The glory of God returns to the new temple. The Israelites shall no
more profane God's name by idolatry: the prophet is commanded to shew
them the dimensions, and form of the temple, and of the altar, with the
sacrifices to be offered thereon.
43:1. And he brought me to the gate that looked towards the east.
43:2. And behold the glory of the God of Israel came in by the way of
the east: and his voice was like the noise of many waters, and the
earth shone with his majesty.
43:3. And I saw the vision according to the appearance which I had seen
when he came to destroy the city: and the appearance was according to
the vision which I had seen by the river Chobar: and I fell upon my
face.
43:4. And the majesty of the Lord went into the temple by the way of
the gate that looked to the east.
43:5. And the spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court:
and behold the house was filled with the glory of the Lord.
43:6. And I heard one speaking to me out of the house, and the man that
stood by me,
43:7. Said to me: Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of
the soles of my feet, where I dwell in the midst of the children of
Israel for ever: and the house of Israel shall no more profane my holy
name, they and their kings by their fornications, and by the carcasses
of their kings, and by the high places.
43:8. They who have set their threshold by my threshold, and their
posts by my posts: and there was but a wall between me, and them: and
they profaned my holy name by the abominations which they committed:
for which reason I consumed them in my wrath.
43:9. Now therefore let them put away their fornications, and the
carcasses of their kings far from me: and I will dwell in the midst of
them for ever.
43:10. But thou, son of man, shew to the house of Israel the temple,
and let them be ashamed of their iniquities, and let them measure the
building:
43:11. And be ashamed of all that they have done. Shew them the form of
the house, and of the fashion thereof, the goings out and the comings
in, and the whole plan thereof, and all its ordinances, and all its
order, and all its laws, and thou shalt write it in their sight: that
they may keep the whole form thereof, and its ordinances, and do them.
43:12. This is the law of the house upon the top of the mountain: All
its border round about; most holy: this then is the law of the house.
43:13. And these are the measures of the altar by the truest cubit,
which is a cubit and a handbreadth: the bottom thereof was a cubit, and
the breadth a cubit: and the border thereof unto its edge, and round
about, one handbreadth: and this was the trench of the altar.
43:14. And from the bottom of the ground to the lowest brim two cubits,
and the breadth of one cubit: and from the lesser brim to the greater
brim four cubits, and the breadth of one cubit.
43:15. And the Ariel itself was four cubits: and from the Ariel upward
were four horns.
The Ariel. . .That is, the altar itself, or rather the highest part of
it, upon which the burnt offerings were laid. In the Hebrew it is
Harel, that is, the mountain of God: but in the following verse
Haariel, that is, the lion of God; a figure, from its consuming, and as
it were devouring the sacrifices, as a lion devours its prey.
43:16. And the Ariel was twelve cubits long, and twelve cubits broad,
foursquare, with equal sides.
43:17. And the brim was fourteen cubits long, and fourteen cubits broad
in the four corners thereof: and the crown round about it was half a
cubit, and the bottom of it one cubit round about: and its steps turned
toward the east.
43:18. And he said to me: Son of man, thus saith the Lord God: These
are the ceremonies of the altar, in what day soever it shall be made:
that holocausts may be offered upon it, and blood poured out.
43:19. And thou shalt give to the priests, and the Levites, that are of
the race of Sadoc, who approach to me, saith the Lord God, to offer to
me a calf of the herd for sin.
43:20. And thou shalt take of his blood, and shalt put it upon the four
horns thereof, and upon the four corners of the brim, and upon the
crown round about: and thou shalt cleanse, and expiate it.
43:21. And thou shalt take the calf, that is offered for sin: and thou
shalt burn him in a separate place of the house without the sanctuary.
43:22. And in the second day thou shalt offer a he goat without blemish
for sin: and they shall expiate the altar, as they expiated it with the
calf.
43:23. And when thou shalt have made an end of the expiation thereof,
thou shalt offer a calf of the herd without blemish, and a ram of the
flock without blemish.
43:24. And thou shalt offer them in the sight of the Lord, and the
priests shall put salt upon them, and shall offer them a holocaust to
the Lord.
43:25. Seven days shalt thou offer a he goat for sin daily: they shall
offer also a calf of the herd, and a ram of the flock without blemish.
43:26. Seven days shall they expiate the altar, and shall cleanse it:
and they shall consecrate it.
Consecrate it. . .Literally, fill its hand, that is, dedicate and apply
it to holy service.
43:27. And the days being expired, on the eighth day and thenceforward,
the priests shall offer your holocausts upon the altar, and the peace
offerings: and I will be pacified towards you, saith the Lord God.