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Ezekiel 44:15-31
New American Standard Bible

Ordinances for the Levites

15 “But the (A)Levitical priests, the sons of (B)Zadok, who [a](C)took responsibility for My sanctuary when the sons of Israel (D)went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to serve Me; and they shall (E)stand before Me to offer Me the (F)fat and the blood,” declares the Lord God. 16 “They shall (G)enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My (H)table to serve Me and [b]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 (I)linen garments; and wool shall not [c]be worn by them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner courtyard or in the house. 18 Linen (J)turbans shall be on their heads and (K)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 (L)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 (M)not transfer holiness to the people with their garments. 20 Also they shall (N)not shave their heads, yet they shall not (O)let their locks [d]grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads. 21 (P)Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard. 22 And they shall not [e]marry a widow or a (Q)divorced woman, but shall (R)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 (S)difference between the holy and the [f]common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. 24 In a dispute (T)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 (U)appointed feasts, and (V)sanctify My Sabbaths. 25 [g](W)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 (X)cleansed, seven days [h]shall elapse for him. 27 On the day that he goes into the sanctuary, to the (Y)inner courtyard to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his (Z)sin offering,” declares the Lord God.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 44:15 Lit kept charge of
  2. Ezekiel 44:16 Lit keep the duty to Me
  3. Ezekiel 44:17 Lit go up on
  4. Ezekiel 44:20 Or hang loose
  5. Ezekiel 44:22 Lit take as wives for themselves
  6. Ezekiel 44:23 Lit profane
  7. Ezekiel 44:25 Lit He
  8. Ezekiel 44:26 Lit they shall count
  9. Ezekiel 44:30 Or uplifted offering(s)
  10. Ezekiel 44:30 Or uplifted offering(s)
  11. Ezekiel 44:30 Or coarse meal
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Ezekiel 44:15-31
New Living Translation

15 “However, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok continued to minister faithfully in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for idols. These men will serve as my ministers. They will stand in my presence and offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices, says the Sovereign Lord. 16 They alone will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to serve me. They will fulfill all my requirements.

17 “When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard, they must wear only linen clothing. They must wear no wool while on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple itself. 18 They must wear linen turbans and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire. 19 When they return to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must take off the clothes they wear while ministering to me. They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not endanger anyone by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing.

20 “They must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow too long. Instead, they must trim it regularly. 21 The priests must not drink wine before entering the inner courtyard. 22 They may choose their wives only from among the virgins of Israel or the widows of the priests. They may not marry other widows or divorced women. 23 They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is ceremonially clean and unclean.

24 “They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and decrees at all the sacred festivals, and see to it that the Sabbaths are set apart as holy days.

25 “A priest must not defile himself by being in the presence of a dead person unless it is his father, mother, child, brother, or unmarried sister. In such cases it is permitted. 26 Even then, he can return to his Temple duties only after being ceremonially cleansed and then waiting for seven days. 27 The first day he returns to work and enters the inner courtyard and the sanctuary, he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Sovereign Lord.

28 “The priests will not have any property or possession of land, for I alone am their special possession. 29 Their food will come from the gifts and sacrifices brought to the Temple by the people—the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Whatever anyone sets apart[a] for the Lord will belong to the priests. 30 The first of the ripe fruits and all the gifts brought to the Lord will go to the priests. The first batch of dough must also be given to the priests so the Lord will bless your homes. 31 The priests may not eat meat from any bird or animal that dies a natural death or that dies after being attacked by another animal.

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Footnotes

  1. 44:29 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
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Ezekiel 43
Ezekiel 45
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