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Read the Bible
Myles Coverdale Bible
Ezekiel 44
1 After this, he brought me agayne to ye outwarde dore of the Sanctuary on the east syde, and that was shut.2 Then sayde the LORDE vnto me: This dore shalbe stil shut, and not opened for eny ma to go thorow it, but only for the LORDE God of Israel: yee he shal go thorow it, els shal it be shut still.3 The prynce himself shal come thorow it, that he maye eate bred before the LORDE. At the porche shal he come in, and there shal he go out agayne.
4 Then brought he me to the dore, vpon the north syde of the house. And as I loked aboute me, beholde, the glory of the LORDE fylled the house: and I fell downe vpon my face.5 So the LORDE spake vnto me: O thou sonne of man, fasten this to thine herte, beholde, and take diliget hede to all that I wil saye vnto the, concernynge all the ordinaunces of the LORDE and all his lawes: pondre well with thine herte the commynge in of the house and the goinge forth of the Sanctuary:6 and tell that obstinate housholde of Israel: Thus saieth the LORDE God: O house of Israel, ye haue now done ynough with all youre abhominacios,7 seynge that ye haue brought in to my Sanctuary straungers, hauynge vncircumcised hertes & flesh, where thorow my Sactuary is defiled, whe ye offre my bred, fat, & bloude. Thus with all youre abhominacions ye haue broken my couenaunt,8 and not kepte the holy ordinaunces of my Sanctuary: but set kepers of my Sanctuary, euen after youre owne mynde.9 Therfore thus saieth ye LORDE God: Of all the straungers that dwell amoge the childre of Israel, no straunger (whose herte & flesh is not circumcised) shal come within my Sanctuary:
10 No ner the Leuites that be gone backe fro me, and haue disceaued the people of Israel with erroures, goinge after their Idols: therfore shal thei beare their owne wickednes.11 Shulde they be set and ordened to ministre, vnder the dores of the house of my Sanctuary? and to do seruyce in the house: to slaye burntoffringes and sacrifices for ye people: to stode before them, and to serue them:12 seynge the seruyce that they do them, is before their Idols, and cause the house of Israel to stomble thorow wickednesse? For the which cause I haue pluckte out myne honde ouer them (saieth the LORDE) so that now they must beare their owne iniquyte,13 and not to come nye me, to serue me with their preasheade, in my Sanctuary, and most holyest of all: that they maye beare their owne shame and abhominacions, which they haue done.14 Shulde I vse them to be porters of the house, and to all the seruyce yt is done therin?15 But the prestes ye Leuites the sonnes of Sadoch, that kepte the holy ordinaunces of my Sanctuary, when the children of Israel were gone fro me: shal come to me, to do me seruyce, to stonde before me, and to offre me the fat and the bloude, saieth the LORDE God.16 They shall go in to my Sanctuary, and treade before my table, to do me seruyce, and to waite vpo myne ordinaunces.
17 Now whe they go in at the dores of the ynnermer courte, they shal put on lynnynge clothes, so that no wollyne come vpon them: whyle they do seruyce vnder the dores of ye ynnermer courte, and within.18 They shal haue fayre lynnynge bonettes vpon their heades, and lynnynge breches vpon their loynes, which in their laboure they shal not put aboute them:19 And when they go forth to the people in to the outwarde courte, they shal put of the clothes, wherin they haue ministred, and laye them in the habitacion of the Sanctuary, & put on other apparell, lest they onhalowe ye people with their clothes.20 They shal not shaue their heades, ner norish the bushe of their hayre, but roude their heades only.21 All the prestes that go in to the ynmost courte, shall drynke no wyne.22 They shall mary no wydowe, nether one that is put from hir hu?bonde: but a mayde of the sede of the house of Israel, or a wydowe, that hath had a prest before.23 They shal shewe my people the difference betwene the holy and vnholy, betwixte the clene and vnclene.24 Yf eny discorde aryse, they shal discerne it, and geue sentence after my iudgmentes. My solempne feastes, my lawes and ordinaunces shal they kepe, and halowe my Sabbathes.25 They shal come at no deed persone, to defyle them selues: (excepte it be father or mother, sonne or doughter, brother or sister that hath had yet no husbonde) in soch they maye be defyled.26 And when he is clensed, there shal be rekened vnto him vij dayes:27 and yf he go in to the Sanctuary agayne to do seruyce, he shal bringe a synoffringe saieth the LORDE God.28 They shall haue an heretage, yee I my self wilbe their heretage: els shall ye geue the no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.29 The meatoffringe, synoffringe & trespace offringe shal they eate, and euery dedicate thinge in Israel, shalbe theirs.30 The firstlinges of all the first frutes, and all fre will offringes shal be the prestes. Ye shall geue vnto the prest also the firstlinges of youre dowe, that God maye prospere the resydue.31 But no deed carion shall the prest eate, ner soch as is deuoured of wilde beestes, foules or catell.