Ezekiel 46

1 “This is what the Lord [Adonay, the sovereign Master] GOD [Yehovah] says: ‘The gate [entrance, doorway] of the inner [most private, intimate] court that faces [looks toward, is oriented to] east [the direction of the rising sun] must be kept shut [closed, locked] during the six days of work [labor, toil], but on the Sabbath [day of rest, worship] day and on the day of the New Moon [beginning of a new cycle, renewal] it shall be opened [unlocked, made accessible]. word study 2 The prince [leader, ruler] is to enter from the outside [outdoors, beyond the wall] through the portico [covered entrance, vestibule] of the gateway and stand by the gatepost [doorpost, pillar], while the priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] sacrifice his burnt offerings [gifts totally consumed by fire, acts of worship] and peace offerings [voluntary sacrifices, expressions of gratitude]. He is to bow [prostrate himself, worship] in worship at the threshold [sill, entrance] of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be shut [closed, barred] until evening [sunset, end of the day]. word study 3 On the Sabbaths [days of rest and worship] and New Moons [lunar cycles, times of renewal] the people [nation, community] of the land [earth, territory] are also to bow [to worship, prostrate themselves] in worship [reverence, adoration] before the LORD [Yehovah] at the entrance [doorway, gate] to that gateway [city entrance, temple door]. word study 4 The burnt offering [a step or stairs to the altar, a complete sacrifice] that the prince [leader, high-ranking official] presents [to approach or come near, with a sense of purpose] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] on the Sabbath day [a day of rest and worship] shall be six [the number of imperfection or incompleteness] unblemished [perfect, without defects] male lambs [young rams] and an unblemished [perfect, without defects] ram [a strong tree]. word study 5 The grain offering [a gift or donation to God] with the ram [a strong male sheep] shall be one ephah [a unit of measurement, about 9 gallons], and the grain offering [a meal offering, a gift] with the lambs [young sheep] shall be as much as he is able [as he chooses, according to his gift], along with a hin [about 5 quarts or 6 liters] of oil [olive oil] per ephah [a measure of dry goods]. word study 6 On the day [a time of renewal] of the New Moon he shall offer a young, unblemished [without defect] bull, six lambs, and a ram [a strong male sheep] without blemish [perfect, having no defects]. word study 7 He is to provide a grain offering [a gift of thanksgiving, a meal offering] of an ephah [about 9 gallons, a unit of measurement] with the bull [a young ox], an ephah with the ram [a strong male sheep], and as much as he is able [according to his resources, voluntarily] with the lambs [young sheep], along with a hin [about 5 quarts, a unit of liquid measure] of oil [olive oil] per ephah. word study 8 When the prince [leader, ruler] enters, he shall go in through the portico [covered entryway, vestibule] of the gateway [gate, entrance], and he shall go out the same [exact, identical] way [path, road]. word study 9 When the people [nation, congregation] of the land [earth, territory] come before [in the presence of, face to face with] the LORD [Yehovah] at the appointed [fixed, sacred] feasts [meetings, festivals], whoever enters [comes, approaches] by the north [Zaphon, northern direction] gate [entrance, doorway] to worship [bow down, give reverence] must go out [exit, depart] by the south [Negeb, southern direction] gate, and whoever enters [comes, approaches] by the south gate must go out [exit, depart] by the north gate. No one is to return [turn back, reverse] through the gate [door, entrance] by which he entered [came, approached], but each must go out [exit, depart] by the opposite [straight ahead, directly across] gate. word study 10 When the people [the congregation, the assembly] enter, the prince [leader, ruler] shall go in [come in, approach] with them, and when they [the congregation, the assembly] leave [go out, depart], he shall leave [go out, depart]. word study 11 At the festivals [feasts, sacred seasons] and appointed feasts [solemnities, meetings], the grain offering [meal-offering, gift to God] shall be an ephah [a unit of measurement, about 9 gallons] with a bull [young bull, ox], an ephah with a ram [strong male sheep], and as much as one is able to give [as his hand finds, according to his ability] with the lambs [young rams, sheep], along with a hin [about 5 quarts, a liquid measure] of oil [olive oil] per ephah [unit of measurement]. word study 12 When the prince [leader, ruler] makes a freewill [voluntary, spontaneous] offering to the LORD [Yehovah, God], whether a burnt offering [a step or stairs, often used to describe the ascent to the altar] or a peace offering [a voluntary sacrifice to show thanks], the gate [door, entrance] facing east [the direction east, the east wind] must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or peace offering just as he does on the Sabbath day [a day of rest and worship]. Then he shall go out, and the gate must be closed after he goes out. word study 13 And you shall provide an unblemished [perfect, without defects] year-old [son of a year, one year in age] lamb [young ram, son of a sheep] as a daily [every day, morning by morning] burnt offering [step or stairs to the altar, a sacrifice completely consumed by fire] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]; you are to offer it every morning [at the break of day, a time of new beginnings]. word study 14 You are also to provide with it every morning [at the break of day, a time of new beginnings] a grain offering [meal offering, a gift to God] of a sixth [one-sixth, a fraction] of an ephah [a unit of measurement, about 9 gallons] with a third [one-third, a portion] of a hin [an ancient unit of liquid measure, about 5 quarts] of oil [olive oil] to moisten [to add liquid, to soften] the fine flour [high-quality flour, used for offerings]—a grain offering [a gift, a donation] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. This is a permanent [lasting, eternal] statute [a law, a decree, a divine ordinance]. word study 15 Thus they shall provide [prepare, make ready] the lamb [a young ram], the grain offering [a gift, a donation], and the oil [olive oil] every morning [at the break of day, a new beginning] as a regular [continual, constant] burnt offering [a step to the altar, a sacrifice by fire].’ word study 16 This is what the Lord [Adonay, a title of reverence] GOD [Yehovah] says: ‘If the prince [leader, ruler] gives a gift [present, inheritance] to any of his sons [descendants, children] as an inheritance [permanent possession, heritage], it will belong to his descendants [sons, offspring]. It will become their property [possession, inheritance] by inheritance [birthright, legacy]. word study 17 But if he gives [bestows, grants] a gift [present, inheritance] from his inheritance [property, heritage] to one [a single, unique] of his servants [slaves, attendants], it will belong [be owned, possessed] to that servant [slave, attendant] until [as far as, till] the year [period, time] of freedom [liberty, release]; then it will revert [return, come back] to the prince [leader, ruler]. His inheritance [heritage, legacy] belongs [is given, assigned] only [exclusively, solely] to his sons [children, descendants]; it shall be [will remain, is] theirs [their possession, inheritance]. word study 18 The prince [leader, ruler] must not take [seize, acquire] any of the inheritance [property, heritage] of the people [nation, community] by evicting [forcing out, oppressing] them from their property [possession, land]. He is to provide [give, bequeath] an inheritance [legacy, heritage] for his sons [children, descendants] from his own property [estate, possession], so that none of My people [Amaw, nation] will be displaced [scattered, uprooted] from his property [inheritance, land].’” word study 19 Then the man brought me through the entrance [by the doorway] at the side of the gate into the holy chambers [sacred rooms, set-apart areas] facing [toward, looking to] north, which belonged to the priests [those who serve God, spiritual leaders], and he showed me a place [a location, a specific area] there at the far western end [on the west side, in the rear] word study 20 and said to me, “This [specific, designated] is the place [location] where the priests [spiritual leaders] shall boil [cook, ripen] the guilt offering [trespass offering] and the sin offering [offering for sin, chata’at], and where they shall bake [cook, make] the grain offering [meal offering], so that they do not bring them into the outer [external] court [courtyard] and transmit [consecrate, set apart] holiness [purity, sanctity] to the people [nation, am].” word study 21 Then he brought me into the outer [external, outside] court [a village, a small settlement surrounded by walls] and led me around to its four [a simple counting number, describing quantities] corners [a corner or angle of a structure], and I saw a separate [distinct, set apart] court [a small settlement, a space shut in] in each of its corners [a corner or angle of the structure, like a corner post or buttress]. word study 22 In the four corners [angles, extremities] of the outer [surrounding, enclosing] court [enclosed space, village] there were enclosed [joined, walled in] courts [spaces, areas], each [approximately] forty [a significant period of time] cubits [a unit of measurement] long [in length, extent] and thirty [a multiple of ten and three] cubits wide [in breadth, width]. Each of the four [same, united] corner areas [spaces, regions] had the same [one, unified] dimensions [measure, proportion]. word study 23 Around [surrounding, encompassing] the inside of each of the four courts was a row [line, sequence] of masonry [stone wall, structure] with ovens [hearth, cooking places] built at the base [foundation, underside] of the walls on all sides [every direction, completely]. word study 24 And he said to me, “These [the specific] are the kitchens [boiling-houses, places of them that boil] where those who [serve, minister to] minister at the temple [the house of the Lord] will cook [boil, seethe] the sacrifices [offerings, victims] offered by the people [the nation, a multitude].” word study