Ezekiel 44:9-14

International Children’s Bible

⁹ This is what the Lord God says: Foreigners who are not circumcised in flesh and who do not give themselves to serving me may not enter my Temple. Even a foreigner living among the people of Israel may not enter.

¹⁰ “‘Some Levites stopped obeying me when Israel left me and followed their idols. These Levites must be punished for their sin. ¹¹ These Levites are to be servants in my Holy Place. They may guard the gates of the Temple. They may serve in the Temple. They may kill the animals for the burnt offering and the sacrifices for the people. They may stand before the people to serve them. ¹² But these Levites helped the people worship their idols and caused the people of Israel to fall. So I have made this promise: They will be punished for their sin, says the Lord God. ¹³ They will not come near me to serve as priests. They will not come near any of my holy things or the most holy offerings. But they will be ashamed of the things they did that I hate. ¹⁴ But I will make them take care of the Temple. They will take care of everything that must be done in it.