²² There was an altar made of wood, 5 1⁄4 feet high and 3 1⁄2 feet across.^[a] Its corners, base, and sides were all made of wood. “This,” the man told me, “is the table that stands in the Lord’s presence.”

¹² “But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table.

⁷ “You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.

“Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?^[a]’

“You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect.

¹⁶ They alone will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to serve me. They will fulfill all my requirements.

⁴¹ You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense and my special oil on a table that was spread before you.

³ Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.

²⁰ This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He overlaid the inside with solid gold. He also overlaid the altar made of cedar.^[a]

⁶ Place the bread before the Lord on the pure gold table, and arrange the loaves in two stacks, with six loaves in each stack.

Plans for the Incense Altar

30 “Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense. ² Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high,^[a] with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself. ³ Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.