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 – it is Yahweh who speaks – 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 – it is Yahweh who speaks.”