The Vision of the Gates

43 Next, he brought me to the east-facing gate, ² and the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. His voice sounded like roaring^[a] water, and the land shimmered from his glory. ³ His appearance in the vision that I was having was similar to what I observed in the vision where he had come to destroy the city, and also like the visions that I saw by the Chebar River. I fell flat on my face ⁴ while the glory of the Lord entered the Temple through the east-facing gate. ⁵ Just then, the Spirit lifted me up and carried me into the inner courtyard, where the glory of the Lord was filling the Temple! ⁶ I heard someone speaking to me from the Temple, and a man appeared, standing beside me!

God to Live among His People

⁷ “Son of Man,” the Lord God told^[b] me, “This is where my throne is, where I place the soles of my feet, and where I will live among the Israelis forever. The house of Israel will no longer defile my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their unfaithfulness, by the lifeless idols^[c] of their kings on their funeral mounds,^{[d] 8} by their setting up their threshold too close to my threshold and their door post too close to my door post, with a wall between me and them. After all, they have defiled my holy name by the loathsome things that they did, so I devoured them in my anger. ⁹ But now let them send their unfaithfulness—that is, the lifeless idols^[e] of their kings—far away from me, and I will live among them forever.”

Ezekiel Describes the Temple

¹⁰ “And now, Son of Man, describe the Temple to the house of Israel. They will be ashamed because of their sin. They will measure its pattern. ¹¹ If they are ashamed of everything that they’ve done, you are to reveal to them the design of the Temple, its structure, its exits and entrances, its plans, its ordinances, and all of its regulations. Write it down where they can see it and remember all of its designs and regulations, so they will implement them. ¹² This is to be the regulation for the Temple: the entire area on top of the mountain is to be considered wholly consecrated. This is to be the law of the Temple.”

The Altar

¹³ “Here are the measurements of the altar in cubits that were a cubit and a handbreadth^[f] long: its base is a cubit^[g] long and a cubit^[h] wide, and its border around the edge at one handbreadth^[i] is to be the height of the altar. ¹⁴ From the base on the ground to its lower edge is to be two cubits,^[j] with its width to be one cubit.^[k] From the lesser ledge to the larger edge is to be four cubits.^[l] Its width is to be one cubit.^{[m] 15} The hearth is to be four cubits high,^[n] and four horns are to extend upwards from the hearth. ¹⁶ The hearth is to be twelve cubits^[o] long and twelve cubits^[p] wide; that is, it will be a four-sided square. ¹⁷ It is to have a ledge fourteen cubits^[q] long by fourteen cubits^[r] wide around the four sides. Its border is to be half a cubit^[s] and its base is to be a cubit^[t] all around, with its steps facing east.”

The Offerings

¹⁸ Then he told me, “This is what the Lord God says: ‘These are the regulations for the altar, starting the day that it is constructed for presenting burnt offerings and sprinkling blood. ¹⁹ You are to present to the Levitical priests, Zadok’s descendants, who will approach me to serve me, a young bull for a sin offering,’ declares the Lord God. ²⁰ You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar,^[u] on the four corners of its ledge, and on the border that surrounds it, thus cleansing it and making an atonement for it. ²¹ You are also to present a bull for a sin offering, incinerating it in the appointed place at the Temple, outside the sanctuary.

²² ‘The second day following commencement of offerings,^[v] you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering to cleanse the altar the same way they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ After you’ve finished the cleansing, you are to present a young bull without defect and a ram from the flock without defect. ²⁴ You are to present them in the Lord’s presence, and the priests are to throw salt on them and then present them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

²⁵ ‘Every day for a week, you are to prepare a goat for a sin offering, a young bull, and a ram from the flock, each^[w] without defect. ²⁶ For a seven day period they are to make atonement for the altar, purifying it and consecrating it. ²⁷ When they will have completed this period,^[x] starting the next day,^[y] the priests are to offer your burnt offerings on the altar, along with your peace offerings, and I will accept you,’ declares the Lord God.”