Ezekiel 44

1 The man then brought me back [by the way of, in the vision] to the outer [external, secular] gate of the sanctuary [holy place, temple] that faced [looked toward, turned to] east [the direction of the rising sun], but it was shut [closed, fastened]. word study 2 And the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to me, “This gate [entrance to the temple] is to remain shut [closed, not opened]. It shall not be opened [not to be engraved or carved], and no man [human, male or female] shall enter through it, because the LORD [having divine authority], the God of Israel, has entered through it [come into the temple, making it sacred]. Therefore it will remain shut [closed, surrendered to God]. word study 3 Only the prince [leader, ruler] himself may sit [dwell, remain] inside the gateway [portico, entrance] to eat [devour, consume] in the presence [face, before] of the LORD [Yehovah, God] [the supreme Creator]. He must enter [come, approach] by way of the portico [covered area, vestibule] of the gateway [gate, door] and go out [depart, exit] the same way [path, road].” word study 4 Then the man brought me to the front [before the presence] of the temple by way of the north [Zaphon, the direction of the rising sun] gate. I looked [saw, gazed] and saw the glory [great honor, splendor] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] filling [making full, completing] His temple, and I fell [prostrated myself, bowed down] facedown [upon my face, in reverence]. word study 5 The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to me: “Son of man [a human, a descendant of Adam], pay attention [mark well, concentrate]; look carefully [behold, see with your eyes] with your eyes and listen closely [hear with your ears, give attention] with your ears to everything I tell you concerning all the statutes [ordinances, laws] and laws [instructions, teachings] of the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD. Take careful note [set your heart, be mindful] of the entrance [the way in, the gate] to the temple, along with all the exits [goings forth, ways out] of the sanctuary [holy place, sacred space]. word study 6 Tell the rebellious [uncontrolled, stubborn] house of Israel that this is what the Lord [Adonay, the sovereign Master] GOD [Yehovah] says: ‘I have had enough [let it suffice, I am weary] of all your abominations [detestable things, disgusting sins], O house of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people]. word study 7 In addition to all your other [detestable, heinous] abominations, you brought in [uncircumcised, pagan] foreigners [sons of a stranger, unconverted people] uncircumcised [without spiritual or physical circumcision] in both heart [the seat of feelings and intellect] and flesh [the physical body, human nature] to occupy [enter, reside in] My sanctuary [holy place, sacred space]; you defiled [polluted, profaned] My temple [house, place of worship] when you offered [presented, sacrificed] My food [bread, grain]—the fat [the richest part, choicest portion] and the blood [the liquid of life]; you broke [violated, frustrated] My covenant [agreement, promise]. word study 8 And you have not kept [failed to guard, neglected] charge of My holy things [sacred objects, set-apart possessions], but have appointed [set, placed] others to keep [watch over, protect] charge of My sanctuary [holy place, sacred space] for you [on your behalf, in your place].’ word study 9 This is what the Lord [Adonay, a title of reverence] GOD [Yehovah] says: No foreigner [stranger, non-Israelite] uncircumcised [without spiritual or physical covenant] in heart [the seat of emotions and will] and flesh [the physical body] may enter My sanctuary [holy place, sacred space]—not even a foreigner [alien, sojourner] who lives among the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people]. word study 10 Surely the Levites [descendants of Levi, a tribe of Israel] who wandered away [strayed, went far off] from Me when Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] went astray [to go astray, wander], and who wandered away [removed, created distance] from Me after [following, in pursuit of] their idols [objects worshipped as gods, logs or round pieces of wood], will bear [lift, carry] the consequences [punishment, moral evil] of their iniquity [sin, moral evil, a condition of the heart]. word study 11 Yet they shall be ministers [servants, caretakers] in My sanctuary [holy place, temple], having charge [oversight, supervision] of the gates [entrances] of the temple and ministering [serving, worshiping] there. They shall slaughter [kill, offer] the burnt offerings [sacrifices, atonements] and other sacrifices [offerings, gifts] for the people [nation, community] and stand [be present, attend] before them to minister [serve, attend] to them. word study 12 Because [for this reason, as a consequence] they ministered [served, worshiped] before their idols [false gods, images] and became [were, proved to be] a stumbling block [obstacle, hindrance] of iniquity [sin, moral evil] to the house [family, nation] of Israel, therefore [on account of this, thus] I swore [promised, vowed] with an uplifted hand [in a solemn oath, with a raised hand] concerning them that they would bear [suffer, endure] the consequences [punishment, penalty] of their iniquity [guilt, sin], declares [says, proclaims] the Lord [Adonay, Master] GOD [Yehovah]. word study 13 They must not [under any circumstances] approach Me to serve Me as [spiritual leaders, ministers] priests or come near any of My [sacred, set-apart] holy things or the [most revered, sacred] most holy things. They will bear the [guilt, reproach] shame of the [detestable, morally reprehensible] abominations they have committed. word study 14 Yet I will appoint [make, put in charge] them to keep [guard, watch over] charge [a guard or post] of all [everything, the whole] the work [service, labor] for the temple [house, place of worship] and everything [all things, every task] to be done [performed, accomplished] in it [there, within the temple]. word study 15 But the Levitical [descended from Levi] priests, who are descended from Zadok [a high priest in Israel] and who kept charge [protected, attended to] of My sanctuary [holy place, temple] when the Israelites [God’s chosen people] went astray [to go astray, wander] from Me, are to approach [come near, draw near] Me to minister [serve, worship] before Me. They will stand [be stationary, upright] before Me to offer [present, bring near] Me fat [richest part, choicest portion] and blood [life-giving fluid], declares the Lord [Adonay, supreme ruler] GOD [Yehovah]. word study 16 They alone [specifically, the priests] shall enter My [the Lord’s] sanctuary [holy place, temple] and draw near [approach, come close] to My table [altar, sacred table] to minister [serve, worship] before Me. They will keep [obey, guard] My charge [instructions, commandments]. word study 17 When they enter [come in at, approach] the gates [entrances, doorways] of the inner [interior, most holy] court, they are to wear [be clothed in, put on] linen [flax, fine linen] garments; they must not wear [have on, put upon] anything made of wool [woolen clothes, fleece] when they minister [serve, attend to] at the gates [entrances, doorways] of the inner [interior, most holy] court or inside [within, in the midst of] the temple [house, place of worship]. word study 18 They are to wear linen [made from flax, a plant used to make linen thread] turbans [headdress, a fancy head-dress or ornament] on their heads and linen [flax] undergarments [a type of undergarment, including priestly linen underwear] around their waists [loin, the waist or small of the back]. They must not wear anything that makes them [causes them to] perspire [sweat, something that causes sweating]. word study 19 When they go out [to come out, depart from] to the outer [external, secular] court, to the people [nation, community], they are to take off [strip, remove] the garments [clothing, robes] in which they have ministered [served, worshiped], leave them in the holy [set-apart, sacred] chambers [rooms, storage areas], and dress in other [different, additional] clothes so that they do not transmit [consecrate, set apart] holiness [sanctity, purity] to the people with their garments [clothing, robes]. word study 20 They must not [completely] shave their heads [rosh, the crown of the body] or let their hair [locks or tresses] grow long [be unkempt], but must carefully [with precision] trim [shear, to cut or clip] their hair [the hair of their heads, rosh]. word study 21 No [none, not any] priest [one who serves God, a spiritual leader] may drink [consume, ingest] wine [fermented drink, causing intoxication] before [prior to, when entering] he enters [comes into, approaches] the inner [interior, internal] court [a designated sacred area]. word study 22 And they shall not marry [nor take as wives] a widow [a woman whose husband has died, often left alone and vulnerable] or a divorced woman [one who has been put away, separated from her husband], but must marry [take as a wife, join in matrimony] a virgin [a young, unmarried woman, untouched and pure] of the descendants [seed, offspring] of the house [family, household] of Israel [God’s chosen people], or a widow [one who has lost her husband] of a priest [a spiritual leader, one who serves God]. word study 23 They are to teach My people [the nation of Israel, God’s chosen] the difference between the holy [set apart, sacred] and the common [profane, unholy], and show them how to discern [to know, to distinguish] between the clean [pure, acceptable] and the unclean [impure, defiled]. word study 24 In any dispute [strife, controversy], they shall officiate as judges [to stand in judgment, to vindicate] and judge according to My ordinances [justice, righteous judgments]. They must keep [obey, guard] My laws [instructions, teachings] and statutes [decrees, regulations] regarding all My appointed feasts [sacred meetings, festivals], and they must keep [hallow, set apart] My Sabbaths [days of rest, worship] holy [consecrated, sacred]. word study 25 A priest [a spiritual leader, mediator] must not defile [make himself unclean, become foul] himself by going near [approaching, coming into contact with] a dead person [a deceased individual, a corpse]. However, for a father [a male parent, ancestor], a mother [a female parent, nurturer], a son [a male child, descendant], a daughter [a female child, offspring], a brother [a male sibling, close relative], or an unmarried [without a husband, single] sister [a female sibling, close relative], he may do so [become defiled, make himself unclean], word study 26 and after [following, subsequent to] he is cleansed [purified, made ritually clean], he must count off [recount, number] seven days [a period of time] for himself [as a period of personal reflection]. word study 27 And on the day [a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time] he goes [enters, approaches] into the sanctuary [the Holy Place, a sacred or set-apart area], into the inner [interior, internal] court, to minister [serve, worship] in the sanctuary, he must present [offer, bring near] his sin [guilt, punishment for sin] offering, declares [utters, speaks] the Lord [Adonay, a title of reverence] GOD [Yehovah, the supreme deity]. word study 28 In regard to their inheritance [something passed down, a legacy], I [the Lord, their Provider] am their inheritance [their rightful possession, their heritage]. You are to give them no possession [land, property, or wealth] in Israel [the promised land, the nation], for I am their possession [their sole inheritance, their everything]. word study 29 They [the priests, specifically] shall eat the grain offerings [meal offerings, gifts of thanksgiving], the sin offerings [for atonement, to cover guilt], and the guilt offerings [trespass offerings, for reparation]. Everything [all devoted things] in Israel [the community of God’s people] devoted [set apart, consecrated] to the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] will belong to them [as their rightful inheritance]. word study 30 The best [most excellent, choice] of all the firstfruits [early harvest, initial produce] and of every contribution [offering, gift] from all your offerings [sacrifices, tributes] will belong to the priests [Levitical priests, spiritual leaders]. You are to give your first batch [portion, initial part] of dough [unleavened bread, coarse meal] to the priest [spiritual leader, mediator], so that a blessing [divine favor, prosperity] may rest [abide, remain] upon your homes [houses, families]. word study 31 The [spiritual leaders, ministers] priests may not [are not permitted to] eat any [dead, dying] bird [fowl, winged creature] or animal [beast, living creature] found [that is] dead [that dies of itself, a carcase] or [that has been] torn [killed, ripped apart] by wild [feral, savage] beasts [animals, creatures]. word study