Ezekiel 43

¹ He took me to the gate, the one facing east.

² I saw the glory of the God of Israel approaching from the east. A sound came with him like the soundof the ocean, and the earth shone with his glory.

³ This vision was like the one I had seen when I had come for the destruction of the city, and like theone I had seen by the River Chebar. Then I fell to the ground.

⁴ The glory of Yahweh arrived at the Temple by the east gate.

⁵ The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; I saw the glory of Yahweh fil the Temple.

⁶ And I heard someone speaking to me from the Temple while the man stood beside me.

⁷ He said, 'Son of man, this is the dais of my throne, the step on which I rest my feet. I shall live hereamong the Israelites for ever; and the House of Israel, they and their kings, will never again defile my holy namewith their whorings and the corpses of their kings,

⁸ by putting their threshold beside my threshold and their doorposts beside my door-posts, with a partywal shared by them and me. They used to defile my holy name by their loathsome practices, and this is why Iput an end to them in my anger.

⁹ From now on they wil banish their whorings and the corpses of their kings from my presence and Ishall live among them for ever.

¹⁰ 'Son of man, describe this Temple to the House of Israel, to shame them out of their loathsomepractices. (Let them draw up the plan of it.)

¹¹ And, if they are ashamed of their behaviour, show them the design and plan of the Temple, its exitsand entrances, its shape, how al of it is arranged, the entire design and all its principles. Give them al this inwriting so that they can see and take note of its design and the way it is al arranged and carry it out.

¹² This is the charter of the Temple: all the surrounding space on the mountain top is an especially holyarea. (Such is the charter of the Temple.)'

¹³ These were the dimensions of the altar, in cubits each of a cubit plus a handsbreadth. The base: onecubit high and one cubit wide; the space by the runnel, al round the edge of the altar, one handsbreadth.

¹⁴ From the ground level of the base up to the lower plinth, two cubits high and one cubit wide; from thelesser plinth to the greater plinth, four cubits high and one cubit wide.

¹⁵ The altar hearth: four cubits high, with four horns projecting from the hearth,

¹⁶ the hearth was four-square: twelve cubits by twelve cubits;

¹⁷ and the square plinth: fourteen cubits by fourteen cubits; and the ledge al round: half a cubit; and thebase: one cubit al round. The steps were on the east side.

¹⁸ He said to me, 'Son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this, "As regards the altar, this is how things mustbe done when it has been built for the sacrifice of the burnt offering and for the pouring of blood.

¹⁹ To the levitical priests -- those of the race of Zadok -- who approach me to serve me -- declares theLord Yahweh -- you must give a young bul as a sacrifice for sin.

²⁰ You must take some of its blood and put it on the four horns, on the four corners of the plinth and onthe surrounding ledge. In this way you wil purify it and make expiation on it.

²¹ Then take the bul of the sacrifice for sin and burn it in that part of the Temple which is cut off fromthe sanctuary.

²² On the second day, you must offer an unblemished he-goat as the sacrifice for sin, and the altar mustbe purified again as was done with the bul .

²³ When you have finished the purification, you must offer a young, unblemished bull and anunblemished ram from the flock.

²⁴ You must present them before Yahweh, and the priests wil sprinkle salt on them and offer them asburnt offerings to Yahweh.

²⁵ As a sacrifice for sin, every day for seven days you must offer a he-goat, a bull and an unblemishedram from the flock.

²⁶ In this way the altar will be expiated and wil be purified and inaugurated.

²⁷ At the end of that time, on the eighth day and afterwards, the priest wil offer your burnt offerings andyour communion sacrifices on the altar, and I shall look favourably on you -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '