The Lord Returns to the Temple
1 The man took me to the gate that faces east, 2 and there I saw coming from the east the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel. God's voice sounded like the roar of the sea, and the earth shone with the dazzling light. 3 This vision was like the one I had seen when God came to destroy Jerusalem, and the one I saw by the Chebar River. Then I threw myself face downward on the ground. 4 The dazzling light passed through the east gate and went into the Temple.
5 The Lord's spirit lifted me up and took me into the inner courtyard, where I saw that the Temple was filled with the glory of the Lord. 6 The man stood beside me there, and I heard the Lord speak to me out of the Temple: 7 “Mortal man, here is my throne. I will live here among the people of Israel and rule them forever. Neither the people of Israel nor their kings will ever again disgrace my holy name by worshiping other gods or by burying the corpses of their dead kings. 8 The kings built the doorsills and doorposts of their palace right against the doorsills and doorposts of my Temple, so that there was only a wall between us. They disgraced my holy name by all the disgusting things they did, and so in my anger I destroyed them. 9 Now they must stop worshiping other gods and remove the corpses of their kings. If they do, I will live among them forever.”
10 And the Lord continued, “Mortal man, tell the people of Israel about the Temple, and let them study its plan. Make them ashamed of their sinful actions. 11 Then if they are ashamed of what they have done, explain the plan of the Temple to them: its design, its entrances and exits, its shape, the arrangement of everything, and all its rules and regulations. Write all this down for them so that they can see how everything is arranged and can carry out all the rules. 12 This is the law of the Temple: All the area surrounding it on the top of the mountain is sacred and holy.”
The Altar
13 These are the measurements of the altar, using the same unit of measure as in measuring the Temple. All around the base of the altar there was a gutter 20 inches deep and 20 inches wide, with a rim at the outside edge 10 inches high. 14 The lowest section of the altar, from the top of the base, was 4 feet high. The next section was set back from the edge 20 inches all around, and was 7 feet high. The section after that was also set back from the edge 20 inches all around. 15 This top section, on which the sacrifices were burned, was also 7 feet high. The projections on the four corners were higher than the rest of the top. 16 The top of the altar was a square, 20 feet on each side. 17 The middle section was also a square, 24 feet on each side, with a rim at the outside edge 10 inches high. (The gutter was 20 inches wide.) The steps going up the altar were on the east side.
The Consecration of the Altar
18 The Sovereign Lord said to me, “Mortal man, listen to what I tell you. When the altar is built, you are to dedicate it by burning sacrifices on it and by sprinkling on it the blood of the animals that were sacrificed. 19 Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok are the only ones who are to come into my presence to serve me. I, the Sovereign Lord, command this. You will give them a young bull to offer as a sacrifice for sin. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the projections on the top corners of the altar, on the corners of the middle section of the altar, and all around its edges. In this way you will purify the altar and consecrate it. 21 You are to take the bull that is offered as a sacrifice for sin and burn it at the specified place outside the Temple area. 22 The next day you are to take a male goat without any defects and offer it as a sacrifice for sin. Purify the altar with its blood the same way you did with the bull. 23 When you have finished doing that, take a young bull and a young ram, both of them without any defects, 24 and bring them to me. The priests will sprinkle salt on them and burn them as an offering to me. 25 Each day for seven days you are to offer a goat, a bull, and a ram as sacrifices for sin. All of them must be without any defects. 26 For seven days the priests are to consecrate the altar and make it ready for use. 27 When the week is over, the priests are to begin offering on the altar the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings of the people. Then I will be pleased with all of you. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.”
1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, euen the gate that turneth towarde the East. 2 And beholde, the glorie of the God of Israel came from out of the East, whose voyce was like a noyse of great waters, and the earth was made light with his glorie. 3 And the vision which I saw was like the vision, euen as the vision that I sawe when I came to destroy the citie: and the visions were like the vision that I sawe by the riuer Chebar: and I fell vpon my face. 4 And the glorie of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate, whose prospect is towarde the East. 5 So the Spirite tooke me vp and brought me into the inner court, and beholde, the glorie of the Lord filled the house. 6 And I heard one speaking vnto me out of the house: and there stoode a man by me, 7 Which saide vnto me, Sonne of man, this place is my throne, and the place of the soles of my feete, whereas I will dwell among the children of Israel for euer, and the house of Israel shall no more defile mine holy Name, neither they, nor their Kings by their fornication, nor by the carkeises of their Kings in their high places. 8 Albeit they set their thresholdes by my thresholdes, and their postes by my postes (for there was but a wall betweene me and them) yet haue they defiled mine holy Name with their abominations, that they haue committed: wherfore I haue consumed them in my wrath. 9 Now therefore let them put away their fornication, and the carkeises of their Kings farre from me, and I will dwell among them for euer. 10 Thou sonne of man, shew this House to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their wickednes, and let them measure ye paterne. 11 And if they be ashamed of all that they haue done, shew them the forme of the House, and ye paterne thereof, and the going out thereof, and the coming in thereof, and the whole fashion thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the figures thereof, and all the lawes thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keepe the whole fashion thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 12 This is the description of the house, It shalbe vpon the toppe of the mount: all the limites thereof round about shalbe most holy. Beholde, this is the description of the house. 13 And these are the measures of the Altar, after the cubites, the cubite is a cubite, and an had breadth, euen the bottome shalbe a cubite, and the breadth a cubite, and the border thereof by the edge thereof rounde about shalbe a spanne: and this shalbe the height of the altar. 14 And from the bottome which toucheth the ground to the lower piece shalbe two cubites: and the breadth one cubite, and from the litle piece to the great piece shalbe foure cubites, and the breadth one cubite. 15 So the altar shalbe foure cubites, and from the altar vpward shalbe foure hornes. 16 And the altar shalbe twelue cubites long, and twelue broade, and fouresquare in the foure corners thereof. 17 And ye frame shalbe foureteene cubites log, and fourteene broade in the fouresquare corners thereof, and the border about it shalbe halfe a cubite, and the bottome therof shalbe a cubite about, and the steps thereof shalbe turned towarde ye East. 18 And he said vnto me, Sone of man, thus saith ye Lord God, These are ye ordinances of ye altar in the day when they shall make it to offer the burnt offring thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon. 19 And thou shalt giue to the Priestes, and to the Leuites, that be of the seede of Zadok, which approch vnto me, to minister vnto me, saith the Lord God, a yong bullocke for a sinne offring. 20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the foure hornes of it, and on the foure corners of the frame, and vpon the border round about: thus shalt thou clense it, and reconcile it. 21 Thou shalt take the bullocke also of the sinne offring, and burne it in the appointed place of the house without the Sanctuarie. 22 But the second day thou shalt offer an hee goat without blemish for a sinne offring, and they shall clense ye altar, as they did clense it with the bullocke. 23 When thou hast made an ende of clensing it, thou shalt offer a yong bullocke without blemish, and a ram out of the flocke without blemish. 24 And thou shalt offer them before ye Lord, and the Priestes shall cast salt vpon them, and they shall offer them for a burnt offring vnto ye Lord. 25 Seuen dayes shalt thou prepare euery day an hee goate for a sinne offring: they shall also prepare a yong bullocke and a ramme out of the flocke, without blemish. 26 Thus shall they seuen dayes purifie the altar, and clense it, and consecrate it. 27 And when these dayes are expired, vpon the eight day and so forth, the Priests shall make your burnt offrings vpon the altar, and your peace offrings, and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.