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The Prince, the Levites, and the Priests Described
44 And he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that is facing east, and it was shut. 2 And Yahweh said to me, “This gate will be shut. It shall not be opened, and no one[a] will go through it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has entered it, and it will be shut. 3 The prince, he may sit in it to eat food before[b] Yahweh; he will come from the way[c] of the portico of the gate and by means of its way he will also go out.”
4 Then he brought me by the way of the gate of the north to the front of the temple,[d] and I looked,[e] and look! The glory of Yahweh filled the temple[f] of Yahweh, and I fell on my face. 5 And Yahweh said, “Son of man,[g] set your heart[h] and look with your eyes and with your ears hear everything[i] I am saying to you concerning all the statutes of the temple[j] of Yahweh and concerning all its laws,[k] and you must listen with your heart concerning the entrance of the temple[l] with all of the exits of the sanctuary. 6 And you must say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Enough for you, house of Israel, of[m] all of your detestable things! 7 At[n] your bringing foreigners[o] who are uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh to be in my sanctuary to profane it, my temple,[p] as you offered my food, fat, and blood,[q] so[r] you broke my covenant by all of your detestable things. 8 And you did not observe the responsibility of my sanctuary, but[s] you appointed them[t] as the keepers of my responsibility in my sanctuary for you.”
9 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Every foreigner[u] uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh shall not come into my sanctuary—not any of the foreigners[v] who are in the midst of the Israelites.[w] 10 But[x] the Levites who removed themselves from me at the going astray of Israel,[y] who went astray from me and went after their idols, as a result they will bear their guilt. 11 Then they will be[z] in my sanctuary, those serving in my sanctuary, as sentries[aa] at the gates of the temple[ab] and as those serving the temple;[ac] they will slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they will stand before them[ad] to serve them, 12 because[ae] they used to serve them before[af] their idols and they were for the house of Israel like a stumbling block of iniquity. Therefore I swore[ag] concerning them,” declares[ah] the Lord Yahweh, “that they will bear their iniquity. 13 And they shall not approach me to serve as a priest for me and to come near to all of[ai] my holy objects, to the most holy objects, [aj] and they will bear their disgrace and the results of their detestable things they have done. 14 And I will appoint them as the keepers of the responsibility of[ak] the temple, for all of its work[al] and everything [am]which will be done in it.
15 But the Levitical priests, the descendants[an] of Zadok, who cared for the responsibility of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray[ao] from me, they will approach me to serve me, and they will stand before me[ap] to offer to me fat and blood,” declares[aq] 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[ar] when they come[as] to the gates of the inner courtyards, they shall put on their[at] inner linen garments and not wear wool garments when they serve[au] in the gates of the inner courtyard and inside[av] 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,[aw] 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[ax] 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[ay] 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[az] he[ba] shall not come to be defiled, but only[bb] 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[bc] may they defile themselves. 26 And, after his[bd] 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[be] 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[bf] 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,[bg] 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[bh] or from the animals,[bi] the priests shall not eat.”
Instructions about Divisions of the Renewed Land
45 And when you allocate the land as an inheritance, you shall provide a contribution for Yahweh as a holy portion from the land, its length being twenty-five thousand cubits[bj] and its width ten thousand cubits;[bk] it is holy in all its territory, all around. 2 And there shall be from this area five hundred cubits[bl] by five hundred cubits, squared all around, for the sanctuary; and fifty cubits[bm][bn] of open space shall be for it all around it. 3 And from this measured area you shall measure a length of twenty-five[bo] thousand cubits[bp] and a width of ten thousand cubits,[bq] and in it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place.[br] 4 It[bs] is a holy portion from the land; it will be for the priests, the servants of the sanctuary who approach[bt] to serve Yahweh, and it will be for them a place for houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. 5 And an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width will be for the Levites, the servants of the temple. It will serve as property for them as cities to dwell in.[bu] 6 And as property of the city, you must set apart alongside the contribution of the sanctuary a portion five thousand cubits[bv] in width and twenty-five thousand cubits[bw] in length, and it shall be for the entire house of Israel.
7 And a portion will be for[bx] the prince on both sides[by] of the holy district,[bz] and both sides of the property of the city, and alongside[ca] the property of the city on the west,[cb] and alongside the property on the east.[cc] And also its length[cd] corresponds to one of the tribal portions to the west[ce] running to the eastern border.[cf] 8 This shall be to him with respect to the land[cg] as property in Israel; and so my princes shall not again oppress my people, but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”
9 Thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Enough of this for you, the princes of Israel; put away violence and destruction and do justice and righteousness; revoke your acts of dispossession from upon[ch] my people!” declares[ci] the Lord Yahweh. 10 There shall be for you an honest set of scales[cj] and an honest ephah[ck] and an honest bath.[cl] 11 The ephah and the bath shall be one unit of measurement;[cm] the tenth part of the homer is the bath, and the tenth of the homer is the ephah; so the homer shall be its[cn] unit of measurement. 12 And the shekel shall weigh twenty gerahs, twenty shekels[co] and five and twenty shekels[cp] and ten and five shekels,[cq] that shall make the mina for you.[cr]
Greeting
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen[a] who are residing temporarily in the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
A New Birth to a Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 into an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you 5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, 6 in which you rejoice greatly, although[b] now for a short time, if necessary,[c] you are distressed by various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom, although you[d] have not seen, you love; in whom now you believe, although you[e] do not see him, and you rejoice greatly with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining the goal of your faith, the salvation of your[f] souls.
10 Concerning this[g] salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace meant for you sought and made careful inquiry, 11 investigating for what person or which time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he[h] testified beforehand to the sufferings with reference to Christ and the glories after these things, 12 to whom it was revealed that they were serving not themselves but you with reference to the same things which now have been announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which[i] angels desire to look.
Gimel
17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live
and heed your word.
18 Uncover my eyes, that I may look at[a]
wonderful things from your law.
19 I am a sojourner on the earth;[b]
do not hide your commands from me.
20 My soul is crushed with longing
for your ordinances at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, the accursed,
who stray from your commands.
22 Remove from[c] me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit and speak against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my delight,
my counselors.[d]
Daleth
25 My soul clings to the dust;
revive me according to your word.
26 I told of my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful things.
28 My soul weeps[e] because of grief;
strengthen me according to your word.
29 Remove from me the deceptive way,
and graciously give me your law.
30 I have chosen the faithful way;
I have set your ordinances before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies;
O Yahweh, do not let me be put to shame.
32 I will run the way of your commands,
for you will enlarge my heart.[f]
8 He who augments his wealth with interest and with usury
gathers it for him who is kind to the poor.
9 He who turns his ear from listening to instruction,
even his prayer is an abomination.
10 He who misleads the upright onto the way of evil,
into his pits he will fall.
But as for the blameless, they will inherit good.
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