Ezekiel 43:13-44:14

New American Standard Bible

The Altar of Sacrifice

¹³ “And these are the measurements of the ^(A)altar by cubits (the ^(B)cubit being a ^[a]cubit and a hand width): the ^[b]base shall be a cubit and the width a cubit, and its border on its edge all around one span; and this shall be the height of the ^[c]base of the altar. ¹⁴ And from the base on the ground to the lower ^(C)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 ^[d]one cubit. ¹⁵ The ^[e]altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the ^[f]altar hearth shall extend upward four ^(D)horns. ¹⁶ Now the ^[g]altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, ^(E)square in its four sides. ¹⁷ And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides, the border around it shall be half a cubit, and its base shall be a cubit all around; and its ^(F)steps shall ^[h](G)face east.”

The Offerings

¹⁸ And He said to me, “^(H)Son of man, this is what the Lord ^[i]God says: ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer ^(I)burnt offerings on it and to ^(J)sprinkle blood on it. ¹⁹ You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the descendants of ^(K)Zadok, who come ^(L)near to Me to serve Me,’ declares the Lord God, ‘a ^[j](M)bull as a ^(N)sin offering. ²⁰ And you shall take some of its blood and put it on its four ^(O)horns and on the four corners of the ^(P)ledge, and on the border all around; so you shall ^(Q)cleanse it and make atonement for it. ²¹ You shall also take the bull as the sin offering, and it shall be ^(R)burned in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.

²² ‘And on the second day you shall offer a ^(S)male goat without blemish as a sin offering, and they shall ^(T)cleanse the altar from sin as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a ^[k](U)bull without blemish and a ^(V)ram without blemish from the flock. ²⁴ You shall offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall throw ^(W)salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ^25 (X)For seven days you shall prepare a goat as a sin offering daily; also a ^[l]bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, shall be prepared. ²⁶ For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they ^[m]consecrate it. ²⁷ When they have completed the days, it shall be that on the ^(Y)eighth day and onward, the priests shall ^[n]offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your ^(Z)peace offerings; and I will ^(AA)accept you,’ declares the Lord God.”

Gate for the Prince

44 Then He brought me back by way of the ^(AB)outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. ² And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the ^(AC)Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. ³ As for the ^(AD)prince, he shall sit in it as prince to ^(AE)eat bread before the Lord; he shall ^(AF)enter by way of the ^(AG)porch of the gate and shall go out ^[o]by the same way.”

⁴ Then He brought me by way of the ^(AH)north gate to the front of the house; and I looked, and behold, the ^(AI)glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I ^(AJ)fell on my face. ⁵ And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, ^[p](AK)pay attention, see with your eyes and hear with your ears everything that I say to you concerning all the ^(AL)statutes of the house of the Lord and all its laws; and ^[q]pay attention to the entrance of the house, with all the exits of the sanctuary. ⁶ You shall say to the ^[r](AM)rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord ^[s]God says: “^(AN)Enough of all your abominations, house of Israel, ⁷ when you brought in ^(AO)foreigners, ^(AP)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, My house, when you ^(AQ)offered My food, the fat, and the blood and they ^(AR)broke My covenant—this in addition to all your abominations. ⁸ And you have not ^[t](AS)taken responsibility for My holy things yourselves, but you have appointed foreigners ^[u]to take responsibility for My sanctuary.”

⁹ ‘This is what the Lord God says: “^(AT)No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. ¹⁰ But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who ^(AU)went astray from Me ^[v]following their idols, shall ^(AV)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing. ¹¹ Yet they shall be ^(AW)ministers in My sanctuary, having ^(AX)oversight at the gates of the house and ^(AY)ministering in the house; they shall ^(AZ)slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall ^(BA)stand before them to minister to them. ¹² Since they ministered to them ^(BB)before their idols and became a ^(BC)stumbling block of wrongdoing to the house of Israel, for that reason I have ^[w](BD)sworn against them,” declares the Lord God, “that they shall ^(BE)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing. ¹³ And they shall ^(BF)not approach Me to serve as priests for Me, nor approach any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will ^(BG)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. ¹⁴ Nevertheless I will ^[x]appoint them ^[y]to ^(BH)take responsibility for the house, of all its service and of everything that shall be done in it.