Ezekiel 43

1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:

The man took me back to the east gate.

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 shined with his glory.

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 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

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 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

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

5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.

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

6 And I heard him speaking to me out of the house; and the man stood by me.

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

7 And he said to me, Son of man, 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 for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their harlotry, nor by the dead bodies of their kings in their high places.

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 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: therefore I have consumed them in my anger.

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 let them put away their harlotry, and the dead bodies of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.

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

10 Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.

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 will be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion of it, and its exits, and its entrances, and all its forms, and all its ordinances, and all its forms, and all its laws: and write it in their sight, that they may keep its whole form, and all its ordinances, and do them.

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 law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain its whole limit all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

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 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border of it by its edge on every side shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.

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 And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the smaller ledge even to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.

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 So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns.

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

16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in its four sides.

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

17 And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in its four sides; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom of it shall be a cubit about; and its stairs shall look toward the east.

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 And he said to me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings on it, and to sprinkle blood on it.

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 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that are of the seed of Zadok, who approach to me, to minister to me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bull for a sin offering.

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 And thou shalt take of his blood, and put it on its four horns, and on the four corners of the ledge, and upon the border on every side: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.

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 Thou shalt take the bull also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, outside of the sanctuary.

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

22 And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull.

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 When thou hast finished cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.

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

24 And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them for a burnt offering to the LORD.

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 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bull, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.

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 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.

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

27 And when these days are fulfilled, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so onward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD.

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.”