The Babylonian Exile

Because they serued before their idoles, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquitie, therfore haue I lift vp mine had against the, saith the Lord God, and they shall beare their iniquity,

And they shall not come neere vnto me to do ye office of ye Priest vnto me, neyther shall they come neere vnto any of mine holy things in the most holy place, but they shall beare their shame and their abominations, which they haue comitted.

And I will make them keepers of ye watch of the House, for all the seruice thereof, and for all that shalbe done therein.

But the Priests of the Leuites, the sonnes of Zadok, that kept the charge of my Sanctuarie, when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come neere to me to serue me, and they shall stande before me to offer me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God.

They shall enter into my Sanctuarie, and shall come neere to my table, to serue me, and they shall keepe my charge.

And whe they shall enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool shall come vpon the while they serue in ye gates of the inner court, and within.

They shall haue linnen bonets vpon their heades, and shall haue linnen breeches vpon their loynes: they shall not girde them selues in the sweating places.

But when they goe foorth into the vtter court, euen to the vtter court to the people, they shall put off their garments, wherein they ministred, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments: for they shall not sanctifie the people with their garments.

They shall not also shaue their heades, nor suffer their lockes to growe long, but rounde their heades.

Neither shall any Priest drinke wine when they enter into the inner court.

Neither shall they take for their wiues a widowe, or her that is diuorced: but they shall take maidens of the seede of the house of Israel, or a widow that hath bene the widow of a Priest.

And they shall teach my people the difference betweene the holy and prophane, and cause them to discerne betweene the vncleane and the cleane.

And in controuersie they shall stande to iudge, and they shall iudge it according to my iudgements: and they shall keepe my lawes and my statutes in all mine assemblies, and they shall sanctifie my Sabbaths.

And they shall come at no dead person to defile theselues, except at their father, or mother, or sone, or daughter, brother or sister, that hath had yet none husband: in these may they be defiled.

And when he is clensed, they shall reckon vnto him seuen dayes.

And when he goeth into ye Sanctuarie vnto the inner court to minister in the Sanctuarie, he shall offer his sinne offring, saith ye Lord God.

And the Priesthood shall bee their inheritance, yea, I am their inheritance: therefore shall ye giue them no possessio in Israel, for I am their possession.

They shall eate the meat offring, and the sinne offring, and the trespas offring, and euery dedicate thing in Israel shall be theirs.

And all the first of all the first borne, and euery oblation, euen all of euery sort of your oblations shall be the Priestes. Ye shall also giue vnto the Priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.

The Priests shall not eate of any thing, that is dead, or torne, whether it be foule or beast.

Moreover when yee shall deuide the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation vnto the Lord an holy portion of the land, fiue and twentie thousand reedes long, and ten thousand broad: this shalbe holy in all the borders thereof round about.

Of this there shalbe for the Sanctuarie fiue hundreth in length with fiue hundreth in breadth, all square round about, and fiftie cubites rounde about for the suburbes thereof.

And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of fiue and twentie thousande, and the breadth of tenne thousande: and in it shalbe the Sanctuarie, and the most holy place.

The holy portion of the lande shalbe the Priests, which minister in the Sanctuarie, which came neere to serue the Lord: and it shalbe a place for their houses, and an holy place for the Sanctuarie.

And in the fiue and twentie thousande of length, and the ten thousand of breadth shall the Leuites that minister in the house, haue their possession for twentie chambers.