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Ezekiel 44

44 Then he brought me back to the outer gatehouse of the sanctuary that faces eastward, and it was shut. 2 “This gate shall be shut,” said the Eternal to me, “it shall never be opened, no man shall enter by this gate; the Eternal, the God of Israel, has entered by it, and therefore it shall be shut. 3 The prince alone may sit within the gatehouse to eat the sacrificial meal before the Eternal there, but he must enter and leave by way of the vestibule.”

4 Then he took me, by way of the north gate, to the front of the temple; and when I looked, there was the Splendour of the Eternal filling the temple of the Eternal! I fell upon my face, 5 and the Eternal said to me, “Son of man, attend, look with your eyes, hear with your ears all that I tell you about all the rules and regulations for the temple of the Eternal and note all about the entry to the temple and the exits from the sanctuary. 6 Tell these rebels of Israelites: Here are the orders of the Lord Eternal. No more of your abominable conduct, O Israelites, 7 profaning this house of mine by introducing into my sanctuary aliens who are uncircumcised in heart as well as in flesh, as you sacrifice the fat and the blood that are my food! You have violated your compact with me by all this abominable conduct. 8 You have not done your sacred duties to me yourselves, but appointed these foreigners to do duty inside my sanctuary!

9 Here are the orders of the Lord the Eternal then: No foreigner whatever among the Israelites, no foreigner uncircumcised in heart as well as in flesh, is to enter my sanctuary. 10 The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray, who left me for their idols, they must suffer the penalty of being no more than attendants in my sanctuary; 11 they must take charge of the gates of the temple and do service in the temple, slaughtering the animals of the burnt-offering and the sacrifice for the people, and waiting on the people by way of ministry. 12 As they ministered to the people in presence of their idols and made the Israelites fall into iniquity, so have I sworn an oath against them, says the Lord the Eternal; 13 they must suffer the penalty of never approaching me again to act as my priests and never approaching again any of my sacred, my most sacred possessions. No, they must suffer the shame of their abominable conduct, 14 and I shall reduce them to taking charge of all the work and of all that goes on in the temple. 15 But the Levitical priests, the Zadokites, who did duty in my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, they shall approach me to serve me; they shall stand in my presence to offer me the fat and the blood, says the Lord the Eternal, 16 they shall enter my sanctuary, they shall approach my table to serve me, they shall do their duty to me. 17 When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear linen robes; they must not wear anything woollen when they are on service at the gates of the inner court or in the interior. 18 They must wear linen turbans on their heads, and linen drawers on their loins; they must not wear anything that causes sweat. 19 On going out to the people, in the outer court, they must take off their robes of ministry and deposit them in the sacred chambers, lest they make the people sacred by the touch of their robes. 20 They must not shave their heads nor let their hair grow long; they are only to trim their hair. 21 No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court; 22 no priest shall marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only an Israelite virgin or the widow of a priest. 23 They must teach the people the difference between what is sacred and what is unconsecrated, and show them how to distinguish what is unclean and what is clean. 24 In the case of a dispute they are to act as judges, deciding the case in terms of my law. They must carry out my instructions and directions at all my sacred festivals, and maintain my sabbaths sacred. 25 They must never contaminate themselves by touching a dead body, except in the case of a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister. 26 Seven days must pass after a priest has been thus contaminated, 27 and when he enters the inner court, to serve in the sanctuary, he must sacrifice a sin-offering for himself, says the Lord the Eternal. 28 Priests shall hold no property; I am all their property! You must not give them any holding in Israel; I am their holding! 29 The cereal-offerings, the flesh of the sin-offering and of the guilt-offering, that shall be their food, and anything set apart for the Eternal shall be theirs. 30 The best of all the first-fruits and every oblation that you offer shall go to the priests; also you must give the priest the best of your baking, that a blessing may rest upon your house. 31 No priest must eat any bird or beast that has died a natural death or that has been torn to pieces.

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