Beginning
The Lord Among His People
43 Then the man led me to the outer east gateway, 2 and [L look; T behold] I saw the glory of the God of Israel [C his manifest presence] coming from the east. It sounded like the roar of rushing water, and ·its brightness made the earth shine [the earth radiated/shone with his glory]. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when the Lord came to destroy the city [ch. 9] and also like the vision I had seen by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1]. I ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground. 4 The glory of the Lord came into the ·Temple area [L house] through the east gateway.
5 Then ·the Spirit [or the spirit; or a wind; 2:2; 3:12] picked me up and brought me into the inner courtyard. ·There I saw [L And look/T behold] the Lord’s glory filling the ·Temple [L house]. 6 As the man stood at my side, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the ·Temple [L house]. 7 The voice said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], this is my throne and the place ·where my feet rest [L for the soles of my feet]. I will live here among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children or Israel] forever. The ·people [L house] of Israel will not make my holy name ·unclean [defiled; C ritually] again. Neither the people nor their kings will ·make it unclean [defile my holy name; C ritually] with their ·sexual sins [prostitution] or with the ·dead bodies [L corpses in their death; or funeral monuments/pillars] of their kings. 8 The kings ·made my name unclean [defiled my holy name; C ritually] by putting their ·doorway [threshold] next to my ·doorway [threshold], and their doorpost next to my doorpost so only a wall separated me from them [C kings erected monuments to themselves around the temple]. When they did their ·acts that I hate [detestable/abominable acts], they ·made my holy name unclean [defiled my holy name; C ritually], and so I ·destroyed [consumed] them in my anger. 9 Now let them stop their ·sexual sins [prostitution] and take the ·dead bodies [or funeral pillars; v. 7] of their kings far away from me. Then I will live among them forever.
10 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], tell the ·people [L house] of Israel about the ·Temple [L house] so they will be ashamed of their ·sins [iniquities]. Let them ·think about the plan of the Temple [study its plan; or consider its perfection]. 11 If they are ashamed of all they have done, let them know the design of the ·Temple [L house] and how it is built. Show them its exits and entrances, all its designs, and also all its ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [laws; instructions]. Write it down ·as they watch [in their sight] so they will obey all its ·teachings [laws; instructions] and its ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements]. 12 This is the ·teaching about [law of] the ·Temple [L house]: All the area around the top of the mountain is most holy. This is the ·teaching about [law/instruction of] the ·Temple [L house].
The Altar
13 “These are the measurements of the altar, ·using the measuring stick [L in long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; 40:5]. The altar’s ·gutter [base] is ·twenty-one inches [L one cubit] high and ·twenty-one inches [L one cubit] wide, and its rim is ·about nine inches [L one span] around its edge. And the altar is this tall: 14 From the base on the ground up to the lower ledge, it measures ·three and one-half feet [L two cubits]. It is ·twenty-one inches [L one cubit] wide. It measures ·seven feet [L four cubits] from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge and is ·twenty-one inches [L one cubit] wide. 15 The ·place where the sacrifice is burned on the altar [altar hearth] is ·seven feet [L four cubits] high, with its four ·corners shaped like horns and reaching up above it [horns projecting upward; Ex. 27:2]. 16 It is square, ·twenty-one feet [L twelve cubits] long and ·twenty-one feet [L twelve cubits] wide. 17 The upper ledge is also square, ·twenty-four and one-half feet [L fourteen cubits] long and ·twenty-four and one-half feet [L fourteen cubits] wide. The rim around the altar is ·ten and one-half inches [L one-half cubit] wide, and its ·gutter [base] is ·twenty-one inches [L one cubit] wide all around. Its steps ·are on the east side [L face east].”
18 Then the man said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], this is what the Lord God says: These are the ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] for the altar. ·When [L On the day] it is built, use these rules to offer burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and to sprinkle blood on it [Lev. 1:5]. 19 You must give a young bull as a ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3] to the priests, the Levites who are from the ·family [seed; offspring] of Zadok and who come near me to ·serve [minister to] me, says the Lord God. 20 Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the four ·corners [L horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim. This is how you will ·make the altar pure [cleanse/purify the altar] and ·ready for God’s service [L make atonement for it]. 21 Then take the bull for the ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3] and burn it in the ·proper [appointed; designated] place ·in the Temple area [L of the house], outside the ·Temple building [sanctuary].
22 “On the second day offer a male goat ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect] for a sin offering. The priests will ·make the altar pure and ready for God’s service [cleanse/purify the altar] as they did with the young bull. 23 When you finish ·making the altar pure and ready [purifying it], offer a young bull and a male sheep from the flock, ·which have nothing wrong with them [without blemish/defect]. 24 You must offer them ·in the presence of [before] the Lord, and the priests are to throw salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord.
25 “You must prepare a goat every day for seven days as a sin offering. Also, the priests must prepare a young bull and ·male sheep [ram] from the flock, ·which have nothing wrong with them [without blemish/defect]. 26 For seven days the priests are to make ·the altar pure and ready for God’s service [L atonement for the altar and cleanse it]. Then they will ·give the altar to God [consecrate/dedicate it; L fill its hands]. 27 ·After these seven days [L When these days are completed], on the eighth day, the priests must offer your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and your ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] on the altar. Then I will accept you, says the Lord God.”
The Outer East Gate
44 Then the man brought me back to the outer east gateway of the ·Temple area [sanctuary], but the gate was shut. 2 The Lord said to me, “This gate will stay shut; it will not be opened. No one may enter through it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered through it. So it must stay shut. 3 Only the ·ruler [prince] himself may sit in the gateway to eat ·a meal [L bread; C probably his portion of the fellowship offering; Lev. 7:15; Deut. 12:7] ·in the presence of [before] the Lord. He must enter through the porch of the gateway and go out the same way.”
4 Then the man brought me through the outer north gate to the front of the ·Temple [L house]. As I looked, ·I saw [L look; T behold] the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] filling the Temple of the Lord, and I ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground.
5 The Lord said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], pay attention. Use your eyes to see, and your ears to hear. See and hear everything I tell you about all the ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [laws; instructions] of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. Pay attention to the entrance to the Temple and to all the exits from the ·Temple area [sanctuary]. 6 Then speak to ·those who refuse to obey [the rebellious]. Say to the ·people [L house] of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: ·Stop doing all [Enough of] your ·acts that I hate [detestable/abominable acts], [L house of] Israel! 7 You brought foreigners into my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] who were not circumcised in the flesh and ·had not given themselves to serving me [L uncircumcised in the heart; Jer. 9:26; Acts 7:51]. You ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my ·Temple [L house] when you offered me food, fat, and blood. You broke my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] by all ·the things you did that I hate [your detestable/abominable acts]. 8 You did not take ·care [charge] of my holy things yourselves but put ·foreigners [or others] ·in charge of [to take care of] my ·Temple [sanctuary]. 9 This is what the Lord God says: Foreigners who ·do not give themselves to serving me [L are uncircumcised in heart] and who are uncircumcised in flesh may not enter my ·Temple [sanctuary]. Not even a foreigner living among the ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel may enter.
10 “‘But the Levites who ·stopped obeying [L went far from] me when Israel ·left me [went astray] and who followed their idols must ·be punished [be responsible; bear the penalty] for their sin. 11 These Levites are to be ·servants in [ministers of] my ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. They may guard the gates of the ·Temple [L house] and serve in the ·Temple area [L house]. They may ·kill the animals for [L slaughter] the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and the sacrifices for the people. They may stand before the people to ·serve [minister to] them. 12 But these Levites ·helped the people worship [L ministered to them before] their idols and caused the ·people [L house] of Israel to ·fall [stumble], so I ·make this promise [L swear with uplifted hand]: They will ·be punished [be responsible; bear the penalty] for their sin, says the Lord God. 13 They will not come near me to serve as priests, nor will they come near any of my holy things or the most holy offerings. But they will ·be made ashamed of [bear the shame for] ·the things they did that I hate [their detestable/abominable actions]. 14 Yet I will ·put them in charge of taking care [appoint them to guard/keep charge] of the ·Temple area [L house], all the work that must be done in it.
15 “‘But the priests who are Levites and descendants of Zadok took care of my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] when [L the sons/T children of] Israel ·left me [went astray], so they may come near to serve me. They may stand in my presence to offer me the fat and blood [C of sacrificial animals], says the Lord God. 16 They ·are the only ones who may [L will] enter my ·Holy Place [sanctuary]. ·Only they [L They] may come near my table to ·serve [minister to] me and ·take care of the things I gave them to do [keep my charge; or serve me as guards].
17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they must wear linen robes. They must not wear wool to ·serve [minister] at the gates of the inner courtyard or in the ·Temple [L house]. 18 They will wear linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes [Lev. 6:10]. They will not ·wear [bind/gird themselves with] anything that makes them perspire. 19 When they go out into the outer courtyard to the people, they must take off their serving ·clothes [garments] before they go. They must leave these clothes in the ·holy rooms [sacred chambers] and put on other ·clothes [garments]. Then they will not ·let their holy clothes hurt [or transmit holiness with their garments to] the people.
20 “‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long but must keep the hair of their heads trimmed [Lev. 21:5]. 21 None of the priests may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard [Lev. 10:9]. 22 The priests must not marry widows or divorced women. They may marry only virgins from the ·people [L offspring/seed of the house] of Israel or widows of priests [Lev. 21:7–8]. 23 They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is ·not holy [common; profane; C ritually]. They must help my people know what is unclean [C ritually] and what is clean.
24 “‘In ·court [a dispute/controversy] they will act as judges. When they judge, they will follow my ·teachings [judgments]. They must obey my ·laws [teachings; instructions] and my ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] at all my ·special feasts [appointed festivals] and keep my Sabbaths holy.
25 “‘They must not go near a dead person, ·making themselves unclean [defiling themselves; C ritually]. But they are allowed to ·make themselves unclean [defile themselves; C ritually] if the dead person is their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or a sister who has not married. 26 After a priest has been ·made clean again [cleansed; C ritually], he must wait seven days. 27 Then he may go into the inner courtyard to serve in the ·Temple [sanctuary], but he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Lord God [Lev. 21:1–4].
28 “‘·These are the rules about the priests and their property [L This will be their inheritance]: ·They will have me instead of property [L I am their inheritance]. You will not give them any ·land to own [possessions] in Israel; I am ·what they will own [their possession]. 29 They will eat the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], and ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offerings [Lev. 5:14—6:7]. ·Everything Israel gives to me [L Every devoted thing in Israel] will be theirs. 30 The ·best [first] fruits of all the first harvests and all the special gifts offered to me will belong to the priests. You will also give to the priests the first part of your ·grain that you grind [dough] ·and so bring a blessing [L that a blessing may rest] on your family. 31 The priests must not eat any bird or animal that died a natural death or one that has been torn by wild animals.
The Land Is Divided
45 “‘When you divide the land for the Israelite tribes by throwing lots, you must give a part of the land to belong to the Lord. It will be ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·about six miles [L twenty thousand cubits] wide; all of this land will be holy. 2 From this land, an area ·eight hundred seventy-five feet [L five hundred cubits] square will be for the ·Temple [sanctuary]. There will be an open space around the Temple that is ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] wide. 3 In the holy area you will measure a part ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles wide [L ten thousand cubits], and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 This ·holy part [sacred portion] of the land will be for the priests who ·serve [minister] in the ·Temple [sanctuary], who come near to the Lord to ·serve [minister to] him. It will be a place for the priests’ houses and ·for the Temple [L a holy place for the sanctuary]. 5 Another area ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles wide [L ten thousand cubits] will be for the Levites, who ·serve [minister] in the Temple area. It will belong to them so they will have cities in which to live.
6 “‘You must give the city an area that is ·about one and one-half miles [L five thousand cubits] wide and ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long, along the side of the holy area. It will belong to all the ·people [L house] of Israel.
7 “‘The ·ruler [prince] will have land on both sides of the holy ·area [allotment; contribution] and the city. On the west of the holy area, his land will reach to the eastern border [C apparently the Mediterranean Sea]. On the east of the holy area, his land will reach to the eastern border [C of the country]. It will be as long as the land given to each tribe. 8 Only this land will be the ruler’s ·property [possession] in Israel. So my rulers will not ·be cruel to [oppress] my people anymore [C such a large portion would keep the king from wanting to seize land, as Ahab had done (1 Kin. 21); see v. 9], but they will let each tribe in the ·nation [L house] of Israel have its share of the land.
9 “‘This is what the Lord God says: ·You have gone far enough [Enough!], you ·rulers [princes] of Israel! Stop ·being cruel and hurting people [your violence and oppression], and do what is right and ·fair [just]. Stop ·forcing my people out of their homes [evicting my people], says the Lord God. 10 You must have ·honest [just] scales, an ·honest [just] ·dry measurement [L ephah] and an ·honest [just] ·liquid measurement [L bath]. 11 The dry measure [L ephah] and the liquid measure [L bath] will be the same: The ·liquid measure [L bath] will always be a tenth of a homer [C the Hebrew means “donkey-load,” and was about five bushels of dry measure and 55 gallons of liquid measure], and the dry measure [L ephah] will always be a tenth of a homer. The ·measurement they follow [standard measure] will be the homer. 12 The shekel [C coin weighing about two-fifths of an ounce] will be worth twenty gerahs, and a mina will be worth ·sixty shekels [L twenty shekels and twenty-five shekels and fifteen shekels].
Offerings and Holy Days
13 “‘This is the ·gift [offering] you should offer: a sixth of an ephah [v. 11] from every homer [v. 11] of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah from every homer of barley. 14 The amount of oil you are to offer is a tenth of a bath [v. 11] from each cor. (Ten baths make a homer and also make a cor.) 15 You should give one sheep from each flock of two hundred from the watering places of Israel. All these are to be offered for the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] to ·remove the sins of [make atonement for] the people, says the Lord God. 16 All people in the land will give this special offering to the ·ruler [prince] of Israel. 17 It will be the ·ruler’s [prince’s] responsibility to supply the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], and drink offerings. These offerings will be given at the ·feasts [appointed festivals], at the New Moons, on the Sabbaths, and at all the other feasts of [L the house of] Israel. He will supply the ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings, and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] to pay for the sins of [L the house of] Israel.
18 “‘This is what the Lord God says: On the first day of the first month take a young bull ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. Use it to ·make the Temple pure and ready for God’s service [L purify the sanctuary]. 19 The priest will take some of the blood from this ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3] and put it on the doorposts of the ·Temple [L house], on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate to the inner courtyard. 20 You will do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned ·by accident [unintentionally] or ·without knowing it [through ignorance]. This is how you make ·the Temple pure and ready for God’s service [L atonement for the house].
Passover Feast Offerings
21 “‘On the fourteenth day of the first month you will celebrate the Feast of Passover [Ex. 12:1–20; Lev. 23:4–8; Num. 28:16–25; Deut. 16:1–5]. It will be a feast of seven days when you eat ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread]. 22 On that day the ·ruler [prince] ·must offer [will provide] a bull for himself and for all the people of the land as a ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3]. 23 During the seven days of the feast he ·must offer [will provide] seven bulls and seven ·male sheep [rams] ·that have nothing wrong with them [without blemish/defect]. They will be burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord, which the ruler will offer every day of the seven days of the feast. He must also offer a male goat every day as a ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3]. 24 The ruler ·must give [will provide] as a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] ·one-half bushel [L an ephah; v. 11] for each bull and ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] for each sheep. He must give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each half bushel.
25 “‘Beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you celebrate the ·Feast of Shelters [L Feast/Festival; Lev. 23:33–44; Num. 28:12–40], the ruler will supply the same ·things [provisions] for seven days: the ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], and the olive oil.
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