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.”
Ovapristeli votembeli ipe
1 Opo nee ye a shuna nge vali koshivelo shopondje shotembeli, sha taalela oushilo. Sho osha li sha patwa. 2 Ndele Omwene okwa lombwela nge: “Oshivelo tuu eshi shi nokukala sha patwa, itashi patululwa nokape na umwe ta pitile mo, osheshi Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael a pitila mo. Onghee hano shi nokukala sha patwa. 3 Ohamba, yo i nokukala omutumba ngaashi ohamba i lye omungome koshipala shOmwene. Yo i nokupitila mo moshivelo shokehale nokupita mo nondjila tuu oyo.”
4 Opo nee ye okwa twala nge koshivelo sha taalela koumbangalanhu koshipala shotembeli. Ame onda tala ko, ndele tala: oshingefimano shOmwene sha yadifa otembeli yOmwene. Opo nee ame nda wila poshi. 5 Ndele Omwene okwa lombwela nge ta ti: “Kaana komunhu, tongolola, u tale nomesho oye, ove u ude nomatwi oye aishe ei Ame handi ke ku lombwela molweenghedimhango dotembeli yOmwene neemhango adishe dayo. Ndele tongolola nhumbi tamu iwa motembeli moshivelo keshe shokuya mo motembeli. 6 Ndele lombwela ovanandubo nokutya, eumbo laIsrael, u tye: Omwene Kalunga osho ta ti: Oixuna yeni ya wana, akutu, oove eumbo laIsrael. 7 Nye eshi mwa eta mo ovanailongo inava pita etanda momitima davo noinava pita etanda mombelela, va kale motembeli yange, vo va shekife otembeli yange. Nosho yo mwa yamba omungome wange nomaadi nohonde, ndele vo va teya po ehangano lange noififahoni yeni aishe. 8 Ndele nye inamu diinina oilonga iyapuki tai longelwa nge, ndelenee mwe va tula ponhele yeni okudiinina oilonga yomotembeli ei tai longelwa nge.”
9 Omwene Kalunga ota ti ngaha: “Hamunailongo, nande umwe, ina pita etanda momutima, noina pita etanda mombelela e nokuuya motembeli yange, omunailongo keshe, ha kala muIsrael, nandenande. 10 Ndelenee Ovalevi ava va ya kokule naame meliteeko laIsrael, vo va puka mo mwaame, va shikula oikalunga yavo, vo nava humbate oulunde wavo. 11 Vo ove nokuninga ovapiya motembeli yange, ngaashi ovakeleli poivelo yotembeli, novayakuli moilonga yomotembeli. Vo nava tomenene ovanhu omaxwikiloyambo nomatomenoyambo, ndele nava kale moipafi yavo oku va yakula. 12 Vo eshi ve va yakulile moipafi yoikalunga yavo nova ningila eumbo laIsrael epundukifo lomoulunde, onghee hano nde va yelulila eke lange, opo vo va kale nokuhumbata etimba lavo, Omwene Kalunga ta ti. 13 Ndele vo itava itavelelwa okweehena kwaame va longele nge moshilonga shoupristeli nokweehena kusha sha yapulilwa nge, nande sha shomoshiyapukielela. Ndelenee vo ve nokuhumbata elengwa lavo noififahoni yavo, ei ve i ninga. 14 Ndele Ame ohandi va tula moilonga yeyakulo motembeli, oshilonga keshe shomuyakuli eshi tashi monika mo, ndele tashi ka diininwa.
15 “Ndelenee ovapristeli ovo Ovalevi, oludalo laSadok, ava va diininine oilonga yomotembeli yange mefimbo leliteeko lOvaisraeli, vo nava ehene kwaame va longele nge ndele va kale ofika koshipala shange va yambele nge omaadi nohonde, Omwene Kalunga ta ti. 16 Vo ohava i motembeli yange, ndele vo hava ehene koshitaafula shange va longele nge nokudiinina oilonga tai longelwa nge. 17 Ndele vo ngeenge tave uya koluumbo lomeni, vo ve nokudjala oikutu yoliina. Ndelenee vaha djale oshikutu sholududi fimbo hava yakula moilonga yavo moivelo yoluumbo lomeni nomeni lotembeli. 18 Komitwe vo ve nokudjala embale loshikutu sholiina nomoiya ve nokudjala oikutu yoliina. Vo vaha djaleke moiya yavo sha, eshi tashi eta oshinhwi. 19 Ndele vo ngeenge tava i moluumbo lopondje, kovanhu vomoluumbo lopondje, ve nokulidula oikutu yavo va kala nayo meyakulolonga lavo. Nave i fiye po momakololo omotembeli ndele nava djale oikutu imwe, vaha yapule ovanhu noikutu yavo.
20 “Ndele vo vaha kulule omitwe davo di yele ile va efe eexwiki dokomutwe di kule dile di endjelele. Vo ve nokukulula omitwe davo, 21 nosho yo omupristeli nande umwe aha nwe omaviinyu, ngeenge ta i moluumbo lomeni. 22 Vaha hombole omufiyekadi ile ou a hengwa, ndelenee va hombole okakadona komoludalo lovana vaIsrael ile omufiyekadi ou a filwa omupristeli.
23 “Ndele vo ve nokulonga ovanhu vange va shiive okutongola pokati koinima iyapuki naai yongaho, nove noku va shiivifila eshi sha nyata, naashi sha koshoka. 24 Ndele moihokolola vo ve nokutokola ndele nava tokole paenghedimhango dange, ndele vo ve nokudiinina eemhango dange neenghedimhango dange momafimbo aeshe oivilo yange nokuyapula omashabata ange.
25 “Ndele vo vaha ye koshimhu vaha nyatekwe, ashike tashi dulika okunyatekwa kuxe nokuina, komona omumati nokakadona, komumwaina omulumenhu, nomumwaina omukainhu, ou ngeenge a li ina hombolwa. 26 Ndelenee ye eshi e lifeta po, oye na valelwe omafiku aheyali. 27 Ndele mefiku tuu olo ye ta i motembeli, moluumbo lomeni, a yakule moilonga yomotembeli, ye e nokweeta etimbayambo laye, Omwene Kalunga ta ti.
28 “Ndele oshitukulwa shavo oshefyuululo osheshi: Aame oshitukulwa shavo shefyuululo. Nye inamu va pa edu lefyuululifo muIsrael: Aame onhele yavo yefyuululifo. 29 Eendjayambo netimbayambo nokuvelombediyambo, vo va itavelelwa okulya. Nakeshe eshi shomuIsrael sha tongolelwa oshidila, oshavo. 30 Nakeshe eshi shotete shokomaludi keshe, sha wapala, sha wapalelela, nokeshe eshi shomayambo, oshomayambo eni aeshe naa ninge ovapristeli. Noufila weni muwa u dule mukwao mu nokuyandja komupristeli, opo enangeko noupuna li kale meumbo loye. 31 Keshe eshi sha fya shoovene sha pombaulwa ngeenge oshidila ile oshimuna, ovapristeli vehe shi lye.”
