Ezekiel
Chapter 43
1 Later, he took me to the gate that faces east.
2 Look, the glory of God of Israel came from the east, and his voice sounded like loud rushing waters, and the earth glowed with his glory.
3 I saw a vision like the one before, when I came to destroy the city. It was like what I had seen by the Chebar River; I fell face down.
4 God’s glory entered the house through the gate facing east.
5 The spirit lifted me up and took me to the inner courtyard; and look, God’s glory filled the temple.
6 I heard him talking to me from the house; and the man was standing next to me.
7 He told me, “Human, the spot where my throne rests, and where my feet touch the ground, is where I will live among Israel’s people forever. My holy name will not be spoiled by them or their kings again, not by their unfaithfulness or the dead bodies of their kings on their sacred hills.
8 They placed their doorways next to my doorways, their doorposts beside mine, with only a wall between us. They made my holy name dirty with the terrible things they did. That’s why I have been angry and punished them.
9 Now, let them stop their unfaithfulness and remove their kings’ dead bodies far from me, then I will live among them forever.
10 You, human, show the temple to the people of Israel, so they will feel sorry for their sins, and let them follow the design.
11 If they feel sorry for everything they have done, show them the design of the temple, its appearance, all its exits and entrances, and all its details, rules, and laws. Write these down for them to see, so they can follow the complete design and all the rules and obey them.
12 This is the rule for the temple: The entire area on the mountain top around it will be very holy. This is the rule for the temple.
13 These are the altar’s dimensions in units: A unit is a unit plus the width of a hand; the base shall be a unit long and a unit wide, and its surrounding edge shall be the width of a hand; and this will be the top part of the altar.
14 From the floor to the lower ledge will be about three feet high and one and a half feet wide; and from the small ledge to the large ledge, it will be about six feet high and one and a half feet wide.
15 The altar will be four cubits high; and there will be four horns extending upward from the altar.
16 The altar will be twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide, forming a square at each of its four corners.
17 The platform will be fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on all four sides; the edge around it will be half a cubit wide; the base will be a cubit all around; and its steps will face east.
18 He told me, “Human, this is what God says: These are the rules for the altar when it’s built, to burn offerings on it and to splash blood on it.”
19 You must give the Levite priests from Zadok’s descendants, who come to serve me, a young bull for a sin sacrifice, says God.
20 Take some of its blood and put it on the four horns, on the four corners of the altar, and around the edge. This will clean and purify it.
21 You must take the bull used for the sin offering and burn it in the designated area outside the holy place.
22 On the second day, you must offer a perfect young goat for a sin offering, and they will clean the altar like they did with the young bull.
23 After you finish purifying, offer a young bull and a sheep, both without any faults.
24 You will present them before God, and the priests will sprinkle salt on them, and they will make them a burnt offering to God.
25 For seven days, you must get ready a goat for a sin offering each day. They must also get ready a young bull and a ram from the herd, both without any faults.
26 They must clean the altar for seven days to make it pure; and during this time, they must also set themselves apart as holy.
27 After these days are over, starting on the eighth day, the priests will put your burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar, and God will accept you.