Study Desk

Double shelves three inches wide were put up on all the walls. The flesh for the offering was put on the tables.

The man said to me, "The room which faces south is for the priests who serve in the Temple area,

while the room that faces north is for the priests who serve at the altar. This second group of priests are descendants of Zadok, the only descendants of Levi who can come near the Lord to serve him."

The side rooms were on three different stories, each above the other, with thirty rooms on each story. All around the Temple walls there were ledges for the side rooms. The upper rooms rested on the ledges but were not attached to the Temple walls.

I also saw that the Temple had a raised base all around. Its edge was the foundation for the side rooms, and it was ten and one-half feet thick.

There was a wall outside parallel to the rooms and to the outer courtyard. It ran in front of the rooms for eighty-seven and one-half feet.

The priests who enter the Holy Place must leave their serving clothes there before they go into the outer courtyard, because these clothes are holy. After they put on other clothes, they may go to the part of the Temple area which is for the people."

Then the man said to me, "Human, this is what the Lord God says: These are the rules for the altar. When it is built, use these rules to offer burnt offerings and to sprinkle blood on it.

Take some of the bull's blood and put it on the four corners of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim. This is how you will make the altar pure and ready for God's service.

Then take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the proper place in the Temple area, outside the Temple building.

"On the second day offer a male goat that has nothing wrong with it for a sin offering. The priests will make the altar pure and ready for God's service as they did with the young bull.

"You must prepare a goat every day for seven days as a sin offering. Also, the priests must prepare a young bull and male sheep from the flock, which have nothing wrong with them.

For seven days the priests are to make the altar pure and ready for God's service. Then they will give the altar to God.

"‘But the Levites who stopped obeying me when Israel left me and who followed their idols must be punished for their sin.

These Levites are to be servants in my Holy Place. They may guard the gates of the Temple and serve in the Temple area. They may kill the animals for the burnt offering and the sacrifices for the people. They may stand before the people to serve them.

But these Levites helped the people worship their idols and caused the people of Israel to fall, so I make this promise: They will be punished for their sin, says the Lord God .

Then he may go into the inner courtyard to serve in the Temple, but he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Lord God .

"‘When you divide the land for the Israelite tribes by throwing lots, you must give a part of the land to belong to the Lord . It will be about seven miles long and about six miles wide; all of this land will be holy.

From this land, an area eight hundred seventy-five feet square will be for the Temple. There will be an open space around the Temple that is eighty-seven and one-half feet wide.

This holy part of the land will be for the priests who serve in the Temple, who come near to the Lord to serve him. It will be a place for the priests' houses and for the Temple.