A witness for future generations

26So we said, ‘Let us now build for ourselves the altar—not for burnt offering and not for sacrifice.’

27Rather, it is a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and our peace offerings, so that your children may not say to our children in time to come, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’

28So we said, ‘If they should say to us or to our generations in time to come, then we will say: “Look at the pattern of the altar of Yahweh, which our fathers made—not for burnt offering and not for sacrifice, but it is a witness between us and you.”’

29Far be it from us that we should rebel against Yahweh and turn away today from following Yahweh by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, besides the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.