Common English Bible CEB
English Standard Version ESV
1 He brought me back to the outer sanctuary gate that faces east. It was closed.
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Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east. And it was shut.
2 The LORD said to me, This gate remains closed. It shouldn't be opened. No one should come in through it because the LORD, Israel's God, has entered through it. It will remain closed.
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And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut.
3 As for the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread in the LORD's presence. He may come in and go out by way of the gate's porch.
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Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD. He shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way."
4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and suddenly the LORD's glory filled the LORD's temple, and I fell on my face.
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Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple of the LORD. And I fell on my face.
5 Then the LORD said to me: Human one, pay close attention! Use your eyes and ears and listen to all that I say to you concerning the regulations of the LORD's temple and all its instructions. Pay close attention to the access to the temple through all the sanctuary portals.
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And the LORD said to me, "Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning all the statutes of the temple of the LORD and all its laws. And mark well the entrance to the temple and all the exits from the sanctuary.
6 Speak to the rebels, to the house of Israel, The LORD God proclaims: Enough of your detestable practices, house of Israel!
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And say to the rebellious house, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: O house of Israel, enough of all your abominations,
7 You made my temple unclean because you brought into my sanctuary foreigners who were physically and spiritually uncircumcised. When you offered my food of fat and blood to me, you broke my covenant with all your detestable practices.
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in admitting foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations.
8 You didn't keep charge of my holy things. On the contrary, you appointed them to keep charge in my sanctuary for you.
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And you have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary.
9 The LORD God proclaims: Foreigners who are spiritually and physically uncircumcised must not enter my sanctuary; that is, all foreigners among the Israelites.
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"Thus says the Lord GOD: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary.
10 But the Levites, who went far from me when Israel went astray, who went astray from me after their idols, will bear their guilt.
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But the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment.
11 They will keep charge in my sanctuary, and they will oversee the temple gates and keep charge of the temple. They will slaughter the entirely burned offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them.
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They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them.
12 Because they ministered to them before their idols, they brought about the downfall of the house of Israel. For that reason I made a solemn pledge against them—this is what the LORD God says—and they will bear their guilt.
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Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, declares the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their punishment.
13 They won't approach me to officiate for me as priests or approach any of my holy things or the most holy place. Though they will bear their humiliation and the consequences of their detestable practices,
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They shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed.
14 I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, all its work, and all that is done in it.
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Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its service and all that is to be done in it.
15 As for the priests of the levitical family of Zadok who did keep charge of my sanctuary when the Israelites strayed away from me, they will draw near to me to serve me. They will stand in my presence to present fat and blood to me. This is what the LORD God says.
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"But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord GOD.
16 They will come into my sanctuary, and they will approach my table to minister to me. They will keep my charge.
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They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge.
17 When they come through the gates to the inner courtyard, they will wear linen garments. They won't wear any wool when they minister at the gates of the inner courtyard or in the temple.
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When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within.
18 They will have linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They won't wear anything that makes them sweat.
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They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat.
19 When they go out to the outer courtyard to the people, they will remove the garments in which they were ministering. They will lay them aside in the holy chambers and wear other clothing. They must not transfer holiness to the people through their clothing.
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And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers. And they shall put on other garments, lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments.
20 They must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but they will trim the hair on their heads.
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They shall not shave their heads or let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads.
21 None of the priests should drink wine when they come into the inner courtyard.
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No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.
22 They must not marry widows or divorced women, but only Israelite virgins. Priests may, however, marry the widows of other priests.
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They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
23 They must teach my people the difference between the holy and the ordinary, and show them the difference between clean and unclean.
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They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
24 They must execute judgments according to my case laws in cases of civil conflict. They must observe my instructions and my regulations regarding all my festivals. They must keep my sabbaths holy.
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In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy.
25 In order to avoid uncleanness, they must not approach the dead. They may, however, become unclean for their father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister.
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They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves.
26 Once the priest is clean again, he must count off seven days.
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After he has become clean, they shall count seven days for him.
27 On the day that he comes into the holy place, the inner courtyard, to minister in the holy place, he will present his purification offering. This is what the LORD God says.
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And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, into the inner court, to minister in the Holy Place, he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord GOD.
28 As for their inheritance, I am their inheritance. They won't be given family property in Israel; I am their family property.
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"This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession.
29 They will eat the grain offerings, the purification offerings, and the compensation offerings. Every dedicated thing in Israel belongs to them.
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They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs.
30 The best of the early produce of every kind, and every contribution, all of them, belong to the priests. You will give the best of your bread dough to the priest so that a blessing may come to rest on your household.
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And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, that a blessing may rest on your house.
31 The priests must not eat any bird or animal that dies naturally or is torn apart by prey.
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The priests shall not eat of anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn by wild animals.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.