Fluent Translation · Read & Reflect
Ezekiel 43
The glory returns
He led me to the gate facing east. The glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. His voice was like the sound of great waters, and the earth shone with his glory. The vision looked like the one I had seen when I came to destroy the city, and like the visions I had seen beside the Kebar River. I fell facedown. The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the east-facing gate. The spirit lifted me and brought me into the inner court. The glory of the LORD filled the temple.
The dwelling place
I heard someone speaking to me from the temple while the man stood beside me. He said, “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 and their kings will no longer defile my holy name by their prostitution or by the corpses of their kings at their high places. They set their threshold beside mine and their doorpost beside mine, with only a wall between me and them. They defiled my holy name by the abominations they committed, so I consumed them in my anger. Now let them put their prostitution and their kings’ corpses far from me, and I will dwell among them forever.
The temple’s design
“Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so they may be ashamed of their guilt. Let them measure its design. If they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the temple’s form and arrangement, its exits and entrances, all its forms, all its statutes, all its forms and all its instructions. Write these before their eyes, so they may observe all its form and all its statutes and carry them out. This is the instruction for the temple: the whole area on top of the mountain, all around, is most holy. This is the instruction for the temple.
The altar
“These are the altar’s measurements in long cubits, each a cubit and a handbreadth. Its base is one cubit deep and one cubit wide, with a rim one span wide around its edge. This is the altar’s base. From the base on the ground to the lower ledge is two cubits, with a width of one cubit. From the smaller ledge to the larger ledge is four cubits, with a width of one cubit. The altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upward from the hearth. The hearth is twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide, square on its four sides. The ledge is fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide on its four sides. Its surrounding rim is half a cubit, and its base extends one cubit all around. Its steps face east.”
Consecrating the altar
He told me, “Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: These are the altar’s statutes for the day it is made, for offering burnt offerings on it and splashing blood against it. Give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests descended from Zadok, who approach me to serve me, declares the Lord GOD. Take some of its blood and put it on the altar’s four horns, the ledge’s four corners, and the rim all around. Purify the altar and make atonement for it. Take the bull of the sin offering and burn it at the temple’s appointed place outside the sanctuary. On the second day offer an unblemished male goat as a sin offering. They must purify the altar as they purified it with the bull. When you finish purifying it, offer an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock. Present them before the LORD. The priests must throw salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the LORD. For seven days provide a male goat as a sin offering each day. They must also provide an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock. For seven days they must make atonement for the altar, cleanse it, and consecrate it. When these days are complete, from the eighth day onward the priests must offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD.”