Chapter 44

Then he brought me back⁵⁵ the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh⁶ toward the east; and it [was] shut.⁷

Then said⁴ the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut,⁷ it shall not be opened,¹¹ and no man shall enter in⁴ by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in¹ by it, therefore it shall be shut.⁷

[It is] for the prince; the prince, he shall sit⁴ in it to eat² bread before the LORD; he shall enter⁴ by the way of the porch of [that] gate, and shall go out⁴ by the way of the same.

Then brought⁵⁵ he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked,⁴ and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled¹ the house of the LORD: and I fell⁴ upon my face.

And the LORD said⁴ unto me, Son of man, mark³ well, and behold³ with thine eyes, and hear³ with thine ears all that I say¹⁸ unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark¹ well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.

And thou shalt say¹ to the rebellious, [even] to the house of Israel, Thus saith¹ the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,

In that ye have brought⁵³ [into my sanctuary] strangers, ⁵²³⁶ uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute¹⁵ it, [even] my house, when ye offer⁵³ my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken⁵⁵ my covenant because of all your abominations.

And ye have not kept¹ the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set⁴ keepers⁶ of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

Thus saith¹ the Lord GOD; No stranger, ⁵²³⁶ uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter⁴ into my sanctuary, of any stranger ⁵²³⁶ that [is] among the children of Israel.

And the Levites that are gone away far¹ from me, when Israel went astray,² which went astray away¹ from me after their idols; they shall even bear¹ their iniquity.

Yet they shall be ministers¹⁸ in my sanctuary, [having] charge at the gates of the house, and ministering¹⁸ to the house: they shall slay⁴ the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand⁴ before them to minister¹⁵ unto them.

Because they ministered¹⁷ unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up¹ mine hand against them, saith⁷ the Lord GOD, and they shall bear¹ their iniquity.

And they shall not come near⁴ unto me, to do the office of a priest¹⁵ unto me, nor to come near² to any of my holy things, in the most holy [place]: but they shall bear¹ their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.¹

But I will make¹ them keepers⁶ of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done¹¹ therein.

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept¹ the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray² from me, they shall come near⁴ to me to minister¹⁵ unto me, and they shall stand¹ before me to offer⁵³ unto me the fat and the blood, saith⁷ the Lord GOD:

They shall enter⁴ into my sanctuary, and they shall come near⁴ to my table, to minister¹⁵ unto me, and they shall keep¹ my charge.

And it shall come to pass, [that] when they enter in² at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed⁴ with linen garments; and no wool shall come⁴ upon them, whiles they minister¹⁵ in the gates of the inner court, and within.

They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird⁴ [themselves] with any thing that causeth sweat.

And when they go forth² into the utter court, [even] into the utter court to the people, they shall put off⁴ their garments wherein they ministered,¹⁸ and lay⁵² them in the holy chambers, and they shall put¹ on other garments; and they shall not sanctify¹⁷ the people with their garments.

Neither shall they shave¹⁷ their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long;¹⁷ they shall only² poll⁴ their heads.

Neither shall any priest drink⁴ wine, when they enter² into the inner court.

Neither shall they take⁴ for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away:⁷ but they shall take⁴ maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow ⁴⁹⁰ that had a priest before.

And they shall teach⁵⁵ my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern⁵⁵ between the unclean and the clean.

And in controversy they shall stand⁴ in judgment; ^{8199 2} [and] they shall judge⁴ it according to my judgments: and they shall keep⁴ my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow¹⁷ my sabbaths.

And they shall come⁴ at no dead⁵ person to defile² themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile¹⁰¹ themselves.

And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon⁴ unto him seven days.

And in the day that he goeth² into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister¹⁵ in the sanctuary, he shall offer⁵⁵ his sin offering, saith⁷ the Lord GOD.

And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I [am] their inheritance: and ye shall give⁴ them no possession in Israel: I [am] their possession.

They shall eat⁴ the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.

And the first of all the firstfruits of all [things], and every oblation of all, of every [sort] of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give⁴ unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest⁵³ in thine house.

The priests shall not eat⁴ of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.