| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 1The man then brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary that faced east, but it was shut. | 1Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces east, but it was shut. |
| 2And the LORD said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall enter through it, because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore it will remain 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. |
| 3Only the prince himself may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He must enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.” | 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." |
| 4Then the man brought me to the front of the temple by way of the north gate. I looked and saw the glory of the LORD filling His temple, and I fell facedown. | 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. |
| 5The LORD said to me: “Son of man, pay attention; look carefully with your eyes and listen closely with your ears to everything I tell you concerning all the statutes and laws of the house of the LORD. Take careful note of the entrance to the temple, along with all the exits of the sanctuary. | 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. |
| 6Tell the rebellious house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I have had enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel. | 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! |
| 7In addition to all your other abominations, you brought in foreigners uncircumcised in both heart and flesh to occupy My sanctuary; you defiled My temple when you offered My food—the fat and the blood; you broke My covenant. | 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. |
| 8And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.’ | 8You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners to keep charge of my sanctuary for you. |
| 9This is what the Lord GOD says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh may enter My sanctuary—not even a foreigner who lives among the Israelites. | 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. |
| 10Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity. | 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. |
| 11Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and ministering there. They shall slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices for the people and stand before them to minister to them. | 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. |
| 12Because they ministered before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I swore with an uplifted hand concerning them that they would bear the consequences of their iniquity, declares the Lord GOD. | 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. |
| 13They must not approach Me to serve Me as priests or come near any of My holy things or the most holy things. They will bear the shame of the abominations they have committed. | 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. |
| 14Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of all the work for the temple and everything to be done in it. | 14Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, all of its service and all that will be done in it. |
| 15But the Levitical priests, who are descended from Zadok and who kept charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, are to approach Me to minister before Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood, declares the Lord GOD. | 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. |
| 16They alone shall enter My sanctuary and draw near to My table to minister before Me. They will keep My charge. | 16They will enter my sanctuary, and approach my table to minister to me; they will keep my charge. |
| 17When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen garments; they must not wear anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. | 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. |
| 18They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire. | 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. |
| 19When they go out to the outer court, to the people, they are to take off the garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes so that they do not transmit holiness to the people with their garments. | 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. |
| 20They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair. | 20"'They must not shave their heads nor let their hair grow long; they must only trim their heads. |
| 21No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court. | 21No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court. |
| 22And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest. | 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. |
| 23They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to discern between the clean and the unclean. | 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. |
| 24In any dispute, they shall officiate as judges and judge according to My ordinances. They must keep My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed feasts, and they must keep My Sabbaths holy. | 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. |
| 25A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so, | 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. |
| 26and after he is cleansed, he must count off seven days for himself. | 26After a priest has become ceremonially clean, they must count off a period of seven days for him. |
| 27And on the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he must present his sin offering, declares the Lord GOD. | 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. |
| 28In regard to their inheritance, I am their inheritance. You are to give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession. | 28"'This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I am their property. |
| 29They shall eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel devoted to the LORD will belong to them. | 29They may eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel will be theirs. |
| 30The best of all the firstfruits and of every contribution from all your offerings will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest, so that a blessing may rest upon your homes. | 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. |
| 31The priests may not eat any bird or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts. | 31The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal. |
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