Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 400
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IMMERSE
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PROPHETS
43:18–44:7
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 sprin
kling 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. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
Then the man brought me back to the east gateway in the outer wall of the
Temple area, but it was closed. And the Lord said to me, “This gate must
remain closed; it will never again be opened. No one will ever open it and
pass through, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered here. Therefore,
it must always remain shut. Only the prince himself may sit inside this
gateway to feast in the Lord’s presence. But he may come and go only
through the entry room of the gateway.”
Then the man brought me through the north gateway to the front of the
Temple. I looked and saw that the glory of the Lord filled the Temple of
the Lord, and I fell face down on the ground.
And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, take careful notice. Use your
eyes and ears, and listen to everything I tell you about the regulations con
cerning the Lord’s Temple. Take careful note of the procedures for using
the Temple’s entrances and exits. And give these rebels, the people of Is
rael, this message from the Sovereign Lord: O people of Israel, enough of
your detestable sins! You have brought uncircumcised foreigners into my
sanctuary—people who have no heart for God. In this way, you defiled my
Temple even as you offered me my food, the fat and blood of sacrifices. In
addition to all your other detestable sins, you have broken my covenant.
