Ezekiel 43:1–44:31

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,h 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters,i and the land was radiant with his glory.j 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when hea came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The gloryk of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.l 5 Then the Spiritm lifted me upn and brought me into the inner court, and the gloryo of the Lord filled the temple.p

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throneq and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defiler my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offeringsb for their kings at their death.c s 8 When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.t

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamedu of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulationsd and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.v

12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding areaw on top of the mountain will be most holy.x Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

13 “These are the measurements of the altary in long cubits,e that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one spanf around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.g From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.h 15 Above that, the altar hearthz is four cubits high, and four hornsa project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubitsi long and twelve cubits wide.b 17 The upper ledgec also is square, fourteen cubitsj long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.k The stepsd of the altar face east.e”

18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offeringsf and splashing bloodg against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bullh as a sin offeringl to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok,i who come nearj to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altark and on the four corners of the upper ledgel and all around the rim, and so purify the altarm and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.n

22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.o 24 You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle saltp on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven daysq you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.r 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth days on, the priests are to present your burnt offeringst and fellowship offeringsu on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

The Priesthood Restored

44 Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east,v and it was shut. 2 The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.w It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. 3 The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presencex of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.y”

4 Then the man brought me by way of the north gatez to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the templea of the Lord, and I fell facedown.b

5 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord. Give attention to the entrancec to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.d 6 Say to rebellious Israel,e ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! 7 In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heartf and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.g 8 Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary.h 9 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.i

10 “ ‘The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astrayj and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin.k 11 They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offeringsl and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.m 12 But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel falln into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hando that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord.p 13 They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shameq of their detestable practices.r 14 And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.s

15 “ ‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadokt and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fatu and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.v 16 They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my tablew to minister before me and serve me as guards.x

17 “ ‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes;y they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. 18 They are to wear linen turbansz on their heads and linen undergarmentsa around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.b 19 When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecratedc through contact with their garments.d

20 “ ‘They must not shavee their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.f 21 No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.g 22 They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.h 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the commoni and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.j

24 “ ‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judgesk and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals,l and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.m

25 “ ‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.n 26 After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days.o 27 On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuaryp to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offeringa q for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.

28 “ ‘I am to be the only inheritancer the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. 29 They will eats the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devotedb to the Lordt will belong to them.u 30 The best of all the firstfruitsv and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground mealw so that a blessingx may rest on your household.y 31 The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found deadz or torn by wild animals.a