Open English Translation EZEK Chapter 43

43 Then the man took me to the gate that opened to the east. 2 Wow! The splendour of Yisrael’s (Israel’s) god appeared towards the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing water, and the land shone with his brilliance.[ref] 3 What I saw in this vision was like what I’d seen in my earlier visions, first by the Kevar Canal, then later when he[fn] came to destroy Yerushalem (Jerusalem). I fell to my knees with my face to the ground. 4 So Yahweh’s brightness entered into the temple via the eastern entrance.

5 Then the spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and wow, Yahweh’s brilliance was filling the temple. 6 ⇔Then as the man was standing there beside me, I heard someone speak to me from inside the temple, 7 and the voice told me, “Son of humanity, this is the place where I’ll sit on my throne and rest my feet—where I’ll live in the middle of the Israeli people forever. Yisrael’s descendants and their kings will no longer profane my sacred name with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their hilltop shrines. 8 They’ll no longer profane my sacred name by putting their entrance next to my entrance, and their doorposts next to my doorposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They profaned my sacred name with their disgusting actions, so I destroyed them with my anger. 9 Now they’re to remove their prostitution and their kings’ corpses from in front of me, and I’ll live among them forever.

10 “Son of humanity, describe that temple to the Israeli people so they’ll be ashamed of their disobedience and think about those plans. 11 If they’re ashamed of everything they’ve done, then reveal the design of that temple to them—its details, its entrances and exits, its complete design, and all its decrees and rules. Then right in front of them, write that down so they’ll see its complete design and all its rules, and then obey them. 12 This is the regulation for the temple: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it’ll be very sacred. Listen, that’s the regulation for the temple.

13 These are the altar’s measurements, using the same kind of measuring rod that was used for the temple area: There’s a gutter around the altar that’s both half a metre deep and wide. There’s a rim around it that’s 23cm wide. That’ll be the base for the rest of the altar.[ref] 14 The lower part of the gutter is one metre high to the lower ledge that surrounds the altar. The lower ledge is half a metre wide. From that ledge to the upper ledge, it’s two metres. That ledge is also half a metre wide. 15 The altar body at the top is another two metres high and has a hornlike projection jutting up from each of its corners. 16 The sides of the square body are six metres long. 17 The upper ledge that borders the altar body is also a square, eight metres long on each side, and has a rim all around that’s 27cm wide. There’s a gutter measuring half a metre at the bottom of the altar. There are steps leading up to the east side of the altar.”

18 Then the man told me, “Son of humanity, the master Yahweh says that those are the dimensions for when they make the altar for presenting the burnt offering on, and for sprinkling blood onto.[ref] 19 You must give a bull from the cattle as a sin offering for the Levitical priests who are Tsadok’s descendants—those who approach me to serve me. That’s the master Yahweh’s declaration. 20 Then you’ll take some of the bull’s blood and place it on the altar’s ‘horns’ and on the four top edges and the surrounding rim. You’ll purify it and make it allowable in my presence. 21 Then take that sin offering bull and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary. 22 Then on the second day, you’ll get from the goats a male goat without any blemishes, and offer it as a sin offering—the priests will purify the altar just as they purified it with the bull. 23 When you finish that purification, offer an unblemished bull from the cattle and an unblemished ram from the flock, 24 and offer them to me, Yahweh. The priests will throw salt onto them and present them as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 25 Then every day for the next seven days you must bring a billy goat to the priest to be sacrificed for an offering, so I’ll accept the altar. You must also sacrifice a young bull and a ram, each without any defect, that the priests will provide. 26 They must atone for the altar for seven days and purify it, and in that way they must consecrate it to me. 27 After doing all that, from the eighth day onward the priests will prepare you people’s burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar, and I’ll accept you. That’s the master Yahweh’s declaration.”