Ezekiel 44:15-31

English Standard Version

Rules for Levitical Priests

¹⁵“But ^(A)the Levitical priests, ^(B)the sons of Zadok, who kept ^(C)the charge of my sanctuary ^(D)when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me ^(E)to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me ^(F)the fat and the blood, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach ^(G)my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge. ¹⁷When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear ^(H)linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within. ¹⁸They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. ¹⁹And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering ^(I)and lay them in the holy chambers. And ^(J)they shall put on other garments, ^(K)lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments. ²⁰^(L)They shall not shave their heads or ^(M)let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads. ²¹^(N)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. ²²^(O)They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. ²³^(P)They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and ^(Q)show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. ²⁴^(R)In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and ^(S)they shall keep my Sabbaths holy. ²⁵^(T)They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves. ²⁶^(U)After he^[a] has become clean, they shall count seven days for him. ²⁷And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, ^(V)into the inner court, to minister in the Holy Place, ^(W)he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord God.

²⁸^(X)“This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ^(Y)you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. ²⁹^(Z)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and ^(AA)every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. ³⁰^(AB)And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. ^(AC)You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, ^(AD)that a blessing may rest on your house. ³¹^(AE)The priests shall not eat of ^(AF)anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn by wild animals.