1Afterward, he brought me to the gate, the one that faces east.
2Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel approached from the east. His voice sounded like many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.
3This was like the vision I had seen before, the vision I saw when I came to destroy the city. These visions were like the one I saw by the Chebar River, and I fell face down.
4The glory of Yahweh entered the temple through the gate that faces east.
5The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and I saw that the glory of Yahweh filled the temple.
6I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple, and a man was standing beside me.
7He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne, the place where I stand, and where I will live among the people of Israel forever. The people of Israel will no longer defile my holy name, neither they nor their kings, through their spiritual unfaithfulness or by the dead bodies of their kings in their high places.
8They defiled my holy name by placing their doorposts next to mine and their thresholds next to mine, with only a wall separating us. They committed detestable acts that defiled my holy name, so I destroyed them in my anger."
9Now let them stop their unfaithfulness and remove the dead bodies of their kings far from me; then I will live among them forever.
10You, son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel so they will be ashamed of their sins. Let them examine its design.
11If they are ashamed of everything they have done, show them the design of the temple, its layout, its exits, its entrances, all its shapes, all its regulations, and all its laws. Write it down for them to see, so they will follow its entire design and all its regulations.
12This is the law of the temple: the entire area around the top of the mountain will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.
13These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (a cubit is one cubit and a hand-width): The base will be one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a border of one span around its edge. This will be the base of the altar.
14From the ground-level base to the lower ledge will be two cubits high and one cubit wide. From the smaller ledge to the larger ledge will be four cubits high and one cubit wide.
15The upper altar will be four cubits high; and from the altar hearth upward, there will be four projections, like horns.
16The altar hearth will be twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide, square on all four sides.
17The ledge will be fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide on all four sides. The border around it will be half a cubit, and its base will be one cubit all around. Its steps will face east.
18He said to me, "Son of man, this is what the Lord Yahweh says: These are the regulations for the altar on the day it is built, to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it."
19You must give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are descendants of Zadok, those who come near to me to serve me," says the Lord Yahweh.
20You must take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around. In this way, you will cleanse and purify it.
21You must also take the bull of the sin offering and burn it in the designated place of the temple, outside the holy area.
22On the second day, you must offer a male goat without any flaws as a sin offering. They will cleanse the altar just as they cleansed it with the bull.
23When you have finished cleansing it, you must offer a young bull without any flaws and a ram from the flock without any flaws.
24You must bring them before Yahweh, and the priests will spread salt on them. Then they will offer them as a burnt offering to Yahweh.
25For seven days, you must prepare a goat for a sin offering each day. They must also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without any flaws.
26For seven days they must purify the altar and make atonement for it; in this way, they will consecrate it.
27When these days are completed, from the eighth day onward, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you," says the Lord Yahweh.