Ezekiel 43

Then he (the angel) led me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.

Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,

And behold, the glory and brilliance of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east; and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.

and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.

And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision I saw beside the River Chebar [near Babylon]; and I fell face downward.

The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he^[a] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell face down.

And the glory and brilliance of the Lord entered the ^[a]temple by way of the gate facing toward the east.

The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the temple.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

And I heard One speaking to me from the temple, while a man was standing beside me.

While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple.

And He [the Lord] said to 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 sons (descendants) of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their [idolatrous] prostitution and by the corpses and monuments of their kings in their graves,

He said: ‘Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites for ever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name – neither they nor their kings – by their prostitution and the funeral offerings^[b] for their kings at their death.^[c]

by setting their threshold by My threshold and their doorpost beside My doorpost, with [only] the wall between Me and them. They have defiled and desecrated My holy name by the vile atrocities which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.

When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger.

Now let them put far away from Me their [idolatrous] prostitution and the corpses and monuments of their kings, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them for ever.

“As for you, son of man, ^[b]describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins; and let them measure its plan [in detail].

‘Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection,

If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple (house), its layout, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its statutes and do them.

and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple – its arrangement, its exits and entrances – its whole design and all its regulations^[d] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.

This is the law of the temple: Its entire ^[c]area all around on the top of the mountain ^[d](Mount Moriah) shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar of Sacrifice

‘This is the law of the temple: all the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple.

The great altar restored

“And these are the measurements of the altar [of burnt offering] in cubits (the cubit being a [long] cubit [the length of a forearm] and a hand width): the ^[e]base shall be a cubit [long] and a cubit wide, with its border on its edge all around it of a span [in width]. And this shall be the height of the ^[f]base of the altar.

‘These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits,^[e] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a kerb of one span^[f] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar:

From the base on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits and the width one cubit.

from the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes round the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.^[g] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes round the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.^[h]

The altar hearth shall be four cubits high, and from the altar hearth shall extend upwards four horns [one from each corner, each one cubit high].

Above that, the altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upwards from the hearth.

Now the altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, square in its four sides.

The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits^[i] long and twelve cubits wide.

The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide on its four sides, and the border around it shall be half a cubit; and its base shall be a cubit all around, and its steps shall face the east.”

The Offerings

The upper ledge also is square, fourteen cubits^[j] long and fourteen cubits wide. All round the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a kerb of half a cubit.^[k] The steps of the altar face east.’

And He [the Lord] said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘These are the statutes and regulations for [the use of] the altar on the day that it is built, to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it.

Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: these will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings and splashing blood against the altar when it is built:

You shall give to the priests, the Levites who are from the descendants of Zadok, who are close to Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God, ‘a young bull for a sin offering [as a memorial to Christ’s sacrifice].

you are to give a young bull as a sin offering^[l] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord.

And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns [of the altar of burnt offering] and on the four corners of the ledge and on the border all around; thus you shall cleanse it (from sin) and make atonement for it.

You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all round the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it.

You shall also take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary.

You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.

‘On the second day you shall offer a male goat 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 offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull.

When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish.

When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.

You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall throw salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.

You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

For seven days you shall prepare daily a goat for a sin offering; also a young bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be prepared.

‘For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.

For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so the priests shall consecrate it [to receive offerings].

For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it.

When they have completed these days, on the eighth day and from then onward, the priests shall offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord God.”

At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.’