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  • Ezekiel Chapter 43

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The Lord returns to the temple

43 Then the man brought me to the east gate. 2 There I suddenly saw the bright glory of the God of Israel as it came from the east. His voice was like the noise of lots of water that pours along a river. The land around shone with the bright light of his glory. 3 I had seen a vision like this when I was beside the Kebar River. [ a ] I had also seen a vision like this when God came to destroy Jerusalem. I bent down low with my face on the ground. 4 The Lord 's bright glory went through the east gate into the temple. 5 Then a spirit lifted me up and took me into the temple's inside yard. [ b ] As I watched, the Lord 's glory filled the temple.

6 While the man stood beside me, I heard a voice come from inside the temple.

7 The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place where I sit on my throne. It is my home where I will live among Israel's people. Israel's people and their kings will never again spoil the honour of my holy name. They will not turn away from me and worship other gods. They will not put the graves of their kings in this place. 8 Their kings built their palaces too near to my holy temple. There was only a wall between me and them. They did many disgusting things that spoiled the honour of my holy name. As a result, I became very angry with them and I destroyed them. 9 Now they must be faithful to me. They must no longer worship other gods. The must not give honour to the graves of their kings. If they stop doing these things, I will live among them for ever.

10 Son of man, you must describe the temple to Israel's people. It should make them ashamed of their sins. They must study the plan of the temple. 11 Then they will be ashamed of everything that they have done. Explain the temple's plan to them. Describe its shape, its entrances, and everything about it. Explain its rules and its laws. You must write all this down while they watch you. Then they can study the temple's plan and they can obey its rules.

12 This is the most important law about the temple: All the top of the mountain around the temple will be most holy.

The great altar

13 This is the size of the altar. [ c ] There is a hole, 50 centimetres deep and 50 centimetres wide, all around the altar. There is a border around its outside edge, 25 centimetres high. 14 The lowest part of the altar, from its base up, is 1 metre high. The part above that is 2 metres high. It is 50 centimetres smaller than the part below it, all around. The top part of the altar is also 50 centimetres smaller than the middle part. 15 This top part is 2 metres high. They burn the sacrifices on this top part. Its four corners have points like horns that go up. 16 The top of the altar is square, with each side 6 metres long. 17 The middle part is also square, with each side 7 metres long. It has a border around its edge that is 25 centimetres high. There is a hole all around that is 50 centimetres wide. There are steps up to the top of the altar on the east side.’

They must make the altar holy

18 Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, this is what the Almighty Lord says: These are the rules about the altar. On the day that it is ready to use, the priests will offer burnt offerings on it. They will alsosplash blood from the sacrifices on it. 19 You must give a young bull to the priests to offer as a sacrifice to me. The priests must belong to Zadok's family in the tribe of Levi. They are the only men who can come near to me to serve me. That is what I, the Almighty Lord , say. 20 You will take some of the bull's blood and put it on the four horns on the top of the altar. Also put some blood on the corners of the middle part of the altar. And put some on the border around the edge of the altar. Do that to make the altar clean and pure for me. 21 You must take the bull to burn as a sin offering. Burn it in the proper place in the temple yard, outside the temple building.

22 The next day, choose a male goat that has nothing wrong with it. Offer it as a sin offering. Use its blood to make the altar clean and pure, as you did with the bull's blood. 23 After you have done that, choose a young bull and a male sheep that have nothing wrong with them. 24 Bring them to me, the Lord . The priests will throw salt on them. Then they will offer them to me as a burnt offering.

25 Each day for seven days, you must offer a male goat as a sin offering. You must also choose a young bull and a male sheep each day as sacrifices. They must all have nothing wrong with them. 26 The priests will make the altar clean and pure on each of those seven days. That will make it ready for holy use.

27 When the seven days have finished, the priests can begin to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar. They can do this for you on the eighth day and after that. Then I will accept you as my own people. That is what I, the Almighty Lord , say.’

Footnotes

  1. 43:3 See Ezekiel 1:2-28 .
  2. 43:5 ‘A spirit’ or ‘a wind’. The same Hebrew word may mean either of these.
  3. 43:13 See Ezekiel 40:47 .

The Lord Will Live Among His People

43 The man led me to the east gate. 2 There the Glory of the God of Israel came from the east. God’s voice was loud like the sound of the sea. The ground was bright with the light from the Glory of God. 3 The vision that I saw was like the vision I saw by the Kebar Canal. I bowed with my face to the ground. 4 The Glory of the Lord came into the Temple through the east gate.

5 Then the Spirit [ a ] picked me up and brought me into the inner courtyard. The Glory of the Lord filled the Temple. 6 I heard someone speaking to me from inside the Temple. The man was still standing beside me. 7 The voice from the Temple said to me, “Son of man, [ b ] this is the place with my throne and footstool. I will live in this place among the people of Israel forever. The family of Israel will not ruin my holy name again. The kings and their people will not bring shame to my name by committing sexual sins [ c ] or by burying the dead bodies of their kings in this place. 8 They will not bring shame to my name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their doorposts next to my doorposts. In the past, only a wall separated them from me. So they brought shame to my name every time they sinned and did those terrible things. That is why I became angry and destroyed them. 9 Now let them take their sexual sins and the dead bodies of their kings far away from me. Then I will live among them forever.

10 “Now, son of man, tell the family of Israel about the Temple. Then, when they learn about the plans for the Temple, they will be ashamed of their sins. 11 And they will be ashamed of all the bad things they have done. Let them know the design of the Temple. Let them know how it should be built, where the entrances and exits are, and all the designs on it. Teach them about all its rules and all its laws. Write these things for everyone to see so that they can obey all the laws and rules for the Temple. 12 This is the law of the Temple: The whole area surrounding it on the top of the mountain is most holy. This is the law of the Temple.

The Altar

13 “These are the measurements of the altar in cubits using the long measurement [ d ] : There was a gutter all the way around the base of the altar. It was 1 cubit [ e ] deep, and each side was 1 cubit wide. There was a rim around the edge 1 span [ f ] high. This is how tall the altar was: 14 From the ground to the lower ledge, the base measured 2 cubits. [ g ] It was 1 cubit wide. It measured 4 cubits [ h ] from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge. It was 2 cubits wide. 15 The place for the fire on the altar was 4 cubits high. The four corners were shaped like horns. 16 The place for the fire on the altar was 12 cubits [ i ] long by 12 cubits wide. It was perfectly square. 17 The ledge was also square, 14 cubits [ j ] long by 14 cubits wide. The border around it was 1/2 cubit [ k ] wide. (The gutter around the base was 1 cubit wide.) The steps going up to the altar were on the east side.”

18 Then the man said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: ‘These are the rules for the altar: At the time you build the altar, use these rules to offer burnt offerings and to sprinkle blood on it. 19 You will give a young bull as a sin offering to the men from Zadok’s family. These men are the priests from the tribe of Levi. They are the men who serve me by bringing the offerings to me.’” This is what the Lord God said. 20 “You will take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the altar’s four horns, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it. In this way you will make the altar pure. 21 Then take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the proper place in the Temple area, outside the Temple building.

22 “On the second day you will offer a male goat that has nothing wrong with it. It will be for a sin offering. The priests will make the altar pure the same way they made it pure with the bull. 23 When you have finished making the altar pure, you will offer a young bull that has nothing wrong with it and a ram from the flock that has nothing wrong with it. 24 Then you will offer them before the Lord . The priests will sprinkle salt on them. Then they will offer the bull and ram up as a burnt offering to the Lord . 25 You will prepare a goat every day for seven days for a sin offering. Also, you will prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock. These animals must have nothing wrong with them. 26 For seven days, the priests will make the altar pure and ready for use in worshiping God. 27 On the eighth day, and every day after that, the priests must offer your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you.” This is what the Lord God said.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 43:5 Spirit Or “spirit” or “wind.”
  2. Ezekiel 43:7 Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person” or “a human being.” Here, it is a way of addressing Ezekiel. Also in verses 10, 18.
  3. Ezekiel 43:7 sexual sins This might also mean “turning away from God and being unfaithful to him.”
  4. Ezekiel 43:13 long measurement Literally, “a cubit and a handbreadth.” This cubit equals 20 5/8" (51.83 cm).
  5. Ezekiel 43:13 1 cubit 20 3/8" (51.83 cm).
  6. Ezekiel 43:13 1 span The distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, about 9" (23 cm).
  7. Ezekiel 43:14 2 cubits 3' 4 13/16" (104 cm). Also in verse 17.
  8. Ezekiel 43:14 4 cubits 6' 9 5/8" (2.1 m).
  9. Ezekiel 43:16 12 cubits 20' 4 7/8" (6.22 m).
  10. Ezekiel 43:17 14 cubits 23' 9 11/16" (7.26 m).
  11. Ezekiel 43:17 1/2 cubit 10 3/16" (25.92 cm).

43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:

2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

3 And it was according to 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 upon my face.

4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.

6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.

7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.

9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.

10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.

11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.

12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

13 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.

14 And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.

15 So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns.

16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof.

17 And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.

18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God ; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.

19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord God , a young bullock for a sin offering.

20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.

21 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.

22 And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.

23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.

24 And thou shalt offer them before the Lord , and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord .

25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.

26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.

27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God .

Vision of the Glory of God Filling the Temple

43 Then he led me to the ( A ) gate, the gate facing east; 2 and behold, the ( B ) glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the ( C ) east. And His ( D ) voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth ( E ) shone from His glory. 3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the ( F ) vision which I saw when [ a ] He came to ( G ) destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the ( H ) river Chebar; and I ( I ) fell on my face. 4 And the glory of the Lord entered the house by way of the gate facing ( J ) east. 5 And the ( K ) Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the ( L ) glory of the Lord filled the house.

6 Then I heard Him speaking to me from the house, while a ( M ) man was standing beside me. 7 And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My ( N ) throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will ( O ) dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their prostitution and by the [ b ] ( P ) corpses of their kings [ c ] when they die, 8 by putting their threshold by My threshold, and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have ( Q ) defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger. 9 Now let them ( R ) remove their prostitution and the [ d ] corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will ( S ) dwell among them forever.

10 “As for you, son of man, ( T ) inform the house of Israel of the [ e ] temple, so that they will be ( U ) ashamed of their wrongdoings; and have them measure the [ f ] ( V ) plan. 11 And if they are ashamed of everything that they have done, make known to them the plan of the house, its layout, its ( W ) exits, its entrances, all its plans, all its [ g ] statutes, and all its laws. And write it ( X ) in their sight, so that they may observe its entire plan and all its statutes and ( Y ) execute them. 12 This is the [ h ] law of the house: its entire [ i ] area on the top of the ( Z ) mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the [ j ] law of the house.

The Altar of Sacrifice

13 “And these are the measurements of the ( AA ) altar by cubits (the ( AB ) cubit being a [ k ] cubit and a hand width): the [ l ] base shall be a cubit and the width a cubit, and its border on its edge all around one span; and this shall be the height of the [ m ] base of the altar. 14 And from the base on the ground to the lower ( AC ) ledge shall be two cubits, and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits, and the width [ n ] one cubit. 15 The [ o ] altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the [ p ] altar hearth shall extend upward four ( AD ) horns. 16 Now the [ q ] altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, ( AE ) square in its four sides. 17 And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides, the border around it shall be half a cubit, and its base shall be a cubit all around; and its ( AF ) steps shall [ r ] ( AG ) face east.”

The Offerings

18 And He said to me, “ ( AH ) Son of man, this is what the Lord [ s ] God says: ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer ( AI ) burnt offerings on it and to ( AJ ) sprinkle blood on it. 19 You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the descendants of ( AK ) Zadok, who come ( AL ) near to Me to serve Me,’ declares the Lord God , ‘a [ t ] ( AM ) bull as a ( AN ) sin offering. 20 And you shall take some of its blood and put it on its four ( AO ) horns and on the four corners of the ( AP ) ledge, and on the border all around; so you shall ( AQ ) cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 You shall also take the bull as the sin offering, and it shall be ( AR ) burned in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.

22 ‘And on the second day you shall offer a ( AS ) male goat without blemish as a sin offering, and they shall ( AT ) cleanse the altar from sin as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you have finished cleansing it , you shall offer a [ u ] ( AU ) bull without blemish and a ( AV ) ram without blemish from the flock. 24 You shall offer them before the Lord , and the priests shall throw ( AW ) salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord . 25 ( AX ) For seven days you shall prepare a goat as a sin offering daily; also a [ v ] bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, shall be prepared. 26 For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they [ w ] consecrate it. 27 When they have completed the days, it shall be that on the ( AY ) eighth day and onward, the priests shall [ x ] offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your ( AZ ) peace offerings; and I will ( BA ) accept you,’ declares the Lord God .”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 43:3 As in some mss and some ancient versions; MT I
  2. Ezekiel 43:7 Or monuments as in Ugaritic
  3. Ezekiel 43:7 Lit in their death ; MT on their high places
  4. Ezekiel 43:9 Or monuments as in Ugaritic
  5. Ezekiel 43:10 Lit house
  6. Ezekiel 43:10 Or perfection ; or pattern
  7. Ezekiel 43:11 MT repeats and all its plans after statutes
  8. Ezekiel 43:12 Or instruction for
  9. Ezekiel 43:12 Lit border
  10. Ezekiel 43:12 Or instruction for
  11. Ezekiel 43:13 A cubit and hand width equals about 21 in. or 53 cm
  12. Ezekiel 43:13 Lit lap
  13. Ezekiel 43:13 Or back
  14. Ezekiel 43:14 Lit the
  15. Ezekiel 43:15 Or ariel shall
  16. Ezekiel 43:15 Or ariel shall
  17. Ezekiel 43:16 Heb ariel
  18. Ezekiel 43:17 Or be on the east side
  19. Ezekiel 43:18 Heb YHWH , usually rendered Lord , and so throughout the ch
  20. Ezekiel 43:19 Or young bull
  21. Ezekiel 43:23 Or young bull
  22. Ezekiel 43:25 Or young bull
  23. Ezekiel 43:26 Lit fill its hands
  24. Ezekiel 43:27 Lit make

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, ( A ) 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, ( B ) and the land was radiant with his glory. ( C ) 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he [ a ] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory ( D ) of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. ( E ) 5 Then the Spirit ( F ) lifted me up ( G ) and brought me into the inner court, and the glory ( H ) of the Lord filled the temple. ( I )

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne ( J ) and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile ( K ) my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings [ b ] for their kings at their death. [ c ] ( L ) 8 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 their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever. ( M )

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed ( N ) of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations [ d ] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. ( O )

12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area ( P ) on top of the mountain will be most holy. ( Q ) Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

13 “These are the measurements of the altar ( R ) in long cubits, [ e ] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span [ f ] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide. [ g ] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide. [ h ] 15 Above that, the altar hearth ( S ) is four cubits high, and four horns ( T ) project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits [ i ] long and twelve cubits wide. ( U ) 17 The upper ledge ( V ) also is square, fourteen cubits [ j ] long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit. [ k ] The steps ( W ) of the altar face east. ( X )

18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings ( Y ) and splashing blood ( Z ) against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull ( AA ) as a sin offering [ l ] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, ( AB ) who come near ( AC ) to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord . 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar ( AD ) and on the four corners of the upper ledge ( AE ) and all around the rim, and so purify the altar ( AF ) and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary. ( AG )

22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. ( AH ) 24 You are to offer them before the Lord , and the priests are to sprinkle salt ( AI ) on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord .

25 “For seven days ( AJ ) 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 without defect. ( AK ) 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day ( AL ) on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings ( AM ) and fellowship offerings ( AN ) on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord .”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts I
  2. Ezekiel 43:7 Or the memorial monuments ; also in verse 9
  3. Ezekiel 43:7 Or their high places
  4. Ezekiel 43:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts regulations and its whole design
  5. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters; also in verses 14 and 17. The long cubit is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.
  6. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  7. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 3 1/2 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 105 centimeters high and 53 centimeters wide
  8. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 7 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 2.1 meters high and 53 centimeters wide
  9. Ezekiel 43:16 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  10. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  11. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  12. Ezekiel 43:19 Or purification offering ; also in verses 21, 22 and 25