The East Gate Assigned to the Prince

1After this, he brought me againe to the outward gate of the sanctuarie on the east side, and that was shut. 2Then saide the lorde vnto me: This gate shalbe still shut and not opened, neither shall any man go through it: for the Lorde God of Israel hath entred by it, and it shalbe shut. 3It is for the prince, the prince him selfe shal sit in it to eate bread before the lord: he shal enter by the way of the porche of that gate, and shal go out by the way of the same.

4Then brought he me toward the north gate before the house: and as I loked, beholde the glory of the Lorde filled the house of the Lorde, and I fell vpon my face. 5So the Lorde spake vnto me: O thou sonne of man, set thyne heart, and beholde with thyne eyes, and heare with thyne eares al that I say vnto thee concerning all the ordinaunces of the house of the Lorde, and all the lawes thereof, and marke well the entring in of the house, with euery going foorth of the sanctuarie.

Reproof of the Levites

6And thou shalt say to the rebellious euen to the house of Israel, thus saith the Lorde God: O house of Israel, ye haue inough of al your abhominations. 7Seeing ye haue brought into my sanctuary straungers hauing vncircumcized heartes and vncircumcized fleshe, to be in my sanctuarie to pollute my house, when ye offer my bread, fat, and blood, and they haue broken my couenaunt because of all your abhominations: 8And ye haue not kept the ordinaunces of my holy thinges, and ye haue set kepers to kepe my sanctuarie for you.

9Therefore thus saith the Lorde God: Of al the straungers that dwell among the children of Israel, no straunger vncircumcized in heart, nor vncircumcized in fleshe, shall enter into my sanctuarie. 10But the Leuites that went backe from me when Israel went astraye, which strayed from me after their idols, shal beare their iniquitie: 11And they shalbe ministers in my sanctuary, and kepe the gates of the house, and minister in the house: they shall slay the burnt offeringes, and the sacrifice for the people, and they shal stand before them to serue them. 12Because they serued before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquitie: therefore haue I lift vp my hande against them, saith the Lorde God, and they shal beare their iniquitie. 13And they shall not come neare vnto me to do the office of a prieste vnto me, neither shall they come neare vnto any of myne holy thinges in the most holy place: but they shall beare their owne shame and abhominations which they haue done. 14And I wyll make them kepers of the watch of the house for all the seruice thereof, & for al that shalbe done therin.

The Duties of the Priests

15But the priestes, the Leuites, the sonnes of Sadoc that kept the charge of my sanctuarie when the children of Israel straied from me, shal come to me to do me seruice, to stand before me, and to offer me the fat and the blood, saith the Lorde God. 16They shall go into my sanctuarie, and apropche vnto my table to do me seruice, and they shall kepe my charge. 17Now when they go in at the gates of the innermer court, they shal put on linnen clothes, so that no woollen come vpon them while they do seruice vnder the gates of the innermer court, and with in. 18They shall haue linnen bonnets vpon their heades, and linnen breeches vpon their loynes: they shal not gird them selues in the sweate. 19And when they go foorth into the vtter court euen to the vtter court of the people, they shall put of the clothes wherein they haue ministred, and laye them in the chamber of the sanctuarie, and put on other apparel, and they shal not sanctifie the people with their clothes. 20They shall not shaue their heades, nor suffer their here to growe long, but poule their heades onely. 21Al the priestes that go into the inmost court shal drinke no wine. 22They shall mary no widowe, neither one that is put from her husband: but a maide of the seede of the house of Israel, or a widowe that hath had a priest before. 23They shall shewe my people the difference betweene the holy and vnholy, and cause them to discerne betwixt the cleane and vncleane. 24And in controuersie they shall stand to iudge, and geue sentence after my iudgementes: and my lawes and my statutes shal they kepe in al my solempne feastes, and halowe my Sabbathes. 25They shall come at no dead person to defile them selues: but with father or mother, sonne or daughter, brother or sister, that hath had yet no husband, may they be defiled. 26And when he is cleansed, there shalbe reckened vnto him seuen dayes. 27And when he goeth into the sanctuarie vnto the inner court to minister in the sanctuarie, he shal bring his sinne offring saith the Lorde.

28There shalbe to them an inheritauce, euen I their inheritaunce: but possession shall ye geue them none in Israel, for I am their possession. 29The meate offering, sinne offring, and trespasse offring shal they eate: & euery dedicate thing in Israel shalbe theirs. 30And all the first of all the first borne, and euery oblation, euen all of euery sort of your oblations shalbe the priestes: ye shall also geue vnto the priestes the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thyne house. 31But the priestes shal eate nothing that is dead by it selfe or torne of foule or of beaste.