Ezekiel 44
Expanded Bible
The Outer East Gate
44 Then the man brought me back to the outer east gateway of the ·Temple area [sanctuary], but the gate was shut. 2 The Lord said to me, “This gate will stay shut; it will not be opened. No one may enter through it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered through it. So it must stay shut. 3 Only the ·ruler [prince] himself may sit in the gateway to eat ·a meal [L bread; C probably his portion of the fellowship offering; Lev. 7:15; Deut. 12:7] ·in the presence of [before] the Lord. He must enter through the porch of the gateway and go out the same way.”
4 Then the man brought me through the outer north gate to the front of the ·Temple [L house]. As I looked, ·I saw [L look; T behold] the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] filling the Temple of the Lord, and I ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground.
5 The Lord said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], pay attention. Use your eyes to see, and your ears to hear. See and hear everything I tell you about all the ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [laws; instructions] of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. Pay attention to the entrance to the Temple and to all the exits from the ·Temple area [sanctuary]. 6 Then speak to ·those who refuse to obey [the rebellious]. Say to the ·people [L house] of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: ·Stop doing all [Enough of] your ·acts that I hate [detestable/abominable acts], [L house of] Israel! 7 You brought foreigners into my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] who were not circumcised in the flesh and ·had not given themselves to serving me [L uncircumcised in the heart; Jer. 9:26; Acts 7:51]. You ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my ·Temple [L house] when you offered me food, fat, and blood. You broke my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] by all ·the things you did that I hate [your detestable/abominable acts]. 8 You did not take ·care [charge] of my holy things yourselves but put ·foreigners [or others] ·in charge of [to take care of] my ·Temple [sanctuary]. 9 This is what the Lord God says: Foreigners who ·do not give themselves to serving me [L are uncircumcised in heart] and who are uncircumcised in flesh may not enter my ·Temple [sanctuary]. Not even a foreigner living among the ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel may enter.
10 “‘But the Levites who ·stopped obeying [L went far from] me when Israel ·left me [went astray] and who followed their idols must ·be punished [be responsible; bear the penalty] for their sin. 11 These Levites are to be ·servants in [ministers of] my ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. They may guard the gates of the ·Temple [L house] and serve in the ·Temple area [L house]. They may ·kill the animals for [L slaughter] the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and the sacrifices for the people. They may stand before the people to ·serve [minister to] them. 12 But these Levites ·helped the people worship [L ministered to them before] their idols and caused the ·people [L house] of Israel to ·fall [stumble], so I ·make this promise [L swear with uplifted hand]: They will ·be punished [be responsible; bear the penalty] for their sin, says the Lord God. 13 They will not come near me to serve as priests, nor will they come near any of my holy things or the most holy offerings. But they will ·be made ashamed of [bear the shame for] ·the things they did that I hate [their detestable/abominable actions]. 14 Yet I will ·put them in charge of taking care [appoint them to guard/keep charge] of the ·Temple area [L house], all the work that must be done in it.
15 “‘But the priests who are Levites and descendants of Zadok took care of my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] when [L the sons/T children of] Israel ·left me [went astray], so they may come near to serve me. They may stand in my presence to offer me the fat and blood [C of sacrificial animals], says the Lord God. 16 They ·are the only ones who may [L will] enter my ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. ·Only they [L They] may come near my table to ·serve [minister to] me and ·take care of the things I gave them to do [keep my charge; or serve me as guards].
17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they must wear linen robes. They must not wear wool to ·serve [minister] at the gates of the inner courtyard or in the ·Temple [L house]. 18 They will wear linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes [Lev. 6:10]. They will not ·wear [bind/gird themselves with] anything that makes them perspire. 19 When they go out into the outer courtyard to the people, they must take off their serving ·clothes [garments] before they go. They must leave these clothes in the ·holy rooms [sacred chambers] and put on other ·clothes [garments]. Then they will not ·let their holy clothes hurt [or transmit holiness with their garments to] the people.
20 “‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long but must keep the hair of their heads trimmed [Lev. 21:5]. 21 None of the priests may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard [Lev. 10:9]. 22 The priests must not marry widows or divorced women. They may marry only virgins from the ·people [L offspring/seed of the house] of Israel or widows of priests [Lev. 21:7–8]. 23 They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is ·not holy [common; profane; C ritually]. They must help my people know what is unclean [C ritually] and what is clean.
24 “‘In ·court [a dispute/controversy] they will act as judges. When they judge, they will follow my ·teachings [judgments]. They must obey my ·laws [teachings; instructions] and my ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] at all my ·special feasts [appointed festivals] and keep my Sabbaths holy.
25 “‘They must not go near a dead person, ·making themselves unclean [defiling themselves; C ritually]. But they are allowed to ·make themselves unclean [defile themselves; C ritually] if the dead person is their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or a sister who has not married. 26 After a priest has been ·made clean again [cleansed; C ritually], he must wait seven days. 27 Then he may go into the inner courtyard to serve in the ·Temple [sanctuary], but he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Lord God [Lev. 21:1–4].
28 “‘·These are the rules about the priests and their property [L This will be their inheritance]: ·They will have me instead of property [L I am their inheritance]. You will not give them any ·land to own [possessions] in Israel; I am ·what they will own [their possession]. 29 They will eat the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], and ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offerings [Lev. 5:14—6:7]. ·Everything Israel gives to me [L Every devoted thing in Israel] will be theirs. 30 The ·best [first] fruits of all the first harvests and all the special gifts offered to me will belong to the priests. You will also give to the priests the first part of your ·grain that you grind [dough] ·and so bring a blessing [L that a blessing may rest] on your family. 31 The priests must not eat any bird or animal that died a natural death or one that has been torn by wild animals.
Ezekiel 44
Amplified Bible
Gate for the Prince
44 Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut. 2 Then the Lord said to me, “This [a]gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch (portico) of the gate and shall go out the same way.”
4 Then He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the house; I looked, and behold, the glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I fell face downward.(A) 5 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, pay careful attention, 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 all its laws; and pay careful attention to the entering of the house [by people], with all the departures from the sanctuary [of people, those who are allowed to enter the temple and all those who are excluded from the sanctuary]. 6 You shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Enough of all your repulsive acts, O house of Israel! 7 In that you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to pollute and profane it—My house—when you offered My bread, the fat, and the blood; and [b]they made My covenant void —this in addition to all your other repulsive acts. 8 And you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have chosen foreigners [to please yourselves] and have set them in charge of My sanctuary.”
9 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. 10 But the Levites who went far away from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear the punishment for their sin and guilt. 11 Yet they shall minister in My sanctuary, having oversight [as guards] at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because the priests ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of sin to the house of Israel, therefore I have lifted up My hand and have sworn [an oath] against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear the punishment for their sin and guilt. 13 And they shall not come near to Me to serve as priests to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame and their disgrace and [the consequences of] their repulsive acts which they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them as caretakers of the temple, for all its service and for all that shall be done in it.
Ordinances for the Levites
15 “But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who performed the duty of My sanctuary when the children (descendants) of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” declares the Lord God. 16 “They shall enter into My sanctuary; and they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and they shall perform [the priestly] duty to me. 17 It shall be that when they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they shall be clothed in linen garments; no wool shall be on them while they minister at the gates of the inner courtyard and within the temple (house). 18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments on their [c]loins; they shall not dress themselves with anything which makes them sweat. 19 When they go out into the outer court, into the outer courtyard to the people, they shall take off the garments in which they have been ministering and leave them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other clothing so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their [ceremonial] garments. 20 Also they shall not shave their heads, yet they shall not allow their hair to grow long; they shall only cut short or trim their hair. 21 Nor shall any priest drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard. 22 And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman; but they shall marry virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who was previously married to a priest. 23 The priests shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the (ceremonially) unclean and the clean. 24 In a controversy they shall take their stand to act as judges; they shall judge it in accordance with My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts and sanctify My Sabbaths. 25 They shall not go to a dead person to [d]defile themselves; except for father or for mother, for son or for daughter, for brother or for sister who has had no husband; they may defile themselves.(B) 26 After he is cleansed [from the defilement of a corpse], seven days more shall elapse for him [before returning to the temple]. 27 On the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner courtyard to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering,” says the Lord God.
28 “It [their ministry to Me] shall be as an inheritance to them, for I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no property (land) in Israel, for I am their possession.(C) 29 They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering; and every devoted thing (offering) in Israel [dedicated by a solemn vow to God] shall be theirs. 30 The first of all the first fruits of every kind, and every contribution and offering of every kind, from all your contributions and offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priest the first of your coarse meal and bread dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or has been torn to pieces.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 44:2 The eastern gate of the temple which was shown to Ezekiel in the vision is not the old city’s eastern gate (Golden Gate) which was sealed by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1542.
- Ezekiel 44:7 So MT; ancient versions read you.
- Ezekiel 44:18 The midsection of the body between the lower ribs and the hips.
- Ezekiel 44:25 I.e. become ceremonially unclean.
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