The Priesthood Will Be Established Again
1Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the temple. It was the one that faced east. It was shut. 2The Lord said to me, “This gate must remain shut. It must not be opened. No one can enter through it. It must remain shut because I have entered through it. I am the God of Israel. 3The prince is the only one who can sit in the gateway. There he can eat in front of me. He must enter through the porch of the gateway. And he must go out the same way.”
4Then the man brought me through the north gate. He took me to the front of the temple. I looked up and saw the glory of the Lord. It filled his temple. I fell with my face toward the ground.
5The Lord said to me, “Son of man, pay attention. Look carefully. Listen closely to everything I tell you. I’m telling you about all the rules and instructions concerning my temple. Pay attention to the entrance to the temple and to all its exits. 6Speak to the people of Israel. They refuse to obey me. Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says. “People of Israel, I have had enough of your evil practices. I hate them. 7You brought outsiders into my temple. They were not circumcised. Their hearts were stubborn. You made my temple ‘unclean.’ But you offered me food, fat and blood anyway. When you did all these things, you broke the covenant I made with you. I hated all the evil things you did. 8You did not do what I told you to. You did not take care of my holy things. Instead, you put other people in charge of my temple.” ’ ” 9The Lord and King says, “No outsider whose heart is stubborn can enter my temple. They have not been circumcised. Even if they live among the people of Israel they can’t enter my temple.
10“Some Levites wandered far away from me when Israel went astray. They worshiped the statues of their gods. So they will be punished because they have sinned. 11They might serve in my temple. They might be in charge of its gates. They might kill the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people. And they might stand in front of the people and serve them in other ways. 12But these Levites served the people of Israel. They served while the Israelites were worshiping the statues of their gods. They made the people fall into sin. So I raised my hand and made a promise. I warned them that I would punish them because of their sin,” announces the Lord and King. 13“They must not approach me to serve me as priests. They must not come near any of my holy things. They must stay away from my very holy offerings. They did many things they should have been ashamed of. I hated those things. 14But I will still appoint them to guard the temple. They will guard it for all the work that has to be done there.
15“But the priests must approach me to serve me. They are Levites from Zadok’s family line. They guarded my temple when the people of Israel turned away from me. These priests must serve me by offering sacrifices of fat and blood,” announces the Lord and King. 16“They are the only ones who can enter my temple. Only they can come near to serve me as guards.
17“They will enter the gates of the inner courtyard. When they do, they must wear linen clothes. They will serve at the gates of the inner courtyard or inside the temple. When they do, they must not wear any clothes made out of wool. 18They must have linen turbans on their heads. They must wear linen underwear around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat. 19They will go into the outer courtyard where the people are. When they do, they must take off the clothes they have been serving in. They must leave them in the sacred rooms. And they must put other clothes on. Then the people will not be made holy if they happen to touch the priests’ clothes.
20“The priests must not shave their heads. They must not let their hair grow long. They must keep it cut short. 21No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard. 22They must not get married to widows or divorced women. They may only marry Israelite virgins or the widows of priests. 23The priests must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not. They must show them how to tell the difference between what is ‘clean’ and what is not.
24“When people do not agree, the priests must serve as judges between them. They must make their decisions based on my laws. They must obey my laws and rules for all my appointed feasts. And they must keep my Sabbath days holy.
25“A priest must not make himself ‘unclean’ by going near a dead person. But suppose the dead person was his father or mother. Or suppose it was his son or daughter or brother or unmarried sister. Then the priest may make himself ‘unclean.’ 26After he is pure and ‘clean’ again, he must wait seven days. 27Then he may go to the inner courtyard to serve in the temple. But when he does, he must sacrifice a sin offering for himself,” announces the Lord and King.
28“The priests will not receive any part of the land of Israel. I myself will be their only share. 29They will eat the grain offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings. Everything in Israel that is set apart to me in a special way will belong to them. 30The best of every first share of the people’s crops will belong to the priests. So will all their special gifts. The people must give the priests the first share of their ground meal. Then I will bless my people’s families. 31The priests must not eat any bird or animal that is found dead. They must not eat anything that wild animals have torn apart.
君王，利未人和祭司
1那人又把我带到圣殿外院的东门，门关闭着。 2耶和华对我说：“这门必须关闭，不可打开。没有人能从这门进入，因为以色列的上帝耶和华已从这门进入，所以这门必须关闭。 3只有君王可以坐在里面，在耶和华面前进食。他要从门廊进入，也要从原路出去。”
4他带我从北门来到殿前，我看见耶和华的荣光充满了祂的殿，我就俯伏在地。 5耶和华对我说：“人子啊，你要认真看，仔细听我讲有关圣殿的一切规矩和法则，记住所有的出入口。 6然后告诉那些叛逆的以色列人，‘主耶和华这样说，以色列人啊，你们行可憎的事，该够了吧！ 7你们献上食物、脂肪和血的同时，竟将那些身心未受割礼的外族人领进我的圣所，亵渎我的殿，破坏我的约，使你们罪上加罪。 8你们自己不管理我的圣物，却把我的圣所给外人治理。
9“‘因此，主耶和华说，以色列人中身心未受割礼的外族人不可进入我的圣所。
10“‘以色列人走入歧途时，有些利未人也远离我、追随偶像，他们必须承担自己犯罪的后果。 11然而，他们仍要在我的圣殿供职，看管殿门，为百姓屠宰燔祭牲和其他祭牲，服侍他们。 12因为利未人带动以色列人拜偶像，使以色列人陷入罪中，所以我起誓，他们必承担自己犯罪的后果。这是主耶和华说的。 13他们不得走近我，不可做我的祭司，也不得走近我的圣物或至圣之物，他们必因自己的可憎行径蒙羞。 14然而，我要委派他们管理圣殿，办理殿中所有的事务。
15“‘以色列人走入歧途时，利未人撒督的子孙仍然在我的圣所尽忠职守，因此他们可以接近我、事奉我，侍立在我面前，献上脂肪和祭牲的血。这是主耶和华说的。 16只有他们可以进入我的圣所，在我的桌前事奉我，遵行我的吩咐。 17他们从内院的门进入殿内供职的时候，要穿细麻布衣服，不可穿羊毛衣服。 18他们要戴细麻布头巾，穿细麻布裤子，不可穿使人容易出汗的衣服。 19他们出去外院见百姓的时候，必须脱下供职时穿的衣服，放在圣屋，穿上普通的衣服后再出去，免得通过圣衣把圣洁带到百姓身上。 20他们不可剃光头，也不可留长头发，只可修剪头发。 21祭司进入内院之前，不可喝酒。 22他们不可娶寡妇或被休的妇女为妻，只能娶以色列的处女或祭司的遗孀。 23他们要教导我的子民辨别圣与俗，洁净与不洁净。 24他们要审理诉讼之事，按我的律例断是非。他们必须按我定的律例和法度遵守一切节期，守安息日为圣日。 25他们不可走近死尸，免得玷污自己，除非死者是自己的父母、子女、弟兄或未出嫁的姊妹。 26祭司得到洁净后，要再等七天。 27他进入内院的圣所事奉时，要为自己献上赎罪祭，这是主耶和华说的。
28“‘祭司不可在以色列拥有自己的产业，因为我就是他们的产业。 29他们的食物是以色列人献上的素祭、赎罪祭和赎过祭。凡献给耶和华的都归他们， 30各种初熟的出产和各种供物都应归给祭司。你们将初熟的麦子磨成面给祭司，福气就必临到你们的家。 31无论是自然死亡的，还是被其他野兽咬死的禽兽，祭司都不可吃。
