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The Outer East Gate
44 Then the man brought me back to the outer east gateway of the ·Temple area [sanctuary], but the gate was shut. 2 The Lord said to me, “This gate will stay shut; it will not be opened. No one may enter through it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered through it. So it must stay shut. 3 Only the ·ruler [prince] himself may sit in the gateway to eat ·a meal [L bread; C probably his portion of the fellowship offering; Lev. 7:15; Deut. 12:7] ·in the presence of [before] the Lord. He must enter through the porch of the gateway and go out the same way.”
4 Then the man brought me through the outer north gate to the front of the ·Temple [L house]. As I looked, ·I saw [L look; T behold] the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] filling the Temple of the Lord, and I ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground.
5 The Lord said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], pay attention. Use your eyes to see, and your ears to hear. See and hear everything I tell you about all the ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [laws; instructions] of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. Pay attention to the entrance to the Temple and to all the exits from the ·Temple area [sanctuary]. 6 Then speak to ·those who refuse to obey [the rebellious]. Say to the ·people [L house] of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: ·Stop doing all [Enough of] your ·acts that I hate [detestable/abominable acts], [L house of] Israel! 7 You brought foreigners into my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] who were not circumcised in the flesh and ·had not given themselves to serving me [L uncircumcised in the heart; Jer. 9:26; Acts 7:51]. You ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my ·Temple [L house] when you offered me food, fat, and blood. You broke my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] by all ·the things you did that I hate [your detestable/abominable acts]. 8 You did not take ·care [charge] of my holy things yourselves but put ·foreigners [or others] ·in charge of [to take care of] my ·Temple [sanctuary]. 9 This is what the Lord God says: Foreigners who ·do not give themselves to serving me [L are uncircumcised in heart] and who are uncircumcised in flesh may not enter my ·Temple [sanctuary]. Not even a foreigner living among the ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel may enter.
10 “‘But the Levites who ·stopped obeying [L went far from] me when Israel ·left me [went astray] and who followed their idols must ·be punished [be responsible; bear the penalty] for their sin. 11 These Levites are to be ·servants in [ministers of] my ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. They may guard the gates of the ·Temple [L house] and serve in the ·Temple area [L house]. They may ·kill the animals for [L slaughter] the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and the sacrifices for the people. They may stand before the people to ·serve [minister to] them. 12 But these Levites ·helped the people worship [L ministered to them before] their idols and caused the ·people [L house] of Israel to ·fall [stumble], so I ·make this promise [L swear with uplifted hand]: They will ·be punished [be responsible; bear the penalty] for their sin, says the Lord God. 13 They will not come near me to serve as priests, nor will they come near any of my holy things or the most holy offerings. But they will ·be made ashamed of [bear the shame for] ·the things they did that I hate [their detestable/abominable actions]. 14 Yet I will ·put them in charge of taking care [appoint them to guard/keep charge] of the ·Temple area [L house], all the work that must be done in it.
15 “‘But the priests who are Levites and descendants of Zadok took care of my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] when [L the sons/T children of] Israel ·left me [went astray], so they may come near to serve me. They may stand in my presence to offer me the fat and blood [C of sacrificial animals], says the Lord God. 16 They ·are the only ones who may [L will] enter my ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. ·Only they [L They] may come near my table to ·serve [minister to] me and ·take care of the things I gave them to do [keep my charge; or serve me as guards].
17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they must wear linen robes. They must not wear wool to ·serve [minister] at the gates of the inner courtyard or in the ·Temple [L house]. 18 They will wear linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes [Lev. 6:10]. They will not ·wear [bind/gird themselves with] anything that makes them perspire. 19 When they go out into the outer courtyard to the people, they must take off their serving ·clothes [garments] before they go. They must leave these clothes in the ·holy rooms [sacred chambers] and put on other ·clothes [garments]. Then they will not ·let their holy clothes hurt [or transmit holiness with their garments to] the people.
20 “‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long but must keep the hair of their heads trimmed [Lev. 21:5]. 21 None of the priests may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard [Lev. 10:9]. 22 The priests must not marry widows or divorced women. They may marry only virgins from the ·people [L offspring/seed of the house] of Israel or widows of priests [Lev. 21:7–8]. 23 They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is ·not holy [common; profane; C ritually]. They must help my people know what is unclean [C ritually] and what is clean.
24 “‘In ·court [a dispute/controversy] they will act as judges. When they judge, they will follow my ·teachings [judgments]. They must obey my ·laws [teachings; instructions] and my ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] at all my ·special feasts [appointed festivals] and keep my Sabbaths holy.
25 “‘They must not go near a dead person, ·making themselves unclean [defiling themselves; C ritually]. But they are allowed to ·make themselves unclean [defile themselves; C ritually] if the dead person is their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or a sister who has not married. 26 After a priest has been ·made clean again [cleansed; C ritually], he must wait seven days. 27 Then he may go into the inner courtyard to serve in the ·Temple [sanctuary], but he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Lord God [Lev. 21:1–4].
28 “‘·These are the rules about the priests and their property [L This will be their inheritance]: ·They will have me instead of property [L I am their inheritance]. You will not give them any ·land to own [possessions] in Israel; I am ·what they will own [their possession]. 29 They will eat the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], and ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offerings [Lev. 5:14—6:7]. ·Everything Israel gives to me [L Every devoted thing in Israel] will be theirs. 30 The ·best [first] fruits of all the first harvests and all the special gifts offered to me will belong to the priests. You will also give to the priests the first part of your ·grain that you grind [dough] ·and so bring a blessing [L that a blessing may rest] on your family. 31 The priests must not eat any bird or animal that died a natural death or one that has been torn by wild animals.
The Land Is Divided
45 “‘When you divide the land for the Israelite tribes by throwing lots, you must give a part of the land to belong to the Lord. It will be ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·about six miles [L twenty thousand cubits] wide; all of this land will be holy. 2 From this land, an area ·eight hundred seventy-five feet [L five hundred cubits] square will be for the ·Temple [sanctuary]. There will be an open space around the Temple that is ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] wide. 3 In the holy area you will measure a part ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles wide [L ten thousand cubits], and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 This ·holy part [sacred portion] of the land will be for the priests who ·serve [minister] in the ·Temple [sanctuary], who come near to the Lord to ·serve [minister to] him. It will be a place for the priests’ houses and ·for the Temple [L a holy place for the sanctuary]. 5 Another area ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles wide [L ten thousand cubits] will be for the Levites, who ·serve [minister] in the Temple area. It will belong to them so they will have cities in which to live.
6 “‘You must give the city an area that is ·about one and one-half miles [L five thousand cubits] wide and ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long, along the side of the holy area. It will belong to all the ·people [L house] of Israel.
7 “‘The ·ruler [prince] will have land on both sides of the holy ·area [allotment; contribution] and the city. On the west of the holy area, his land will reach to the eastern border [C apparently the Mediterranean Sea]. On the east of the holy area, his land will reach to the eastern border [C of the country]. It will be as long as the land given to each tribe. 8 Only this land will be the ruler’s ·property [possession] in Israel. So my rulers will not ·be cruel to [oppress] my people anymore [C such a large portion would keep the king from wanting to seize land, as Ahab had done (1 Kin. 21); see v. 9], but they will let each tribe in the ·nation [L house] of Israel have its share of the land.
9 “‘This is what the Lord God says: ·You have gone far enough [Enough!], you ·rulers [princes] of Israel! Stop ·being cruel and hurting people [your violence and oppression], and do what is right and ·fair [just]. Stop ·forcing my people out of their homes [evicting my people], says the Lord God. 10 You must have ·honest [just] scales, an ·honest [just] ·dry measurement [L ephah] and an ·honest [just] ·liquid measurement [L bath]. 11 The dry measure [L ephah] and the liquid measure [L bath] will be the same: The ·liquid measure [L bath] will always be a tenth of a homer [C the Hebrew means “donkey-load,” and was about five bushels of dry measure and 55 gallons of liquid measure], and the dry measure [L ephah] will always be a tenth of a homer. The ·measurement they follow [standard measure] will be the homer. 12 The shekel [C coin weighing about two-fifths of an ounce] will be worth twenty gerahs, and a mina will be worth ·sixty shekels [L twenty shekels and twenty-five shekels and fifteen shekels].
1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God’s ·chosen [elect] people who are ·away from their homes [exiles; temporary residents; refugees; foreigners] ·and are scattered [L of the Diaspora/Dispersion; C an analogy to the Jewish people scattered around the known world since the Babylonian exile] all around Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia [C all located in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey]. 2 God the Father ·planned long ago to choose you [L chose you according to his foreknowledge] ·by making you his holy people, which is the Spirit’s work [or by the sanctifying/purifying work of the Spirit; or by setting you apart by means of the Spirit]. God wanted you to obey him and to be ·made clean [L sprinkled] by the blood of the death of Jesus Christ. [C In the OT blood from animal sacrifices was sprinkled on persons and objects to indicate purification or forgiveness of sins; Ex. 24:3–8.]
Grace and peace be ·yours more and more [L multiplied to you].
We Have a Living Hope
3 ·Praise be to [L Blessed be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s ·great [abundant] mercy he has caused us to be born ·again [anew; John 3:5–8] into a living hope, ·because Jesus Christ rose [or by means of the resurrection of Jesus Christ] from the dead. 4 ·Now we hope for [or This new birth provides us with] ·the blessings God has for his children [L an inheritance]. ·These blessings [or This inheritance], which cannot be destroyed or be ·spoiled [corrupted; defiled] or lose their beauty, ·are [is] kept in heaven for you [Matt. 6:19–21; Luke 12:33]. 5 God’s power protects you through your faith until ·salvation is shown to you [or the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed] ·at the end of [in the last] time. 6 ·This makes you very happy [or Rejoice in this], even though now for a short time ·different kinds of troubles may make you sad [you have had to suffer various kinds of trials/testings]. 7 These ·troubles [trials; testings] come ·to prove that your faith is pure [to test and prove the authenticity of your faith; C a test that proves the genuineness of a valuable metal]. This ·purity of faith [or tested and proven authenticity] is ·worth more [more precious; more valuable] than gold, which can be ·proved to be pure [tested and proven authentic] by fire [Ps. 66:10; Prov. 17:3; 27:21; Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:3] but ·can [or will] be destroyed. But the ·purity [tested and proven authenticity] of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor ·when Jesus Christ is shown to you [L at the revelation of Jesus Christ]. 8 You have not seen ·Christ [L him], but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you ·are filled [rejoice] with ·a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory [an inexpressible and glorious joy]. 9 ·And you are receiving [or …because you are receiving] the ·goal [outcome; purpose] of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
10 The prophets [C of the Old Testament] searched carefully and ·tried to learn [diligently inquired/investigated] about this salvation. They prophesied about the grace that was coming to you. 11 The Spirit of Christ was in the prophets, ·telling [witnessing; testifying] in advance about the sufferings of Christ and about the glory that would follow those sufferings [Luke 24:25–27, 45–49]. The prophets ·tried to learn [inquired; investigated] about what the Spirit was showing them, ·when those things would happen, and what the world would be like at that time [about the circumstances and time; or about the person and time]. 12 It was ·shown [revealed to] them that their service was not for themselves but for you, when they ·told about [announced] the truths [L things] you have now heard. Those who preached the ·Good News [Gospel] to you ·told you [announced] those things with the help of the Holy Spirit who was sent from heaven—things into which angels desire to look.
17 ·Do good [Grant this] to me, your servant, so I can live,
so I can ·obey [keep; guard] your word.
18 Open my eyes to see
the ·miracles [wonders] in your ·teachings [instructions; law].
19 I am a ·stranger [sojourner; alien resident] ·on earth [or in the land].
Do not hide your commands from me.
20 ·I wear myself out [My soul pines away] with ·desire [longing]
for your ·laws [judgments] all the time.
21 You ·scold [rebuke; reprimand] ·proud [arrogant] people;
those who ·ignore [wander from] your commands are cursed.
22 ·Don’t let me be insulted and hated [L Take away insult and contempt]
because I keep your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
23 Even if princes sit around and speak against me,
I, your servant, will ·think [meditate] about your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
24 Your ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] give me pleasure;
they ·give me good advice [L are my advisors/counselors].
25 ·I am about to die [L My soul clings to the dust].
Give me life, as you have promised.
26 I ·told you about my life [L recounted my way], and you answered me.
Teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
27 Help me understand your ·orders [L the way of your precepts].
Then I will ·think [meditate] about your ·miracles [wonders].
28 ·I am sad and tired [L My soul is weary/melts with sorrow affliction].
Make me ·strong [L rise up] again as you have promised.
29 ·Don’t let me be dishonest [L Turn me away from a false way];
·have mercy on me by helping me obey your teachings [graciously teach me your instructions/laws].
30 I have chosen the way of ·truth [faithfulness];
I have ·obeyed [placed before me] your ·laws [judgments].
31 I ·hold on [cling] to your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
Lord, do not let me be ·disgraced [shamed].
32 I will ·quickly obey [L run the way of] your commands,
because you have ·made me happy [L enlarged my heart/mind].
8 Some people get rich by ·overcharging others [L interest and surcharge; Ex. 22:25; Deut. 23:20],
but their wealth will be given to those who are ·kind [gracious] to the poor.
9 If you ·refuse to obey [turn your ear away from] ·what you have been taught [L hearing instruction],
your prayers will ·not be heard [be detested/an abomination].
10 Those who lead ·good [virtuous] people to ·do wrong [L go on an evil path]
will ·be ruined by their own evil [L fall into their own pit],
but the ·innocent [blameless] will ·be rewarded with [L inherit] good things.
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