Study Desk

Then he brought me from the outside into the inner open space and there were two rooms for the singers. One was at the side of the north gate which faced the south, and the other was at the side of the south gate which faced the north.

And he said to me, "This room which faces the south is for the religious leaders who take care of the Lord's house.

The room which faces the north is for the religious leaders who take care of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may come near the Lord to do His work."

I saw that the house had a raised base all around it, which made the base for the side rooms six cubits high.

For the rooms on all three floors had no pillars like the other buildings on the grounds. So the upper rooms were smaller than the ones on the first and second floors.

There was an outside wall built beside the rooms toward the outer open space. It was in front of the rooms for fifty cubits.

Then he said to me, "The north rooms and the south rooms, over from the other open space, are the holy rooms where the religious leaders who go near the Lord eat the most holy things. There they will lay the most holy things, the grain gift, the sin gift, and the guilt gift. For the place is holy.

When the religious leaders go in, they are not to go out into the outer open space from the holy place without leaving behind the clothes they wear while they do the Lord's work, for these are holy. They must put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people."

And He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place for My throne and for the bottom of My feet, where I will live among the people of Israel forever. No longer will the people of Israel or their kings make My holy name unclean, by worshiping other gods or by the dead bodies of their kings.

And He said to me, "Son of man, the Lord God says, ‘These are the laws for giving burnt gifts and for putting blood on the altar on the day it is built:

You must give a young bull for a sin gift to the Levite religious leaders of the sons of Zadok. They are the ones who come near Me to do My work,' says the Lord God.

You must also take the bull for the sin gift, and burn it in the chosen place of the house, outside the holy place.

On the second day you must give a male goat that is perfect for a sin gift. And the altar will be made clean, as it was made clean with the bull.

You must make ready a goat for a sin gift each day for seven days. Also make ready a young bull and a ram from the flock. They must be perfect.

For seven days they must make the altar free from sin and make it pure, so it will be set apart to Me.

The Lord said to me, "This gate must stay shut. It must not be opened. No one may come in through it, for the Lord God of Israel has come in through it. So it must stay shut.

"The Levites who went far from Me when Israel left Me to follow their false gods, will be punished for their sin.

But because they served them in front of their false gods and caused the people of Israel to sin, I have promised," says the Lord God, "that they will be punished for their sin.

"I am to be the only part that the religious leaders have. You must not give them any land in Israel for their own. I am their part.

The first of all the first fruits of every kind, and every kind of gift you bring, will be for the religious leaders. And you must give them the first of your grain, so that good will come to your house.