After this, the man brought me back around to the east gateway.
Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory.
This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River and then when he came to destroy Jerusalem. And I fell down before him with my face in the dust.
And the glory of the LORD came into the Temple through the east gateway.
Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the LORD filled the Temple.
And I heard someone speaking to me from within the Temple. (The man who had been measuring was still standing beside me.)
And the LORD said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will remain here forever, living among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by raising monuments in honor of their dead kings.
They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such wickedness, so I consumed them in my anger.
Now let them put away their idols and the sacred pillars erected to honor their kings, and I will live among them forever.
"Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you. Tell them its appearance and its plan so they will be ashamed of all their sins.
And if they are ashamed of what they have done, describe to them all the specifications of its construction--including its entrances and doors--and everything else about it. Write down all these specifications and directions as they watch so they will be sure to remember them.
And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the hill where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the primary law of the Temple.
"These are the measurements of the altar: There is a gutter all around the altar 21 inches wide and 21 inches deep, with a curb 9 inches wide around its edge. And this is the height of the altar:
From the gutter the altar rises 3 1/2 feet to a ledge that surrounds the altar; this lower ledge is 21 inches wide. From the lower ledge the altar rises 7 feet to the upper ledge; this upper ledge is also 21 inches wide.
The top of the altar, the hearth, rises still 7 feet higher, with a horn rising up from each of the four corners.
The top of the altar is square, measuring 21 feet by 21 feet.
The upper ledge also forms a square, measuring 24 1/2 feet on each side, with a 21-inch gutter and a 10 1/2-inch curb all around the edge. There are steps going up the east side of the altar."
Then he said to me, "Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: These will be the regulations for the burning of offerings and the sprinkling of blood when the altar is built.
At that time, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who minister before me, are to be given a young bull for a sin offering, says the Sovereign LORD.
You will take some of its blood and smear it on the four horns of the altar, the four corners of the upper ledge, and the curb that runs around that ledge. This will cleanse and make atonement for the altar.
Then take the young bull for the sin offering and burn it at the appointed place outside the Temple area.
"On the second day, sacrifice as a sin offering a young male goat that has no physical defects. Then cleanse and make atonement for the altar again, just as you did with the young bull.
When you have finished the cleansing ceremony, offer another young bull that has no defects and a perfect ram from the flock.
You are to present them to the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the LORD.
"Every day for seven days a male goat, a young bull, and a ram from the flock will be sacrificed as a sin offering. None of these animals may have physical defects of any kind.
Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make atonement for the altar, thus setting it apart for holy use.
On the eighth day, and on each day afterward, the priests will sacrifice on the altar the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the people. Then I will accept you, says the Sovereign LORD."