The Prophet Ezekiel

⭑ Unlocked Literal Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 43 -

The man then brought me to the gate that opened to the east.

Behold! The glory of the God of Israel came from the east; his voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.

It was like the vision that I saw when he had come to destroy the city, and like the vision that I saw at the Chebar Canal-and I fell to my face.

So the glory of Yahweh came to the house by way of the gate that opened to the east.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court. Behold! The glory of Yahweh was filling the house.

The man was standing beside me, and I heard someone else speaking to me from the house.

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 live in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name-they or their kings-with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their high places.

They will no longer profane my holy name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their gateposts next to my gateposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They profaned my holy name with their disgusting actions, so I consumed them with my anger.

Now let them remove their faithlessness and the corpses of their kings from before me, and I will live in their midst forever.

Son of man, you yourself must tell the house of Israel about this house so they will be ashamed of their iniquities. They should think about this description.

For if they are ashamed of all that they have done, then reveal to them the design of the house, its details, its exits, its entrances, and all its designs, all its decrees and rules. Then write this down before their eyes so they will keep to all its design and all its rules, so as to obey them.

This is the regulation for the house: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it will be most holy. Behold! This is the regulation for the house.

The Altar of Sacrifice

These will be the measurements of the altar in long cubits-each long cubit being a regular cubit and a handbreadth long. So the gutter around the altar will be a cubit deep, and its width will also be a cubit. The border around its surrounding edge will be one span. This will be the base of the altar.

From the gutter at the ground level up to the lower ledge of the altar is two cubits, and that ledge itself is one cubit wide. Then from the small ledge up to the large edge of the altar, it is four cubits, and the large edge is a cubit wide.

The hearth on the altar for the burnt offerings is four cubits high, and there are four horns pointing upward on the hearth.

The hearth is twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide, a square.

Its border is fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide on each of its four sides, and its rim is a half cubit wide. The gutter is a cubit wide all around with its steps facing east.”

Next he said to me, “Son of man, Lord Yahweh says this: These are the regulations for the altar on the day they make it, for raising the burnt offering onto it, and for sprinkling blood on it.

You will give a bull from the cattle as a sin offering for the Levitical priests who are the descendants of Zadok, those who come near to me to serve me-this is Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

Then you will take some of its blood and place it on the altar’s four horns and the four sides of its edge and on the surrounding rim; you will cleanse it and make atonement for it.

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

Then on the second day you will offer a male goat without blemish from the goats as a sin offering; the priests will cleanse the altar just as they cleansed it with the bull.

When you finish its cleansing, offer an unblemished bull from the cattle and an unblemished ram from the flock.

Offer them before Yahweh; the priests will throw salt onto them and raise them up as a burnt offering to Yahweh.

You must prepare a male goat as a sin offering daily for seven days, and the priests must also prepare an unblemished bull of the cattle and unblemished ram from the flock.

They must atone for the altar for seven days and purify it, and in this way they must consecrate it.

They must complete these days, and on the eighth day and onward it will come about that the priests will prepare your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar, and I will accept you-this is Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

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.)