The Prince’s Offerings
The east gate of the inner court remains shut during the six working days but is opened for the Sabbath and the New Moon. On those days the prince comes through the portico, worships at the threshold while priests offer the prescribed sacrifices, and leaves by the same route; the people also bow there before the LORD. Specific quantities of lambs, a ram, a bull, grain offerings, and oil are assigned so that the prince's public worship follows a fixed and holy pattern.
“1This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘The gate of the inner court that faces east must be kept shut during the six days of work, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. 2The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost, while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and peace offerings. He is to bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be shut until evening. 3On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are also to bow in worship before the LORD at the entrance to that gateway. 4The burnt offering that the prince presents to the LORD on the Sabbath day shall be six unblemished male lambs and an unblemished ram. 5The grain offering with the ram shall be one ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be as much as he is able, along with a hin of oil per ephah. 6On the day of the New Moon he shall offer a young, unblemished bull, six lambs, and a ram without blemish. 7He is to provide a grain offering of an ephah with the bull, an ephah with the ram, and as much as he is able with the lambs, along with a hin of oil per ephah. 8When the prince enters, he shall go in through the portico of the gateway, and he shall go out the same way.
At the appointed feasts the people of the land must move through opposite gates rather than doubling back, and the prince goes in and out with them. Grain offerings and oil are specified for festival sacrifices, and even the prince's freewill offerings follow a set order, including the temporary opening and closing of the east gate. Worship is therefore orderly for both ruler and people, with movement and offering alike governed by divine statute.
9When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate to worship must go out by the south gate, and whoever enters by the south gate must go out by the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each must go out by the opposite gate. 10When the people enter, the prince shall go in with them, and when they leave, he shall leave. 11At the festivals and appointed feasts, the grain offering shall be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and as much as one is able to give with the lambs, along with a hin of oil per ephah. 12When the prince makes a freewill offering to the LORD, whether a burnt offering or a peace offering, the gate facing east must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or peace offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate must be closed after he goes out.
A regular daily burnt offering of an unblemished year-old lamb is to be provided every morning, along with a grain offering and oil. This morning sacrifice is not occasional or optional, but a permanent statute. The daily rhythm of worship thus complements the larger festival calendar.
13And you shall provide an unblemished year-old lamb as a daily burnt offering to the LORD; you are to offer it every morning. 14You are also to provide with it every morning a grain offering of a sixth of an ephah with a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour— a grain offering to the LORD. This is a permanent statute. 15Thus they shall provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.’
The LORD also regulates the prince's property rights. Gifts to his sons become a lasting inheritance, but gifts to servants revert in the year of freedom, and the prince may not seize the people's inheritance by evicting them. Even princely generosity and authority must respect the stability of the people's possession.
16This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons as an inheritance, it will belong to his descendants. It will become their property by inheritance. 17But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it shall be theirs. 18The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people by evicting them from their property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his property.’”