Ezekiel 43
1 Then did he lead me to the gate, even the gate that was turned in an eastern direction.
Then [in the vision] the man brought me to the entrance on the east side.
2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and his voice was like a noise of many waters; and the earth gave light from his glory.
Suddenly I saw the glory/brightness of the God of Israel coming from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of a rushing river, and all that area shone with his glory.
3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I had seen, yea, like the vision that I had seen when I came to destroy the city; and the visions were like the vision that I had seen by the river Kebar: and I fell upon my face.
What I saw in this vision was like what I saw in the visions that I had seen [previously, first] by the Kebar River and [later] when God came to destroy Jerusalem. I prostrated myself on the ground.
4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate which was turned in an eastern direction.
The glory of Yahweh entered the temple through the east entrance.
5 Then did the Spirit take me up, and bring me into the inner court: and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of Yahweh filled the temple.
6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and a man was standing alongside of me.
[Then] while the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speak to me from inside the temple.
7 And he said unto me, Son of man, [this] is the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever: and the house of Israel shall not defile any more my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their lewdness, nor by the carcasses of their kings on their high-places.
He said, “You human, this is [my temple], the place [I sit on] my throne and where I rest my feet. This is where I will live with the Israeli people forever. The Israeli people and their kings will never again disgrace me [SYN] by worshiping other gods [MET] at the shrines on their hilltops, or by [building] monuments to honor their kings who have died.
8 Inasmuch as they placed their threshold by my threshold, and their door-posts close by my door-posts, and the wall being only between me and them, and they defiled my holy name by their abominations which they committed; so that I made an end of them in my anger.
They placed their altars near mine, and the doorposts of their [temples] were next to the doorposts of my [temple]. There was only a wall between them. And they disgraced me by the detestable things that they did. So, being very angry with them, I got rid of them.
9 Now will they have to put away their lewdness, and the carcasses of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
Now they must stop this disgusting worship of idols and these rituals to honor their kings who have died. If they stop doing those things, I will live among them forever.
10 Thou, son of man, tell the house of Israel of the house, that they may be confounded because of their iniquities: and let them measure the outlines.
You human, describe to the Israeli people what this temple that I have shown you [in a vision] is like, in order that they will be ashamed of the sins that they have committed [which resulted in their temple in Jerusalem being destroyed].
11 And if they be confounded because of all that they have done: then let them know the form of the house, and its arrangements, and its means of egress, and its entrances, and all its forms, and all its statutes, and all its forms, and all its laws, and write them down before their eyes; that they may observe the whole of its form, and all its statutes, and carry them out.
If they are ashamed of all [the evil things] that they have done, tell them [all] about the temple [that I showed you]: its design/shape, the exits and entrances, [and everything else about it]. And tell them all my laws and regulations about worshiping me there. Write all these things down while they watch you, in order that they will be able to faithfully obey those laws.
12 This is the law for the house, Upon the top of the mount shall its whole limit all round about be most holy: behold, this is the law for the house.
And this is the supreme law about the temple [DOU]: All of the area on top of the hill [where the temple will be built] must be kept sacred and holy.”
13 And these are the measures of the altar in cubits, The cubit is a cubit and a hand-breadth; and the bottom shall be a cubit high, and a cubit broad, and its border on its edge round about shall be a span: and this shall be the outside of the altar.
These are the measurements of the altar, using the same kind of measuring stick that was used for the temple area: There is a gutter around the altar that is (21 in./53 cm.) deep and (21 in./53 cm.) wide. There is a rim around it that is (9 in./23 cm.) wide.
14 And from the bottom upon the ground up to the lower projection shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser projection up to the greater projection shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.
The lower part of the gutter is (3-1/2 feet/1.1 meters) high to the lower ledge/rim that surrounds the altar. The lower ledge is (21 in./53 cm.) wide. The upper part of the altar is (7 feet/2.1 meters) high, up to the upper ledge. That ledge is also (21 in./53 cm.) wide.
15 And the upper portion of the altar shall be four cubits; and from the upper surface of the altar and upward shall be the four horns.
The (hearth/place where the sacrifices are burned) at the top of the altar is another (7 feet/2.2 meters) high, and there is a projection that juts/extends up from each of the four corners.
16 And the upper surface of the altar shall be twelve cubits long, by twelve broad, square on its four sides.
That place at the top of the altar is square, (21 feet/6.4 meters) on each side.
17 And the projection shall be fourteen cubits in length, by fourteen in breadth on its four sides; and the border round about it shall be half a cubit; and its bottom shall be a cubit round about; and its steps shall look toward the east.
The upper ledge is also a square, (24-1/2 feet/7.4 meters) on each side. There is a (21 in./53 cm.) gutter [at the bottom of the altar], and a (10.5 in./26.6 cm.) rim all around it. There are steps up to the east side of the altar.”
18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus hath said the Lord Eternal, These are the statutes of the altar on the day when it shall be finished, to offer thereon burnt-offerings, and to sprinkle thereon blood.
Then the man said to me, “You human, this is what Yahweh the Lord says: These are the regulations for sacrificing offerings that will be completely burned and for sprinkling the blood against the sides of the altar when it is built:
19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that are of the seed of Zadok, who approach unto me, saith the Lord Eternal, to minister unto me, a young bullock for a sin-offering.
You must present to the priests a young bull to be an offering to cause the altar to be acceptable to me. The priests are descendants of Levi, from the clan of Zadok, who come near to the altar to serve me.
20 And thou shalt take of his blood, and put it on its four horns, and on the four corners of the projection, and upon the border round about; and thou shalt cleanse it and make an atonement for it.
You must take some of the blood [from the bull that is sacrificed], and smear it on the four projections of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge, and all around the rim, to cause the altar to be acceptable to me, and to consecrate it.
21 And thou shalt take the bullock of the sin-offering, and some one shall burn him at an appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.
You must burn that bull outside the temple in the part of the temple area [that I have] designated for that.
22 And on the second day shalt thou offer a he-goat without blemish for a sin-offering: and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.
The next day, you must offer a male goat that has no defects, to be an offering to cause the altar to be acceptable to me. Then you must purify the altar again, like you did with the bull that was sacrificed.
23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, shalt thou offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
When you have finished doing all that, you must offer a young bull and a ram, both of them without any defects.
24 And thou shalt bring them near before the Lord, and the priests shall throw salt upon them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt-offering unto the Lord.
You must offer them to [me], Yahweh, and the priests must sprinkle salt on them and completely burn them [on the altar] for a sacrifice to me.
25 Seven days shalt thou prepare a goat for a sin-offering every day; and a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish shall they prepare.
[Then], each day for seven days, you must bring [to the priest] a male goat [to be sacrificed] for an offering to cause the altar to be acceptable to me. You must also sacrifice a young bull and a ram, [each] without any defect.
26 Seven days shall they atone for the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate the same.
For seven days the priests will consecrate the altar and cause it to be acceptable to me. By doing that they will dedicate it to me.
27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that on the eighth day, and thenceforward, the priests shall prepare upon the altar your burnt-offerings, and your peace-offerings: and I will accept you in favor, saith the Lord Eternal.
At the end of those seven days, starting on the following day, the priests will continue to put on the altar offerings to be completely burned and offerings to maintain fellowship with me. Then I will accept you. [That it what I], Yahweh the Lord, declare.”
