The Daily Audio Bible
The Closed Gate
44 Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faces east, but it was shut. 2 The Lord said to me: “This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut. 3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal[a] before the Lord; he will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way.”
4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. As I watched, I noticed[b] the glory of the Lord filling the Lord’s temple, and I threw myself face down. 5 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, pay attention,[c] watch closely, and listen carefully to[d] everything I tell you concerning all the statutes of the Lord’s house and all its laws. Pay attention to the entrances[e] to the temple with all the exits of the sanctuary. 6 Say to the rebellious,[f] to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of all your abominable practices, O house of Israel! 7 When you bring foreigners, those uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, into my sanctuary, you desecrate[g] it—even my house—when you offer my food, the fat and the blood. You[h] have broken my covenant by all your abominable practices. 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners[i] to keep charge of my sanctuary for you. 9 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner who is uncircumcised in heart and flesh among all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel will enter into my sanctuary.[j]
10 “‘But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for[k] their sin. 11 Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they used to minister to them before their idols and became a sinful obstacle[l] to the house of Israel, consequently I have made a vow[m] concerning them, declares the Sovereign Lord, that they will be responsible for[n] their sin. 13 They will not come near me to serve me as priest, nor will they come near any of my holy things, the things that are most sacred. They will bear the shame of the abominable deeds they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, all its service, and all that will be done in it.
The Levitical Priests
15 “‘But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok[o] who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, will approach me to minister to me; they will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 They will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to minister to me; they will keep my charge.
17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they must wear linen garments; they must not have any wool on them when they minister in the inner gates of the court and in the temple. 18 Linen turbans will be on their heads and linen undergarments will be around their waists; they must not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer court to the people, they must remove the garments they were ministering in and place them in the holy chambers; they must put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.[p]
20 “‘They must not shave their heads[q] nor let their hair grow long;[r] they must only trim their heads. 21 No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 They must not marry a widow or a divorcee, but they may marry a virgin from the house of Israel[s] or a widow who is a priest’s widow. 23 Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and the clean.[t]
24 “‘In a controversy they will act as judges;[u] they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe[v] my Sabbaths.
25 “‘They must not come near a dead person or they will be defiled;[w] however, for father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister, they may defile themselves. 26 After a priest[x] has become ceremonially clean, they[y] must count off a period of seven days for him. 27 On the day he enters the sanctuary into the inner court to serve in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering, declares the Sovereign Lord.
28 “‘This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I am their property.[z] 29 They may eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel will be theirs. 30 The first of all the firstfruits and all contributions of any kind[aa] will be for the priests; you will also give to the priest the first portion of your dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house. 31 The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal.[ab]
The Lord’s Portion of the Land
45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment[ac] to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be 8¼ miles[ad] and the width 3⅓ miles.[ae] This entire area will be holy.[af] 2 Of this area a square 875 feet[ag] by 875 feet will be designated for the sanctuary, with 87½ feet[ah] set aside for its open space round about. 3 From this measured area you will measure a length of 8¼ miles[ai] and a width of 3⅓ miles;[aj] in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 It will be a holy portion of the land; it will be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary who approach the Lord to minister to him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.[ak] 5 An area 8¼ miles[al] in length and 3⅓ miles[am] in width will be for the Levites, who minister at the temple, as the place for the cities[an] in which they will live.
6 “‘Alongside the portion set apart as the holy allotment, you will allot for the city an area 1⅔ miles[ao] wide and 8¼ miles[ap] long; it will be for the whole house of Israel.
7 “‘For the prince there will be land on both sides of the holy allotment and the allotted city, on the west side and on the east side; it will be comparable in length to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border 8 of the land. This will be his property in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people, but the land will be allotted to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
9 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put away violence and destruction and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of my people,[aq] declares the Sovereign Lord. 10 You must use just balances,[ar] a just dry measure (an ephah),[as] and a just liquid measure (a bath).[at] 11 The dry and liquid measures will be the same: The bath will contain a tenth of a homer,[au] and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure. 12 The shekel will be twenty gerahs. Sixty shekels[av] will be a mina for you.
Salutation
1 From Peter,[a] an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those temporarily residing[b] abroad[c] (in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia,[d] and Bithynia) who are chosen[e] 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling[f] with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure![g]
New Birth to Joy and Holiness
3 Blessed be[h] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 that is,[i] into[j] an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 This brings you great joy,[k] although you may have to suffer[l] for a short time in various trials. 7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith,[m] which is much more valuable than gold—gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away[n]—and will bring praise[o] and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.[p] 8 You[q] have not seen him, but you love him. You[r] do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice[s] with an indescribable and glorious[t] joy, 9 because you are attaining the goal of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation,[u] the prophets[v] who predicted the grace that would come to you[w] searched and investigated carefully. 11 They probed[x] into what person or time[y] the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ[z] and his subsequent glory.[aa] 12 They were shown[ab] that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things angels long to catch a glimpse of.
ג (Gimel)
17 Be kind to your servant.
Then I will live[a] and keep[b] your instructions.[c]
18 Open[d] my eyes so I can truly see[e]
the marvelous things in your law.
19 I am a resident foreigner in this land.[f]
Do not hide your commands from me.
20 I desperately long to know[g]
your regulations at all times.
21 You reprimand arrogant people.
Those who stray from your commands are doomed.[h]
22 Spare me[i] shame and humiliation,
for I observe your rules.
23 Though rulers plot and slander me,[j]
your servant meditates on your statutes.
24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;
they give me guidance.[k]
ד (Dalet)
25 I collapse in the dirt.[l]
Revive me with your word.[m]
26 I told you about my ways[n] and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes.
27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean.[o]
Then I can meditate[p] on your marvelous teachings.[q]
28 I collapse[r] from grief.
Sustain me by your word.[s]
29 Remove me from the path of deceit.[t]
Graciously give me[u] your law.
30 I choose the path of faithfulness;
I am committed to[v] your regulations.
31 I hold fast[w] to your rules.
O Lord, do not let me be ashamed.
32 I run along the path of your commands,
for you enable me to do so.[x]
8 The one who increases his wealth by increasing interest[a]
gathers it for someone who is gracious[b] to the needy.
9 The one who turns away his ear[c] from hearing the law,
even his prayer[d] is an abomination.[e]
10 The one who leads the upright astray in an evil way
will himself fall into his own pit,[f]
but the blameless will inherit what is good.[g]
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