He reproueth the people for their offence. 7 The vncircumciſed in heart, & in the fleſh 9 Who are to be admitted to the ſeruice of the Tẽple, & who to be refuſed.

1.THen he broght me toward the gate of the outwarde Sãctuarie, which turneth toward the Eaſt, and it was ^*ſhut.

2.Then ſaid the Lord vnto me, This gate ſhalbe ^bſhut, & ſhal not be opened, and no man ſhal entre by it, becauſe the Lord God of Iſraél hathe entred by it, and it ſhal be ſhut.

3.It apperteineth to y^e Prince: the Prince him ſelf ſhal ſit in it to eat bread before the Lord: he ſhal entre by the way of the porche of that gate, and ſhal go out by the way of the ſame.

4.¶ Then broght he me toward the North gate before the Houſe: and when I loked, beholde, the glorie of the Lord filled the houſe of the Lord, and I fel vpon my face.

5.And the Lord ſaid vnto me, Sonne of mã, ^"marke wel, and beholde with thine eyes, & heare with thine eares, all that I ſay vnto thee, concerning all the ordinances of ŷ Houſe of the Lord, & all the lawes thereof, and marke wel the entring in of the houſe with euerie going forthe of the Sanctuarie.

6.And thou ſhalt ſay to the rebellious, euen to the houſe of Iſraél, Thus ſaith the Lord God, O houſe of Iſraél, ye haue ynough of all your abominacions,

7.Seing, that ye haue broght into my Sanctuarie ^cſtrãgers, vncircũciſed in heart, & vncircũciſed in fleſh, to be in my Sanctuarie, to pollute mine houſe, whẽ ye offre my bread, euen fat, and blood: and thei haue broken my couenant, becauſe of all your abominacions.

8.For ye haue not kept the ^dordinances of mine holie thĩgs: but you your ſelues haue ſet other to take ŷ charge of my Sãctuarie.

9.Thus ſaith the Lord God, No ſtranger vncircumciſed in heart, nor vncircumciſed in fleſh ſhal entre into my Sanctuarie, of any ſtranger that is amõg the children of Iſraél,

10.Nether yet the ^eLeuites that are gone backe frõ me, whẽ Iſraél wẽt aſtray, which went aſtray frõ me after their idoles, but thei ſhal beare their iniquitie.

11.And thei ſhal ſerue in my Sanctuarie, & kepe the gates of the Houſe, and miniſter in the Houſe: thei ſhal ſlaye the burnt offring and the ſacrifice for the people: and thei ſhal ſtande before them to ſerue them.

12.Becauſe thei ſerued before their idoles, and cauſed the houſe of Iſraél to fall into iniquitie, therefore haue I lift vp mine hand againſt them, ſaith the Lord God, & thei ſhal beare their iniquitie,

13.And thei ſhal not come nere vnto me to do the office of the Prieſt vnto me, nether ſhal thei come nere vnto any of mine holy things in the moſte holy place, but they ſhal beare their ſhame and their abominacions, which thei haue committed.

14.And I wil make thẽ kepers of the watche of the Houſe, for all the ſeruice thereof, & for all that ſhalbe done therein.

15.But the Prieſts of the Leuites, the ſonnes of Zadók, that ^fkept the charge of my Sanctuarie, when the children of Iſraél went aſtray from me, thei ſhal come nere to me to ſerue me, and thei ſhal ſtand before me to offre me the fat and the blood, ſaith the Lord God.

16.Thei ſhal entre into my Sanctuarie, and ſhal come nere to my table, to ſerue me, and thei ſhal kepe my charge.

17.And when thei ſhal entre in at the gates of the inner court, thei ſhalbe clothed with linen garments, and no woll ſhal come vpon them while thei ſerue in the gates of the inner court, and within.

18.18. Thei ſhal haue linen bonettes vpon their heades, and ſhal haue linen breches vpon their loynes: thei ſhal not gyrd thẽ ſelues in the ſweating places.

19.But when they go forthe into the vtter court, euen to the vtter court to the people, thei ſhal put of their garments, wherein thei miniſtred, and laye them in the holy chambers, and thei ſhal put on other garments: for thei ſhal not ſanctifie the people with their garments.

20.Thei ſhal not alſo ^gſhaue their heades, nor ſuffre their lockes to growe long, but round their heades.

21.^*Nether ſhal any Prieſt drinke wine whẽ thei enter into the inner court.

22.Nether ſhal thei take for their wiues a widowe, or her that is diuorced: but thei ſhal take maidens of the ſede of the houſe of Iſraél, or a widow that hathe bene the widow of a Prieſt.

23.And thei ſhal teache my people the difference betwene the holy and prophane, and cauſe thẽ to diſcerne betwene the vncleane and the cleane.

24.And in controuerſie thei ſhal ſtand to iudge, and thei ſhal iudge it according to my iudgements: and thei ſhal kepe my lawes and my ſtatutes in all mine aſſemblies, & thei ſhal ſanctifie my Sabbaths.

25.^*And thei ſhal come at no dead perſone to defile them ſelues, except for their father, or mother, or ſonne, or daughter, brother or ſiſter, that hathe had yet none houſbãd: in theſe may thei ^hbe defiled.

26.And when he is clenſed, thei ſhal rekon vnto him ſeuen dayes.

27.And when he goeth into the Sanctuarie vnto the inner court to miniſter in the Sãctuarie, he ſhal offre his ſin offring, ſaith the Lord God.

28.^*And the Prieſthode ſhalbe their inheritance, yea, I am their inheritance: therefore ſhal ye giue them no poſſeſsion in Iſraél, for I am their poſſeſsion.

29.Thei ſhal eat the meat offring, and the ſin offring, & the treſpace offring, & euerie dedicate thing in Iſraél ſhalbe theirs.

30.^*And all the firſt of all the firſt borne, & euerie oblacion, euen all of euerie ſort of your oblacions ſhalbe the Prieſts. Ye ſhal alſo giue vnto the Prieſt the firſt of your dough that he may cauſe the bleſsing to reſt in thine houſe.

31.The Prieſts ſhal not eat of any thing that is ^*dead, or torne, whether it be foule or beaſt.

Ezekiel 44

Notes