1. Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looks towards the east; and it was shut.
2. The Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut. It shall not be opened, no man shall enter in by it; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it. Therefore it shall be shut.
3. As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the Lord. He shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.”
4. Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and behold, the Lord’s glory filled the Lord’s house; so I fell on my face.
5. The Lord said to me, “Son of man, mark well, and see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I tell you concerning all the ordinances of the Lord’s house, and all its laws; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every exit of the sanctuary.
6. You shall tell the rebellious, even the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You house of Israel, let that be enough of all your abominations,
7. in that you have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when you offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant, to add to all your abominations.
8. You have not performed the duty of my holy things; but you have set performers of my duty in my sanctuary for yourselves.”
9. Thus says the Lord GOD, “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners who are amongst the children of Israel.
10. “‘“But the Levites who went far from me, when Israel went astray, who went astray from me after their idols, they will bear their iniquity.
11. Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house. They shall kill the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.
12. Because they ministered to them before their idols, and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel. Therefore I have lifted up my hand against them,” says the Lord GOD, “and they will bear their iniquity.
13. They shall not come near to me, to execute the office of priest to me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
14. Yet I will make them performers of the duty of the house, for all its service, and for all that will be done therein.