Vision of the Glory of God Filling the Temple
1 Then he (the angel) led me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.
2 And behold, the gloryandbrilliance of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east; and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision I saw beside the River Chebar [near Babylon]; and I fell face downward.
4 And the gloryandbrilliance of the Lordentered thetemple by way of the gate facing toward the east.
5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the gloryandbrilliance of the Lordfilled the temple.
6 And I heard One speaking to me from the temple, while a man was standing beside me.
7 And He [the Lord] said to me, “Son of man,this isthe place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons (descendants) of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their [idolatrous] prostitution and by the corpsesandmonuments of their kings in their graves,
8 by setting their threshold by My threshold and their doorpost beside My doorpost, with [only] the wall between Me and them. They have defiledanddesecrated My holy name by the vile atrocities which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.
9 Now let them put far away from Me their [idolatrous] prostitution and the corpsesandmonuments of their kings, and I will dwell in their midst forever.
10 “As for you, son of man,describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins; and let them measure its plan [in detail].
11 If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple (house), its layout, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its statutes and do them.
12 This is the law of the temple: Its entirearea all around on the top of the mountain(Mount Moriah)shall bemost holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.
The Altar of Sacrifice
13 “And these are the measurements of the altar [of burnt offering] in cubits (the cubit being a [long] cubit [the length of a forearm] and a hand width): thebaseshall bea cubit [long] and a cubit wide, with its border on its edge all around it of a span [in width]. And thisshall be the height ofthebase of the altar.
14 From the base on the ground to the lower ledgeshall betwo cubits and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledgeshall befour cubits and the width one cubit.
15 The altar hearthshall befour cubits high, and from the altar hearth shall extend upwards four horns [one from each corner, each one cubit high].
16 Now the altar hearthshall betwelvecubitslong by twelve wide, square in its four sides.
17 The ledgeshall befourteencubitslong by fourteen wide on its four sides, and the border around itshall behalf a cubit; and its baseshall bea cubit all around, and its steps shall face the east.”
The Offerings
18 And He [the Lord] said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘These are the statutesandregulations for [the use of] the altar on the day that it is built, to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it.
19 ~‘You shall give to the priests, the Levites who are from the descendants of Zadok, who are close to Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God, ‘a young bull for a sin offering [as a memorial to Christ’s sacrifice].
20 ~‘And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns [of the altar of burnt offering] and on the four corners of the ledge and on the border all around; thus you shall cleanse it (from sin) and make atonement for it.
21 ~‘You shall also take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary.
22 ‘On the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall cleanse the altar as they cleansed it with the bull.
23 ~‘When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish.
24 ~‘You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall throw salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.
25 ~‘For 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 the priests shall consecrate it [to receive offerings].
27 ~‘When they have completed these days, on the eighth day and from then onward, the priests shall offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord God.”