1 ARST Then the man brought me back to the outer entrance to the temple area, the one on the east side, but the gate was shut. BSB BSB: The man then brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary that faced east, but it was shut.
2 ARST Yahweh said to me,“This gate must remain shut. It must not be opened by anyone; no one will be permitted to enter it. It must remain shut because I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, made it to be special to me when I came in through it. BSB BSB: And 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.
3 ARST Only the ruler of Israel will be permitted to sit inside this entrance to eat food in my presence. He must enter and leave the temple area through this gate.” BSB BSB: Only 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.”
4 ARST Then the man brought me through the north entrance to the front of the temple. I looked and saw that the glory of Yahweh filled his temple, and I prostrated myself on the ground. BSB BSB: Then 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.
5 ARST Yahweh said to me,“Son of man, look carefully, and listen carefully to everything that I tell you about all the regulations concerning the temple. Note carefully the temple entrance and all the exits. BSB BSB: The 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.
6 ARST Say this to the rebellious Israelite people:‘This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: You Israelite people, I will no longer endure the detestable things that you do! BSB BSB: Tell 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.
7 ARST In addition to all the other detestable things that you do, you brought into my temple foreign men who had not been circumcised and who knew nothing about how to honor me. By doing that, you caused my temple to be an unacceptable place to worship me, while you offered food and fat and blood, and you disobeyed my covenant with you. BSB BSB: In 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.
8 ARST Instead of doing what I commanded you to do in regard to my holy things, you appointed foreigners to be in charge of my temple. BSB BSB: And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.’
9 ARST But this is what I, Yahweh, have said: No foreigners, no men who are not circumcised, no godless people are permitted to enter my temple, not even foreigners who live among you Israelites permanently. BSB BSB: This 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.
10 ARST Many of the descendants of Levi deserted me along with most of the Israelite people, and started to worship idols. I will punish them for their sin. BSB BSB: Surely 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.
11 ARST I will permit them to work in my temple and to be in charge of the temple gates. They will be able to slaughter the animals that will be completely burned on the altar, and to burn other sacrifices for the people, and they will be able to help the people. BSB BSB: Yet 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.
12 ARST But because they helped the people to worship idols and caused many of the people of Israel to sin by worshiping idols, I swear that I will punish them for their sin. BSB BSB: Because 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.
13 ARST They must not come near me to serve as priests. They must not come near any sacred things or the holy offerings. They will be ashamed of the things that they did, of which they are guilty. BSB BSB: They 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.
14 ARST But I will still put them in charge of the work in the temple, and allow them to do all the work that needs to be done there. BSB BSB: Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of all the work for the temple and everything to be done in it.
15 ARST But the priests who are descended from Levi and from the clan of Zadok faithfully worked in my temple when the other Israelites deserted me. So they must come near to me to work for me. They will stand in my presence to offer sacrifices of animals’ fat and blood. BSB BSB: But 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.
16 ARST They are the only ones who are permitted to enter my temple. They are the only ones who are permitted to come near my altar to serve me and do what I tell them to do. BSB BSB: They alone shall enter My sanctuary and draw near to My table to minister before Me. They will keep My charge.
17 ARST When they enter the gateway into the inner courtyard, they must wear white linen clothes. They must not wear any clothes made of wool while they do their work at the gates of the inner courtyard or inside the temple. BSB BSB: When 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.
18 ARST They must wear white linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire. BSB BSB: They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.
19 ARST Before they go out into the courtyard where other people are, they must take off the clothes that they have been wearing and leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, in order that the people are not consecrated by touching the sacred clothes. BSB BSB: When 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.
20 ARST The priests must not shave their heads or let their hair become long; but they must keep their hair trimmed. BSB BSB: They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.
21 ARST Priests must not drink wine before they enter the inner courtyard. BSB BSB: No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.
22 ARST Also, priests must not marry widows of men who were not priests or women who have been divorced. They are permitted to marry only virgins or widows of other priests. BSB BSB: And 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.
23 ARST They must teach the people the difference between things that are holy and things that are not, and teach them how to know what things are acceptable to me and what things are not. BSB BSB: They 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.
24 ARST If there is a dispute between people, the priests are the ones who must serve as judges and decide matters according to my laws. They must obey all my laws and decrees concerning the sacred festivals, and they must treat my Sabbath days as special for me. BSB BSB: In 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.
25 ARST Priests are permitted to go near the corpse of a father or mother or son or daughter or brother or unmarried sister. But they must not defile themselves by going near a corpse of anyone else. BSB BSB: A 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,
26 ARST If a priest touches the corpse of a close relative, he must perform the rituals to become acceptable to serve me again. After he performs those rituals, he must wait seven days. BSB BSB: and after he is cleansed, he must count off seven days for himself.
27 ARST Then, on the day that he enters the inner courtyard again to serve me in the temple, he must give an offering to remove his guilt for having sinned. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare. BSB BSB: And 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.
28 ARST The priests will not own any land. They will have only what I provide for them. BSB BSB: In regard to their inheritance, I am their inheritance. You are to give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.
29 ARST They will eat the offerings made from flour, offerings to remove people’ s guilt for having sinned, and offerings made when people fail to give to me the things that they are required to give. Everything else in Israel that is dedicated to me will belong to the priests. BSB BSB: They shall eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel devoted to the LORD will belong to them.
30 ARST The best fruits of the first part of each harvest and all the other special gifts will belong to the priests. You must give them the first part of your ground flour, in order that I will bless the people who live in your house. BSB BSB: The 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.
31 ARST Priests must not eat the flesh of any bird or animal that is found dead or that has been killed by wild animals. BSB BSB: The priests may not eat any bird or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.