Hezekiel 44

1 Azɔ la, ŋutsu la gbugbɔm va kɔkɔeƒe la ƒe agbo si dze ŋgɔ ɣedzeƒe la gbɔ. Wotui.

And he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which looked toward the east: and it was locked.

2 Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Ele be agbo sia nanɔ tutu ɣe sia ɣi. Mele be woaʋui o, eye ame aɖeke mato eme age ɖe eme o. Ele be wòanɔ tutu, elabena Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la to eme ge ɖe eme.

Then said the Lord unto me, This gate shall remain locked, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore shall it remain locked.

3 Fiaviŋutsu la ŋutɔ koe nye ame si anɔ agbo la nu be wòaɖu nu le Yehowa ŋkume. Ele nɛ be wòage ɖe eme to akpata la me, eye wòado go to afi ma ke.”

As for the prince, being the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord: by the way of the porch of that gate shall he enter, and by the way of the same shall he go out.

4 Tete ŋutsu la kplɔm to anyiehegbo la me yi gbedoxɔ la ŋgɔ. Metsa ŋku, eye mekpɔ Yehowa ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe wòyɔ Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ la, eye metsyɔ mo anyi.

Then brought he me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord: and I fell upon my face.

5 Eye Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Ame vi, lé ŋku ɖe nu ŋu nyuie, ɖo to nyuie, eye nàlé fɔ ɖe nu sia nu si magblɔ na wò tso Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ la ƒe ɖoɖowo ŋuti kple afi siwo woato ado go le Kɔkɔeƒe la ŋuti.

And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, direct thy mind, and see with thy eyes, and hear with thy ears all that I am speaking with thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and of all its laws; and direct thy mind to the entrance of the house, with every place of egress of the sanctuary.

6 Gblɔ na Israel ƒe aƒe dzeaglã la be, ‘Nya si Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye esi. Miaƒe ŋukpenanuwɔnawo sɔ gbɔ, O! Israel ƒe aƒe!

And thou shalt say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Ye have done enough with all your abominations, O house of Israel!

7 Kpe ɖe miaƒe ŋukpenanuwɔna bubuawo ŋu la, miekplɔ amedzro, ame siwo wometso aʋa na le dzi me alo le ŋutilã me o la, va nye kɔkɔeƒe la, eye miegblẽ kɔ ɖo na nye gbedoxɔ la le esime miena nuɖuɖum, lãmi kple ʋu, eye mietu nye nubabla la.

In your having brought the sons of the stranger, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, while you were offering my food, the fat and the blood: so that they broke my covenant because of all your abominations.

8 Le esime miawɔ miaƒe dɔdeasiwo le nye nu kɔkɔewo ŋuti la, mietsɔ ame bubuwo be woakpɔ nye kɔkɔeƒe la dzi.’

And [because] ye have not kept the charge of my holy things; but ye have set [those unworthy ones] as keepers of my charge in my sanctuary at your own pleasure.

9 Nya si Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye, ‘Amedzro aɖeke, ame si wometso aʋa na le dzi me kple ŋutilã me o la, mekpɔ mɔ age ɖe nye Kɔkɔeƒe la o, amedzro siwo le Israelviwo dome gɔ̃ hã mekpɔ mɔ o.

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, No son of the stranger, uncircumcised in heart, or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of all the sons of the stranger that are in the midst of the children of Israel.

10 “‘Levitɔ siwo de megbe le ŋunye, esime Israel tra mɔ, eye wòdzo le gbɔnye hedze legbawo yome la, axɔ woƒe nu vɔ̃ ƒe yomedzenu.

But as respecteth the Levites that were gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, who went astray away from me, after their idols, they shall surely bear their iniquity;

11 Woate ŋu asubɔ le nye kɔkɔeƒe la, adzɔ gbedoxɔ la ƒe agbowo ŋu, eye woasubɔ le afi ma; woate ŋu awu numevɔsawo ƒe lãwo kple ameawo tɔwo, woatsi tsitre ɖe ameawo ŋkume, eye woasubɔ wo.

And they shall be in my sanctuary, servants, appointed to watch at the gates of the house, and to be servants for the house: these are they that shall slay the burnt-offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they shall stand before them to do the service for them.

12 Ke, le esime wosubɔ ameawo le woƒe legbawo ŋkume, eye wona Israel ƒe aƒe la dze nu vɔ̃ me ta la, meka atam le esime mekɔ asi dzi be woaxɔ woƒe nu vɔ̃ ƒe yomedzenuwo. Aƒetɔ Yehowae gblɔe.

Because that they used to serve them before their idols, and have been unto the house of Israel as a stumbling-block of iniquity; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord Eternal, and they shall bear their iniquity;

13 Mele be woate ɖe ŋunye be yewoasubɔm abe nunɔlawo ene alo ate ɖe nye nu kɔkɔewo alo nye vɔsa kɔkɔewo ŋu o. Ele na wo be woatsɔ woƒe ŋukpenanuwɔnawo ƒe ŋukpe.

And they shall not come near unto me, to officiate as priests unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, to the most holy things; but they shall bear their shame, yea, for their abominations which they have committed.

14 Ke matsɔ wo ada ɖe gbedoxɔ la ƒe dɔdeasiwo kple dɔ sia dɔ si woawɔ le eme la nu.

And I will appoint them to be keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

15 “‘Ke nunɔlaawo, ame siwo nye Levitɔwo kple Zadok ƒe dzidzimeviwo, eye wowɔ woƒe dɔdeasiwo le nye kɔkɔeƒe la kple nuteƒewɔwɔ esime Israelviwo tra mɔ tso gbɔnye la, ate va, eye woasubɔ le nye ŋkume. Woatsi tsitre ɖe nye ŋkume be woasa vɔ kple lãmi kple ʋu. Aƒetɔ Yehowae gblɔe.

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, —these are they that shall come near unto me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord Eternal:

16 Woawo koe age ɖe nye Kɔkɔeƒe la. Woawo koe ate ɖe nye kplɔ̃ la ŋu be woasubɔ le nye ŋkume, eye woawɔ nye dɔdeasi.’

These are they that shall enter into my sanctuary, and these shall come near to my table, to minister unto me; and they shall keep my charge.

17 “‘Ne woge ɖe xɔxɔnu emetɔ ƒe agbowo me la, woado aklalawuwo, womado lãfuwu aɖeke esime wole subɔsubɔdɔ wɔm le xɔxɔnu emetɔ me alo le gbedoxɔ la me o.

And it shall come to pass, that, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall clothe themselves with linen garments; and there shall no wool come upon them, when they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within the house.

18 Woabla ta kple tablanu aklalatɔwo, eye woado aklalawutewuiwo ɖe ali. Womado naneke si ana woate fifia o.

Linen bonnets shall be upon their heads, and linen breeches shall be upon their loins: they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

19 Ne woyi xɔxɔnu egodotɔ, afi si amewo le la, woaɖe awu siwo wodo hesubɔ la da ɖe xɔ kɔkɔeawo me, eye woado woawo ŋutɔ ƒe awuwo ale be womakɔ ameawo ŋu kple woƒe awuwo o.

And when they go forth into the outer court, into the outer court to the people: then shall they put off their garments wherein they have ministered, and they shall lay them down in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, and they shall not mingle among the people with their garments.

20 “‘Womaƒlɔ ta o, eye womana woƒe ɖa nato ʋutuu hã o, ke woafɔ woƒe taɖa dzi.

And their heads shall they not shave close, nor suffer their hair to grow long: they shall only crop [the hair of] their heads.

21 Nunɔla aɖeke mano wain ne wòge ɖe xɔxɔnu emetɔ o.

And wine shall none of the priests drink when they enter into the inner court.

22 Womaɖe ahosiwo alo nyɔnu siwo ƒe srɔ̃ɖeɖe me gblẽ o. Ame siwo woate ŋu aɖe ko la woe nye Israel ɖetugbiwo alo nunɔlawo ƒe ahosiwo.

And a widow, or one that is divorced from her husband shall they not take to themselves as wives; but only virgins of the seed of the house of Israel; but whatever widow it may be, the [common] priests may take.

23 Ele na wo be woafia nye amewo vovototo si le nu kɔkɔe kple nu makɔmakɔ dome, eye woafia ameawo be woanya vovototo si le nu kɔkɔewo kple nu makɔmakɔwo dome.

And my people shall they teach the difference between the holy and profane, and that between the unclean and the clean shall they make known unto them.

24 “‘Ne dzrenya aɖe dzɔ la, nunɔlaawo awɔ dɔ abe ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo ene, eye woatso nya me le nye sewo nu. Woalé nye sewo kple ɖoɖowo na ŋkekenyui ɖoɖiwo me ɖe asi, eye woawɔ nye Dzudzɔgbe la kɔkɔe.

And in a controversy shall they stand up to judge, according to my ordinances shall they decide it: and my laws and my statutes at all my festivals shall they observe, and my sabbaths shall they sanctify.

25 “‘Nunɔla aɖeke magblẽ kɔ ɖo na eɖokui to tete ɖe ame kuku aɖeke ŋu me o, ke ne ame kuku la nye fofoa alo dadaa, Via ŋutsu alo via nyɔnu, nɔviŋutsu alo nɔvinyɔnu srɔ̃manɔsitɔ la, ekema ate ŋu agblẽ kɔ ɖo na eɖokui.

And to a dead person shall they not come to defile themselves; but on father, or on mother, or on son, or on daughter, on brother, or on sister that hath had no husband, may they defile themselves.

26 Ne wokɔ eŋuti la, alala ŋkeke adre.

And after he is become clean, —they shall reckon unto him seven days, —

27 Gbe si gbe wòaɖo afɔ kɔkɔeƒe la ƒe xɔxɔnu emetɔ be wòasubɔ le kɔkɔeƒe la la, ele be wòana nu hena nuvɔ̃ŋutivɔsa ɖe eɖokui ta. Aƒetɔ Yehowae gblɔe.

Then shall he on the day that he cometh into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, offer his sin-offering, saith the Lord Eternal.

28 “‘Nye koe anye domenyinu si anɔ nunɔlawo si. Mele be miana nunɔamesi aɖeke wo le Israel o. Nyee anye woƒe nunɔamesi.

And it shall be unto them as an inheritance, I am their inheritance: and any possession shall you not give them in Israel, I am their possession.

29 Woaɖu nuɖuvɔsawo, nu vɔ̃ ŋuti vɔsawo kple fɔɖivɔsawo, eye nu sia nu si le Israel si wotsɔ na Yehowa la, anye wo tɔ.

The meat-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering—these shall they eat; and every devoted thing in Israel shall belong to them.

30 Kutsetse gbãtɔwo ƒe nyuitɔwo kple miaƒe nunana tɔxɛwo katã anye nunɔlawo tɔ. Ele be miatsɔ miaƒe agblemenuku gbãtɔwo ana wo, ale be yayra nanɔ wò aƒemetɔwo dzi.

And the first of all kinds of first-fruits of all, and every kind of heave-offering of every thing of all your heave-offerings, shall belong to the priests; and the first of your dough shall you give to the priest, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house.

31 Nunɔlawo maɖu xevi alo lã aɖe si ku loo alo lã si lã wɔadã aɖe vuvu la o.

Any thing that hath died of itself, or that is torn, whether it be fowl or beast, shall the priests not eat.