The Lord Among His People
43 The man led me to the outer east gate. 2 And I saw the greatness of the God of Israel coming from the east. God’s voice was like the roar of rushing water. His greatness made the earth shine. 3 I saw a vision. It was like the vision I had seen when the Lord came to destroy the city. It was also like the vision I had seen by the Kebar River. I bowed facedown on the ground. 4 The greatness of the Lord came into the Temple through the east gate.
5 Then the Spirit picked me up. And he brought me into the inner courtyard. There the Lord’s greatness filled the Temple. 6 The man stood at my side. I heard someone speaking to me from inside the Temple. 7 The voice from the Temple said to me, “Human being, this is my throne. And this is the place my feet rest. I will live here among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will not make my holy name unclean again. Neither the people nor their kings will make it unclean by their sexual sins. Nor will they make it unclean with the dead bodies of their kings. 8 They made my name unclean by putting their doorway next to my doorway. And they put their doorpost next to my doorpost. Only a wall separated me from them. When they did their acts that I hate, they made my holy name unclean. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them stop their sexual sins. And let them take the dead bodies of their kings far away from me. Then I will live among them forever.
10 “Human being, tell the people of Israel about the Temple. Then they will be ashamed of their sins. Let them think about the plan of the Temple. 11 Then they will be ashamed of all they have done. Let them know the design of the Temple. Let them know how it is built. Show them its exits and entrances. Show them all its designs, all its rules and all its teachings. And write the rules as they watch. Do this so they can obey all the Temple’s teachings and rules. 12 This is the teaching of the Temple: All the area around the top of the mountain is most holy. This is the teaching of the Temple.
The Altar
13 “And these are the measurements of the altar, using the measuring stick. It is 21 inches long. The altar’s base is 21 inches high and 21 inches long. Its rim is about 9 inches around its edge. And the altar is this tall: 14 From the ground up to the lower ledge, it measures 3½ feet. It is 21 inches wide. It measures 7 feet from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge and is 21 inches wide. 15 The place where the sacrifice is burned on the altar is 7 feet high. The four corners are shaped like horns and reach up above it. 16 It is square. It is 21 feet long and 21 feet wide. 17 The upper ledge is also square, 24½ feet long and 24½ feet wide. The border around it is 10½ inches wide. Its base is 21 inches around. Its steps are on the east.”
18 Then the man said to me, “Human being, this is what the Lord God says: These are the rules for the altar. When it is built, use these rules to offer burnt offerings and sprinkle blood on it. 19 You must give a young bull as a sin offering to the priests. These priests are the Levites from the family of Zadok. They come near me to serve me, says the Lord God. 20 Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the altar’s four corners. Put it also on the four corners of the ledge. And put it on the border all around. This is how you will make the altar pure and ready for God’s service. 21 Then take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the proper place in the Temple area. It will be outside the Holy Place.
22 “On the second day offer a male goat. It must have nothing wrong with it. It will be for a sin offering. The priests will make the altar pure and ready for God’s service. They will do it the same way they did with the young bull. 23 When you finish making the altar pure and ready, offer a young bull and a male sheep from the flock. They must also have nothing wrong with them. 24 You must offer them before the Lord. The priests will throw salt on them. Then they will offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord.
25 “You must prepare a goat every day for seven days as a sin offering. Also, you must prepare a young bull and male sheep from the flock. They must have nothing wrong with them. 26 For seven days the priests will make the altar pure and ready for God’s service. Then the priests will give the altar to God. 27 After these seven days, on the eighth day, the priests must present your offerings. They must offer your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, says the Lord God.”