< Ezekiel 43 >
1 The man took me back to the east gate.
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.
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.
4 The glory of the Lord entered the Temple through the east gate.
5 Then the Spirit picked me up and took me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.
6 I heard someone speaking to me from inside the Temple while the man standing beside me.
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.
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.
9 Now if they get rid of their prostitution and their pagan honoring of their dead kings, and I will live with them 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,
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.
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.
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
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.
15 The altar hearth is to be four cubits high, with four horns pointing upwards from it.
16 The altar hearth shall be square, its four sides each measuring twelve cubits.
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.”
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:
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.
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.
21 Then remove the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated place of the Temple area outside 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.
23 After you've finished the purifying process, you are to present a young bull and a ram, both free from defects.
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.
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.
26 For seven days the priests are to set the altar right and purify it. This is how they will dedicate 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.”
