Ezekiel:44

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* And he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which looked toward the east : and it was locked . * Then said the Lord unto me , This gate shall remain locked , it shall not be opened , and no man shall enter in by it ; because the Lord , the God of Israel , hath entered in by it , therefore shall it remain locked . * As for the prince , being the prince , he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord : by the way of the porch of that gate shall he enter , and by the way of the same shall he go out . * Then brought he me by the way of the north gate before the house ; and I looked , and , behold , the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord : and I fell upon my face . * And the Lord said unto me , Son of man , direct thy mind , and see with thy eyes , and hear with thy ears all that I am speaking with thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord , and of all its laws ; and direct thy mind to the entrance of the house , with every place of egress of the sanctuary . * And thou shalt say to the rebellious , to the house of Israel , Thus hath said the Lord Eternal , Ye have done enough with all your abominations , O house of Israel ! * In your having brought the sons of the stranger , uncircumcised in heart , and uncircumcised in flesh , to be in my sanctuary , to pollute it , even my house , while you were offering my food , the fat and the blood : so that they broke my covenant because of all your abominations . * And ye have not kept the charge of my holy things ; but ye have set as keepers of my charge in my sanctuary at your own pleasure . * Thus hath said the Lord Eternal , No son of the stranger , uncircumcised in heart , or uncircumcised in flesh , shall enter into my sanctuary , of all the sons of the stranger that are in the midst of the children of Israel . * But as respecteth the Levites that were gone away far from me , when Israel went astray , who went astray away from me , after their idols , they shall surely bear their iniquity ; * And they shall be in my sanctuary , servants , appointed to watch at the gates of the house , and to be servants for the house : these are they that shall slay the burnt –offerings and the sacrifices for the people , and they shall stand before them to do the service for them . * Because that they used to serve them before their idols , and have been unto the house of Israel as a stumbling –block of iniquity ; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them , saith the Lord Eternal , and they shall bear their iniquity ; * And they shall not come near unto me , to officiate as priests unto me , nor to come near to any of my holy things , to the most holy things ; but they shall bear their shame , yea , for their abominations which they have committed . * And I will appoint them to be keepers of the charge of the house , for all the service thereof , and for all that shall be done therein . * But the priests the Levites , the sons of Zadok , that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me ,––these are they that shall come near unto me to minister unto me , and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood , saith the Lord Eternal : * These are they that shall enter into my sanctuary , and these shall come near to my table , to minister unto me ; and they shall keep my charge . * And it shall come to pass , that , when they enter in at the gates of the inner court , they shall clothe themselves with linen garments ; and there shall no wool come upon them , when they minister in the gates of the inner court , and within the house . * Linen bonnets shall be upon their heads , and linen breeches shall be upon their loins : they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat . * And when they go forth into the outer court , into the outer court to the people : then shall they put off their garments wherein they have ministered , and they shall lay them down in the holy chambers ; and they shall put on other garments , and they shall not mingle among the people with their garments . * And their heads shall they not shave close , nor suffer their hair to grow long : they shall only crop their heads . * And wine shall none of the priests drink when they enter into the inner court . * And a widow , or one that is divorced from her husband shall they not take to themselves as wives ; but only virgins of the seed of the house of Israel ; but whatever widow it may be , the priests may take . * And my people shall they teach the difference between the holy and profane , and that between the unclean and the clean shall they make known unto them . * And in a controversy shall they stand up to judge , according to my ordinances shall they decide it : and my laws and my statutes at all my festivals shall they observe , and my sabbaths shall they sanctify . * And to a dead person shall they not come to defile themselves ; but on father , or on mother , or on son , or on daughter , on brother , or on sister that hath had no husband , may they defile themselves . * And after he is become clean ,––they shall reckon unto him seven days ,–– * Then shall he on the day that he cometh into the sanctuary , into the inner court , to minister in the sanctuary , offer his sin –offering , saith the Lord Eternal . * And it shall be unto them as an inheritance , I am their inheritance : and any possession shall you not give them in Israel , I am their possession . * The meat –offering , and the sin –offering , and the trespass –offering ––these shall they eat ; and every devoted thing in Israel shall belong to them . * And the first of all kinds of first –fruits of all , and every kind of heave –offering of every thing of all your heave –offerings , shall belong to the priests ; and the first of your dough shall you give to the priest , to cause a blessing to rest on thy house . * Any thing that hath died of itself , or that is torn , whether it be fowl or beast , shall the priests not eat .

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