Ezekiel 46

Rules for Worship and the Prince

The East Gate and the Prince

1 This is what the Lord GOD says: The gate of the inner courtyard facing east must stay shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it must be opened, and it must also be opened on the day of the New Moon.

2 The prince is to enter from outside through the portico of the gate and stand by the gatepost. The priests will offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he will worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he will go out, but the gate must not be shut until evening.

3 The people of the land will also worship at the entrance of that gate before the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons.

The Offerings

4 The burnt offering the prince offers to the LORD on the Sabbath day will be six lambs without defect and one ram without defect.

5 The grain offering with the ram will be one ephah, and with the lambs whatever he can afford, plus a hin of oil for each ephah.

6 On the day of the New Moon it will be a young bull without defect, six lambs, and one ram, they must be without defect.

7 He must provide a grain offering of one ephah with the bull and one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs whatever he can afford, plus a hin of oil for each ephah.

8 When the prince enters, he must go in through the portico of the gate, and he must go out the same way.

9 But when the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship must go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate must go out by way of the north gate. No one may return through the gate they entered. They must go straight through.

10 The prince will be among them. When they enter, he will enter, and when they go out, he will go out.

11 At the festivals and appointed feasts, the grain offering will be one ephah with a bull and one ephah with a ram, and with the lambs whatever he can afford, plus a hin of oil for each ephah.

12 When the prince provides a freewill offering to the LORD, either a burnt offering or peace offerings, the gate facing east must be opened for him. He will offer his burnt offering or peace offerings just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and after he goes out the gate must be shut.

Daily Worship

13 You must provide a lamb, a year old and without defect, as a daily burnt offering to the LORD. You must provide it every morning.

14 You must also provide a grain offering with it every morning, one sixth of an ephah, and one third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This is a permanent statute for the LORD, to be observed continually.

15 They must provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.

The Prince’s Inheritance

16 This is what the Lord GOD says: If the prince gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will belong to his sons, it is their possession by inheritance.

17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom. Then it will return to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it is theirs.

18 The prince must not take any of the people’s inheritance, forcing them out of their property. He must give his sons an inheritance from his own property, so My people will not be scattered from their property.

The Temple Kitchens

19 Then he brought me through the entrance at the side of the gate to the holy chambers for the priests, which face north, and I saw a place there at the far western end.

20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so they do not bring them out into the outer courtyard and transmit holiness to the people.”

21 Then he brought me out to the outer courtyard and led me past its four corners. There was a courtyard in each corner of the outer courtyard.

22 In the four corners of the outer courtyard were enclosed courtyards, each forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. All four corner courtyards were the same size.

23 There was a row of masonry around the inside of them, all around the four of them, and fireplaces were built at the bottom of the rows all around.

24 He said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will boil the sacrifices of the people.”