Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close LEB

Ezekiel 44:15-31
Lexham English Bible

15 But the Levitical priests, the descendants[a] of Zadok, who cared for the responsibility of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray[b] from me, they will approach me to serve me, and they will stand before me[c] to offer to me fat and blood,” declares[d] the Lord Yahweh. 16 “They shall come to my sanctuary, and they shall approach my table to serve me, and they will observe my requirement. 17 And then[e] when they come[f] to the gates of the inner courtyards, they shall put on their[g] inner linen garments and not wear wool garments when they serve[h] in the gates of the inner courtyard and inside[i] the temple. 18 Linen turbans shall be on their head and linen undergarments shall be on their waists; they shall not gird themselves with material causing perspiration. 19 When they go out to the outer courtyard to the people, they must take off their garment in which they were serving, and they must place them in the holy chambers,[j] and they must put on other garments, so that they will not make the people holy with their garments. 20 And their head they shall not shave, or long hair they shall not let grow; short they shall clip their heads. 21 And no priest shall drink wine when they come into the inner courtyard. 22 And a widow or divorced woman they shall not take for themselves as wives, but only[k] a virgin from the offspring of the house of Israel, or the widow who is a widow for a priest they may take.

23 And they will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is unholy, and the difference between unclean and clean they must show them. 24 And at a legal dispute they themselves shall stand to judge; employing[l] my judgments they shall judge it, and with respect to my laws and my statutes. All my festivals they shall keep and my Sabbaths they shall consecrate. 25 And near a dead person[m] he[n] shall not come to be defiled, but only[o] for a father and for a mother and for a son and for a daughter, for a brother and for a sister who was not married[p] may they defile themselves. 26 And, after his[q] cleansing, they shall count for him seven days, 27 and then on the day of his coming into the sanctuary to the inner courtyard to serve in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering,” declares[r] the Lord Yahweh.

28 And thus it will be to them as regards inheritance, that I am their inheritance, and so you shall not give to them property in Israel; I am their property. 29 The grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering, they themselves may eat them, and also all the consecrated possessions[s] in Israel will be theirs. 30 And also what is first of all of the firstfruits of everything, and of all of the contribution of everything from all of your contributions, to the priest it belongs,[t] and what is first of your dough you shall give to the priest, so that a blessing may rest on your house. 31 Any dead body or mangled carcass from the birds[u] or from the animals,[v] the priests shall not eat.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 44:15 Or “sons”
  2. Ezekiel 44:15 Literally “at going astray the children of Israel”
  3. Ezekiel 44:15 Literally “to the face of me”
  4. Ezekiel 44:15 Literally “declaration of”
  5. Ezekiel 44:17 Literally “and it will happen”
  6. Ezekiel 44:17 Literally “at their coming”
  7. Ezekiel 44:17 Hebrew “the”
  8. Ezekiel 44:17 Literally “at their serving”
  9. Ezekiel 44:17 Literally “and toward”
  10. Ezekiel 44:19 Literally “in the chambers of the holiness”
  11. Ezekiel 44:22 Literally “but if”
  12. Ezekiel 44:24 Or “with”
  13. Ezekiel 44:25 Literally “and to a dead person of a man”
  14. Ezekiel 44:25 That is, the priest
  15. Ezekiel 44:25 Literally “but if”
  16. Ezekiel 44:25 Literally “who not she was for a man”
  17. Ezekiel 44:26 That is, the priest
  18. Ezekiel 44:27 Literally “declaration of”
  19. Ezekiel 44:29 Hebrew “possession”
  20. Ezekiel 44:30 Literally “it shall be”
  21. Ezekiel 44:31 Hebrew “bird”
  22. Ezekiel 44:31 Hebrew “animal”
Close NLT

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.

Read full chapter

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.
Next
Ezekiel 43
Ezekiel 45
Next
dropdown
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.