)pay attention, see with your eyes and hear with your ears everything that I say to you concerning all the (K)statutes of the house of the Lord and all its laws; and [c]pay attention to the entrance of the house, with all the exits of the sanctuary. 6 You shall say to the [d](L)rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord [e]God says: “(M)Enough of all your abominations, house of Israel, 7 when you brought in (N)foreigners, (O)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, My house, when you (P)offered My food, the fat, and the blood and they (Q)broke My covenant—this in addition to all your abominations. 8 And you have not [f](R)taken responsibility for My holy things yourselves, but you have appointed foreigners [g]to take responsibility for My sanctuary.”

9 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “(S)No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. 10 But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who (T)went astray from Me [h]following their idols, shall (U)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing. 11 Yet they shall be (V)ministers in My sanctuary, having (W)oversight at the gates of the house and (X)ministering in the house; they shall (Y)slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall (Z)stand before them to minister to them. 12 Since they ministered to them (AA)before their idols and became a (AB)stumbling block of wrongdoing to the house of Israel, for that reason I have [i](AC)sworn against them,” declares the Lord God, “that they shall (AD)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing. 13 And they shall (AE)not approach Me to serve as priests for Me, nor approach any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will (AF)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Nevertheless I will [j]appoint them [k]to (AG)take responsibility for the house, of all its service and of everything that shall be done in it.

Ordinances for the Levites

15 “But the (AH)Levitical priests, the sons of (AI)Zadok, who [l](AJ)took responsibility for My sanctuary when the sons of Israel (AK)went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to serve Me; and they shall (AL)stand before Me to offer Me the (AM)fat and the blood,” declares the Lord God. 16 “They shall (AN)enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My (AO)table to serve Me and [m]assume the responsibility I give them. 17 And it shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner courtyard, they shall be clothed with (AP)linen garments; and wool shall not [n]be worn by them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner courtyard or in the house. 18 Linen (AQ)turbans shall be on their heads and (AR)linen undergarments shall be around their waists; they shall not put on anything that makes them sweat. 19 And when they go out into the outer courtyard, into the outer courtyard to the people, they shall (AS)take 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 (AT)not transfer holiness to the people with their garments. 20 Also they shall (AU)not shave their heads, yet they shall not (AV)let their locks [o]grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads. 21 (AW)Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard. 22 And they shall not [p]marry a widow or a (AX)divorced woman, but shall (AY)take virgins from the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. 23 Moreover, they shall teach My people the (AZ)difference between the holy and the [q]common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. 24 In a dispute (BA)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 (BB)appointed feasts, and (BC)sanctify My Sabbaths. 25 [r](BD)They 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. 26 And after he is (BE)cleansed, seven days [s]shall elapse for him. 27 On the day that he goes into the sanctuary, to the (BF)inner courtyard to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his (BG)sin offering,” declares the Lord God.

28 “And it shall be regarding an inheritance for them, that (BH)I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no property in Israel—I am their property. 29 They shall (BI)eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; and everything (BJ)banned from secular use in Israel shall be theirs. 30 And the first of all the (BK)first fruits of every kind and every [t]contribution of every kind, from all your [u]contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the (BL)first of your [v]dough, to make a (BM)blessing rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat any bird or animal that has (BN)died a natural death or has been torn to pieces by animals.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 44:3 Lit its way
  2. Ezekiel 44:5 Lit set your heart
  3. Ezekiel 44:5 Lit set your heart
  4. Ezekiel 44:6 Lit rebellion
  5. Ezekiel 44:6 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  6. Ezekiel 44:8 Lit kept charge of
  7. Ezekiel 44:8 Lit as keepers of duty to Me in My
  8. Ezekiel 44:10 Lit after
  9. Ezekiel 44:12 Lit lifted up My hand
  10. Ezekiel 44:14 Lit give
  11. Ezekiel 44:14 Lit keepers of the charge of
  12. Ezekiel 44:15 Lit kept charge of
  13. Ezekiel 44:16 Lit keep the duty to Me
  14. Ezekiel 44:17 Lit go up on
  15. Ezekiel 44:20 Or hang loose
  16. Ezekiel 44:22 Lit take as wives for themselves
  17. Ezekiel 44:23 Lit profane
  18. Ezekiel 44:25 Lit He
  19. Ezekiel 44:26 Lit they shall count
  20. Ezekiel 44:30 Or uplifted offering(s)
  21. Ezekiel 44:30 Or uplifted offering(s)
  22. Ezekiel 44:30 Or coarse meal
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Ezekiel 44
Contemporary English Version

The East Gate Must Remain Closed

44 The man took me back to the outer courtyard, near the east gate of the temple area. I saw that the doors to this gate were closed. 2 The Lord said:

I, the Lord God of Israel, came through this gate, so it must remain closed forever! No one must ever use it. 3 The ruler of Israel may come here to eat a sacrificial meal that has been offered to me, but he must use only the entrance room of this gate.

People Who Are Not Allowed in the Temple

4 Then the man took me through the north gate to the front of the temple. I saw that the brightness of the Lord's glory had filled the temple, and I immediately bowed with my face to the ground.

5 The Lord said:

Ezekiel, son of man, I am going to give you the laws for my temple. So pay attention and listen carefully to what kind of people are allowed to come in the temple, and what kind are not. 6 Tell those rebellious people of Israel:

I, the Lord God, command you to stop your evil ways! 7 My temple has been disgraced, because you have let godless, stubborn foreigners come here when sacrifices are being offered to me. You have sinned and have broken our solemn agreement. 8 Instead of following the proper ways to worship me, you have put foreigners in charge of worship at my temple.

9 And so I, the Lord God, say that no godless foreigner who disobeys me will be allowed in my temple. This includes any foreigner living in Israel.

The Levites Are Punished

The Lord said:

10 Some of the Levites turned their backs on me and joined the other people of Israel in worshiping idols. So these Levites must be punished! 11 They will still be allowed to serve me as temple workers by guarding the gates and by killing the animals to be sacrificed and by helping the worshipers. 12 But because these Levites served the people of Israel when they worshiped idols, I, the Lord God, promise that the Levites will be punished. They did not stop the Israelites from sinning, 13 and now I will no longer let the Levites serve as my priests or come near anything sacred to me. They must suffer shame and disgrace for their disgusting sins. 14 They will be responsible for all the hard work that must be done in the temple.

Rules for Priests

The Lord said:

15 The priests of the Levi tribe who are descendants of Zadok the priest were faithful to me, even when the rest of the Israelites turned away. And so, these priests will continue to serve as my priests and to offer the fat and the blood of sacrifices. 16 They will come into my temple, where they will offer sacrifices at my altar and lead others in worship.

17 (A) When they come to the inner courtyard, they must wear their linen priestly clothes. My priests must never wear anything made of wool when they are on duty in this courtyard or in the temple. 18 Even their turbans and underwear must be made of linen to keep my priests from sweating when they work. 19 (B) And before they leave to join the other people in the outer courtyard, they must take off their priestly clothes, then place them in the sacred rooms and put on their regular clothes.[a] That way, no one will touch their sacred clothes and be harmed.[b]

20 (C) Priests must never shave their heads when they are mourning. But they must keep their hair properly trimmed and not let it grow too long. 21 (D) They must not drink wine before going to the inner courtyard.

22 (E) A priest must not marry a divorced woman; he can marry only a virgin from Israel or the widow of another priest.

23 (F) Priests must teach my people the difference between what is sacred and what is ordinary, and between what is clean and what is unclean. 24 They will make decisions in difficult legal cases, according to my own laws. They must also observe the religious festivals my Law requires and must always respect the Sabbath.

25 (G) Touching a dead body will make a person unclean. So a priest must not go near a dead body, unless it is one of his parents or children, or his brother or unmarried sister. 26 If a priest touches a dead body, he is unclean and must go through a ceremony to make himself clean. Then seven days later, 27 he must go to the inner courtyard of the temple and offer a sacrifice for sin. After that, he may once again serve as my priest. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

28 (H) I myself will provide for my priests, and so they won't receive any land of their own. 29 (I) Instead, they will receive part of the grain sacrifices, as well as part of the sacrifices for sin and sacrifices to make things right. They will also be given everything in Israel that has been completely dedicated to me.[c] 30 The first part of every harvest will belong to the priests. They will also receive part of all special gifts and offerings the Israelites bring to me. And whenever any of my people bake bread, they will give their first loaf as an offering to the priests, and I will bless the homes of the people when they do this.

31 (J) Priests must not eat any bird or animal that dies a natural death or that has been killed by a wild animal.

Footnotes

  1. 44.19 take off their priestly clothes … put on their regular clothes: See 42.14.
  2. 44.19 no one will touch … and be harmed: Ordinary people were forbidden to touch anything that was sacred. If they did, it was believed they would somehow be harmed.
  3. 44.29 that has been completely dedicated to me: This translates a Hebrew word that describes property and things that were taken away from humans and given to God. In the early history of Israel, such things often had to be destroyed (see Joshua 6.15-19).
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