The Use of the East Gate
1 The man led me to the outer gate at the east side of the Temple area. The gate was closed, 2 and the Lord said to me, “This gate will stay closed and will never be opened. No human being is allowed to use it, because I, the Lord God of Israel, have entered through it. It is to remain closed. 3 The ruling prince, however, may go there to eat a holy meal in my presence. He is to enter and leave the gateway through the entrance room at the inner end.”
Rules for Admission to the Temple
4 Then the man took me through the north gate to the front of the Temple. As I looked, I saw that the Temple of the Lord was filled with the dazzling light of his presence. I threw myself face downward on the ground, 5 and the Lord said to me, “Mortal man, pay attention to everything you see and hear. I am going to tell you the rules and regulations for the Temple. Note carefully which persons are allowed to go in and out of the Temple, and which persons are not allowed.
6 “Tell those rebellious people of Israel that I, the Sovereign Lord, will no longer tolerate the disgusting things that they have been doing. 7 They have profaned my Temple by letting uncircumcised foreigners, people who do not obey me, enter the Temple when the fat and the blood of the sacrifices are being offered to me. So my people have broken my covenant by all the disgusting things they have done. 8 They have not taken charge of the sacred rituals in my Temple, but instead have put foreigners in charge.
9 “I, the Sovereign Lord, declare that no uncircumcised foreigner, no one who disobeys me, will enter my Temple, not even a foreigner who lives among the people of Israel.”
The Levites Are Excluded from the Priesthood
10 The Lord said to me, “I am punishing those Levites who, together with the rest of the people of Israel, deserted me and worshiped idols. 11 They may serve me in the Temple by taking charge of the gates and by performing the work of the Temple. They may kill the animals which the people offer for burnt offerings and for sacrifices, and they are to be on duty to serve the people. 12 But because they conducted the worship of idols for the people of Israel and in this way led the people into sin, I, the Sovereign Lord, solemnly swear that they must be punished. 13 They are not to serve me as priests or to go near anything that is holy to me or to enter the Most Holy Place. This is the punishment for the disgusting things they have done. 14 I am assigning to them the menial work that is to be done in the Temple.”
The Priests
15 The Sovereign Lord said, “Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok, however, continued to serve me faithfully in the Temple when the rest of the people of Israel turned away from me. So now they are the ones who are to serve me and come into my presence to offer me the fat and the blood of the sacrifices. 16 They alone will enter my Temple, serve at my altar, and conduct the Temple worship. 17 When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard of the Temple, they are to put on linen clothing. They must not wear anything made of wool when they are on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple. 18 So that they won't perspire, they are to wear linen turbans and linen trousers, but no belt. 19 Before they go to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must first take off the clothes they wore on duty in the Temple and leave them in the holy rooms. They are to put on other clothing in order to keep their sacred clothing from harming the people.
20 “Priests must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long. They are to keep it a proper length. 21 Priests must not drink any wine before going into the inner courtyard. 22 No priest may marry a divorced woman; he is to marry only an Israelite virgin or the widow of another priest.
23 “The priests are to teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not, and between what is ritually clean and what is not. 24 When a legal dispute arises, the priests are to decide the case according to my laws. They are to keep the religious festivals according to my rules and regulations, and they are to keep the Sabbaths holy.
25 “A priest is not to become ritually unclean by touching a corpse, unless it is one of his parents, one of his children or a brother or an unmarried sister. 26 After he has become clean again, he must wait seven days 27 and then go into the inner courtyard of the Temple and offer a sacrifice for his purification, so that he can serve in the Temple again. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.
28 “The priests have the priesthood as their share of what I have given Israel to be handed down from one generation to another. They are not to hold property in Israel; I am all they need. 29 The grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the repayment offerings will be the priests' food, and they are to receive everything in Israel that is set apart for me. 30 The priests are to have the best of all the first harvest and of everything else that is offered to me. Each time the people bake bread, they are to give the priests the first loaf as an offering, and my blessing will rest on their homes. 31 The priests must not eat any bird or animal that dies a natural death or is killed by another animal.”
Okuhita nokupitira momuvero wokomuhuka
1 Omurumendu ngwi we ndji twara komuvero wopendje komukuma wokomuhuka kwondjuwo ya Muhona. Omuvero mbwi wa paterwe, 2 nu Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: “Omuvero mbwi mau kara awa patwa nu kamaau patururwa ko. Kape nomundu ngu ma yandjerwa okuhita nokupitira mu wo, orondu ami, ngu mbi ri Ndjambi wa Israel, mba hitira mu wo. Owo mau kara awa patwa. 3 Nungwari omunane ohivirikwa porwe ongu ma hitire mo okukarya ovikurya oviyapuke momurungu wandje. Eye ma hiti nokupitira momuvero wetuwo enene mbu ri komaandero womoukoto.”
Omazikamisiro wokuyandjera okuhita mondjuwo ya Muhona
4 Omurumendu we ndji tuurungisira momuvero wokeyuva kokunene ne ndji twara komurungu wondjuwo ya Muhona. Ami tji mba tara, mba muna kutja ondjuwo ya Muhona ye ura nongeṋangeṋeno ya Muhona ndji mai keṋakeṋa; nami mba wa onḓurumika, 5 nu Muhona a tja nai ku ami: “Muatje womundu, ṱakamisa oviṋa avihe, mbi mo munu na mbi mo zuu. Ami me ku raere omazikamisiro nomatwako aehe otja kondjuwo. Tjevera nawa kutja omundu uṋe ngu ma pu pokuyandjerwa okuhita nokupita mondjuwo, nokutja omundu uṋe ngu hi nakupwa.
6 “Raera ihi otjiwaṋa otjipirukire tja Israel kutja ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, hi nokuuhara ame tarere oviṋa oviyaukise mbi tja tjita. 7 Otjo tja yamburura ondjuwo yandje mokuyandjera ovandu wozonganda mbe hi nonḓuviro ku ami kutja ve hite mondjuwo yandje, ozombunguhiro zozonḓura nozombinḓu ngunda amaze punguhirwa ami. Komuhingo mbwi otjiwaṋa tjandje otji tja teya omerikutiropamwe wandje mena rozondjito ozondjaukise azehe nḓu tja tjita. 8 Otjo katji ndji karerere mondjuwo yandje, nungwari moruveze rwanao otjo tja twa po ovandu wozonganda okundjikarera.
9 “Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, opu me tjere nai, kape nomundu wozonganda omuhasukara na ngu hi nonḓuviro ku ami ngu ma hiti mondjuwo yandje, nangarire omundu wozonganda ngwa tura mokati kOvaisrael.”
Ovalevi va tjaerwa koupristeri
10 Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: “Ami me vere Ovalevi mba mbe ndji esa nave kakarera oomukuru vovisenginina, indu Ovaisrael tji va poka ku ami. 11 Owo mave yenene okundji karera mondjuwo yandje amave tjevere omivero vyayo namave ungura oviungura vyondjuwo. Owo mave yenene okuzepa ovinamuinyo otjiwaṋa mbi matji etere ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozovinamuinyo, nowo otji mave karere otjiwaṋa. 12 Nungwari owo tjinga ava tjitira otjiwaṋa tja Israel omerikotameneno koomukuru vovisenginina, nu komuhingo mbwi tjinga ava pukisa otjiwaṋa, ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, otji me yana, tjiri, kutja owo va sokuverwa. 13 Kave nokundjikarera otja ovapristeri poo okuya popezu noviṋa avihe mbya yapurirwa ami poo okuhita mOtjouyapukeyapuke. Indji oyo omberero yoviṋa oviyaukise mbi va tjita. 14 Ami meve pe oviungura ngamwa avihe vyokomake mbya sokutjitwa mondjuwo ndjo.”
Ovapristeri
15 Muhona Ndjambi wa tja nai: “Ovapristeri imba vomuhoko wa Levi mbe ri ozondekurona za Sadok owo va panḓera pokundjikarera nouṱakame ondjuwo yandje, indu otjiwaṋa atjihe tja Israel tji tja poka ku ami. Owo aveyerike ombe karera ami nu ombe ya komurungu wandje okundjipunguhira ozonḓura nombinḓu yozombunguhiro. 16 Owo aveyerike ombu mave hiti mondjuwo yandje, nu ombu mave karere potjipunguhiro tjandje nokutjita omerikotameneno mondjuwo. 17 Tji mave hiti momuvero worupanda rwomoukoto rwondjuwo yandje, mave zara ozombanda zotupera otuheze. Ave zara ko ozombanda nḓa ungurwa pomainya wozonḓu, tji ve ri moviungura morupanda rwomoukoto poo mondjuwo yandje. 18 Kutja ave ha rukutura, ngave zare ozombanda zerapi nozomburukweva zerapi, nungwari ave zara ko omakwamo. 19 Ngunda ave hiya ya korupanda rwopendje ku ku notjiwaṋa, rutenga mave sokuhukura ozombanda nḓu va zarere moviungura vyondjuwo, nu ve ze ese momatuwo omayapuke. Tjazumba ngave zare ozombanda zarwe, kokutja ozombanda zawo nḓa ozondjapuke aze ha tjiti otjipo kotjiwaṋa.
20 “Ovapristeri ave rihora ko oviuru vyawo, nu ave hapisa ko ozondjise zawo okurira ozonde nungwari ngaze riwe ko kokutja aze he kuru okurira ozengi. 21 Ovapristeri kave nokusokunwa omavinu womandjembere ngunda ave hiya hita morupanda rwomoukoto. 22 Kape nomupristeri ngu ma sokukupa omuhepundu poo omukazendu ngwa haṋika morukupo; eye ma sokukupa omukazona Omuisrael uriri poo omuhepundu womupristeri omukwao.
23 “Ovapristeri ngave honge otjiwaṋa tjandje ombangu pokati koviṋa oviyapuke na imbi mbi he ri oviyapuke, na indji yopokati koviṋa ovikohoke novihakohoke. 24 Tji pa sekama ozombata, ovapristeri mave pangura otjiposa otja komatwako wandje. Owo mave tjiti omikandi otja komatwako na komazikamisiro wandje, nu mave sokuyapura Omasabata wandje.
25 “Omupristeri ke nokusokurizunḓa mokuṱuna korurova, posiya indu tji ru ri rwaumwe wovanene ve poo rwomuatje we poo rwomuangu poo rwomuṱena omukombe. 26 Eye tja zu nokukohoroka rukwao ma sokuundja oure womayuva hambombari; 27 Nu ma yenene okuhita morupanda rwomoukoto rwondjuwo yandje nokupunguha ombunguhiro yokuisapo ourunde we, kokutja a sore okundjikarera mondjuwo rukwao. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, owami ngu mba hungire.
28 “Ovapristeri ve noupristeri otja otjirumatwa tjawo tjaimbi mbi mba yandja ku Israel kutja tji yandjewe okuza komuhoko nga komuhoko. Owo kave nokukara nouini mOisrael; owami erike ngu mbi ri ouini wawo. 29 Ozombunguhiro zovikurya nozomauvi nozozondjo ondu maze rire ovikurya vyovapristeri; nowo mave pewa oviṋa avihe mOisrael mbya yapurirwa ami. 30 Ovapristeri mave pewa ovihape imbi oviwaviwa avihe vyovitengakuhora, noviṋa ngamwa avihe vyarwe wina, mbi mavi punguhirwa ami. Aruhe ovandu tji mave tereke ozomboroto mave sokuyandja omboroto ondenga kovapristeri, kokutja ondaya yandje i kare mozondjuwo zawo. 31 Ovapristeri kave nokusokurya onḓera poo otjipuka tji tje rikokere poo tji tja ṱu i ovipuka ovikwao.”
