Ezekiel 44

Revised Geneva Translation

44 Then He brought me toward the gate of the outer Sanctuary, which turns toward the East. And it was shut.

² Then said the LORD to me, “This gate shall be shut and shall not be opened. And no man shall enter by it, because the Lord GOD of Israel has entered by it; and it shall be shut.

³ “As for the prince: The prince himself shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD. He shall enter by way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.”

⁴ Then He brought me toward the North gate, in front of the House. And when I looked, behold, the Glory of the LORD filled the House of the LORD. And I fell upon my face.

⁵ And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, mark well and behold 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; and mark well every entrance to the House with every exit from the Sanctuary.

⁶ “And you shall say to the rebellious, to the House of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, O House of Israel: “Enough of all your abominations,

⁷ “when you have brought in strangers, who are uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My Sanctuary, to pollute My House when you offer My bread, fat, and blood. And they have broken My Covenant because of all your abominations.

⁸ “For you have not kept the Ordinances of My Holy things. But you yourselves have set others to take charge of My Sanctuary.”

⁹ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “No stranger, either uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My Sanctuary, out of any stranger among the children of Israel.

¹⁰ “And the Levites who went back from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.

¹¹ “Yet, they shall serve in My Sanctuary, and keep the gates of the House, and minister in the House. They shall kill the Burnt Offering and the Sacrifice for the people. And they shall stand before them, to serve them.

¹² “Because they served before their idols, and caused the House of Israel to fall into iniquity, I have therefore lifted up My Hand against them,” says the Lord GOD, “and they shall bear their iniquity.

¹³ “And they shall not come near Me to do the office of the Priest to Me. Nor shall they come near any of My holy things in the Most Holy Place. But they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.

¹⁴ “And I will make them keepers of the watch of the House, for all its service, and for all that shall be done in it.

¹⁵ “But the Priests of 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 serve Me. And they shall stand before Me, to offer Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord GOD.

¹⁶ “They shall enter into My Sanctuary, and shall come near to My Table, to serve Me. And they shall keep My charge.

¹⁷ “And when they shall enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments. And no wool shall come upon them while they serve in the gates of the inner court, and within.

¹⁸ “They shall have linen turbans upon their heads and shall have linen undergarments upon their loins. They shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.

¹⁹ “But when they go forth into the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they ministered and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments. For they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.

²⁰ “Also, they shall not shave their heads or allow their locks to grow long, but around their heads.

²¹ “Nor shall any Priest drink wine when he enters into the inner court.

²² “Nor shall they take for their wives a widow, or her who is divorced. But they shall take maidens of the seed of the House of Israel, or a widow who has been the widow of a Priest.

²³ “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

²⁴ “And in controversy, they shall stand to judge. And they shall judge it according to My Judgments. And they shall keep My Laws and My Statutes in all My assemblies. And they shall sanctify My Sabbaths.

²⁵ “And they shall not come near any dead person, to defile themselves, except for their father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister who has yet had no husband. In only these may they be defiled.

²⁶ “And when he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for himself.

²⁷ “And when he goes into the Sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the Sanctuary, he shall offer his Sin Offering,” says the Lord GOD.

²⁸ “And the Priesthood shall be their inheritance. I am their inheritance. Therefore, you shall give them no possession in Israel. I am their possession.

²⁹ “They shall eat the Meat Offering, and the Sin Offering, and the Trespass Offering. And every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.

³⁰ “And the first of all the firstborn, and every oblation, all of every sort of your oblations shall be the Priest’s. You shall also give the Priest the first of your dough, so that he may cause the blessing to rest in your house.

³¹ “The Priests shall not eat of anything that is dead or torn, whether it be bird or beast.”