9. Thus hath the Lord GOD said; No son of a stranger, uncircumcised in heart nor uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my sanctuary, of any sons of strangers that are among the sons of Israel.
10. And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall bear their iniquity.
11. Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, gatekeepers at the gates of the house, and servants in the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to serve them.
12. Because they served them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore I have lifted up my hand regarding them, said the Lord GOD, that they shall bear their iniquity.
13. And they shall not come near unto me, to serve me as priests, nor to come near to any of my holy things, to my most holy things: but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.
14. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house for all the service thereof and for all that shall be done therein.
15. But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, said the Lord GOD.
16. They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
17. And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court and within.
18. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads and shall have linen underwear upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causes sweat.
19. And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they ministered and lay them in the chambers of the sanctuary, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
20. Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut their hair.
21. Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
22. Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.
23. And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane and teach them to discern between the clean and the unclean.
24. And in controversy they shall stand to judge; and they shall judge it according to my rights; and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my solemn assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.