Ezequiel 44
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
Servicio del pórtico oriental
44 Me hizo volver al pórtico exterior del santuario, el que está orientado hacia el este, pero estaba cerrado. 2 Entonces me dijo:
— Este pórtico permanecerá cerrado; nadie lo abrirá ni entrará por él, pues el Señor, Dios de Israel, ha entrado por él y debe permanecer cerrado. 3 Sólo el príncipe podrá sentarse en él para comer en presencia del Señor. Entrará por el vestíbulo del pórtico y saldrá por el mismo sitio.
Condiciones de admisión en el Templo
4 Después me llevó hacia el pórtico septentrional, frente al Templo. Me fijé y, al ver que la gloria del Señor llenaba el Templo, caí rostro en tierra. 5 Entonces me dijo:
— Hijo de hombre, pon interés, observa bien y escucha con atención todo lo que voy a decirte sobre todas las normas y disposiciones relativas al Templo. Fíjate bien en quiénes tienen acceso al Templo y en quiénes son excluidos del santuario. 6 Di a esos israelitas rebeldes: Esto dice el Señor Dios: ¿No tienen bastante con las abominaciones que han cometido, pueblo de Israel? 7 Han permitido que extranjeros incircuncisos de corazón y de cuerpo entren en mi santuario para profanarlo cuando me ofrecen pan, grasa y sangre. Ustedes han roto mi alianza con esas prácticas abominables 8 y han desatendido el servicio a mis cosas santas, cediéndoles a ellos el servicio que se me debe en el santuario. 9 Esto dice el Señor Dios: Ningún extranjero incircunciso de corazón y de cuerpo entrará en mi santuario, ningún extranjero que habite entre los israelitas.
Funciones de los levitas
10 Los levitas que se alejaron de mí cuando Israel se descarrió abandonándome y yendo detrás de sus ídolos cargarán con su culpa. 11 Serán los responsables del servicio de seguridad en mi santuario, vigilando las puertas, y desempeñarán otras funciones en el área del Templo. Serán los encargados de degollar las víctimas de los holocaustos y las sacrificadas en favor del pueblo, a cuya disposición estarán para servirlo. 12 Por haber dado culto a los ídolos, siendo ocasión de pecado para la comunidad israelita, juro solemnemente —oráculo del Señor Dios— que tendrán que cargar con su culpa. 13 No se acercarán a mí para oficiar como sacerdotes ni tocarán nada que yo considere santo o santísimo. Tienen que soportar la vergüenza que merecen y las consecuencias de las abominaciones que cometieron. 14 Los responsabilizaré de las tareas del área del Templo y de todos los trabajos que haya que hacer en él.
Funciones de los sacerdotes
15 Los sacerdotes levitas de la estirpe de Sadoc, que estuvieron al servicio de mi santuario cuando los israelitas se descarriaron, podrán acercarse a mí para servirme; estarán en mi presencia para ofrecerme grasa y sangre —oráculo del Señor Dios—. 16 Entrarán en mi santuario, se acercarán a mi mesa para servirme y cumplirán con sus deberes. 17 Cuando entren por los pórticos del atrio interior vestirán ropa de lino y no se pondrán vestidos de lana cuando oficien en los pórticos del atrio interior o más adentro. 18 Llevarán en sus cabezas turbantes de lino y se pondrán calzones de lino; no vestirán ropa que les haga sudar. 19 Cuando salgan al atrio exterior, donde está la gente, se quitarán la ropa que llevaban durante el servicio litúrgico y la dejarán en las habitaciones del santuario; se pondrán otra ropa, y así no transmitirán a la gente la santidad de la ropa litúrgica. 20 No se afeitarán la cabeza, pero tampoco se dejarán melena; llevarán el pelo muy corto. 21 Ningún sacerdote beberá vino cuando penetre en el atrio interior. 22 No se casarán con viudas o divorciadas, sino sólo con vírgenes de estirpe israelita; podrán, sin embargo, casarse con viudas de sacerdotes. 23 Enseñarán a mi pueblo la diferencia que existe entre lo sagrado y lo profano, y los instruirán en la distinción entre lo puro y lo impuro. 24 Cuando haya un pleito, presidirán el juicio y decidirán de acuerdo con mis disposiciones. En todas las fiestas dedicadas a mí aplicarán mis leyes y mis normas; santificarán mis sábados. 25 No se acercarán a un cadáver para no contaminarse, a no ser que se trate del padre o de la madre, de un hijo o de una hija, o de una hermana soltera. 26 Después de la purificación deberán dejar pasar siete días. 27 El día en que vuelvan al santuario y entren en el atrio interior para desempeñar su tarea, ofrecerán un sacrificio de expiación por ellos mismos —oráculo del Señor Dios—. 28 No tendrán heredad alguna: yo seré su heredad. No se les dará en Israel propiedad alguna: yo seré su propiedad. 29 Se alimentarán de las ofrendas de cereales y de las víctimas de los sacrificios expiatorios y penitenciales; a ellos les pertenece también todo lo consagrado al exterminio en Israel. 30 Los sacerdotes podrán disponer de lo mejor de las primicias y de todas las ofrendas de ustedes. Al sacerdote le darán lo mejor de sus hornadas, para que la casa de ustedes se llene de bendiciones. 31 Los sacerdotes no podrán comer cadáveres o cuerpos destrozados de aves o de animales.
Ezekiel 44
New King James Version
The East Gate and the Prince
44 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary (A)which faces toward the east, but it was shut. 2 And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, (B)because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the (C)prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to (D)eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”
Those Admitted to the Temple
4 Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the [a]temple; so I looked, and (E)behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; (F)and I fell on my face. 5 And the Lord said to me, (G)“Son of man, [b]mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the (H)ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.
6 “Now say to the (I)rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “O house of Israel, (J)let Us have no more of all your abominations. 7 (K)When you brought in (L)foreigners, (M)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered (N)My food, (O)the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations. 8 And you have not (P)kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.” 9 Thus says the Lord God: (Q)“No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.
Laws Governing Priests
10 (R)“And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, (S)as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; (T)they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and (U)they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and (V)caused[c] the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have (W)raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity. 13 (X)And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall (Y)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Nevertheless I will make them (Z)keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.
15 (AA)“But the priests, the Levites, (AB)the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary (AC)when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they (AD)shall stand before Me to offer to Me the (AE)fat and the blood,” says the Lord God. 16 “They shall (AF)enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near (AG)My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. 17 And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that (AH)they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. 18 (AI)They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, (AJ)they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall (AK)not sanctify the people.
20 (AL)“They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow (AM)long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. 21 (AN)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 They shall not take as wife a (AO)widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.
23 “And (AP)they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to (AQ)discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 (AR)In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, (AS)and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.
25 “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves. 26 (AT)After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him. 27 And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, (AU)he must offer his sin offering (AV)in the inner court,” says the Lord God.
28 “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I (AW)am their inheritance. You shall give them no (AX)possession in Israel, for I am their possession. 29 (AY)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; (AZ)every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 The (BA)best[d] of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you (BB)shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, (BC)to cause a blessing to rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that (BD)died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 44:4 Lit. house
- Ezekiel 44:5 Lit. set your heart
- Ezekiel 44:12 Lit. became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel
- Ezekiel 44:30 Lit. first
Ezekiel 44
EasyEnglish Bible
Rules about the temple
44 Then the man brought me back to the outside gate on the east side of the temple yard. But the gate was shut.
2 The Lord said to me, ‘This gate must stay shut. Nobody may go through it. Nobody may open it again. The Lord, Israel's God, has gone through it. So it must stay shut. 3 Only Israel's ruler is allowed to sit in the gate's entrance. He may sit there to eat a holy meal in front of the Lord. He may only go in and out through the entrance room of that gate.’
4 Then the man took me through the north gate of the temple yard. We went to the front of the temple building. As I watched, I saw that the Lord's glory filled his temple. I bent down low with my face on the ground.
5 The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, listen to what I tell you. Think carefully about it. These are the rules and laws about the Lord's temple. Understand about its entrances and the people who are allowed to go in and out of the temple. 6 Israel's people refuse to obey me. Say to them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Israel's people, you have done too many disgusting things! 7 You brought foreigners into my temple. They were not circumcised and they did not want to belong to me. In that way, you made my own temple unclean. You did that when you offered food, fat and blood to me there. You did not obey my covenant with you, when you did all these disgusting things. 8 You did not take care of my holy things yourselves. Instead you chose foreigners to take care of my holy place on your behalf. 9 This is what the Almighty Lord God says: No foreigner may go into my holy place if he is not circumcised and he does not want to obey me. Even if that foreigner lives among my people, the Israelites, he must not go in there.
10 As well as other Israelites, some Levite men turned away from me to worship idols. I will punish them as they deserve for their sin. 11 But they may continue to serve me in the work of the temple. They can be guards at the temple gates. They can kill the animals that people bring for burnt offerings and other sacrifices. They can help the people who come to worship me. 12 But I promise that I will punish them as they deserve for their sin. That is because they helped the people to worship their idols. In that way, they caused Israel's people to do bad things. I, the Almighty Lord, promise that I will punish them. 13 They must not come near to me to serve me as the priests do. They must not touch any of my holy things or the most holy offerings. Instead, they must be ashamed of the disgusting things that they have done. 14 But I will allow them to take care of the temple and all the ordinary work that is done there.
15 Only the priests who are descendants of Zadok, the Levite, may come near to me and serve me.[a] When Israel's people turned away from me, only the priests of Zadok's family faithfully served me in my temple. So now Zadok's descendants may offer to me the fat and the blood of sacrifices. That is what the Almighty Lord says. 16 Only they can come into my holy place and serve me at the altar. They will do what I tell them to do.
17 When they come through the gates into the inside yard, they must wear linen clothes. The clothes that they wear while they serve me must not have any wool in them. They must wear linen clothes when they work at the gates of the inside yard or in the temple. 18 They must wear linen cloths around their heads. The trousers that they wear next to their skin must also be made of linen. They must not tie anything around their body that makes them sweat.[b] 19 Before they go out to the outside yard to meet the ordinary people, they must take off their special clothes. They must leave the clothes that they wore when they were serving me in one of the rooms in the holy place. They must put on other clothes before they go out. Then their special clothes will not touch the people and make them holy.
20 The priests must not cut all the hair off their heads. They must not let it grow long either. They must keep their hair short. 21 When a priest goes into the inside yard of the temple, he must not drink anywine. 22 Priests must not marry a widow, or a woman whose husband has sent her away. They may only marry Israelite women who have never had sex. Or they may marry a widow whose husband had been a priest. 23 They must teach my people that holy things are different from ordinary things. They must also show them how to know if something is clean or unclean.
24 If people have an argument, the priests must be their judges. They must use my laws to decide who is right. They must obey the rules about my special festivals. They must respect Sabbath days as holy.
25 A priest must not go near to a dead person. It would make him unclean. But if the dead person is his father, his mother, his son, his daughter, his brother or his sister who has not married, he may go near them. It makes him unclean but he may do that. 26 After this, he must make himself clean. Then he must wait seven days. 27 Then he can go into the inside yard of the temple to serve me there. On the day that he goes back there, he must make a sin offering for himself. That is what the Almighty Lord says.
28 Do not give the priests their own land in Israel to keep for their descendants. I myself will be the gift that they receive. I will take care of them and their families. 29 They will receive the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings. They are allowed to eat some of those offerings that the people bring. All the special things that people give to the Lord will belong to the priests. 30 The best of all the first crops from people's land and all their special gifts will belong to the priests. You must also give to the priests the first flour that you make from your grain. Then I will bless the people who live in your house. 31 The priests must not eat any bird or any animal that people find dead. They must not eat anything that a wild animal has killed.” ’
Footnotes
- 44:15 Zadok was a priest at the time of David. He was faithful to David when David's sons, Absalom and Adonijah, turned against their father (2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 15:24-29; 1 Kings 1:8). David's son Solomon chose Zadok to be the chief priest (1 Kings 2:35).
- 44:18 Sweat makes your skin wet when your body becomes very hot.
La Palabra, (versión hispanoamericana) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.