Hiezechielis Prophetæ 44
1 Et convertit me ad viam portæ sanctuarii exterioris, quæ respiciebat ad orientem: et erat clausa.
Then [in the vision] the man brought me back to the outer entryway to the temple [area], the one on the east side, but the outer entrance was shut.
2 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Porta hæc clausa erit: non aperietur, et vir non transibit per eam, quoniam Dominus Deus Israël ingressus est per eam: eritque clausa
Yahweh said to me, “This entrance must remain shut. It must not be opened [by anyone]; no one will be permitted to enter it. It must remain shut because [I], Yahweh, the God of Israel, have [caused it to be sacred by] entering through it.
3 principi. Princeps ipse sedebit in ea, ut comedat panem coram Domino: per viam portæ vestibuli ingredietur, et per viam ejus egredietur.
Only the king [of Israel] will be permitted to sit inside this entryway to eat food in the presence of Yahweh. But he will must enter and leave [the temple area] through the entry room of this entryway.”
4 Et adduxit me per viam portæ aquilonis in conspectu domus: et vidi, et ecce implevit gloria Domini domum Domini: et cecidi in faciem meam.
Then the man brought me through the north entryway to the front of the temple. I looked and saw that the glory of Yahweh filled his temple, and I prostrated myself on the ground.
5 Et dixit ad me Dominus: Fili hominis, pone cor tuum, et vide oculis tuis, et auribus tuis audi omnia quæ ego loquor ad te de universis cæremoniis domus Domini, et de cunctis legibus ejus: et pones cor tuum in viis templi per omnes exitus sanctuarii.
Yahweh said to me, “You human, look carefully, and listen carefully to everything that I tell you about all the regulations concerning the temple. Note carefully the temple entrance and all the exits.
6 Et dices ad exasperantem me domum Israël: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Sufficiant vobis omnia scelera vestra, domus Israël:
Say this to the rebellious Israeli people: ‘This is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: You Israeli people, I will no longer endure the detestable things that you do!
7 eo quod inducitis filios alienos incircumcisos corde, et incircumcisos carne, ut sint in sanctuario meo, et polluant domum meam: et offertis panes meos, adipem et sanguinem, et dissolvitis pactum meum in omnibus sceleribus vestris.
In addition to all the other detestable things that you do, you brought into my temple foreign men who had not been circumcised and who were godless [IDM]. By doing that, you caused my temple to be an unacceptable place to worship me, while you offered food and fat and blood, and you disobeyed my agreement with you.
8 Et non servastis præcepta sanctuarii mei, et posuistis custodes observationum mearum in sanctuario meo vobismetipsis.
Instead of doing what I commanded you to do in regard to my holy things, you appointed foreigners to be in charge of my temple.
9 Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Omnis alienigena incircumcisus corde, et incircumcisus carne, non ingredietur sanctuarium meum: omnis filius alienus qui est in medio filiorum Israël.
But this is what [I], Yahweh, have said: No foreigners, no men who are not circumcised, no godless people are permitted to enter my temple, not even foreigners who live among you [Israelis permanently].
10 Sed et Levitæ qui longe recesserunt a me in errore filiorum Israël, et erraverunt a me post idola sua, et portaverunt iniquitatem suam,
[Most of] the descendants of Levi abandoned me along with [most of] the Israeli people, and started to worship idols. They must be punished for their sin.
11 erunt in sanctuario meo æditui, et janitores portarum domus, et ministri domus: ipsi mactabunt holocausta et victimas populi, et ipsi stabunt in conspectu eorum ut ministrent eis.
They are [still] permitted to work in my temple and to be in charge of the entrances of the temple, and they are permitted to slaughter the animals that will be completely burned on the altar, and [to burn other] sacrifices for the people, and they will [be able to] help the people.
12 Pro eo quod ministraverunt illis in conspectu idolorum suorum, et facti sunt domui Israël in offendiculum iniquitatis: idcirco levavi manum meam super eos, ait Dominus Deus, et portabunt iniquitatem suam.
But because they helped the people to worship idols and caused [many of] the Israeli people [MTY] to sin [by worshiping idols], I have lifted up my arm and solemnly declared that they must be punished for their sin.
13 Et non appropinquabunt ad me ut sacerdotio fungantur mihi, neque accedent ad omne sanctuarium meum juxta Sancta sanctorum: sed portabunt confusionem suam, et scelera sua quæ fecerunt.
They must not come near me to serve as priests. They must not come near any sacred things or the holy offerings. They must be ashamed of the shameful things that they did.
14 Et dabo eos janitores domus in omni ministerio ejus, et in universis quæ fient in ea.
But I will still put them in charge of the work in the temple and allow them to do all the work that needs to be done there.
15 Sacerdotes autem et Levitæ, filii Sadoc, qui custodierunt cæremonias sanctuarii mei, cum errarent filii Israël a me, ipsi accedent ad me ut ministrent mihi: et stabunt in conspectu meo, ut offerant mihi adipem et sanguinem, ait Dominus Deus.
But [most of] the priests who are descendants of Levi and from the clan of Zadok worked in my temple when the [other] Israelis abandoned me. [So they] are permitted to come near to me to work for me. They will stand in my presence to offer [sacrifices of animals’] fat and blood.
16 Ipsi ingredientur sanctuarium meum, et ipsi accedent ad mensam meam, ut ministrent mihi, et custodiant cæremonias meas.
They [are the only ones who] are permitted to enter my temple. They are [the only ones who are] permitted to come near my altar to serve me and do what I tell them to do.
17 Cumque ingredientur portas atrii interioris, vestibus lineis induentur: nec ascendet super eos quidquam laneum, quando ministrant in portis atrii interioris et intrinsecus.
When they enter [one of] the entrances into the inner courtyard, they must wear linen clothes. They must not wear any clothes [made] of wool while they do their work at the entrances of the inner courtyard or inside [the temple].
18 Vittæ lineæ erunt in capitibus eorum, et feminalia linea erunt in lumbis eorum, et non accingentur in sudore.
They must have linen turbans [wrapped] around their heads and wrap linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire.
19 Cumque egredientur atrium exterius ad populum, exuent se vestimentis suis in quibus ministraverant, et reponent ea in gazophylacio sanctuarii: et vestient se vestimentis aliis, et non sanctificabunt populum in vestibus suis.
Before they go out into the outer courtyard where [other] people are, they must take off the clothes that they have been wearing and leave them in the sacred rooms, and they must put on other clothes, in order that the other people are not punished because of [their touching] the sacred clothes.
20 Caput autem suum non radent, neque comam nutrient: sed tondentes attondent capita sua.
The priests must not shave their heads or allow their hair to become long; but they must regularly trim [the edges of] their hair.
21 Et vinum non bibet omnis sacerdos, quando ingressurus est atrium interius.
Priests must not drink wine before they enter the inner courtyard.
22 Et viduam et repudiatam non accipient uxores, sed virgines de semine domus Israël: sed et viduam quæ fuerit vidua a sacerdote, accipient.
[Also], priests must not marry widows [of men who were not priests] or women who have been divorced. [Priests are permitted to marry only] Israeli [MTY] virgins or widows of [other] priests.
23 Et populum meum docebunt quid sit inter sanctum et pollutum, et inter mundum et immundum ostendent eis.
Priests must teach the people the difference between things that are holy/sacred and things that are not, and they must teach them the difference between things that are acceptable to me and things that are not.
24 Et cum fuerit controversia, stabunt in judiciis meis, et judicabunt: leges meas et præcepta mea in omnibus solemnitatibus meis custodient, et sabbata mea sanctificabunt.
When there are disputes [between people], the priests are the ones who must be the judges and decide according to my laws what must be done. They must obey all my laws and decrees concerning the sacred festivals, and they must keep my Sabbath days (holy/set apart).
25 Et ad mortuum hominem non ingredientur, ne polluantur, nisi ad patrem et matrem, et filium et filiam, et fratrem, et sororem quæ alterum virum non habuerit: in quibus contaminabuntur.
A priest is permitted to go near the corpse of his father or his mother or his son or his daughter or his brother or his unmarried sister; but he is still defiled by doing that. But a priest must not defile himself by going near a corpse of anyone else.
26 Et postquam fuerit emundatus, septem dies numerabuntur ei.
But [even] if a priest touches the corpse [of a close relative, he must perform the rituals to become acceptable to serve me again]. After he performs those rituals, he must wait seven days.
27 Et in die introitus sui in sanctuarium ad atrium interius, ut ministret mihi in sanctuario, offeret pro peccato suo, ait Dominus Deus.
Then, on the day that he enters the inner courtyard [again] to serve me in the temple, he must give an offering to remove his guilt for his sin. [That is what I], Yahweh the Lord, declare.
28 Non erit autem eis hæreditas: ego hæreditas eorum. Et possessionem non dabitis eis in Israël: ego enim possessio eorum.
The priests are not permitted to own any property. They will have only what I [provide for them].
29 Victimam et pro peccato et pro delicto ipsi comedent, et omne votum in Israël ipsorum erit.
They will eat the offerings [other people make] from grain, offerings to remove people’s guilt for having sinned, and offerings made when people fail to give to Yahweh the things that they are required to give. Everything [else] in Israel that is completely dedicated to [me], Yahweh, will belong to the priests.
30 Et primitiva omnium primogenitorum, et omnia libamenta ex omnibus quæ offeruntur, sacerdotum erunt: et primitiva ciborum vestrorum dabitis sacerdoti, ut reponat benedictionem domui tuæ.
The best fruits of the first part of each harvest and all the [other] special gifts that are given to me will belong to the priests. You must give them the first part of your finely-ground flour, in order that I will bless [the people who live in] [MTY] your houses.
31 Omne morticinum, et captum a bestia, de avibus et de pecoribus, non comedent sacerdotes.
Priests must not eat the flesh of any bird or animal that was found dead or that has been killed by wild animals.’”
