Ezekiel 44
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
The Prince’s Privilege
44 The man then brought me back towards the sanctuary’s outer gate that faced east, and it was closed. 2 The Lord said to me, ‘This gate will remain closed. It will not be opened, and no one will enter through it, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it.(A) Therefore it will remain closed. 3 The prince himself will sit in the gate to eat a meal before the Lord.(B) He is to enter by way of the portico(C) of the gate and go out the same way.’
4 Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and the glory of the Lord filled his temple.(D) And I fell face down.(E) 5 The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, pay attention;(F) look with your eyes and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the Lord’s temple.(G) Take careful note of the entrance of the temple along with all the exits of the sanctuary.
The Levites’ Duties and Privileges
6 ‘Say to the rebellious people,(H) the house of Israel, “This is what the Lord God says: I have had enough(I) of all your detestable practices, house of Israel. 7 When you brought in foreigners,(J) uncircumcised in both heart and flesh,(K) to occupy my sanctuary, you defiled my temple while you offered my food – the fat and the blood. You[a] broke my covenant by all your detestable practices. 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things(L) but have appointed others to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.”
9 ‘This is what the Lord God says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter my sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites. 10 Surely the Levites who wandered away from me when Israel went astray, and who strayed from me after their idols,(M) will bear the consequences of their iniquity.(N) 11 Yet they will occupy my sanctuary, serving as guards at the temple gates(O) and ministering at the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings(P) and other sacrifices for the people and will stand before them to serve them.(Q) 12 Because they ministered to the house of Israel before their idols and became a sinful stumbling block to them, therefore I swore an oath[b] against them’(R) – this is the declaration of the Lord God – ‘that they would bear the consequences of their iniquity. 13 They must not approach me to serve me as priests(S) or come near any of my holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their disgrace and the consequences of the detestable acts they committed. 14 Yet I will make them responsible for the duties of the temple(T) – for all its work and everything done in it.
The Priests’ Duties and Privileges
15 ‘But the Levitical priests descended from Zadok,(U) who kept charge of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, will approach me to serve me. They will stand before me to offer me fat and blood.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God. 16 ‘They are the ones who may enter my sanctuary(V) and approach my table to serve me.(W) They will keep my mandate. 17 When they enter the gates of the inner court they are to wear linen garments;(X) they must not have on them anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner court and within it. 18 They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments round their waists.(Y) They are not to put on anything that makes them sweat. 19 Before they go out to the outer court,[c] to the people, they must take off the clothes they have been ministering in, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes(Z) so that they do not transmit holiness to the people through their clothes.(AA)
20 ‘They may not shave their heads(AB) or let their hair grow long,(AC) but are to carefully trim their hair. 21 No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.(AD) 22 He is not to marry a widow or a divorced woman, but may marry only a virgin from the offspring of the house of Israel,(AE) or a widow who is the widow of a priest. 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and explain to them the difference between the clean and the unclean.(AF)
24 ‘In a dispute, they will officiate as judges and decide the case according to my ordinances.(AG) They are to observe my laws and statutes regarding all my appointed festivals, and keep my Sabbaths holy.(AH) 25 A priest may not come near a dead person so that he becomes defiled.(AI) However, he may defile himself for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister. 26 After he is cleansed, he is to count seven days for himself.(AJ) 27 On the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court(AK) to minister in the sanctuary, he is to present his sin offering.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God.
28 ‘This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance.(AL) You are to give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession. 29 They will eat the grain offering, the sin offering,(AM) and the guilt offering. Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated to the Lord will belong to them.(AN) 30 The best of all the firstfruits of every kind and contribution of every kind from all your gifts will belong to the priests.(AO) You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest(AP) so that a blessing may rest on your homes.(AQ) 31 The priests may not eat any bird or animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts.(AR)
Yechezkel 44
Orthodox Jewish Bible
44 Then he [the angelic being] brought me back the derech sha’ar HaMikdash HaKhitzon, which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
2 Then said Hashem unto me: This sha’ar shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no ish shall enter in by it; because Hashem Elohei Yisroel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.
3 It is for the Nasi; the Nasi [see 34:23-24; 37:24-25, a "Dovid" or Messianic figure], he only shall sit in it to eat lechem before Hashem; he shall enter by the derech ulam hasha’ar, and shall exit by its derech.
4 Then he [the angelic being] brought me the derech sha’ar hatzafon to the front of the Beis {HaMikdash]; and I looked, and, hinei, the Kavod Hashem filled the Beis Hashem; and I fell upon my face.
5 And Hashem said unto me, Ben Adam, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the chukkot Beis Hashem, and all the torot thereof; and mark well the entrances of the Beis [HaMikdash], with every exit of the Mikdash.
6 And thou shalt say to the meri (rebellious), even to the Bais Yisroel, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; O ye Bais Yisroel, let it suffice you of all your to’avot (abominations),
7 In that ye have admitted into My Mikdash bnei nechor (foreigners), arelim in lev, and arelim in basar, to be in My Mikdash, to defile it, even My Beis, when ye offer My lechem, the chelev and the dahm, and they have broken My Brit (Covenant) because of all your to’avot (abominations).
8 And ye have not been shomer over the mishmeret of Mine Kadashim; but ye have set as shomrim of My mishmeret in My Mikdash any for yourselves.
9 Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: No ben nechor, arel lev, nor arel basar, shall enter into My Mikdash, of any ben nechor that is among the Bnei Yisroel.
10 And the Levi’im that went far away from Me, when Yisroel went astray, which went astray away from Me after their gillulim (idols); they shall even bear their avon.
11 Yet they shall be mesharetim (ministers) in My Mikdash, pekuddot (the ones who have charge) at the Sha’arei HaBeis [HaMikdash] and mesharetim in HaBeis [HaMikdash]; they shall do the shochet slaughter of the olah (burnt offering) and the zevach for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
12 Because they ministered unto them before their gillulim, and caused Bais Yisroel a michshol avon; therefore have I lifted up Mine Yad against them, saith Adonoi Hashem, and nas’u (they shall bear) their avon.
13 And they shall not come near unto Me, to do the office of a Kohen unto Me, nor to come near to any of My kadashim, in the Kodesh HaKodashim; but nas’u their shame, and their to’avot which they have committed.
14 But I will make them Shomrei Meshmeret HaBeis [HaMikdash], for all the avodah thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
15 But the Kohanim the Levi’im, the Bnei Tzadok, that were shomer over the Mishmeret of My Mikdash when the Bnei Yisroel 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 chelev and the dahm, saith Adonoi Hashem;
16 They shall enter into My Mikdash, and they shall come near to My Shulchan, to minister unto Me, and they shall be shomer over My mishmeret.
17 And it shall come to pass, when they enter in at the Sha’arei HeKhatzer HaPenimit, they shall be clothed with linen; and no tzemer shall come upon them, while they minister at the Sha’arei HeKhatzer HaPenimit, within.
18 They shall have linen turbans upon their rosh, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with that [clothing] with which one perspires.
19 And when they go forth into HaKhatzer HaKhitzonah, even into the Khatzer HaKhitzonah to HaAm, they shall take off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the lishkhot hakodesh (holy chambers) and they shall put on begadim acharim; and they shall not set apart as kodesh HaAm with their begadim.
20 Neither shall they shave their rosh, nor allow their hair to grow long; they shall keep trimmed their rosh.
21 Neither shall any Kohen drink yayin, when they enter into the Khatzer HaPenimit.
22 Neither shall they take for their nashim an almanah, nor a gerushah; but they shall take betulot of the zera Bais Yisroel, or an almanah who was almanah of a Kohen.
23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the kodesh and chol, and cause them to discern between the tameh and the tahor.
24 And in a riv they shall stand as shofet; and they shall judge it according to My mishpatim; and they shall adjudicate them in accordance with My torot and My chukkot in all Mine mo’adim; and they shall be shomer to keep My Shabbatot kodesh.
25 And they shall come near no met adam to make themselves tameh; but for av, or for em, or for ben, or for bat, for ach, or for achot that hath had no ish, they may make themselves tameh.
26 And after he is made tahor, they shall reckon unto him shivat yamim.
27 And in the yom that he goeth into the Kodesh, unto the Khatzer HaPenimit, to minister in the Kodesh, he shall offer his chattat, saith Adonoi Hashem.
28 And it shall be unto them for a nachalah; I am their nachalah; and ye shall give them no achuzzah in Yisroel; I am their achuzzah.
29 They shall eat the minchah, and the chattat, and the asham; and kol cherem in Yisroel shall be theirs.
30 And the reshit kol bikkurim of all things, and every terumah of all, of every sort of your terumot, shall belong to the Kohanim; ye shall also give unto the Kohen the reshit of your dough, that he may cause the brocha to rest on thine bais.
31 The Kohanim shall not eat of any thing nevelah, or terefah, whether it be oph or behemah.
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