They will not come near me to serve me as priest, nor will they come near any of my holy things, the things which are most sacred. They will bear the shame of the abominable deeds they have committed.

It will be their portion from the allotment of the land, a most holy place, next to the border of the Levites.

You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths!

The outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary each had a double door.

Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers which face the courtyard are holy chambers where the priests ¹  who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings – the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, because the place is holy.

Then he measured its length as 35 feet, ¹  and its width as 35 feet, ²  before the outer sanctuary. He said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

“This is the law of the temple: The entire area on top of the mountain all around will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.

On the day he enters the sanctuary, into the inner court to serve in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering, declares the sovereign Lord.

From this measured area you will measure a length of eight and a quarter miles ¹  and a width of three and one-third miles; ²  in it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place.

The doorposts of the outer sanctuary were square. In front of the sanctuary one doorpost looked just like the other.

I was concerned for my holy reputation ¹  which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.

You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners ¹  to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.

Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and the clean. ¹ 

They must not sell or exchange any of it; they must not transfer this choice portion of land, for it is set apart ¹  to the Lord.

For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them ¹  in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts, with all your holy things.

Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, ¹  or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore ²  my Sabbaths and I am profaned in their midst.

“‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ¹ 

When the priests enter, then they will not go out from the sanctuary to the outer court without taking off their garments in which they minister, for these are holy; they will put on other garments, then they will go near the places where the people are.”

“‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment ¹  to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be eight and a quarter miles ²  and the width three and one-third miles. ³  This entire area will be holy. ⁴ 

“‘For the prince there will be land on both sides of the holy allotment and the allotted city, alongside the holy allotment and the allotted city, on the west side and on the east side; it will be comparable in length to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border