1 Toe het hy my teruggebring na die buitenste poort van die heiligdom wat na die ooste kyk; en dit was gesluit.

2 En die HERE het vir my gesê: Hierdie poort moet toegesluit bly, dit mag nie oopgemaak word nie, en niemand mag daardeur ingaan nie, omdat die HERE, die God van Israel, daardeur ingegaan het; daarom moet dit gesluit bly.

3 Wat betref die vors, hy moet as vors daarin sit om brood te eet voor die aangesig van die HERE; van die voorportaal van die poort af moet hy ingaan en op dieselfde weg daar uitgaan.

4 Daarop het hy my gebring na die noordpoort, aan die voorkant van die huis; ek kyk toe en sien dat die heerlikheid van die HERE die huis van die HERE vervul; toe het ek op my aangesig geval.

5 En die HERE het vir my gesê: Mensekind, gee ag daarop en kyk met jou oë en hoor met jou ore alles wat Ek jou sal sê aangaande al die verordeninge van die huis van die HERE en al die wette daarvan; en gee ag op die ingang in die huis deur al die uitgange van die heiligdom.

6 En sê aan die wederstrewiges, aan die huis van Israel: So spreek die Here HERE: Laat dit genoeg wees met al julle gruwels, o huis van Israel!

7 Omdat julle uitlanders ingebring het, onbesnedenes van hart en onbesnedenes van vlees, om in my heiligdom te wees, om dit, my huis, te ontheilig; toe julle my brood, vet en bloed gebring, en hulle my verbond verbreek het by al julle gruwels.

8 En julle het die diens van my heilige gawes nie waargeneem nie, maar het hulle aangestel om my diens in my heiligdom vir julle waar te neem.

9 So sê die Here HERE: Geen uitlander, onbesnede van hart en onbesnede van vlees, mag in my heiligdom ingaan, van al die uitlanders wat onder die kinders van Israel is nie.

10 Maar die Leviete wat ver van My afgewyk het by die afdwaling van Israel, wat van My af weggedwaal het agter hulle drekgode aan, hulle moet hul ongeregtigheid dra:

11 hulle moet dienaars wees in my heiligdom, as wagte by die poorte van die huis en bedienaars van die huis; hulle moet die brandoffer en die slagoffer vir die volk slag en voor hulle staan om hulle te dien.

12 Omdat hulle hul gedien het voor hulle drekgode en vir die huis van Israel 'n struikelblok tot ongeregtigheid was, daarom het Ek my hand teen hulle opgehef, spreek die Here HERE, sodat hulle hul ongeregtigheid moet dra.

13 En hulle mag nie nader kom na My toe om die priesteramp vir My te bedien nie en om nader te kom na al my heilige gawes, na die hoogheilige gawes nie; maar hulle moet hul skande dra en hul gruwels wat hulle bedryf het.

14 Dus sal Ek hulle aanstel om die diens van die huis waar te neem, vir die hele bediening daarvan en vir alles wat daarin gedoen moet word.

15 Maar die Levitiese priesters, die kinders van Sadok, wat die diens van my heiligdom waargeneem het toe die kinders van Israel van My af weggedwaal het, hulle moet na My toe nader kom om My te dien en voor my aangesig staan om aan My die vet en die bloed te offer, spreek die Here HERE.

16 Hulle moet in my heiligdom ingaan, en hulle moet na my tafel toe nader kom om My te dien en my diens waarneem.

17 En as hulle na die poorte van die binneste voorhof ingaan, moet hulle linneklere aantrek; maar wol mag op hulle nie kom as hulle dien in die poorte van die binneste voorhof en daar binnekant nie.

18 Linne-hoofversiersels moet op hulle hoof wees en linnebroeke moet aan hulle heupe wees; hulle mag hul nie gord met iets wat laat sweet nie.

19 En as hulle uitgaan na die buitenste voorhof, na die buitenste voorhof na die volk toe, moet hulle hul klere uittrek waar hulle in gedien het, en dit neersit in die heilige kamers, en hulle moet ander klere aantrek, sodat hulle die volk nie heilig maak met hul klere nie.

20 En hulle moet hul hoof nie kaal skeer of die hare lank laat groei nie; behoorlik moet hulle hul hoofde skeer.

21 Ook mag geen priester wyn drink as hy in die binneste voorhof ingaan nie.

22 Ook mag hulle geen weduwee of een wat verstoot is, vir hulle as vrou neem nie; maar jongmeisies uit die geslag van die huis van Israel of 'n weduwee wat deur 'n priester as weduwee agtergelaat is, mag hulle neem.

23 En hulle moet my volk die onderskeid leer tussen wat heilig en onheilig is, en hulle bekend maak die onderskeid tussen wat onrein en rein is.

24 En oor 'n regsaak moet hulle optree om reg te spreek, volgens my verordeninge moet hulle dit uitoefen; en hulle moet my wette en my insettinge hou op al my feestye en my sabbatte heilig.

25 En hy mag by 'n lyk nie kom, sodat hy onrein word nie; net maar aan 'n vader of 'n moeder of 'n seun of 'n dogter, aan 'n broer of 'n suster wat nie aan 'n man toebehoort nie, mag hulle hul verontreinig.

26 En n sy reiniging moet hulle vir hom sewe dae tel.

27 En op die dag as hy in die heiligdom ingaan, in die binneste voorhof, om in die heiligdom te dien, moet hy sy sondoffer bring, spreek die Here HERE.

28 En dit sal vir hulle 'n erfdeel wees: Ek is hulle erfdeel; en julle mag aan hulle geen besitting in Israel gee nie: Ek is hulle besitting.

29 Die spysoffer en die sondoffer en die skuldoffer, die moet hulle eet; en alles wat in Israel onder die ban is, moet vir hulle wees.

30 En die beste van al die eerstelinge van alles en elke offergawe van alles, van al julle offergawes, moet vir die priesters wees; ook moet julle die eerstelinge van julle growwe meel aan die priester gee, om 'n seën op jou huis te laat rus.

31 Geen aas of iets wat verskeur is, van voëls of van vee, mag die priesters eet nie.

1 Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. 2 And Jehovah said unto me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

4 Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and, behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah: and I fell upon my face. 5 And Jehovah said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of Jehovah, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every egress of the sanctuary. 6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, 7 in that ye have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant, to add unto all your abominations. 8 And ye have not kept the charge of my holy things; but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

9 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners that are among the children of Israel. 10 But the Levites that went far from me, when Israel went astray, that went astray from me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall slay the burnt-offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. 12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and became a stumblingblock of iniquity unto the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord Jehovah, and they shall bear their iniquity. 13 And they shall not come near unto me, to execute the office of priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, unto the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Yet will I make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

15 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, they shall come near to me to minister unto me; and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord Jehovah: 16 they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. 17 And it shall be that, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. 18 They shall have linen tires upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat. 19 And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, that they sanctify not the people with their garments. 20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads. 21 Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court. 22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that is the widow of a priest. 23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 And in a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to mine ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. 25 And they shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves. 26 And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. 27 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, saith the Lord Jehovah.

28 And they shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance; and ye shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. 29 They shall eat the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 And the first of all the first-fruits of every thing, and every oblation of everything, of all your oblations, shall be for the priest: ye shall also give unto the priests the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house. 31 The priests shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or beast.