Ezekiel 43

1 The man took me back to the east gate.

The man then brought me to the gate that opened to the east.

2 There I saw the glory of Israel's God coming from the east. His voice sounded like a thundering waterfall, and the earth blazed bright with his glory.

Behold! The glory of the God of Israel came from the east; his voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.

3 The vision I saw was just like the vision I'd seen when he came to destroy the city of Jerusalem and like the visions I'd seen beside the River Kebar. I fell facedown on the ground.

It was according to the appearance of the vision that I saw, according to the vision that I saw when he had come to destroy the city, and the visions were like the vision that I saw at the Kebar Canal—and I fell to my face.

4 The glory of the Lord entered the Temple through the east gate.

So the glory of Yahweh came to the house by way of the gate that opened to the east.

5 Then the Spirit picked me up and took me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court. Behold! The glory of Yahweh was filling the house.

6 I heard someone speaking to me from inside the Temple while the man standing beside me.

The man was standing beside me, and I heard someone else speaking to me from the house.

7 He told me, “Son of man, this is where I have my throne. It's my home where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel and their kings won't ever again disgrace me and my holiness by their acts of prostitution and by their honoring their dead kings in their pagan high places.

He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name—they or their kings—with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their high places.

8 When they built their homes right next to mine—their threshold beside my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall separating us—they disgraced me and my holiness by the disgusting sins they committed. That's why I destroyed them in my anger.

They will no longer profane my holy name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their gateposts next to my gateposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They profaned my holy name with their disgusting actions, so I consumed them with my anger.

9 Now if they get rid of their prostitution and their pagan honoring of their dead kings, and I will live with them forever.

Now let them remove their faithlessness and the corpses of their kings from before me, and I will live in their midst forever.

10 Son of man, tell the people of Israel about the Temple and they'll be ashamed of their sins. Have them carefully consider its plan,

Son of man, you yourself must tell the house of Israel about this house so they will be ashamed of their iniquities. They should think about this description.

11 and if they're ashamed of everything they've done, then explain to them the Temple's design, its layout, exits, and entrances—the complete plan—as well as all its regulations, specifications, and laws. Write them down as they watch, so that they can remember its complete plan and follow all its regulations.

For if they are ashamed of all that they have done, then reveal to them the design of the house, its details, its exits, its entrances, and all its designs, all its decrees and rules. Then write this down before their eyes so they will keep to all its design and all its rules, so as to obey them.

12 This is the Temple law: the whole area around the Temple on the mountain top is very holy. Pay attention: this is the Temple law.

This is the regulation for the house: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it will be most holy. Behold! This is the regulation for the house.

13 These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (a cubit and the width of a hand): The gutter is to be one cubit deep and one cubit wide, with a rim one hand span wide along its edge. The back of the altar

These will be the measurements of the altar in cubits—that cubit being a regular cubit and a handbreadth in length. So the gutter around the altar will be a cubit deep, and its width will also be a cubit. The border around its surrounding edge will be one span. This will be the base of the altar.

14 measured from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge is to be two cubits. The ledge will measure one cubit wide. The distance from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge is to be four cubits, and the ledge one cubit wide.

From the gutter at the ground level up to the lower ledge of the altar is two cubits, and that ledge itself is one cubit in width. Then from the small ledge up to the large edge of the altar, it is four cubits, and the large edge is a cubit in width.

15 The altar hearth is to be four cubits high, with four horns pointing upwards from it.

The hearth on the altar for the burnt offerings is four cubits high, and there are four horns pointing upward on the hearth.

16 The altar hearth shall be square, its four sides each measuring twelve cubits.

The hearth is twelve cubits in length and twelve cubits in width, a square.

17 The ledge is also to be square, measuring fourteen cubits by fourteen cubits, with a half-cubit rim and a one-cubit gutter all around it. The altar steps are to face the east.”

Its border is fourteen cubits in length and fourteen cubits in width on each of its four sides, and its rim is a half cubit in width. The gutter is a cubit in width all around with its steps facing east.”

18 Then he told me: “Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: These are the regulations regarding the altar once it's built, so that it can be used to sacrifice burnt offerings and to sprinkle blood on it:

Next he said to me, “Son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this: These are the regulations for the altar on the day they make it, for raising the burnt offering onto it, and for sprinkling blood on it.

19 You shall give a young bull as a sin offering to the Leviticus priests from the family of Zadok, who come and minister before me, declares the Lord God.

You will give a bull from the cattle as a sin offering for the Levitical priests who are the descendants of Zadok, those who come near to me to serve me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

20 Take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and all the way round the rim. This is how you shall purify the altar and set it right.

Then you will take some of its blood and place it on the altar's four horns and the four sides of its edge and on the surrounding rim; you will cleanse it and make atonement for it.

21 Then remove the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated place of the Temple area outside the sanctuary.

Then take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed part of the temple area outside of the sanctuary.

22 On the second day you are to bring as male goat without defects as a sin offering, and the altar shall be purified as it was purified with the bull.

Then on the second day you will offer a male goat without blemish from the goats as a sin offering; the priests will cleanse the altar just as they cleansed it with the bull.

23 After you've finished the purifying process, you are to present a young bull and a ram, both free from defects.

When you finish its cleansing, offer an unblemished bull from the cattle and an unblemished ram from the flock.

24 You are to offer them to the Lord. The priests shall sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them to the Lord as a burnt offering.

Offer them before Yahweh; the priests will throw salt onto them and raise them up as a burnt offering to Yahweh.

25 For seven days you are to supply a male goat daily for a sin offering. You are also to supply a young bull and a ram, they are both to have no defects.

You must prepare a male goat as a sin offering daily for seven days, and the priests must also prepare an unblemished bull of the cattle and unblemished ram from the flock.

26 For seven days the priests are to set the altar right and purify it. This is how they will dedicate it.

They must atone for the altar for seven days and purify it, and in this way they must consecrate it.

27 Once these days are over, then from the eighth day the priests are to present the burnt offerings and peace offerings of your people on the altar. Then I will accept all of you, declares the Lord God.”

They must complete these days, and on the eighth day and onward it will come about that the priests will prepare your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar, and I will accept you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”