1Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east, and it was shut.
2Yahweh told me, "This gate must stay shut. It must not be opened, and no one may enter through it, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore, it will remain shut."
3As for the prince, he himself will sit inside as prince to eat food in the presence of Yahweh. He will enter by way of the gate’s porch and exit the same way.
4Then he led me through the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and I saw that Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s temple, and I fell on my face.
5Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, pay close attention, look with your eyes, and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the rules and laws of Yahweh’s temple. Also, carefully note the entrance to the temple and every exit from the holy place."
6Tell the rebellious people, the house of Israel, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: House of Israel, you have done enough of all your detestable acts,'
7You brought foreigners into my sanctuary—people who were uncircumcised in their hearts and in their bodies. You defiled my house when you offered my food, the fat, and the blood, breaking my agreement. You added to all your detestable practices.
8You yourselves neglected your duties concerning my holy things. Instead, you put others in charge of my duties in my sanctuary for your own purposes.
9The Lord Yahweh says: No foreigner who is uncircumcised in heart and body may enter my sanctuary, not even those foreigners living among the people of Israel.
10But the Levites who abandoned me when Israel went astray, who strayed from me to follow their idols, will be punished for their sin.
11However, they may still serve in my sanctuary. They will supervise the gates of the temple and perform duties inside. They will kill the burnt offerings and other sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before the people to serve them.
12Because they served the people in front of their idols and led the people of Israel into sin, I have raised my hand against them, says the Lord Yahweh, and they will bear the consequences of their sin.
13They will not come near me to serve as priests, nor will they approach any of my holy things, even the most holy items. Instead, they will bear their shame and the detestable things they have done.
14However, I will appoint them to take care of the temple, for all its service and for everything that needs to be done there.
15But the priests who are Levites, the descendants of Zadok, who faithfully performed their duties in my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me—they are the ones who will come near me to serve me. They will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, says the Lord Yahweh.
16They are the ones who may enter my sanctuary, and they may come near my table to serve me. They must obey my instructions.
17When they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they must wear linen garments. No wool should be on them while they serve inside the gates of the inner courtyard and beyond.
18They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen shorts around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat.
19When they go out to the outer courtyard, among the people, they must remove the clothes they wore for service and put them in the holy rooms. Then they must put on other clothes so they don't accidentally make the people holy with their specialized garments.
20They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow too long; they should only trim their hair.
21No priest may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard.
22They must not marry a widow or a divorced woman. They may only marry virgins from the descendants of Israel, or a widow who was previously married to a priest.
23They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, and help them distinguish between what is unclean and what is clean.
24In disagreements, they will act as judges. They must judge according to my laws. They must keep my laws and my rules for all my appointed festivals, and they must treat my Sabbaths as holy.
25They must not go near any dead person and make themselves unclean, except for their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister, for whom they may become unclean.
26After they have been cleansed, they must wait seven days.
27On the day they enter the sanctuary, into the inner courtyard, to serve in the sanctuary, they must offer their sin offering, says the Lord Yahweh.
28They will have an inheritance: I am their inheritance. You must not give them any land in Israel; I am their possession.
29They will eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. Every item set apart in Israel will belong to them.
30The first of all firstfruits from everything, and every special gift from all your offerings, will belong to the priests. You must also give the priests the first portion of your dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house.
31The priests must not eat anything that died naturally or was killed by animals, whether bird or animal.