Ezekiel 43:1-27
The Glory of God Returns to the Temple
Then the man brought me to the east gate. There I saw the glory of the God of Israel. He was coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters. His glory made the land shine brightly. The vision I saw was like the one I had when he came to destroy the city. It was also like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River. I fell with my face toward the ground. The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the east gate. Then the Spirit lifted me up. He brought me into the inner courtyard. The glory of the Lord filled the temple.
The man was standing beside me. I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. He said, “Son of man, this is the place where my throne is. The stool for my feet is also here. I will live here among the people of Israel forever. They will never again treat my name as if it were not holy. They and their kings will not serve other gods anymore. The people will no longer make funeral offerings for their kings. The people of Israel placed their own doorway next to my holy doorway. They put their doorposts right beside mine. Nothing but a thin wall separated us. They treated my name as if it were not holy. I hated it when they did that. So I became angry with them and destroyed them. Now let them stop serving other gods. Let them stop making funeral offerings for their kings. If they obey me, I will live among them forever.
“Son of man, tell the people of Israel about the temple. Then they will be ashamed of their sins. Let them think carefully about how perfect it is. What if they are ashamed of everything they have done? Then show them all the plans of the temple. Explain to them how it is laid out. Tell them about its exits and entrances. Show them exactly what it will look like. Give them all its rules and laws. Write everything down so they can see it. Then they will be faithful to its plan. And they will obey all its rules.
“Here is the law of the temple. The whole area on top of Mount Zion will be very holy. That is the law of the temple.”
The Great Altar Is Rebuilt
The man said, “Here is the size of the altar. The standard measurement I am using is 21 inches. The altar has a drain on the ground. The drain is 21 inches deep and 21 inches wide. It has a rim that is nine inches wide around the edge. Here is how high the altar is. From the drain to the lower ledge is three and a half feet. The lower ledge goes around the altar and is 21 inches wide. From the lower ledge to the upper ledge is seven feet. The upper ledge also goes around the altar and is 21 inches wide. The top part of the altar is where the sacrifices are burned. It is seven feet high. A horn sticks out from each of its four corners. The top part of the altar is square. It is 21 feet long and 21 feet wide. The upper ledge is also square. It is 25 feet long and 25 feet wide. The drain goes all the way around the altar. The rim of the drain is 11 inches wide. The steps leading up to the top of the altar face east.”
Then the man said to me, “Son of man, the Lord and King speaks. He says, ‘Here are the rules for the altar when it is built. Follow them when you sacrifice burnt offerings and splash blood against it. Give a young bull to the priests as a sin offering. They are Levites from the family of Zadok. They approach me to serve me,’ announces the Lord and King. ‘Get some of the bull’s blood. Put it on the four horns of the altar. Also put it on the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar and all around the rim. That will make the altar pure and “clean.” Use the bull for the sin offering. Burn it in the proper place outside the temple.
“ ‘On the second day offer a male goat. It must not have any flaws. It is a sin offering to make the altar pure and “clean.” So do the same thing with the goat that you did with the bull. When you finish making the altar pure, offer a young bull and a ram from the flock. They must not have any flaws. Offer them to me. The priests must sprinkle salt on them. Then they must sacrifice them as a burnt offering to me.
“ ‘Provide a male goat each day for seven days. It is a sin offering. Also provide a young bull and a ram from the flock. They must not have any flaws. For seven days the priests must make the altar pure and “clean.” That is how they will set it apart to me. From the eighth day on, the priests must bring your burnt offerings and friendship offerings. They must sacrifice them on the altar. Then I will accept you,’ announces the Lord and King.”
Ezekiel 44:1-31
The Priesthood Will Be Established Again
Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the temple. It was the one that faced east. It was shut. The Lord said to me, “This gate must remain shut. It must not be opened. No one can enter through it. It must remain shut because I have entered through it. I am the God of Israel. The prince is the only one who can sit in the gateway. There he can eat in front of me. He must enter through the porch of the gateway. And he must go out the same way.”
Then the man brought me through the north gate. He took me to the front of the temple. I looked up and saw the glory of the Lord. It filled his temple. I fell with my face toward the ground.
The Lord said to me, “Son of man, pay attention. Look carefully. Listen closely to everything I tell you. I’m telling you about all the rules and instructions concerning my temple. Pay attention to the entrance to the temple and to all its exits. Speak to the people of Israel. They refuse to obey me. Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says. “People of Israel, I have had enough of your evil practices. I hate them. You brought outsiders into my temple. They were not circumcised. Their hearts were stubborn. You made my temple ‘unclean.’ But you offered me food, fat and blood anyway. When you did all these things, you broke the covenant I made with you. I hated all the evil things you did. You did not do what I told you to. You did not take care of my holy things. Instead, you put other people in charge of my temple.” ’ ” The Lord and King says, “No outsider whose heart is stubborn can enter my temple. They have not been circumcised. Even if they live among the people of Israel they can’t enter my temple.
“Some Levites wandered far away from me when Israel went astray. They worshiped the statues of their gods. So they will be punished because they have sinned. They might serve in my temple. They might be in charge of its gates. They might kill the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people. And they might stand in front of the people and serve them in other ways. But these Levites served the people of Israel. They served while the Israelites were worshiping the statues of their gods. They made the people fall into sin. So I raised my hand and made a promise. I warned them that I would punish them because of their sin,” announces the Lord and King. “They must not approach me to serve me as priests. They must not come near any of my holy things. They must stay away from my very holy offerings. They did many things they should have been ashamed of. I hated those things. But I will still appoint them to guard the temple. They will guard it for all the work that has to be done there.
“But the priests must approach me to serve me. They are Levites from Zadok’s family line. They guarded my temple when the people of Israel turned away from me. These priests must serve me by offering sacrifices of fat and blood,” announces the Lord and King. “They are the only ones who can enter my temple. Only they can come near to serve me as guards.
“They will enter the gates of the inner courtyard. When they do, they must wear linen clothes. They will serve at the gates of the inner courtyard or inside the temple. When they do, they must not wear any clothes made out of wool. They must have linen turbans on their heads. They must wear linen underwear around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat. They will go into the outer courtyard where the people are. When they do, they must take off the clothes they have been serving in. They must leave them in the sacred rooms. And they must put other clothes on. Then the people will not be made holy if they happen to touch the priests’ clothes.
“The priests must not shave their heads. They must not let their hair grow long. They must keep it cut short. No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard. They must not get married to widows or divorced women. They may only marry Israelite virgins or the widows of priests. The priests must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not. They must show them how to tell the difference between what is ‘clean’ and what is not.
“When people do not agree, the priests must serve as judges between them. They must make their decisions based on my laws. They must obey my laws and rules for all my appointed feasts. And they must keep my Sabbath days holy.
“A priest must not make himself ‘unclean’ by going near a dead person. But suppose the dead person was his father or mother. Or suppose it was his son or daughter or brother or unmarried sister. Then the priest may make himself ‘unclean.’ After he is pure and ‘clean’ again, he must wait seven days. Then he may go to the inner courtyard to serve in the temple. But when he does, he must sacrifice a sin offering for himself,” announces the Lord and King.
“The priests will not receive any part of the land of Israel. I myself will be their only share. They will eat the grain offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings. Everything in Israel that is set apart to me in a special way will belong to them. The best of every first share of the people’s crops will belong to the priests. So will all their special gifts. The people must give the priests the first share of their ground meal. Then I will bless my people’s families. The priests must not eat any bird or animal that is found dead. They must not eat anything that wild animals have torn apart.
