My God, punish those people. They made the priesthood unclean. They treated it like it was not important. They did not obey the agreement that you made with the priests and Levites.
God, please remember Tobiah and Sanballat. Remember the bad things they have done. Also remember the woman prophet Noadiah and the other prophets that have been trying to scare me.
But he cannot go through the curtain {into the Most Holy Place} and he cannot go near the altar. [383] Why? Because he has something wrong with him. He must not make my holy places not holy. I, the Lord, make those places holy!”
A priest serves God in a special way. So you must treat him in a special way. Why? Because he carries holy things! He brings the holy bread to God, and I am holy! I am the Lord, and I make you holy!
But you should continue following the teachings you learned. You know that those teachings are true. You know you can trust the people who taught you those things.
“The Lord God of Israel promised that your father’s family would serve him forever. But now the Lord says this, ‘That will never be! I will honor people who honor me. But bad things will happen to people who refuse to respect me.