14. "But I will still put them in charge of the temple duties. They can do all of the work that has to be done there.
15. "But the priests must approach me to serve me. They are Levites from Zadok's family line. They faithfully carried out their duties in my temple. They obeyed me when the people of Israel turned away from me. Those priests must serve me by offering sacrifices of fat and blood," announces the Lord and King.
16. "They are the only ones who can enter my temple. Only they can come near to serve me and do my work.
17. "They will enter the gates of the inner courtyard. When they do, they must wear linen clothes. They will serve at the gates of the inner courtyard or inside the temple. When they do, they must not wear any clothes that are made out of wool.
18. They must have linen turbans on their heads. They must wear linen underwear around their waists. They must not put anything on that makes them sweat.
19. "They will go into the outer courtyard where the people are. When they do, they must take off the clothes they have been serving in. They must leave them in the sacred rooms. And they must put other clothes on. Then they will not make the people holy if the people happen to touch their clothes.
20. "The priests must not shave their heads. They must not let their hair grow long. They must keep it cut short.
21. No priest can drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard.
22. They must not get married to widows or divorced women. They can only marry Israelite virgins or the widows of priests.
23. "The priests must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not. They must show them how to tell the difference between what is 'clean' and what is not.
24. "When people do not agree, the priests must serve as judges between them. They must make their decisions based on my laws. They must obey my laws and rules for all of my appointed feasts. And they must keep my Sabbath days holy.
25. "A priest must not make himself 'unclean' by going near a dead person. But suppose the dead person was his father or mother. Or suppose it was his son or daughter or brother or unmarried sister. Then the priest can make himself 'unclean.'
26. After he is pure and clean again, he must wait seven days.