Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NLV

Ezekiel 41-44
New Life Version

41 Then he brought me into the center room, and showed me the width of the side pillars. They were six cubits wide on each side. 2 The doorway was ten cubits wide, and the side walls on each side of it were five cubits wide. The center room was as long as forty cubits and as wide as twenty cubits. 3 Then he went into a smaller room. Each side pillar of the doorway was two cubits wide, and the doorway was six cubits high and seven cubits wide. 4 The room was as long as twenty cubits and as wide as twenty cubits, at the far end of the center room. He said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

5 Then he showed me that the wall of the Lord’s house was six cubits in width. And the side rooms all around the house on every side were four cubits wide. 6 The side rooms were on three floors, one above the other, and thirty on each floor. The outside wall on each floor was not as wide as the one below it, so the side rooms could sit upon the wall without being nailed to it. 7 The side rooms at the top were larger than the ones at the bottom, all around the Lord’s house. The house became wider as it went higher. There were steps leading up from the first floor all the way to the third floor. 8 I saw that the house had a raised base all around it, which made the base for the side rooms six cubits high. 9 The width of the outside wall of the side rooms was five cubits. But the open space between the side rooms 10 and the center rooms was as wide as twenty cubits all around the house on every side. 11 There were doorways to the side rooms from this open space, one on the north and another on the south. The width of this open space was five cubits wide all around.

12 The building in front of the open space of the Lord’s house, on the west side, was as wide as seventy cubits. The width of the building wall was five cubits, and it was as long as ninety cubits.

13 Then he showed me that the Lord’s house was as long as 100 cubits. The open space and the other building and its walls were also as long as 100 cubits. 14 And the front of the Lord’s house and its grounds on the east side were as wide as 100 cubits.

15 He showed me the length of the building to the west, with its walkways on each side. It was as long as 100 cubits.

The center room, the most holy place, and the outer porch, 16 all had roofs of wood. And all three had windows with wooden cross-pieces all around. The inside walls of the house were covered with wood from the floor up to the windows, and from the windows to the roof. 17 There was wood covering the wall above the door, and all the way to the most holy place, and all the walls both inside and out. 18 Pictures of cherubim and palm trees were cut into the wood. A palm tree was between every two cherubim, and each cherub had two faces. 19 The face of a man looked toward the palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion looked toward the palm tree on the other side. These pictures were cut into the wood all around the Lord’s house. 20 There were cherubim and palm trees from the floor to above the door, and on the wall of the center room.

21 The pillars beside the door of the center room were the same width on all four sides, and they looked alike. 22 There was an altar of wood three cubits high and two cubits long. Its corners, base, and sides were made of wood. And he said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.” 23 The center room and the most holy place each had two doors. 24 And each of these doors had two parts that opened and closed. 25 Pictures of cherubim and palm trees were made on the doors of the center room, like the pictures on the walls. And there was a roof of wood over the front of the porch outside. 26 There were windows with wooden cross-pieces and palm trees cut on each side wall of the house porch. It was the same on the side rooms of the house and their roofs.

Rooms for the Religious Leaders

42 Then he brought me to the outside open space toward the north. He brought me to the rooms which were on the other side of the open space and the building to the north. 2 The building whose door faced north was as long as 100 cubits and as wide as fifty cubits. 3 Over from the place in the inner open space which was as wide as twenty cubits, and over from the stone floor in the outer open space, was a walkway on the three floors, one above the other. 4 In front of the rooms was an inside walkway as wide as ten cubits and as long as 100 cubits. Their doors were on the north. 5 The upper rooms were smaller because the walkways took more away from them than from the rooms on the first and second floors of the building. 6 For the rooms on all three floors had no pillars like the other buildings on the grounds. So the upper rooms were smaller than the ones on the first and second floors. 7 There was an outside wall built beside the rooms toward the outer open space. It was in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. 8 The rooms next to the outer open space were as long as fifty cubits, and those over from the Lord’s house were as long as 100 cubits. 9 Below these rooms was a door on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer open space.

10 There were rooms in the width of the wall of the open space toward the east, over from the other open space and the other building. 11 These rooms had a walkway in front of them, and they were like the rooms on the north. They had the same length and width. The ways out of them were the same, and the doors were made the same way. 12 And like the doors of the rooms on the south side, there was a door at the beginning of the walkway in front of the wall toward the east, as one goes into them.

13 Then he said to me, “The north rooms and the south rooms, over from the other open space, are the holy rooms where the religious leaders who go near the Lord eat the most holy things. There they will lay the most holy things, the grain gift, the sin gift, and the guilt gift. For the place is holy. 14 When the religious leaders go in, they are not to go out into the outer open space from the holy place without leaving behind the clothes they wear while they do the Lord’s work, for these are holy. They must put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.”

15 When he had finished showing me the lengths and widths of the inner house, he brought me out through the east gate. And he showed me the lengths of all the open space around the house. 16 He showed me with his stick that the east side was as long as 500 sticks. 17 The north side was as long as 500 sticks. 18 The south side was as long as 500 sticks. 19 And the west side was as long as 500 sticks. 20 He showed me the length of the four sides. It had a wall all around it, as long as 500 sticks and as wide as 500 sticks. This wall divided what was holy from what was not.

The Lord Returns to the House of God

43 Then he brought me to the east gate, 2 and I saw the shining-greatness of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth was shining because of His greatness. 3 It was like the special dream that I saw when He came to destroy the city. It was like the special dream that I saw by the Chebar River. I fell with my face to the ground. 4 As the shining-greatness of the Lord came into the house through the east gate, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner open space. And the shining-greatness of the Lord filled the house.

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard Someone speaking to me from inside the house. 7 And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place for My throne and for the bottom of My feet, where I will live among the people of Israel forever. No longer will the people of Israel or their kings make My holy name unclean, by worshiping other gods or by the dead bodies of their kings. 8 They put their doorways by My doorways, and their door pillars beside My door pillars, with only a wall between Me and them. In doing so, they have made My holy name unclean by the hated sins they have done. So I have destroyed them in My anger. 9 Now let them put their worship of other gods and the dead bodies of their kings far from Me. And I will live among them forever.

10 “Son of man, tell the people of Israel about the house of the Lord, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them look over the plan. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, let them know how the house is built, the house with its doors and gateways, and its whole plan. Let them know all its laws. Write it down in front of them, so that they will see its whole plan and obey all its laws. 12 This is the law of the house: All the ground around it on top of the mountain will be most holy. This is the law of the house.

The Altar

13 “This is the length, width, and height of the altar by cubits (with the length of the hand being added to the length of each arm). The base will be one cubit long and one cubit wide, with a side piece going around it as wide as a man’s spread hand. This will be the height of the altar: 14 The base will be two cubits long from the base on the ground to its top, and one cubit wide. And it will be four cubits from the smaller part up to its larger top part, and one cubit wide. 15 The altar fireplace will be four cubits high, and four horns will go up from the top four corners of the altar one cubit high. 16 This top part of the altar will be twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide, the same on each of the four sides. 17 The side of it will be fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide, the same on each of the four sides. And a side piece half a cubit will be around that. Its base will be a cubit wide all around, and its steps will be on the east side.”

18 And He said to me, “Son of man, the Lord God says, ‘These are the laws for giving burnt gifts and for putting blood on the altar on the day it is built: 19 You must give a young bull for a sin gift to the Levite religious leaders of the sons of Zadok. They are the ones who come near Me to do My work,’ says the Lord God. 20 ‘You must take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, and on the four corners of the top of the altar, and on the side piece that goes around it. In this way you will make it clean and free from sin. 21 You must also take the bull for the sin gift, and burn it in the chosen place of the house, outside the holy place. 22 On the second day you must give a male goat that is perfect for a sin gift. And the altar will be made clean, as it was made clean with the bull. 23 When you have finished making it clean, you must give a young bull that is perfect, and a ram from the flock that is perfect. 24 You must bring them before the Lord. The religious leaders will throw salt on them, and burn them on the altar as a gift to the Lord. 25 You must make ready a goat for a sin gift each day for seven days. Also make ready a young bull and a ram from the flock. They must be perfect. 26 For seven days they must make the altar free from sin and make it pure, so it will be set apart to Me. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the religious leaders will give your burnt gifts and peace gifts on the altar. And I will receive you,’ says the Lord God.”

The Use of the East Gate

44 Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the holy place, toward the east, and it was shut. 2 The Lord said to me, “This gate must stay shut. It must not be opened. No one may come in through it, for the Lord God of Israel has come in through it. So it must stay shut. 3 Only the ruler may sit at the gate to eat bread before the Lord. He must come in through the porch of the gate, and go out the same way.”

Those Who Could Go In to the House of God

4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the house. There I saw the shining-greatness of the Lord filling the Lord’s house, and I fell with my face to the ground. 5 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, be careful to see with your eyes and to hear with your ears everything that I say to you about all the rules and laws of the Lord’s house. Be careful to learn which persons are allowed to go in and out of the Lord’s house, and which persons are not allowed. 6 Tell the sinful people of Israel, ‘The Lord God says, “Enough of your hated sins, O people of Israel! 7 You have brought in strangers, who had not gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew, and who were sinful in their heart. You brought them into My holy place to make it unclean, when you brought My food of the fat and the blood. You have broken My agreement by all your hated sins. 8 And you have not taken care of My holy things yourselves. You have let strangers take care of My holy place.” 9 ‘So the Lord God says, “No stranger among the people of Israel who has not gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew, and is sinful in his heart, may come into My holy place.

Levites Cannot Be Religious Leaders

10 “The Levites who went far from Me when Israel left Me to follow their false gods, will be punished for their sin. 11 They may do the work in My holy place. They may watch over the gates of the house and do the work in the house. They may kill the burnt gifts and the gifts brought by the people. And they may stand in front of the people to serve them. 12 But because they served them in front of their false gods and caused the people of Israel to sin, I have promised,” says the Lord God, “that they will be punished for their sin. 13 They must not come near Me to serve Me as a religious leader. They must not come near any of My holy things and the things that are most holy. But they must suffer their shame because of the hated sins they have done. 14 Yet I will have them take care of the house and do all the work that is needed to be done in it.

Zadok’s Sons to Serve in the House of God

15 “But the Levite religious leaders of the sons of Zadok took care of My holy place when the people of Israel left Me. So they will come near Me to serve Me. They will stand before Me to give Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord God. 16 “They will come into My holy place and come near My table, to serve Me and to do My work. 17 When they come through the gates of the inner open space, they will be dressed in linen clothing. They must not wear any wool while they are serving inside the gates of the inner open space or in the house. 18 They will wear linen head-coverings and linen underclothes. They must not dress in anything that makes their bodies wet with heat. 19 When they go out to the people in the outer open space, they must take off the clothes they wear while they serve Me, and lay them in the holy rooms. Then they will put on other clothes, so that they do not make the people holy because of their clothing. 20 And they must not cut all the hair from their heads, yet they must not let their hair grow long. They must only cut their hair shorter. 21 None of the religious leaders may drink wine when they come into the inner open space. 22 They must not marry a woman whose husband has died, or who has been divorced. But they may marry women of Israel who have never had a man, or a woman whose husband was a religious leader before he died. 23 They will teach My people the difference between what is holy and what is not. And they will teach them to know what is unclean and what is clean. 24 In an argument, the religious leaders will serve as judges, and will judge by My Laws. They will also keep My Laws in all My special suppers. And they will keep My Day of Rest holy. 25 They must not make themselves unclean by going near a dead person. But they may make themselves unclean if the dead person is their father or mother, son or daughter, brother, or sister who was not married. 26 After a religious leader has become clean again, he must wait seven days. 27 And on the day he goes into the holy place, into the inner open space to serve in the holy place, he must bring his sin gift,” says the Lord God.

28 “I am to be the only part that the religious leaders have. You must not give them any land in Israel for their own. I am their part. 29 They will eat the grain gift, the sin gift, and the guilt gift. Everything in Israel that is set apart to Me will be theirs. 30 The first of all the first fruits of every kind, and every kind of gift you bring, will be for the religious leaders. And you must give them the first of your grain, so that good will come to your house. 31 The religious leaders must not eat any bird or animal that has died of itself or has been torn to pieces.

Listen to Ezekiel 41-44
Close NIV

Ezekiel 41-44
New International Version

41 Then the man brought me to the main hall(A) and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits[a] on each side.[b] 2 The entrance was ten cubits[c] wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits[d] wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.[e](B)

3 Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits[f] wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits[g] wide. 4 And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall.(C) He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.(D)”

5 Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits[h] wide. 6 The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty(E) on each level. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into the wall of the temple.(F) 7 The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive level. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so that the rooms widened as one went upward. A stairway(G) went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the middle floor.

8 I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits. 9 The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick. The open area between the side rooms of the temple 10 and the priests’ rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. 11 There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the north and another on the south; and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.

12 The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits[i] wide. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.[j]

13 Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits[k] long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long. 14 The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.(H)

15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries(I) on each side; it was a hundred cubits.

The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, 16 as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows(J) and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered.(K) 17 In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary 18 were carved(L) cherubim(M) and palm trees.(N) Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:(O) 19 the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple.(P) 20 From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.

21 The main hall(Q) had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar. 22 There was a wooden altar(R) three cubits[l] high and two cubits square[m]; its corners, its base[n] and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table(S) that is before the Lord.” 23 Both the main hall(T) and the Most Holy Place had double doors.(U) 24 Each door had two leaves—two hinged leaves(V) for each door. 25 And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico. 26 On the sidewalls of the portico were narrow windows with palm trees carved on each side. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs.(W)

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms(X) opposite the temple courtyard(Y) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.(Z) 2 The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.[o] 3 Both in the section twenty cubits[p] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery(AA) faced gallery at the three levels.(AB) 4 In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits[q] long.[r] Their doors were on the north.(AC) 5 Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. 6 The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. 7 There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. 8 While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. 9 The lower rooms had an entrance(AD) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

10 On the south side[s] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard(AE) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms(AF) 11 with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north 12 were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

13 Then he said to me, “The north(AG) and south rooms(AH) facing the temple courtyard(AI) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,(AJ) the sin offerings[t](AK) and the guilt offerings(AL)—for the place is holy.(AM) 14 Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments(AN) in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.(AO)”

15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate(AP) and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.[u][v] 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits[w] by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured(AQ) the area(AR) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,(AS) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,(AT) to separate the holy from the common.(AU)

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,(AV) 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters,(AW) and the land was radiant with his glory.(AX) 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he[x] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory(AY) of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.(AZ) 5 Then the Spirit(BA) lifted me up(BB) and brought me into the inner court, and the glory(BC) of the Lord filled the temple.(BD)

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne(BE) and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile(BF) my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings[y] for their kings at their death.[z](BG) 8 When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.(BH)

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed(BI) of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations[aa] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.(BJ)

12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area(BK) on top of the mountain will be most holy.(BL) Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

13 “These are the measurements of the altar(BM) in long cubits,[ab] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span[ac] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.[ad] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.[ae] 15 Above that, the altar hearth(BN) is four cubits high, and four horns(BO) project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits[af] long and twelve cubits wide.(BP) 17 The upper ledge(BQ) also is square, fourteen cubits[ag] long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.[ah] The steps(BR) of the altar face east.(BS)”

18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings(BT) and splashing blood(BU) against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull(BV) as a sin offering[ai] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok,(BW) who come near(BX) to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar(BY) and on the four corners of the upper ledge(BZ) and all around the rim, and so purify the altar(CA) and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.(CB)

22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(CC) 24 You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt(CD) on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days(CE) you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(CF) 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day(CG) on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings(CH) and fellowship offerings(CI) on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

The Priesthood Restored

44 Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east,(CJ) and it was shut. 2 The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.(CK) It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. 3 The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence(CL) of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.(CM)”

4 Then the man brought me by way of the north gate(CN) to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple(CO) of the Lord, and I fell facedown.(CP)

5 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord. Give attention to the entrance(CQ) to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.(CR) 6 Say to rebellious Israel,(CS) ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! 7 In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart(CT) and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.(CU) 8 Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary.(CV) 9 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.(CW)

10 “‘The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray(CX) and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin.(CY) 11 They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings(CZ) and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.(DA) 12 But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall(DB) into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand(DC) that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord.(DD) 13 They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame(DE) of their detestable practices.(DF) 14 And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.(DG)

15 “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok(DH) and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat(DI) and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.(DJ) 16 They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table(DK) to minister before me and serve me as guards.(DL)

17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes;(DM) they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. 18 They are to wear linen turbans(DN) on their heads and linen undergarments(DO) around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.(DP) 19 When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated(DQ) through contact with their garments.(DR)

20 “‘They must not shave(DS) their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.(DT) 21 No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.(DU) 22 They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.(DV) 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common(DW) and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.(DX)

24 “‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges(DY) and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals,(DZ) and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.(EA)

25 “‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.(EB) 26 After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days.(EC) 27 On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary(ED) to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering[aj](EE) for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.

28 “‘I am to be the only inheritance(EF) the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. 29 They will eat(EG) the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted[ak] to the Lord(EH) will belong to them.(EI) 30 The best of all the firstfruits(EJ) and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal(EK) so that a blessing(EL) may rest on your household.(EM) 31 The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead(EN) or torn by wild animals.(EO)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 41:1 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters; also in verses 3, 5 and 8
  2. Ezekiel 41:1 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts side, the width of the tent
  3. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 18 feet or about 5.3 meters
  4. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 8 3/4 feet or about 2.7 meters; also in verses 9, 11 and 12
  5. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 70 feet long and 35 feet wide or about 21 meters long and 11 meters wide
  6. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 3 1/2 feet or about 1.1 meters; also in verse 22
  7. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.7 meters
  8. Ezekiel 41:5 That is, about 7 feet or about 2.1 meters
  9. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 123 feet or about 37 meters
  10. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 158 feet or about 48 meters
  11. Ezekiel 41:13 That is, about 175 feet or about 53 meters; also in verses 14 and 15
  12. Ezekiel 41:22 That is, about 5 1/4 feet or about 1.5 meters
  13. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew long
  14. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length
  15. Ezekiel 42:2 That is, about 175 feet long and 88 feet wide or about 53 meters long and 27 meters wide
  16. Ezekiel 42:3 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  17. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew and one cubit
  18. Ezekiel 42:4 That is, about 18 feet wide and 175 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 53 meters long
  19. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew Eastward
  20. Ezekiel 42:13 Or purification offerings
  21. Ezekiel 42:16 See Septuagint of verse 17; Hebrew rods; also in verses 18 and 19.
  22. Ezekiel 42:16 Five hundred cubits equal about 875 feet or about 265 meters; also in verses 17, 18 and 19.
  23. Ezekiel 42:17 Septuagint; Hebrew rods
  24. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts I
  25. Ezekiel 43:7 Or the memorial monuments; also in verse 9
  26. Ezekiel 43:7 Or their high places
  27. Ezekiel 43:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts regulations and its whole design
  28. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters; also in verses 14 and 17. The long cubit is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.
  29. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  30. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 3 1/2 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 105 centimeters high and 53 centimeters wide
  31. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 7 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 2.1 meters high and 53 centimeters wide
  32. Ezekiel 43:16 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  33. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  34. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  35. Ezekiel 43:19 Or purification offering; also in verses 21, 22 and 25
  36. Ezekiel 44:27 Or purification offering; also in verse 29
  37. Ezekiel 44:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
Next
Ezekiel 40
Ezekiel 45
Next
dropdown
New Life Version (NLV)

Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV