Daily Bread

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.”