Ezekiel 44
Expanded Bible
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.
Ezekiel 44
King James Version
44 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
2 Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.
3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord: and I fell upon my face.
5 And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
7 In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.
8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
9 Thus saith the Lord God; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.
10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.
11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord God, and they shall bear their iniquity.
13 And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
14 But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God:
16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
17 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.
19 And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.
21 Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.
23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
25 And they shall come at no dead person to defile 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 defile themselves.
26 And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.
27 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord God.
28 And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
29 They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering: and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.
30 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 give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.
31 The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.
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