44
1 Then he* brought me back to the derech sha'ar HaMikdash HaKhitzon, which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. 2 Then said Hashem unto me: This sha'ar shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no ish shall enter in by it; because Hashem Elohei Yisroel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. 3 It is for the Nasi; the Nasi,† he only shall sit in it to eat lechem before Hashem; he shall enter by the derech ulam hasha'ar, and shall exit by its derech.
4 Then he‡ brought me the derech sha'ar hatzafon to the front of the Beis;§ and I looked, and, hinei, the Kavod Hashem filled the Beis Hashem; and I fell upon my face. 5 And Hashem said unto me, Ben Adam, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the chukkot Beis Hashem, and all the torot thereof; and mark well the entrances of the Beis,* with every exit of the Mikdash. 6 And thou shalt say to the meri (rebellious), even to the Bais Yisroel, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; O ye Bais Yisroel, let it suffice you of all your to'avot (abominations), 7 In that ye have admitted into My Mikdash bnei nechor (foreigners), arelim in lev, and arelim in basar, to be in My Mikdash, to defile it, even My Beis, when ye offer My lechem, the chelev and the dahm, and they have broken My Brit (Covenant) because of all your to'avot (abominations). 8 And ye have not been shomer over the mishmeret of Mine Kadashim; but ye have set as shomrim of My mishmeret in My Mikdash any for yourselves.
9 Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: No ben nechor, arel lev, nor arel basar, shall enter into My Mikdash, of any ben nechor that is among the Bnei Yisroel. 10 And the Levi'im that went far away from Me, when Yisroel went astray, which went astray away from Me after their gillulim (idols); they shall even bear their avon. 11 Yet they shall be mesharetim (ministers) in My Mikdash, pekuddot (the ones who have charge) at the Sha'arei HaBeis† and mesharetim in HaBeis;‡ they shall do the shochet slaughter of the olah (burnt offering) and the zevach for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. 12 Because they ministered unto them before their gillulim, and caused Bais Yisroel a michshol avon; therefore have I lifted up Mine Yad against them, saith Adonoi Hashem, and nas'u (they shall bear) their avon. 13 And they shall not come near unto Me, to do the office of a Kohen unto Me, nor to come near to any of My kadashim, in the Kodesh HaKodashim; but nas'u their shame, and their to'avot which they have committed. 14 But I will make them Shomrei Meshmeret HaBeis,§ for all the avodah thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
15 But the Kohanim the Levi'im, the Bnei Tzadok, that were shomer over the Mishmeret of My Mikdash when the Bnei Yisroel 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 chelev and the dahm, saith Adonoi Hashem; 16 They shall enter into My Mikdash, and they shall come near to My Shulchan, to minister unto Me, and they shall be shomer over My mishmeret. 17 And it shall come to pass, when they enter in at the Sha'arei HeKhatzer HaPenimit, they shall be clothed with linen; and no tzemer shall come upon them, while they minister at the Sha'arei HeKhatzer HaPenimit, within. 18 They shall have linen turbans upon their rosh, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with that* with which one perspires. 19 And when they go forth into HaKhatzer HaKhitzonah, even into the Khatzer HaKhitzonah to HaAm, they shall take off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the lishkhot hakodesh (holy chambers) and they shall put on begadim acharim; and they shall not set apart as kodesh HaAm with their begadim. 20 Neither shall they shave their rosh, nor allow their hair to grow long; they shall keep trimmed their rosh. 21 Neither shall any Kohen drink yayin, when they enter into the Khatzer HaPenimit. 22 Neither shall they take for their nashim an almanah, nor a gerushah; but they shall take betulot of the zera Bais Yisroel, or an almanah who was almanah of a Kohen. 23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the kodesh and chol, and cause them to discern between the tameh and the tahor. 24 And in a riv they shall stand as shofet; and they shall judge it according to My mishpatim; and they shall adjudicate them in accordance with My torot and My chukkot in all Mine mo'adim; and they shall be shomer to keep My Shabbatot kodesh. 25 And they shall come near no met adam to make themselves tameh; but for av, or for em, or for ben, or for bat, for ach, or for achot that hath had no ish, they may make themselves tameh. 26 And after he is made tahor, they shall reckon unto him shivat yamim. 27 And in the yom that he goeth into the Kodesh, unto the Khatzer HaPenimit, to minister in the Kodesh, he shall offer his chattat, saith Adonoi Hashem.
28 And it shall be unto them for a nachalah; I am their nachalah; and ye shall give them no achuzzah in Yisroel; I am their achuzzah. 29 They shall eat the minchah, and the chattat, and the asham; and kol cherem in Yisroel shall be theirs. 30 And the reshit kol bikkurim of all things, and every terumah of all, of every sort of your terumot, shall belong to the Kohanim; ye shall also give unto the Kohen the reshit of your dough, that he may cause the brocha to rest on thine bais. 31 The Kohanim shall not eat of any thing nevelah, or terefah, whether it be oph or behemah.
* 44:1 the angelic being † 44:3 see 34:23-24; 37:24-25, a “Dovid” or Messianic figure ‡ 44:4 the angelic being § 44:4 HaMikdash * 44:5 HaMikdash † 44:11 HaMikdash ‡ 44:11 HaMikdash § 44:14 HaMikdash * 44:18 clothing