Chapter 43

Vision of the Glory of God Filling the Temple

1 Then he led me to the agate, the gate facing toward the east;

2 and behold, the aglory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the beast. And His cvoice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth dshone with His glory.

3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the avision which I saw when 1He came to bdestroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the criver Chebar; and I dfell on my face.

4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the aeast.

5 And the aSpirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the bglory of the Lord filled the house.

6 Then I heard one speaking to me from the house, while a aman was standing beside me.

7 He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My athrone and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will bdwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the 1ccorpses of their kings 2when they die,

8 by setting their threshold by My threshold and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have adefiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.

9 “Now let them aput away their harlotry and the 1corpses of their kings far from Me; and I will bdwell among them forever.

10 “As for you, son of man, 1adescribe the 2temple to the house of Israel, that they may be bashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the 3cplan.

11 “If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the 1design of the house, its structure, its aexits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes2, and all its laws. And write it bin their sight, so that they may observe its whole 1design and all its statutes and cdo them.

12 “This is the 1law of the house: its entire 2area on the top of the amountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the 1law of the house.

The Altar of Sacrifice

13 “And these are the measurements of the aaltar by cubits (the bcubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): the 1base shall be a cubit and the width a cubit, and its border on its edge round about one span; and this shall be the height of the 2base of the altar.

14 “From the base on the ground to the lower aledge shall be two cubits and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits and the width 1one cubit.

15 “The 1altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the 1altar hearth shall extend upwards four ahorns.

16 “Now the 1altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, asquare in its four sides.

17 “The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides, the border around it shall be half a cubit and its base shall be a cubit round about; and its asteps shall 1bface the east.”

The Offerings

18 And He said to me, “aSon of man, thus says the Lord 1God, ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer bburnt offerings on it and to csprinkle blood on it.

19 ‘You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of aZadok, who draw bnear to Me to minister to Me,’ declares the Lord God, ‘a cyoung bull for a dsin offering.

20 ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on its four ahorns and on the four corners of the bledge and on the border round about; thus you shall ccleanse it and make atonement for it.

21 ‘You shall also take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be aburned in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.

22 ‘On the second day you shall offer a amale goat without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall bcleanse the altar as they cleansed it with the bull.

23 ‘When you have finished cleansing it, you shall present a ayoung bull without blemish and a bram without blemish from the flock.

24 ‘You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall throw asalt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 ‘aFor seven days you shall prepare daily a goat for a sin offering; also a young bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be prepared.

26 ‘For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they 1consecrate it.

27 ‘When they have completed the days, it shall be that on the aeighth day and onward, the priests shall 1offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your bpeace offerings; and I will caccept you,’ declares the Lord God.”