Ezekiel

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

1Then the man brought me back to the gate that faces east.

2And, 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.

2I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice sounded like rushing water, and the earth shone with his glory.

3And 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.

3This vision looked like the vision I saw when he came to destroy the city, and like the visions I saw by the Chebar River. I fell facedown on the ground.

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

4The glory of the LORD came into the temple through the gate that faces east.

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

5Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard. The glory of the LORD filled the temple.

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

6The man was standing beside me, and I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple.

7And 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.

7He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where my feet rest. Here I will live among the people of Israel forever. They will never again make my holy name unclean. Neither the people nor their kings will do it, not by worshiping other gods and not by the offerings they made for their dead kings.

NoteThe KJV says "carcases of their kings," which sounds like dead bodies left lying in worship places. The Hebrew is unclear, and many translators take it to mean the offerings or memorials people made for kings after they died.

8In 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.

8They built their doorway next to my doorway and their doorpost next to my doorpost, with only a wall between them and me. They made my holy name unclean by the disgusting things they did. So I destroyed them in my anger.

9Now 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.

9Now let them put their false worship and the offerings for their dead kings far away from me. Then I will live among them forever.

10Thou 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.

10Son of man, describe this temple to the people of Israel, so they will be ashamed of the wrong they have done. Let them study its plan.

11And 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.

11If they are ashamed of all they have done, then show them the design of the temple. Show them how it is arranged, where the exits and entrances are, and what every part looks like. Teach them all its rules and laws. Write it down while they watch, so they can follow the whole plan and obey every rule.

12This 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.

12This is the law of the temple: all the land around it on top of the mountain is most holy. This is the law of the temple.

13And 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.

13These are the measurements of the altar, using the long cubit. Its gutter at the base is one cubit deep and one cubit wide, with a rim one span wide around its edge. Here is how tall the altar is.

NoteA cubit was about eighteen inches, the length from elbow to fingertip. The "long cubit" used here adds a handbreadth, making it about twenty-one inches. A span is about nine inches, the width of an open hand.

14And 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.

14From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge is two cubits, and that ledge is one cubit wide. From the lower ledge up to the upper ledge is four cubits, and that ledge is one cubit wide.

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

15The top of the altar, where the fire burns, is four cubits high. Four horns point upward from its corners.

NoteThe horns were four raised corners on the top of the altar, shaped a little like animal horns. Blood was put on them in some offerings.

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

16The top of the altar is a square. It is twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide.

17And 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.

17The ledge is also a square, fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide. Its rim is half a cubit, and the gutter around it is one cubit. The steps up to the altar face east."

18And 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.

18Then he said to me, "Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says. These are the rules for the altar on the day it is built, so that burnt offerings can be made on it and blood can be sprinkled on it.

19And 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.

19Give a young bull as a sin offering to the priests who are Levites from the family of Zadok. They are the ones who come near to serve me, says the Lord GOD.

20And 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.

20Take some of the bull's blood and put it on the altar's four horns, on the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim. This makes the altar clean and ready for use.

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

21Then take away the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the assigned place in the temple area, outside the holy building.

22And 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.

22On the second day, bring a male goat with nothing wrong with it as a sin offering. The altar is to be made clean the same way it was with the bull.

23When 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.

23When you have finished making it clean, bring a young bull and a ram from the flock, both with nothing wrong with them.

24And 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.

24Bring them to the LORD. The priests are to sprinkle salt on them and burn them as an offering to the LORD.

25Seven 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.

25For seven days you are to provide a male goat each day as a sin offering. You are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both perfect.

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

26For seven days the priests will make the altar clean and pure. In this way they will set themselves apart to serve.

27And 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.

27When those days are over, from the eighth day on, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, says the Lord GOD."