Beginning
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.”
The Vision of the Outer Gates
44 Then the Lord God[z] brought me back through the east-facing outer gate of the sanctuary. But it was shut. 2 The Lord told me, “This gate is to remain shut. It will not be opened. No man is to enter through it, because the Lord God of Israel entered through it, so it is to remain shut. 3 The Regent[aa] Prince[ab] will be seated there,[ac] as Regent Prince, and will dine in the Lord’s presence, entering through the portico of the gate and exiting through it also.”
The Front of the Temple
4 Then he brought me through the north-facing gate to the front of the Temple. As I looked, the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s Temple, and I fell flat on my face! 5 Then the Lord told me, “Son of Man, watch carefully,[ad] listen closely,[ae] and remember[af] everything I’m going to be telling you about all the statutes pertaining to the Lord’s Temple and all of its laws. Pay careful attention to the entrance to the Temple, along with all of the exits from the sanctuary.”
A Rebuke to the Rebellious
6 “You are to tell the Resistance—that is, the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I’ve had enough of all of your loathsome behavior, you house of Israel! 7 You kept on bringing in foreigners, those who were uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to profane my sanctuary by being inside my Temple, and by doing so you’ve emptied my covenant, all the while offering my food—the fat and the blood—in addition to all of the other loathsome things you’ve done.[ag] 8 Furthermore, you haven’t paid attention to the requirements for my holy things. Instead, you placed foreigners in charge of my sanctuary.”’
9 “This is what the Lord God says, ‘No foreigner who is both uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the Israelis is to enter my sanctuary. 10 But the descendants of Levi, who went far away from me when Israel abandoned me, who left me to follow their idols, are to bear the punishment of their iniquity. 11 Nevertheless, they are to serve in my sanctuary, overseeing the gates of the Temple, taking care of the Temple, slaughtering the burnt offerings and the sacrifices presented for the people, standing in the presence of the people, and ministering to them. 12 Because they kept serving them in the presence of their idols, becoming a sin-filled stumbling block to the house of Israel,’ declares the Lord God.
“‘I have sworn to them that they are to bear the consequences of their iniquity. 13 They are not to come near me to serve me as a priest, nor approach any of my holy things, including the most holy things. Instead, they are to bear the shame of the loathsome things that they have done. 14 Nevertheless, I will appoint them to take care of my Temple, including all of its service and everything that is to be done inside of it.’”
Levitical Ordinances
15 “The descendants of Zadok, Levitical priests who took care of my sanctuary when the Israelis wandered away from me, are to come near me to minister to me. They are to stand before me to offer the fat and the blood to me,” declares the Lord God. 16 “They are to enter my sanctuary, approach my table to minister to me, and carry out my requirements. 17 Whenever they enter at the gates of the inner court, they are to be clothed with linen garments. They are not to wear wool when they are ministering within the gates of the inner courtyard or in the Temple. 18 Linen turbans are to be on their heads, and they are to wear linen undergarments. Also, they are not to clothe themselves with anything that makes them perspire.
19 “When they enter the outer courtyard, that is, the outer courtyard where the people are, they are to take off their garments in which they were ministering, lay them in the consecrated chambers, and put on different garments so they will not transfer[ah] holiness to the people through their garments. 20 Also, they are not to shave their heads nor let their hair grow long. Instead, they are certainly to trim the hair on[ai] their heads. 21 None of the priests are to drink wine after entering the inner courtyard. 22 They are not to marry[aj] a widow or a divorced woman. Instead, they are to marry[ak] virgins from the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.”
Duties of Ministry
23 “They are to teach my people how to discern[al] what is holy in contrast to what is common, showing them how to discern between what is unclean and clean. 24 When disputes arise, they are to serve as a judge, adjudicating matters according to my ordinances. They are to enforce my laws, my statutes, all of my appointed festivals, and they are to sanctify my Sabbaths. 25 They are not to come in contact with a dead body, so they don’t defile themselves, except in the case of their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or for an unmarried sister, on whose behalf they may defile themselves. 26 After he is cleansed from that contact,[am] he is to not to minister for seven days. 27 On the day that he returns to the sanctuary’s inner court to minister, he is to offer his own sin offering,” declares the Lord God.
Ministerial Inheritances
28 “Now with respect to the priests’[an] inheritances, I am to be their inheritance, and you are to give them no possession in Israel, since I am their possession. 29 They are to eat the grain offerings, sin offering, and guilt offering. Everything consecrated in Israel is to belong to them. 30 The first portion of all the first fruits of every kind and every offering of any kind is to be for the priests. You are to give the priest the first portion of your grain. As a result a blessing will rest on your household. 31 However, the priests are not to eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or that has been torn apart.”
Israel’s Future Temple Park
45 “When you divide the land for an inheritance, you are to present a Terumah[ao] to the Lord, a consecrated portion of the land 25,000 cubits[ap] long and 20,000[aq] cubits[ar] wide. Everything within this area is to be treated as holy. 2 A Holy Place is to be dedicated from this area in the form of a square measuring 500 by 500 cubits,[as] with a 50 cubit[at] buffer zone[au] surrounding it. 3 From this area a measure is to be made 25,000 cubits[av] long and 10,000 cubits[aw] wide, which is to contain the sanctuary, the holiest of holy objects. 4 It is to be a holy portion of the land, set aside[ax] for the priests who serve the sanctuary, who approach the Lord to serve him. It is to be a place for their houses, as well as the Holy Place of the sanctuary. 5 An area 25,000 cubits[ay] long by 10,000 cubits wide is to be set aside[az] for use by the Levite[ba] servants of the Temple, 20 parcels[bb] for their residential properties. 6 The land allocation for the city is to be set at 5,000 cubits[bc] wide and 25,000 cubits[bd] long, adjacent to the sanctuary district, reserved for the entire house of Israel.”
The Portion for the Regent Prince
7 “The Regent Prince is to have a portion[be] on both sides of the consecrated allotment for the sanctuary and the city’s land allotment, adjacent to both on the west[bf] and the east sides, comparable in length to one of the portions from the west[bg] border to the east border. 8 This property in Israel is to belong to the Regent Prince,[bh] so my regent princes will no longer mistreat my nation. The remaining portion of the land is to be allotted to the house of Israel, that is, to its tribes.”
An Exhortation to Honest Business
9 “This is what the Lord God says, ‘Enough of you, you regent princes of Israel! Abandon your violence and destruction. Practice what is just and right instead! Stop confiscating property from my people!’ declares the Lord God. 10 ‘You’re to use an honest scale, an honest dry measure,[bi] and an honest liquid measure![bj] 11 The ephah and the bath are to be of equal volume; that is, the bath is to contain one tenth of an omer and the ephah one tenth of an omer. The omer is to be the standard on which their volume measurement is to be based. 12 The shekel[bk] is to weigh 20 gerahs. The mina[bl] is to be comprised of three coins weighing[bm] 20, 25, and fifteen shekels, respectively.’”
Weight Standards for Offerings
13 “Here are the standards for presenting offerings: a sixth of an ephah that is based on the standard omer of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah based on the standard omer of barley. 14 The olive oil quota is to be based on the bath, measured at ten baths to each omer, which is equal to one kor. 15 The sheep quota is to be one from each flock of 200 taken from the pastures of Israel. From all of these you are to present grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them,” declares the Lord God.
16 “The entire nation living in the land is to present this offering to the Regent Prince in Israel. 17 The Regent Prince is to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the festivals, on the New Moons and Sabbaths, and at all of the prescribed festivals of the house of Israel. He is to provide the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings in order to make atonement for the house of Israel.”
18 “This is what the Lord God says, ‘On the first day of the first month, you are to present a young bull without defect in order to cleanse the sanctuary. 19 The priest is to place some of the blood from the sin offering on the door posts of the Temple, on the four corners of the ledge around the altar, and on the posts of the gate leading to the inner court. 20 You are also to do this on the seventh day of the month, to make atonement for any person who wanders away or who sins through ignorance in order to make atonement for the Temple.
21 “‘On the fourteenth day of the first month, you are to observe the Passover as a festival for seven days. Unleavened bread is to be eaten. 22 On that day, the Regent Prince is to provide, both for himself and for all the people who live in the land, a bull for a sin offering. 23 Each day during the seven days of the festival, he is to provide a burnt offering to the Lord, consisting of seven bulls and seven rams without defect, offered each day throughout the seven days, along with a male goat offered each day as a sin offering.
24 “‘The Regent Prince[bn] is also to present a grain offering consisting of an ephah with each bull and an ephah with each ram, along with a hin of olive oil mixed with an ephah of grain. 25 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, during a seven day festival, the Regent Prince[bo] is to present these as daily sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings mixed with oil.’”
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