Ezekiel 44

The East Gate Shut

The Closed Gate

1 Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary that faces east, and it was shut.

2 The LORD said to me, “This gate will remain shut. It must not be opened, and no one may enter through it, because the LORD, the God of Israel, entered through it. So it will stay shut.

3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD. He must enter by way of the portico of the gate and go out the same way.”

Who May Enter the Sanctuary

4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD, and I fell facedown.

5 The LORD said to me, “Son of man, pay attention. Look with your eyes and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the house of the LORD. Take careful note of who may enter the temple and who must stay out of the sanctuary.

6 Say to the rebellious house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Enough of all your disgusting acts, house of Israel.

7 You brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh into My sanctuary, defiling My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood. You broke My covenant because of all your disgusting acts.

8 You have not kept charge of My holy things, but instead you put others in charge of My sanctuary for yourselves.’”

The Levites Restricted

9 “This is what the Lord GOD says: No foreigner with uncircumcised heart and uncircumcised flesh may enter My sanctuary, none of the foreigners who live among the sons of Israel.

10 The Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity.

11 They may serve in My sanctuary as guards at the gates of the house and ministers in the house. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people and stand before them to minister to them.

12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I swore an oath against them,” declares the Lord GOD, “that they will bear the consequences of their iniquity.

13 They must not come near Me to serve as priests to Me or come near any of My holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their shame and the disgusting acts they committed.

14 Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, for all its service and for everything that must be done in it.”

The Sons of Zadok

15 “But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, they will come near Me to minister to Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood,” declares the Lord GOD.

16 “They may enter My sanctuary and come near My table to minister to Me, and they will keep My charge.

17 When they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they must wear linen garments. They must not wear anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner courtyard or inside.

18 They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments on their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat.

19 When they go out to the outer courtyard to the people, they must take off the garments they ministered in and leave them in the holy chambers. They must put on other garments, so they do not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.

20 They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long. They must keep their hair trimmed.

21 No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard.

22 They must not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but may marry virgins from the offspring of the house of Israel or a widow who is the widow of a priest.

23 They will teach My people the difference between the holy and the common and explain the difference between the unclean and the clean.

24 In a dispute they will stand to judge. They will judge it according to My ordinances. They will keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and they will keep My Sabbaths holy.

25 A priest must not come near a dead person, so he would be defiled. But for father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, he may defile himself.

26 After he is cleansed, he must count off seven days for himself.

27 On the day he enters the sanctuary, the inner courtyard, to minister in the sanctuary, he must present his sin offering,” declares the Lord GOD.

The Priests’ Inheritance

28 “This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance. You must not give them any possession in Israel; I am their possession.

29 They will eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. Everything devoted in Israel will belong to them.

30 The best of all the firstfruits of every kind and every contribution of every kind from all your offerings will belong to the priests. You will also give the priests the first of your dough, so a blessing may rest on your house.

31 The priests must not eat any bird or animal that died naturally or was torn by wild animals.”