Ezekiel 43

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

1Then the man took 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.

2There I saw the shining glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice sounded like rushing water. The ground shone with his bright 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 one I saw when God came to destroy the city. It also looked like the visions I saw by the Kebar River. I bowed down with my face to 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 shining glory of the LORD came into the temple through the east gate.

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. He brought me into the inner yard. 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. 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. This is where my feet rest. I will live here among the people of Israel forever. The people of Israel will never again shame my holy name. Neither the people nor their kings will shame it. They will not shame it by going after other gods. They will not shame it with the dead bodies of their kings at their worship places.

Note"Son of man" is what God calls Ezekiel all through this book. It simply means "human being." In this verse, the KJV word "whoredom" does not mean what it sounds like today. It means being unfaithful to God by worshiping other gods.

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 right next to my doorway. They set their doorposts next to my doorposts. Only a wall stood between me and them. They shamed my holy name by the terrible things they did. So I destroyed them when I was angry.

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 stop going after other gods. Let them take the dead bodies of their 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.

10You, son of man, describe this temple to the people of Israel. Then they will feel ashamed of the wrong things they did. Let them study the plan of it.

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, show them how the temple is built. Show them how it is laid out, and where people go in and out. Show them every part of it, and all its rules and laws. Write it all down while they watch. Then they can follow the whole plan and obey all the rules.

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 ground around it on top of the mountain is most holy. Yes, 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 sizes of the altar, the table where gifts are burned for God. They are measured in long cubits. The channel around the base is one cubit deep and one cubit wide. Its edge has a rim one span wide. Here is how tall the altar is.

NoteA cubit was the length from a man's elbow to his fingertips, about 18 inches. The long cubit used here adds a handbreadth, about 21 inches in all. A span is the width of a spread hand, about 9 inches.

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 channel on the ground up to the lower ledge is two cubits. That ledge is one cubit wide. From the lower ledge up to the higher ledge is four cubits. That ledge is one cubit wide too.

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 up from it.

NoteThe "horns" were four pointed corners on top of the altar, shaped a little like animal horns.

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

16The top of the altar is square at all four corners. 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 square too. It is fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide. Its rim is half a cubit. The channel around it is one cubit. The steps of 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. Then whole animals can be burned on it as gifts to God. Blood can be sprinkled on it too.

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 to the priests who serve me. They come from the family of Levi and the family of Zadok. The bull is a sin offering, a gift given to make wrong things right. This is what the Lord GOD says.

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. Put it on the four horns of the altar. Put it on the four corners of the ledge and all around the rim. That is how you make the altar clean and right to 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 the bull for the sin offering away. Burn it in the set-apart place outside the holy room.

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. It is a sin offering. The altar will be made clean with it, just as 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 the altar clean, bring a young bull. Bring a ram from the flock too. Both must have 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 will sprinkle salt on them. Then they will burn them as a gift 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, bring a male goat every day as a sin offering. Also bring a young bull and a ram from the flock. Both must have nothing wrong with them.

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 right to use. In this way they will set it apart for God.

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 seven days are over, the priests may use the altar. From the eighth day on, they will burn your gifts on it. They will also give your peace offerings, gifts that show friendship with God. Then I will accept you, says the Lord GOD."