Ezekieli 44
1 Ndipo yule mtu akanirudisha mpaka kwenye lango la nje la mahali Patakatifu, lile linaloelekea upande wa mashariki, nalo lilikuwa limefungwa.
And he brought me back to the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looked towards the east: and it was shut.
2 Bwana akaniambia, “Lango hili litabaki limefungwa. Haliruhusiwi kufunguliwa, wala hakuna mtu yeyote anayeruhusiwa kuingilia kwenye lango hili. Litabaki limefungwa kwa sababu Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, ameingia kwa kupitia lango hili.
And the Lord said to me: This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it: because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it, and it shall be shut
3 Yeye aliye mkuu peke yake ndiye anayeweza kukaa penye njia ya hilo lango na kula chakula mbele za Bwana. Itampasa aingie kwa njia hiyo ya lango la ukumbini na kutokea njia iyo hiyo.”
For the prince. The prince himself shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord: he shall enter in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.
4 Kisha yule mtu akanileta kwa njia ya lango la kaskazini mpaka mbele ya Hekalu. Nikatazama nami nikauona utukufu wa Bwana ukilijaza Hekalu la Bwana, nami nikaanguka kifudifudi.
And he brought me by the way of the north gate, in the sight of the house: and I saw, and behold the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord: and I fell on my face.
5 Bwana akaniambia, “Mwanadamu, angalia kwa uangalifu, usikilize kwa bidii na uzingatie kila kitu ninachokuambia kuhusu masharti yote yanayohusu Hekalu la Bwana. Uwe mwangalifu kuhusu wale wanaoruhusiwa hekaluni na wale wasioruhusiwa kuingia mahali patakatifu.
And the Lord said to me: Son of man, attend with thy heart, and behold with thy eyes, and hear with thy ears, all that I say to thee concerning all the ceremonies of the house of the Lord, and concerning all the laws thereof: and mark well the ways of the temple, with all the goings out of the sanctuary.
6 Iambie nyumba ya kuasi ya Israeli, ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Matendo yenu ya machukizo yatosha, ee nyumba ya Israeli!
And thou shalt say to the house of Israel that provoketh me: Thus saith the Lord God: Let all your wicked doings suffice you, O house of Israel:
7 Zaidi ya matendo yenu yote ya machukizo, mmewaleta wageni wasiotahiriwa mioyo na miili katika patakatifu pangu, mkilinajisi Hekalu langu, huku mkinitolea chakula, mafuta ya wanyama na damu, nanyi mmevunja Agano langu.
In that you have brought in strangers uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, and to defile my house: and you offer my bread, the fat, and the blood: and you have broken my covenant by all your wicked doings.
8 Badala ya kutimiza wajibu wenu kuhusiana na vitu vyangu vitakatifu, mmeweka watu wengine kuwa viongozi katika patakatifu pangu.
And you have not kept the ordinances of my sanctuary: but you have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
9 Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Hakuna mgeni asiyetahiriwa moyo na mwilini anayeruhusiwa kuingia patakatifu pangu, wala hata wageni wanaoishi miongoni mwa Waisraeli.
Thus saith the Lord God: No stranger uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, no stranger that is in the midst of the children of Israel.
10 “‘Walawi walioniacha wakati Waisraeli walipopotoka wakatoka kwangu na kutangatanga kwa kufuata sanamu zao, watachukua adhabu ya dhambi zao.
Moreover the Levites that went away far from me, when the children of Israel went astray, and have wandered from me after their idols, and have borne their iniquity:
11 Wanaweza wakatumika katika mahali patakatifu pangu, wakiwa na uangalizi wa malango ya Hekalu, nao watachinja sadaka za kuteketezwa na dhabihu kwa ajili ya watu na kusimama mbele ya watu ili kuwahudumia.
They shall be officers in my sanctuary, and doorkeepers of the gates of the house, and ministers to the house: they shall slay the holocausts, and the victims of the people: and they shall stand in their sight, to minister to them.
12 Lakini kwa sababu waliwatumikia watu mbele ya sanamu zao na kuifanya nyumba ya Israeli ianguke kwenye dhambi, kwa hiyo nimeapa kwa mkono ulioinuliwa kwamba ni lazima wachukue matokeo ya dhambi yao, asema Bwana Mwenyezi.
Because they ministered to them before their idols, and were a stumblingblock of iniquity to the house of Israel: therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord God, and they shall bear their iniquity:
13 Hawaruhusiwi kukaribia ili kunitumikia kama makuhani wala kukaribia chochote changu kilicho kitakatifu au sadaka iliyo takatifu kupita zote, bali watachukua aibu ya matendo yao ya kuchukiza.
And they shall not come near to me to do the office of priest to me, neither shall they come near to any of my holy things that are by the holy of holies: but they shall bear their shame, and their wickednesses which they have committed.
14 Lakini nitawaweka katika uangalizi wa Hekalu na kazi zote zile zinazotakiwa kufanyika ndani yake.
And I will make them doorkeepers of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
15 “‘Lakini makuhani, ambao ni Walawi na wazao wa Sadoki, ambao walitimiza wajibu wao kwa uaminifu katika patakatifu pangu wakati Waisraeli walipopotoka, watakaribia ili kutumika mbele zangu. Itawapasa wasimame mbele zangu ili kutoa dhabihu za mafuta ya wanyama na damu, asema Bwana Mwenyezi.
But the priests, and Levites, the sons of Sadoc, who kept the ceremonies or my sanctuary, when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me, to minister to me: and they shall stand before me, to offer me the fat, and the blood, saith the Lord God.
16 Wao peke yao ndio wenye ruhusa ya kuingia mahali patakatifu pangu. Wao peke yao ndio watakaokaribia meza yangu ili kuhudumu mbele zangu na kufanya utumishi wangu.
They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and to keep my ceremonies.
17 “‘Watakapoingia kwenye malango ya ukumbi wa ndani, watavaa nguo za kitani safi, hawaruhusiwi kamwe kuvaa mavazi ya sufu wakati wanapokuwa wakihudumu kwenye malango ya ukumbi wa ndani wala ndani ya Hekalu.
And when they shall enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments: neither shall any woollen come upon them, when they minister in the gates of the inner court and within.
18 Watavaa vilemba vya kitani safi vichwani mwao na nguo za ndani za kitani safi viunoni mwao. Hawatavaa chochote kitakachowafanya kutoa jasho.
They shall have linen mitres on their heads, and linen breeches on their loins, and they shall not be girded with any thing that causeth sweat.
19 Watakapotoka ili kuingia katika ukumbi wa nje mahali watu walipo, watavua nguo walizokuwa wakihudumu nazo na wataziacha katika vyumba vitakatifu nao watavaa nguo nyingine, ili kwamba wasije wakaambukiza watu utakatifu kwa njia ya mavazi yao.
And when they shall go forth to the outward court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them up in the store chamber of the sanctuary, and they shall clothe themselves with other garments: and they shall not sanctify the people with their vestments.
20 “‘Hawatanyoa nywele za vichwa vyao wala kuziacha ziwe ndefu, bali watazipunguza.
Neither shall they shave their heads, nor wear long heir: but they shall only poll their heads.
21 Kuhani yeyote asinywe mvinyo aingiapo katika ukumbi wa ndani.
And no priest shall drink wine when he is to go into the inner court.
22 Wasioe wanawake wajane wala walioachika, inawapasa kuoa wanawake bikira wenye heshima wa Israeli au wajane wa makuhani.
Neither shall they take to wife a widow, nor one that is divorced, but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel: but they may take a widow also, that is, the widow of a priest.
23 Watawafundisha watu wangu tofauti kati ya vitu vitakatifu na vitu vya kawaida na kuwaonyesha jinsi ya kupambanua kati ya vitu najisi na vitu safi.
And they shall teach my people the difference between holy and profane, and shew them how to discern between clean and unclean.
24 “‘Katika magombano yoyote, makuhani watatumika kama mahakimu na kuamua hilo jambo kufuatana na sheria zangu. Watazishika sheria zangu na maagizo yangu katika sikukuu zangu zote zilizoamriwa, nao watatakasa Sabato zangu.
And when there shall be a controversy, they shall stand in my judgments, and shall judge: they shall keep my laws, and my ordinances in all my solemnities, and sanctify my sabbaths.
25 “‘Kuhani asijitie unajisi kwa kukaribia maiti, lakini, kama mtu aliyekufa alikuwa baba yake au mama yake, mwana au binti yake, ndugu yake au dada ambaye hajaolewa, basi aweza kujitia unajisi kwa hao.
And they shall come near no dead person, lest they be defiled, only their father and mother, and son and daughter, and brother and sister, that hath not had another husband: for whom they may become unclean.
26 Baada ya kujitakasa, atakaa hali hiyo kwa muda wa siku saba.
And after one is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.
27 Siku atakapoingia katika ukumbi wa ndani wa mahali patakatifu ili kuhudumu, atatoa sadaka ya dhambi kwa ajili yake mwenyewe, asema Bwana Mwenyezi.
And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, to the inner court, to minister unto me in the sanctuary, he shall offer for his sin, saith the Lord God.
28 “‘Mimi nitakuwa ndio urithi pekee walio nao makuhani katika Israeli. Msiwape wao milki, mimi nitakuwa milki yao.
And they shall have no inheritance, I am their inheritance: neither shall you give them any possession in Israel, for I am their possession.
29 Wao watakula sadaka za nafaka, sadaka za dhambi na sadaka za hatia na kila kitu kitakachotolewa kwa Bwana katika Israeli kitakuwa chao.
They shall eat the victim both for sin and for trespass: and every vowed thing in Israel shall be theirs.
30 Yote yaliyo bora ya malimbuko ya vitu vyote na matoleo yenu maalum vitakuwa vya makuhani. Inawapasa kuwapa malimbuko ya kwanza ya unga wenu ili kwamba baraka ipate kuwa katika nyumba zenu.
And the firstfruits of all the firstborn, and all the libations of all things that are offered, shall be the priest’s: and you shall give the firstfruits of your meats to the priest, that he may return a blessing upon thy house.
31 Makuhani hawaruhusiwi kula chochote, ikiwa ni ndege au mnyama, aliyekutwa akiwa amekufa au aliyeraruliwa na wanyama pori.
The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself or caught by a beast, whether it be fowl or cattle.
