The Priesthood
Ezekiel 44Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut. YHWH said to me, “This gate is to be shut. It must not be opened, no on may enter by it. For YHWH, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it will remain closed. The prince himself will sit in it to eat bread before YHWH. He is to enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and leave the same way.”
Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house. I looked, and the glory of YHWH filled the house of YHWH, so I fell on my face.
YHWH said to me, “Son of humanity, mark well, and see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I tell you concerning all the ordinances of the house of YHWH and all its laws; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every exit of the sanctuary. You are to say to the rebellious the house of Israel, ‘Lord YHWH says: “Enough of all y’all’s abominations, house of Israel! When y’all brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it—even my house—when y’all offer my bread, the fat and the blood. Y’all broken my covenant with all y’all’s abominations. Y’all have not kept my holy things, but have put others to keep my sanctuary for y’all.” Lord YHWH says, “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, may enter into my sanctuary, not even any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.
“‘“But the Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray, who went astray from me after their idols, they will bear their iniquity. Yet they may be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house. They may slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people and stand before them to minister to them. Because they ministered to them before their idols, and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have lifted up my hand against them,” says Lord YHWH, “and they will bear their iniquity. They are to not come near to me, to execute the office of priest to me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, to the things that are most holy. They must bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. Yet I will make them performers of the duty of the house, for all its service and for all that will be done therein.
Priestley Duties
“‘“But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who performed the duty of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, are to come near to me to minister before me. They are to stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood,” says Lord YHWH. “They are to enter into my sanctuary and come near to my table, to minister to me. They will keep my instruction.
“‘“When they enter the gates of the inner court, they will be clothed with linen garments. No wool is to come on them while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They are to wear linen turbans on their heads, and have linen trousers on their waists. They must not clothe themselves with anything that makes them sweat. When they go out into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they are to take off the clothes they minister in and leave them in the holy rooms. They are to put on other garments, so that they do not sanctify the people with their garments.
“‘“They must not shave their heads or let their hair to grow long. They may only trim the hair of their heads. None of the priests may drink wine before they enter into the inner court. They must not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but they are to marry virgins from the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. They will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
“‘“In a controversy they are to stand as judge and judge according to my ordinances. They must observe my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts and keep my Sabbaths holy.
“‘“They must not go near a dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister who has had no husband, they may defile themselves. After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days. On the day that he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary, to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer his sin offering,” says Lord YHWH.
“‘This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance. Y’all must not give them any possession in Israel. I am their possession. They are to eat the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering, and every devoted thing in Israel will be theirs. The first of all the first fruits of everything, and every offering of everything, of all y’all’s offerings, will belong to the priest. Y’all must also give to the priests the first of y’all’s dough, to cause a blessing to rest on y’all’s house. The priests must not eat of anything that dies of itself or is torn, whether it is bird or animal.