The Prophet Ezekiel

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 43 -

Then the man brought me back to the gate that faces east,

and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.

The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when He came

(a)

to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the River Kebar. I fell facedown,

and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple,

and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile My holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and by the funeral offerings

(b)

for their kings at their deaths.(c)

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 the abominations they committed. Therefore I have consumed them in My anger.

Now let them remove far from Me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will dwell among them forever.

As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure the plan,

and if they are ashamed

(d)

of all they have done, then make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement and its exits and entrances—its whole design along with all its statutes, forms, and laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out.

This is the law of the temple: All its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be most holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar of Sacrifice

These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits (e) (a cubit and a handbreadth): Its gutter shall be a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span

(f)

around its edge. And this is the height of the altar:

The space from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the ledge one cubit wide.(g) The space from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits, and the ledge one cubit wide.(h)

The altar hearth shall be four cubits high, and four horns shall project upward from the hearth.

The altar hearth shall be square at its four corners, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide.(i)

The ledge shall also be square, fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide,(j) with a rim of half a cubit (k) and a gutter of a cubit all around it. The steps of the altar shall face east.”

Then He said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings may be sacrificed on it and blood may be sprinkled on it:

You are to give a young bull from the herd as a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are of the family of Zadok, who approach Me to minister before Me, declares the Lord GOD.

You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim; thus you will cleanse the altar and make atonement for it.

Then you are to take away the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.

On the second day you are to present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering, and the altar is to be cleansed as it was with the bull.

When you have finished the purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull and an unblemished ram from the flock.

You must present them before the LORD; the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD.

For seven days 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 unblemished.

For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; so they shall consecrate it.(l)

At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD.’”

Footnotes

(a)43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts when I came

(b)43:7 Or the monuments; also in verse 9

(d)43:11 Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate and they will be ashamed

(e)43:13 The long cubit, about 21 inches or 53.3 centimeters, is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.

(f)43:13 One span is approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters.

(g)43:14 The space was to be approximately 3.5 feet (1.1 meters), and the ledge was to be approximately 1.75 feet wide (53.3 centimeters wide).

(h)43:14 The space was to be approximately 7 feet (2.1 meters), and the ledge was to be approximately 1.75 feet wide (53.3 centimeters wide).

(i)43:16 12 (long) cubits is approximately 21 feet or 6.4 meters.

(j)43:17 14 (long) cubits is approximately 24.5 feet or 7.5 meters.

(k)43:17 A half cubit is approximately 10.5 inches or 26.7 centimeters.

(l)43:26 Hebrew fill its hand

Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east.

Behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city; and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.

The LORD’s glory came into the house by the way of the gate which faces toward the east.

The Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the LORD’s glory filled the house.

I heard one speaking to me out of the house, and a man stood by me.

He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell among the children of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no more defile my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their prostitution and by the dead bodies of their kings in their high places;

in their setting of their threshold by my threshold and their door post beside my door post. There was a wall between me and them; and they have defiled my holy name by their abominations which they have committed. Therefore I have consumed them in my anger.

Now let them put away their prostitution, and the dead bodies of their kings far from me. Then I will dwell among them forever.

“You, son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern.

If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the form of the house, its fashion, its exits, its entrances, its structure, all its ordinances, all its forms, and all its laws; and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form of it, and all its ordinances, and do them.

“This is the law of the house. On the top of the mountain the whole limit around it shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

The Altar of Sacrifice

“These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit(a) is a cubit and a hand width): the bottom shall be a cubit, and the width a cubit, and its border around its edge a span;(b) and this shall be the base of the altar.

From the bottom on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the width one cubit; and from the lesser ledge to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the width a cubit.

The upper altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar hearth and upward there shall be four horns.

The altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, square in its four sides.

The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and its bottom shall be a cubit around; and its steps shall look toward the east.”

He said to me, “Son of man, the Lord GOD says: ‘These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they make it, to offer burnt offerings on it, and to sprinkle blood on it.

You shall give to the Levitical priests who are of the offspring of Zadok, who are near to me, to minister to me,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘a young bull for a sin offering.

You shall take of its blood and put it on its four horns, and on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around. You shall cleanse it and make atonement for it that way.

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

“On the second day you shall offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull.

When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without defect and a ram out of the flock without defect.

You shall bring them near to the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt on them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering to the LORD.

“Seven days you shall prepare every day a goat for a sin offering. They shall also prepare a young bull and a ram out of the flock, without defect.

Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and purify it. So shall they consecrate it.

When they have accomplished the days, it shall be that on the eighth day and onward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings on the altar and your peace offerings. Then I will accept you,’ says the Lord GOD.”

Footnotes

(a)43:13 A normal cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. A hand width is about 4.3 inches or 11 cm.

(b)43:13 A span is the length from the tip of a man’s thumb to the tip of his little finger when his hand is stretched out (about half a cubit, or 9 inches, or 22.8 cm.)