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.
Ezequiel 44
Nueva Biblia Viva
Deberes de levitas y sacerdotes
44 Luego el Señor me trajo de vuelta a la entrada oriental del muro exterior, pero estaba cerrada. 2 Y él me dijo: «Esta puerta permanecerá cerrada; jamás será abierta. Ningún hombre pasará a través de ella, pues el Señor, el Dios de Israel, entró por allí y, por tanto, permanecerá cerrada. 3 Sólo el príncipe —por ser él el príncipe— se sentará allí para comer delante del Señor. Pero entrará y saldrá solamente por la sala de entrada.
Los levitas
4 »Luego me condujo a través del pasillo de entrada del norte hasta el frente del templo. Miré y vi la presencia majestuosa del Señor que llenaba el templo, y caí rostro en tierra».
5 Y el Señor me dijo: «Hombre mortal, presta atención, abre bien tus ojos y oídos. Escucha todo lo que yo digo respecto a las leyes y ordenanzas relativas al templo del Señor. Presta atención en cuanto a quiénes pueden ser admitidos al templo, y quiénes han de estar excluidos de él.
6 »Y di a estos tercos, los pueblo de Israel: El Señor Dios dice: “¡Oh israelitas, han hecho maldades en gran manera, 7 permitiendo que los paganos entraran en mi santuario —aquellos cuyo corazón no se interesa en Dios— cuando me ofrecen mi comida, la grasa y la sangre! Así han roto mi convenio, además de todas las demás maldades que han cometido. 8 No han observado las leyes que yo les di respecto a estas cosas exclusivas, pues han empleado extranjeros para que se hagan cargo de mi santuario”.
9 »El Señor Dios dice: “¡Ningún extranjero de los muchos entre ustedes entrará en mi santuario si no ha sido circuncidado y no ama al Señor! 10 Y los hombres de la tribu de Leví, quienes me abandonaron cuando Israel se alejó de Dios para irse hacia los ídolos, deben ser castigados por su falta de fidelidad. 11 Ellos podrán ser guardias y porteros, podrán matar los animales traídos para las ofrendas quemadas y estar presentes para ayudar a la gente. 12 Pero como ellos incitaron a la gente a rendir homenajes a otros dioses, causando que Israel cayera en maldad profunda, he alzado mi mano y jurado, dice el Señor Dios, que ellos deben ser castigados. 13 Ellos no se acercarán a mí para oficiar como sacerdotes; ellos no pueden tocar ninguna de mis cosas exclusivas, pues deben llevar su vergüenza por todas las maldades que han cometido. 14 Ellos son sólo los cuidadores del templo, para hacer el trabajo de mantenimiento y ayudar a la gente en una forma general.
15 »”Sin embargo, los hijos de Sadoc, de la tribu de Leví, continuaron como mis sacerdotes en el templo cuando Israel me cambió por los ídolos. Estos hombres serán mis ministros; ellos estarán delante de mí para ofrecer la grasa y la sangre de los sacrificios, dice el Señor Dios. 16 Los hijos de Sadoc entrarán a mi santuario y vendrán a mi mesa para oficiar ante mí; ellos cumplirán mis requisitos. 17 Ellos deben vestir solamente vestiduras de lino cuando entren al patio interior, pues no deben llevar nada con lana mientras estén en servicio en el patio interior o en el templo. 18 Deberán llevar turbantes de lino y pantalones de lino; no deben llevar nada que los haga sudar. 19 Cuando vuelvan al patio exterior, deben quitarse las vestiduras que emplearon mientras estaban oficiando delante de mí, dejándolos en las habitaciones exclusivas, y ponerse otras vestiduras para que no consagren a la gente por descuido si las tocan con las vestiduras de lino.
20 »”No deben dejar que su cabello crezca demasiado, ni raparse. Se permiten cortes de cabello regulares y moderados solamente.
21 »”Ningún sacerdote puede beber vino antes de entrar al patio interior.
22 »”Pueden casarse solamente con una muchacha virgen judía, o con la viuda de uno que haya sido sacerdote; no pueden casarse con una mujer divorciada.
23 »”Enseñarán a mi pueblo la diferencia entre lo que es exclusivo y lo que es ordinario, entre lo que está bien y lo que está mal.
24 »”Servirán como jueces para resolver cualquier desacuerdo entre mi pueblo. Sus decisiones deben estar basadas sobre mis leyes. Y los mismos sacerdotes obedecerán mis mandamientos y reglamentos en todas las fiestas sagradas, y se asegurarán de que el sábado sea respetado.
25 »”Un sacerdote no debe contaminarse estando en la presencia de un cadáver, salvo que sea su padre, madre, hijo, hermano o hermana soltera. En tales casos está permitido. 26 Pero después debe esperar siete días para quedar purificado y poder llevar a cabo de nuevo sus deberes en el templo. 27 El primer día que vuelva a trabajar y entrar al patio interior y el santuario, debe presentar una ofrenda por su situación especial, dice el Señor Dios.
28 »”En cuando a propiedades, no tendrán ninguna, ¡pues yo soy su herencia! ¡Eso es suficiente! 29 Se alimentarán de las ofrendas y sacrificios traídos al templo por el pueblo, las ofrendas de cereales, las ofrendas por el perdón de las maldades y las ofrendas generales. Lo que sea que se da al Señor será también para los sacerdotes. 30 Las primicias de los primeros frutos y de todas las ofrendas para el Señor irán también a los sacerdotes. Las primeras muestras de cada cosecha de granos también serán donadas a los sacerdotes, para que el Señor bendiga sus hogares. 31 Los sacerdotes nunca podrán comer de cualquier ave o animal que muera de muerte natural o después de ser atacado por otros 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
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
