| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces east, but it was shut. | 1Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. |
| 2The LORD said to me: "This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut. | 2The LORD said to me, "This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. |
| 3Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal before the LORD; he will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way." | 3The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way." |
| 4Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. As I watched, I noticed the glory of the LORD filling the LORD's temple, and I threw myself face down. | 4Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the LORD filling the temple of the LORD, and I fell facedown. |
| 5The LORD said to me: "Son of man, pay attention, watch closely and listen carefully to everything I tell you concerning all the statutes of the LORD's house and all its laws. Pay attention to the entrances to the temple with all the exits of the sanctuary. | 5The LORD said to me, "Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the LORD. Give attention to the entrance to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary. |
| 6Say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Enough of all your abominable practices, O house of Israel! | 6Say to rebellious Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! |
| 7When you bring foreigners, those uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, into my sanctuary, you desecrate it--even my house--when you offer my food, the fat and the blood. You have broken my covenant by all your abominable practices. | 7In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant. |
| 8You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners to keep charge of my sanctuary for you. | 8Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary. |
| 9This is what the sovereign LORD says: No foreigner, who is uncircumcised in heart and flesh among all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, will enter into my sanctuary. | 9This is what the Sovereign LORD says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites. |
| 10"'But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for their sin. | 10"'The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin. |
| 11Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them. | 11They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them. |
| 12Because they used to minister to them before their idols, and became a sinful obstacle to the house of Israel, consequently I have made a vow concerning them, declares the sovereign LORD, that they will be responsible for their sin. | 12But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign LORD. |
| 13They will not come near me to serve me as priest, nor will they come near any of my holy things, the things which are most sacred. They will bear the shame of the abominable deeds they have committed. | 13They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame of their detestable practices. |
| 14Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, all of its service and all that will be done in it. | 14And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it. |
| 15"'But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, will approach me to minister to me; they will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the sovereign LORD. | 15"'But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD. |
| 16They will enter my sanctuary, and approach my table to minister to me; they will keep my charge. | 16They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards. |
| 17"'When they enter the gates of the inner court, they must wear linen garments; they must not have any wool on them when they minister in the inner gates of the court and in the temple. | 17"'When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. |
| 18Linen turbans will be on their heads and linen undergarments will be around their waists; they must not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. | 18They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire. |
| 19When they go out to the outer court to the people, they must remove the garments they were ministering in, and place them in the holy chambers; they must put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments. | 19When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated through contact with their garments. |
| 20"'They must not shave their heads nor let their hair grow long; they must only trim their heads. | 20"'They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed. |
| 21No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court. | 21No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court. |
| 22They must not marry a widow or a divorcee, but they may marry a virgin from the house of Israel or a widow who is a priest's widow. | 22They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests. |
| 23Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and the clean. | 23They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. |
| 24"'In a controversy they will act as judges; they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe my Sabbaths. | 24"'In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals, and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy. |
| 25"'They must not come near a dead person or they will be defiled; however, for father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister, they may defile themselves. | 25"'A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself. |
| 26After a priest has become ceremonially clean, they must count off a period of seven days for him. | 26After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days. |
| 27On the day he enters the sanctuary, into the inner court to serve in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering, declares the sovereign LORD. | 27On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering for himself, declares the Sovereign LORD. |
| 28"'This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I am their property. | 28"'I am to be the only inheritance the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. |
| 29They may eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel will be theirs. | 29They will eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted to the LORD will belong to them. |
| 30The first of all the first fruits and all contributions of any kind will be for the priests; you will also give to the priest the first portion of your dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house. | 30The best of all the firstfruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household. |
| 31The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal. | 31The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead or torn by wild animals. |
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