Thensaid the LORDunto me; Thisgateshall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shallenter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hathentered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.
It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat breadbefore the LORD; he shallenter by the way of the porch of thatgate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
Thenbrought he me the way of the northgatebefore the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORDfilled the house of the LORD: and I fellupon my face.
And the LORDsaidunto me, Son of man, markwell, and beholdwiththineeyes, and hearwiththineears all that I say untotheeconcerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the lawsthereof; and markwell the entering in of the house, witheverygoingforth of the sanctuary.
And thoushalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thussaith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all yourabominations,
In that ye havebroughtinto my sanctuarystrangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and theyhavebroken my covenantbecause of all yourabominations.
Thussaith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shallenterinto my sanctuary, of any strangerthat is among the children of Israel.
Yet theyshall be ministers in my sanctuary, havingcharge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: theyshallslay the burntoffering and the sacrifice for the people, and theyshallstandbeforethem to ministeruntothem.
Becausetheyministereduntothembeforetheiridols, and caused the house of Israel to fallintoiniquity; thereforehave I lifted up minehandagainstthem, saith the Lord GOD, and theyshallbeartheiriniquity.
And theyshall not comenearunto me, to do the office of a priestunto me, nor to comenear to any of my holythings, in the mostholyplace: but theyshallbeartheirshame, and theirabominationswhichtheyhavecommitted.
But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, thatkept the charge of my sanctuarywhen the children of Israelwentastrayfrom me, theyshallcomenear to me to ministerunto me, and theyshallstandbefore me to offerunto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:
And it shallcome to pass, thatwhentheyenter in at the gates of the innercourt, theyshall be clothedwithlinengarments; and no woolshallcomeuponthem, whilestheyminister in the gates of the innercourt, and within.
And whenthey go forthinto the uttercourt, eveninto the uttercourt to the people, theyshall put off theirgarmentswhereintheyministered, and lay them in the holychambers, and theyshall put on othergarments; and theyshall not sanctify the peoplewiththeirgarments.
Neithershalltheytake for theirwives a widow, nor her that is put away: but theyshalltakemaidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widowthat had a priestbefore.
And in controversytheyshallstand in judgment; and theyshalljudge it according to my judgments: and theyshallkeep my laws and my statutes in all mineassemblies; and theyshallhallow my sabbaths.
And theyshallcome at no deadperson to defilethemselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sisterthathath had no husband, they may defilethemselves.
And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and everyoblation of all, of everysort of youroblations, shall be the priest’s: ye shallalsogiveunto the priest the first of yourdough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thinehouse.