1“ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened. 2The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. 3On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway. 4The burnt offering the prince brings to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. 5The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah,46:5 That is, probably about 35 pounds or about 16 kilograms; also in verses 7 and 11 and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin46:5 That is, about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters; also in verses 7 and 11 of olive oil for each ephah. 6On the day of the New Moon he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect. 7He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil for each ephah. 8When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way.
9“ ‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. 10The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out. 11At the feasts and the appointed festivals, the grain offering is to be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and with the lambs as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.
12“ ‘When the prince provides a freewill offering to the Lord—whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings—the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.
13“ ‘Every day you are to provide a year-old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord; morning by morning you shall provide it. 14You are also to provide with it morning by morning a grain offering, consisting of a sixth of an ephah46:14 That is, probably about 6 pounds or about 2.7 kilograms with a third of a hin46:14 That is, about 1 1/2 quarts or about 1.3 liters of oil to moisten the flour. The presenting of this grain offering to the Lord is a lasting ordinance. 15So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular burnt offering.
16“ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance. 17If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. 18The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that not one of my people will be separated from their property.’ ”
19Then the man brought me through the entrance at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north, which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end. 20He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to cook the guilt offering and the sin offering46:20 Or purification offering and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating the people.”
21He then brought me to the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw in each corner another court. 22In the four corners of the outer court were enclosed46:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. courts, forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide;46:22 That is, about 70 feet long and 53 feet wide or about 21 meters long and 16 meters wide each of the courts in the four corners was the same size. 23Around the inside of each of the four courts was a ledge of stone, with places for fire built all around under the ledge. 24He said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple are to cook the sacrifices of the people.”
1Gud Herren siger: „Østporten i den indre forgård skal holdes lukket på ugens seks arbejdsdage, men på sabbatsdagen og under nymånefesterne skal den være åben. 2Regenten skal gå hen til portkompleksets forhal og stille sig i portåbningen. Mens præsten ofrer hans brændoffer og takoffer, skal han bøje sig ned og tilbede Herren i indgangspartiet. Derefter skal han vende om og gå samme vej tilbage. Porten skal holdes åben indtil aften. 3På sabbatsdagen og under nymånefesterne skal de, der er kommet for at tilbede Herren, stille sig op ved østporten.
4Det brændoffer, som regenten skal ofre til Herren på sabbatsdagen, skal bestå af seks lam og en vædder, alle uden fysiske defekter. 5Sammen med vædderen skal han bringe et afgrødeoffer på 20 liter mel. Sammen med lammene kan han ofre så meget mel, han ønsker. For hver 20 liter mel skal der være 4 liter olivenolie. 6På nymånedagen skal han ofre en ung tyr, seks lam og en vædder, alle uden fysiske skavanker. 7Sammen med tyren skal han bringe 20 liter mel som afgrødeoffer. Det samme gælder for vædderen, men sammen med lammene kan han ofre så meget mel, han vil. For hver 20 liter mel skal der være 4 liter olivenolie. 8Når regenten kommer til templet, skal han gå hen til den indre forgårds østport og opholde sig i forhallen, og han skal gå ud samme vej. 9Men når folket kommer i stort tal for at tilbede Herren under de store årlige fester, skal de, der går ind gennem nordporten til den ydre forgård, gå ud gennem sydporten, og de, der kommer ind gennem sydporten, skal gå ud gennem nordporten. De må ikke gå ud den samme vej, de kom ind, men de skal bruge den modsatte port. 10Regenten skal gå ind og gå ud sammen med folket.
11Ved de store, årlige fester skal regenten ofre 20 liter mel sammen med hver tyr og hver vædder. For lammenes vedkommende kan han ofre så meget, han ønsker. For hver 20 liter mel skal der være 4 liter olivenolie. 12Når regenten bringer særlige, frivillige brændofre og takofre til Herren, skal østporten ind til den indre forgård åbnes, og dyrene skal ofres på samme måde som på sabbatsdagen. Derpå skal han vende om og gå tilbage ad samme vej, han kom ind, og porten skal lukkes, lige så snart hans ofring er forbi.
13Hver morgen skal der ofres et etårs lam uden defekter som brændoffer til Herren. 14-15Der skal også bringes et afgrødeoffer på 4 liter fint mel og en liter46,14-15 På hebraisk: en sjettedel efa mel og en tredjedel hin olie. olivenolie til at blande i melet. Denne ordning skal gælde i al fremtid: Hver morgen skal der ofres et lam og et afgrødeoffer med olivenolie.”
16Gud Herren siger: „Hvis regenten forærer et stykke af sin jord til en af sine sønner, skal jordstykket for altid tilhøre sønnen og hans efterkommere. 17Men hvis han forærer et stykke jord til en af sine tjenere, må tjeneren kun råde over jorden indtil frigivelsesåret. Derefter skal jorden atter tilhøre regenten. Kun de gaver, som regenten giver sine egne sønner, skal forblive i sønnernes eje. 18En regent må aldrig tiltvinge sig andres ejendom. Hvis han vil forære sine sønner noget jord, skal det tages af hans egen jord. Ingen i mit folk må tvinges bort fra deres ejendom.”
19Derefter førte manden mig hen til indgangen til præsternes værelser i den nordlige del af den ydre forgård. Indgangen lå vest for den nordlige port ind til den indre forgård. Han viste mig det område, som lå mellem vestmuren og bygningen med værelserne 20og sagde til mig: „Her kan præsterne koge kødet fra skyldofrene og syndofrene og bage brød af melet fra afgrødeofrene, så de ikke skal bære de hellige offergaver tværs over den ydre forgård og risikere, at folket kommer i nærheden af det hellige.”
21-22Derpå førte han mig rundt i den ydre forgård. I hvert af forgårdens fire hjørner var der et indhegnet rum, som var 20 m langt og 15 m bredt. De var alle lige store. 23Hele vejen rundt langs muren var der ligesom en hylde af sten med ildsteder foran på jorden. 24Han forklarede mig, at disse køkkenrum skulle tempeltjenerne bruge, når de kogte kødet fra folkets slagtofre.
