Eze 44 | ABEn | STEP | And he returned me by the way of the [ 2 gate 3 of the 4 holies 1 outer], of the one looking according to the east; and this was locked.

‏ Ezekiel 44

CHAPTER 44 The East Gate and the Leader

1 And he returned me by the way of the [²gate ³of the ⁴holies ¹outer], of the one looking according to the east; and this was locked. 2 And the lord said to me, This gate having been locked will not be opened, and no one will go through it, for the lord God of Israel will go through it, and it will be locked. 3 For the one leading, this one shall sit down in it to eat bread before the lord. [²by ³the ⁴way ⁵of the columned porch ⁶of the ⁷gate ¹He shall enter], and according to its way he shall go forth.

Entrance to the House

4 And he brought me according to the way of the gate, of the one towards the north over against the house. And I beheld, and behold, [⁵was full ⁶of glory ¹the ²house ³of the ⁴ lord], and I fell upon my face. 5 And the lord said to me, O son of man, arrange it upon your heart, and behold with your eyes, and [²with your ears ¹hear]! all as much as I [²to ³you ¹speak] concerning all the orders of the house of the lord, and all its laws. And arrange your heart for the entrance of the house according to all its exits in all the holy places! 6 And you shall say to the one rebelling, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord the lord; Let it be enough to you from all your lawless deeds, O house of Israel! 7 for you to bring in sons of foreigners, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my holy places, and to profane them in your offering my bread loaves, and fat, and blood; and you violated my covenant in all your lawless deeds. 8 And you kept not the orders of my sanctuary. But you ordered to keep guards in my holy places for yourselves. 9 On account of this, thus says the lord God; All sons of foreigners, with an uncircumcised heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, shall not enter into my holy places, of all foreigners in the midst of the house of Israel.

The Laws Governing the Levites

10 Only the Levites who hoped upon me in [²wandering ¹Israel] from me after [²ideas ¹their own], even they shall bear their iniquities; 11 yet they will be among my holy ones ministering as doorkeepers at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house. These shall slay the whole burnt-offerings and the sacrifices for the people; and these shall stand before the people to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before the face of their idols, and it became to the house of Israel for a punishment of iniquity. Because of this I lifted my hand against them, says the Lord the lord. 13 And they shall bear their lawlessness, and they shall not approach unto me to officiate as priest to me, nor to lead forward to all the holy things of the holies. And they shall bear their dishonor in the delusion in which they wandered. 14 And I will order them to keep the watches of the house for all its works, and for all as much as they should do.

The Sons of Zadok

15 The priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, the ones that kept watches of my holy things in the [³wandering ¹house ²of Israel] from me; these shall lead forward to me to minister to me; and they shall stand before my face to offer to me fat and blood, says the Lord the lord. 16 These shall enter into my holy places, and these shall come forward to my table to minister to me, and to guard my watches. 17 And they shall be in their entering into the gates of the [²courtyard ¹inner] [³apparels ²flaxen linen ¹that they shall put on], and they shall not put on wool in their ministering from the [²gate ¹inner] of the courtyard. 18 And [³turbans ²flaxen linen ¹they shall have] upon their heads, and [³pants ²flaxen linen ¹shall have] upon their loins, and they shall not gird with force. 19 And in their going forth into the [²courtyard ¹outer] to the people, they shall take off their apparels in which they ministered in them. And they shall put them in the inner chambers of the holies, and shall put on [²apparels ¹other]; and in no way shall they sanctify the people in their own apparels. 20 And their heads they shall not shave, and their hair they shall not make bare; by covering they shall cover their heads. 21 And [⁶wine ¹in no way ²shall ⁵drink ³any ⁴priest] in their entering into the [²courtyard ¹inner]. 22 And [²a widow ³and ⁴one being cast out ¹they shall not take] for themselves for a wife, but only a virgin from out of the seed of the house of Israel; but if there shall be a widow of a priest they shall take her. 23 And [²my people ¹they shall teach] between the holy and the profane; and [³between ⁴unclean ⁵and ⁶clean ¹they shall make known ²to them]. 24 And [³over ⁴a judgment ⁵of blood ¹these ²shall attend] to litigate my ordinances; they shall do justice, and [²my judgments ¹they shall judge]; and [²my laws ³and ⁴my orders ⁵in ⁶all ⁷my holiday feasts ¹they shall keep]; and [²my Sabbaths ¹they shall sanctify]. 25 And unto a dead soul of a man they shall not enter to defile themselves; but only unto a father, and unto a mother, and unto a son, and unto a daughter, and unto a brother, and unto his sister who has not become a man's wife shall he be defiled. 26 And after his being cleansed, [³seven ⁴days ¹he shall count out ²to himself]. 27 And whichever day they should enter into the [²courtyard ¹inner] to minister in the holy place, he shall bring an atonement, says the lord God. 28 And it will be to them for an inheritance -- I am an inheritance to them; and a possession shall not be given to them among the sons of Israel -- I am their possession. 29 And the sacrifices, even the ones for a sin offering, and the ones for an ignorance offering, these they shall eat; and every separation offering in Israel will be theirs. 30 And the first-fruits of all, and the first-born of all, and [²the ³cut-away portions ¹all] from out of all your first-fruits [²for the ³priests ¹shall be]; and your first produce you shall give to the priest, to put a blessing upon your houses. 31 And all decaying flesh, and that taken by wild beasts from the birds and from the cattle [³shall not ⁴eat ¹the ²priests].