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 Returns to the Temple
1 The man took me to the gate that faces east, 2 and there I saw coming from the east the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel. God's voice sounded like the roar of the sea, and the earth shone with the dazzling light. 3 This vision was like the one I had seen when God came to destroy Jerusalem, and the one I saw by the Chebar River. Then I threw myself face downward on the ground. 4 The dazzling light passed through the east gate and went into the Temple.
5 The Lord's spirit lifted me up and took me into the inner courtyard, where I saw that the Temple was filled with the glory of the Lord. 6 The man stood beside me there, and I heard the Lord speak to me out of the Temple: 7 “Mortal man, here is my throne. I will live here among the people of Israel and rule them forever. Neither the people of Israel nor their kings will ever again disgrace my holy name by worshiping other gods or by burying the corpses of their dead kings. 8 The kings built the doorsills and doorposts of their palace right against the doorsills and doorposts of my Temple, so that there was only a wall between us. They disgraced my holy name by all the disgusting things they did, and so in my anger I destroyed them. 9 Now they must stop worshiping other gods and remove the corpses of their kings. If they do, I will live among them forever.”
10 And the Lord continued, “Mortal man, tell the people of Israel about the Temple, and let them study its plan. Make them ashamed of their sinful actions. 11 Then if they are ashamed of what they have done, explain the plan of the Temple to them: its design, its entrances and exits, its shape, the arrangement of everything, and all its rules and regulations. Write all this down for them so that they can see how everything is arranged and can carry out all the rules. 12 This is the law of the Temple: All the area surrounding it on the top of the mountain is sacred and holy.”
The Altar
13 These are the measurements of the altar, using the same unit of measure as in measuring the Temple. All around the base of the altar there was a gutter 20 inches deep and 20 inches wide, with a rim at the outside edge 10 inches high. 14 The lowest section of the altar, from the top of the base, was 4 feet high. The next section was set back from the edge 20 inches all around, and was 7 feet high. The section after that was also set back from the edge 20 inches all around. 15 This top section, on which the sacrifices were burned, was also 7 feet high. The projections on the four corners were higher than the rest of the top. 16 The top of the altar was a square, 20 feet on each side. 17 The middle section was also a square, 24 feet on each side, with a rim at the outside edge 10 inches high. (The gutter was 20 inches wide.) The steps going up the altar were on the east side.
The Consecration of the Altar
18 The Sovereign Lord said to me, “Mortal man, listen to what I tell you. When the altar is built, you are to dedicate it by burning sacrifices on it and by sprinkling on it the blood of the animals that were sacrificed. 19 Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok are the only ones who are to come into my presence to serve me. I, the Sovereign Lord, command this. You will give them a young bull to offer as a sacrifice for sin. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the projections on the top corners of the altar, on the corners of the middle section of the altar, and all around its edges. In this way you will purify the altar and consecrate it. 21 You are to take the bull that is offered as a sacrifice for sin and burn it at the specified place outside the Temple area. 22 The next day you are to take a male goat without any defects and offer it as a sacrifice for sin. Purify the altar with its blood the same way you did with the bull. 23 When you have finished doing that, take a young bull and a young ram, both of them without any defects, 24 and bring them to me. The priests will sprinkle salt on them and burn them as an offering to me. 25 Each day for seven days you are to offer a goat, a bull, and a ram as sacrifices for sin. All of them must be without any defects. 26 For seven days the priests are to consecrate the altar and make it ready for use. 27 When the week is over, the priests are to begin offering on the altar the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings of the people. Then I will be pleased with all of you. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.”