Tjedza tjobgwilila ku ng'umba ye Ndzimu
1 Ipapo nlume ihwoyo kandiyisa ku nkoba wakalinga ku bhezhuba, 2 ngono ikoko abona tjedza tje Ndzimu we Iziraela tjidwa ku bhezhuba. Hwi lawo linga le mabilila makulu, shango ipenya nge tjedza tjawo. 3 Mbono yandakabona yakabe ifanana ne mbono yandakabona pawakazha kukolomodza nzi nkulu, kunga mbono yandakabona pa gwizi gwe Kheba, pandakathigama akotamisila buso pasi. 4 Tjedza tja Yahwe tjikangina mu ng'umba ye Ndzimu nge nkoba wakalinga ku bhezhuba. 5 Ipapo meya ikandimilidzila pezhugwi ikandilonga mu nsha utjemukati ngono tjedza tja Yahwe tjikazhala ng'umba ye Ndzimu.
6 Kwakati nlume ihwoyo ali mile nami ipapo, ahwa mmwe elebeleka nami ali mu ng'umba ye Ndzimu. 7 Kabe eti, “Nkololo we nthu, igogu, bugalo gwe tjigalo tjangu tje bumambo, bugalo gunotshambiwa nge makumbo angu. Ndowogala ipapa pakati kwe Baiziraela nge kusingapele. Ngono bathu be Iziraela abatowofa batemapadza zina langu lakayengemal kakale, ibo kene bomambo babo nge bufukula gwabo nenge midzimu yabo isina butjilo. 8 Ha bebumba itubhu tjabo betjibapisa ne itubhu tjangu, bebakila makwasayile e mikoba yabo kubapa ne makwasayile e mikoba yangu, tithubukanyiwa nge guma koga lipakati kwedu, bakatemapadza zina langu lakayengemala nge zwiyito zwabo zwinoshimika. Ndizo ndakababulaya ndakagwadza moyo. 9 Ngwenu ngabaduse bufukula gwabo pandili ne midzimu ya bomambo babo isingatjile, ndizo ndowogala pakati kwabo nge kusingapele.
10 “Iwe nkololo we nthu, londesedzela Bathu be Iziraela ng'umba ye Ndzimu kuti babhakhwe nge shoni ngekwe zwibi zwabo. 11 Ngono ha ili kuti banobhatigwa nge shoni zose zwabakathama, ubazibise mbumbiko ye ng'umba ye Ndzimu, ndongoloso yayo, ubalakidze mikoba inongina ne mikoba inobhuda ne njendiso yayo yose ne milayo yayo yose. Ukwale kose ikoku bakalinga kuti batobele njendiso yayo yose ne milayo yose yayo.
12 “Iwoyu ndiwo nlayo we ng'umba ye Ndzimu, ntuthu wose pezhugwi kwe dombo ne tjekelo dzalo kowobe kwakayengemala kupinda. Ndiwo nlayo we ng'umba ye Ndzimu.”
Tjibeso tje zwibhayilo
13 “Edzi indizanyo dze tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kushingisiwa luboko, bulefu guli luboko, bupabi guli bupabi gwe tjiazha. Ku bhato latjo kwakabe kuna panowungisa vula pakangina kunolizana tjiazha ne bupabi gunolizana tjiazha, ndzibo uli bupabi gungapa bupabi gwe tjiazha. Ngono bulefu gwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo wogu, 14 Kudwa pasi kuyenda pezhugwi kunoti pa ikombeledzo tjitjapasi kwakabe kulizana thambo ing'ompela ina luboko gung'ompela bupabi, kudwa pa ikombeledzo tjitukunu kunoti ku ikombeledzo tjikulu kulizana thambo ing'ompela ina luboko bulefu kuyenda pezhugwi, bupabi gulizana luboko gung'ompela. 15 Pezhugwi kwatjo panobesegwa moto kwakabe kuli bupabi gunolizana thambo dzili thatu dzina luboko, kube kube ne nyanga dzili nna dzakalinga pezhugwi kudwa mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. 16 Bupabi ne bulefu gwe panobesegwa moto pe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kolizalizana, kolizana thambo dzili tathatu dzina maboko mabili. 17 Ikombeledzo tjipezhugwi naitjobo tjakabe tjilizalizana tjili thambo dzili zhanakadzi bulefu ne bupabi, tjina ndzibo unolizana bupabi gwe tjiazha ne panowungisa vula pelizana tjiazha tjathubugwa na pakati kutjipoteleka. Matathiso e tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo akabe akalinga ku bhezhuba.”
Kuyengemadziwa kwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo
18 Ipapo kabe eti kundili, “Nkololo we nthu, tjinoleba She Yahwe etji, Milayo ye tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo eyi, Mu zhuba linowobe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjabakwa kupisila zwibhayilo mu tjili ne kutjinyasa nge malopa e zwibhayilo izwezo, 19 Upe bapirisiti nkong'wana we tjibhayilo tje tjibi, Balevi be nsha wa Zadoki, ibo banozha pejo kushinga pandili, koleba She Yahwe. 20 Iwe utole mamwe e malopa awo uazhodze mu nyanga nna dze tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo ne mu midzibo minna ye tjikombeledzi tjipezhugwi ne kupoteleka ndzibo. Ndiikoku unowobe watjitjenapadza watjithama kuti tjiamutjilike kuna Yahwe. 21 Iwe utole nkong'wana we tjibhayilo tje tjibi unowupisila pakabigwa mu bugalo gwe ng'umba kuzhe kwe ng'umba ye Ndzimu.
22 “Mu zhuba le bubili ubhaye phoko isina bulema ili tjibhayilo tje tjibi, ngono tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjitjenapadziwe sekwa tjakatjenapadziwa nge nkono. 23 Ha wapedza kutjitjenapadza ubhaye tjibhayilo tje nkono ne nyundo yadwa mu ngubi, zose zwisina bulema. 24 Uzwiyise pana Yahwe, bapirisiti babe bezwinyunyudzila mwenyu babe bezwibhaya zwili tjibhayilo tjinopisigwa Yahwe.
25 “Mutole mazhuba ali kutendeka, mulimwe ne limwe lawo ubhaye phoko ili tjibhayilo tje tjibi, ubhaye ne nkono kudwa mu danga le ng'ombe ne nyundo kudwa mu ngubi, dzose dzibe dzisina bulema. 26 Batole mazhuba ali kutendeka betjenapadza tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kuti tjiamutjilike kuna Yahwe, saikoko babe betjipa Yahwe. 27 Kubupelo gwe mazhuba iyawa, kudwa mu zhuba le buzhanakadzi kuyenda mbeli, bapirisiti babe bepisila zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa nezwe kugadzikana mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo itjetjo. Ipapo ndowomuamutjila, koleba She Yahwe.”
The Lord's Glory Returns to the Temple
1 The man took me back to the east gate of the temple, 2 where I saw the brightness of the glory of Israel's God coming from the east. The sound I heard was as loud as ocean waves, and everything around was shining with the dazzling brightness of his glory. 3 This vision was like the one I had seen when God came to destroy Jerusalem and like the one I had seen near the Chebar River.
I immediately bowed with my face to the ground, 4 and the Lord's glory came through the east gate and into the temple. 5 The Lord's Spirit lifted me to my feet and carried me to the inner courtyard, where I saw that the Lord's glory had filled the temple.
6 The man was standing beside me, and I heard the Lord say from inside the temple:
7 Ezekiel, son of man, this temple is my throne on earth. I will live here among the people of Israel forever. They and their kings will never again disgrace me by worshiping idols at local shrines or by setting up memorials to their dead kings. 8 Israel's kings built their palaces so close to my holy temple that only a wall separated them from me. Then these kings disgraced me with their evil ways, and in my fierce anger I destroyed them. 9 But if the people and their kings stop worshiping other gods and tear down those memorials, I will live among them forever.
10 The people of Israel must suffer shame for sinning against me, so tell them about my holy temple. Let them think about it, 11 then if they are truly sorry, describe for them the design and shape of the temple, the gates, the measurements, and how the buildings are arranged. Explain the regulations about worshiping there, then write down these things, so they can study and obey them.
12 The temple area on my holy mountain must be kept sacred! This is the most important law about the temple.
The Altar
13 According to the official standards, the altar in the temple had the following measurements: Around the bottom of the altar was a gutter 50 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters deep, with a 25-centimeter ledge on the outer rim. 14-17 The altar rested on a base and had three sections, each one of them square. The bottom section was 8 meters on each side and one meter high. The middle section was 7 meters on each side and 2 meters high, and it had a 25-centimeter rim around its outer edge. The top section, which was 6 meters on each side and 2 meters high, was the place where sacrifices were burned, and the four corners of the top section looked like the horns of a bull. The steps leading up to the altar were on the east side.
The Dedication of the Altar
18 The Lord God said:
Ezekiel, son of man, after the altar is built, it must be dedicated by offering sacrifices on it and by splattering it with blood. Here is what you must do: 19 The priests of the Levi tribe from the family of Zadok the priest are the only ones who may serve in my temple—this is my law. So give them a young bull to slaughter as a sacrifice for sin. 20 Take some of the animal's blood and smear it on the four corners of the altar, some on the corners of the middle section, and some more on the rim around its edge. That will purify the altar and make it fit for offering sacrifices to me. 21 Then take the body of the bull outside the temple area and burn it at the special place.
22 The next day, a goat that has nothing wrong with it must be offered as a sacrifice for sin. Purify the altar with its blood, just as you did with the blood of the bull. 23 Then choose a young bull and a young ram that have nothing wrong with them, 24 and bring them to my temple. The priests will sprinkle salt on them and offer them as sacrifices to please me.
25 Each day for the next seven days, you must offer a goat and a bull and a ram as sacrifices for sin. These animals must have nothing wrong with them. 26 The priests will purify the altar during those days, so that it will be acceptable to me and ready to use. 27 From then on, the priests will use this altar to offer sacrifices to please me and sacrifices to ask my blessing. Then I will be pleased with the people of Israel. I, the Lord God, have spoken.