1 He took me to the gate, facing east.
2 Then I saw the Glory of the God of Israel approaching from the east with a
sound like the sound of the ocean, and the earth shone with his Glory.
3 This vision was like the one I had seen when he came for the destruction
of the city, and like the one I had seen on the bank of the river Chebar.
Then I threw myself 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: the Glory of
Yahweh was filling the House.
6 And I heard someone speaking to me from the Temple while the man stood
beside me.
7 The voice said, ¡°Son of man, you have seen the place of my throne, where I
will place the soles of my feet, and live among the Israelites forever; and
the people of Israel, they and their kings, will no longer defile my holy
name with their prostitutions and the kings,
8 setting their threshold beside my threshold and their door beside my door,
with a common wall shared by them and me. They used to defile my holy name
by their filthy practices, and this is why I destroyed them in my anger.
9 From now on if they take their prostitutions and the corpses of their
kings away from my pre sence, I shall live among them forever.
10 Son of man, describe this House to the people of Israel, to shame them
out of their filthy prac tices.
11 If they are ashamed of their behavior, draw up the plan and show them the
design of the Temple, its exits and entrances, its shape, how all of it is
arranged, its rules and its laws. Give them all this in writing so that they
can see and take note of its design and the way it is all arranged and carry
it out.
12 This is the law of the Temple: all the surrounding area on top of the
mountain is a most holy area.
13 Here are the dimensions of the altar (in big cubits, each of a cubit plus
a handbreadth). The base: one cubit high and one cubit wide. The ledge all
around it: one span. This is the height of the altar:
14 from the ground level of the base up to the lower base, two cubits high
and one cubit wide; from the lesser plinth to the greater base, four cubits
high and one cubit wide.
15 The altar hearth: four cubits high, with four horns projecting from the
hearth,
16 the hearth being square: twelve cubits by twelve cubits;
17 and the square base: fourteen cubits by fourteen cubits; and the ledge
all around: half a cubit; and the base: one cubit all around. The steps are
on the east side.¡±
18 He said to me, ¡°Son of man, Yah weh says this: As regard the altar, this
is how things are to be done when it has been built for the offering of the
holocaust and for the pouring of blood.
19 To those levitical priests of the race of Zadok who approach me to serve
me ¨C it is Yahweh who speaks ¨C you must give a young bull as sacrifice for
sin.
20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns and the
four corners of the base and the surrounding ledge.
21 In this way you will purify it and make atonement on it. Then take the
bull of the sacrifice for sin and burn it in a room of the House apart from
the sanc tuary.
22 On the second day, you must offer an unblemished he-goat as sacrifice for
sin, and the altar is to be purified again as with the bull.
23 When you have finished the purification you must offer a young bull
without blemish and an unblemished ram chosen from the flock.
24 You are to present them before Yahweh, and the priests will sprin kle
salt on them and offer them as a holo caust to Yahweh.
25 As a sacrifice for sin, every day for seven days you must offer a
he-goat, a bull and an unblemished ram chosen from the flock, for a week.
26 In this way the altar will be atoned for and will be purified and
inaugurated.
27 At the end of that time, on the eighth day and afterwards, the priest is
to offer your burnt offerings and your communion offerings on the altar, and
I will look kindly on you ¨C it is Yahweh who speaks.¡±