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Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me out of the Temple courtyard by way of the north gateway. We entered the outer courtyard and came to a group of rooms against the north wall of the inner courtyard. This structure, whose entrance opened toward the north, was 175 feet[a] long and 87 1⁄2 feet[b] wide. One block of rooms overlooked the 35-foot[c] width of the inner courtyard. Another block of rooms looked out onto the pavement of the outer courtyard. The two blocks were built three levels high and stood across from each other. Between the two blocks of rooms ran a walkway 17 1⁄2 feet[d] wide. It extended the entire 175 feet of the complex,[e] and all the doors faced north. Each of the two upper levels of rooms was narrower than the one beneath it because the upper levels had to allow space for walkways in front of them. Since there were three levels and they did not have supporting columns as in the courtyards, each of the upper levels was set back from the level beneath it. There was an outer wall that separated the rooms from the outer courtyard; it was 87 1⁄2 feet long. This wall added length to the outer block of rooms, which extended for only 87 1⁄2 feet, while the inner block—the rooms toward the Temple—extended for 175 feet. There was an eastern entrance from the outer courtyard to these rooms.

10 On the south[f] side of the Temple there were two blocks of rooms just south of the inner courtyard between the Temple and the outer courtyard. These rooms were arranged just like the rooms on the north. 11 There was a walkway between the two blocks of rooms just like the complex on the north side of the Temple. This complex of rooms was the same length and width as the other one, and it had the same entrances and doors. The dimensions of each were identical. 12 So there was an entrance in the wall facing the doors of the inner block of rooms, and another on the east at the end of the interior walkway.

13 Then the man told me, “These rooms that overlook the Temple from the north and south are holy. Here the priests who offer sacrifices to the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. And because these rooms are holy, they will be used to store the sacred offerings—the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. 14 When the priests leave the sanctuary, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard. They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering, because these clothes are holy. They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building complex open to the public.”

15 When the man had finished measuring the inside of the Temple area, he led me out through the east gateway to measure the entire perimeter. 16 He measured the east side with his measuring rod, and it was 875 feet long.[g] 17 Then he measured the north side, and it was also 875 feet. 18 The south side was also 875 feet, 19 and the west side was also 875 feet. 20 So the area was 875 feet on each side with a wall all around it to separate what was holy from what was common.

The Lord’s Glory Returns

43 After this, the man brought me back around to the east gateway. Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory. This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River and then when he came[h] to destroy Jerusalem. I fell face down on the ground. And the glory of the Lord came into the Temple through the east gateway.

Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple. And I heard someone speaking to me from within the Temple, while the man who had been measuring stood beside me. The Lord said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died.[i] They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger. Now let them stop worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings, and I will live among them forever.

10 “Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, 11 and they will be ashamed[j] of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. 12 And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple.

The Altar

13 “These are the measurements of the altar[k]: There is a gutter all around the altar 21 inches deep and 21 inches wide,[l] with a curb 9 inches[m] wide around its edge. And this is the height[n] of the altar: 14 From the gutter the altar rises 3 1⁄2 feet[o] to a lower ledge that surrounds the altar and is 21 inches[p] wide. From the lower ledge the altar rises 7 feet[q] to the upper ledge that is also 21 inches wide. 15 The top of the altar, the hearth, rises another 7 feet higher, with a horn rising up from each of the four corners. 16 The top of the altar is square, measuring 21 feet by 21 feet.[r] 17 The upper ledge also forms a square, measuring 24 1⁄2 feet by 24 1⁄2 feet,[s] with a 21-inch gutter and a 10 1⁄2-inch curb[t] all around the edge. There are steps going up the east side of the altar.”

18 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 sprinkling of blood when the altar is built. 19 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. 20 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. 21 Then take the young bull for the sin offering and burn it at the appointed place outside the Temple area.

22 “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. 23 When you have finished the cleansing ceremony, offer another young bull that has no defects and a perfect ram from the flock. 24 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.

25 “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. 26 Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make atonement for the altar, thus setting it apart for holy use. 27 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!”

Footnotes

  1. 42:2a Hebrew 100 cubits [53 meters]; also in 42:8.
  2. 42:2b Hebrew 50 cubits [26.5 meters]; also in 42:7, 8.
  3. 42:3 Hebrew 20[-cubit] [10.6-meter].
  4. 42:4a Hebrew 10 cubits [5.3 meters].
  5. 42:4b As in Greek and Syriac versions, which read Its length was 100 cubits [53 meters]; Hebrew reads and a passage 1 cubit [21 inches or 53 centimeters] wide.
  6. 42:10 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads east.
  7. 42:16 As in 45:2 and in Greek version at 42:17, which reads 500 cubits [265 meters]; Hebrew reads 500 rods [5,250 feet or 1,590 meters]; similarly in 42:17, 18, 19, 20.
  8. 43:3 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Latin Vulgate; Masoretic Text reads I came.
  9. 43:7 Or kings on their high places.
  10. 43:11 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads if they are ashamed.
  11. 43:13a Hebrew measurements of the altar in long cubits, each being a cubit [18 inches or 45 centimeters] and a handbreadth [3 inches or 8 centimeters] in length.
  12. 43:13b Hebrew a cubit [53 centimeters] deep and a cubit wide.
  13. 43:13c Hebrew 1 span [23 centimeters].
  14. 43:13d As in Greek version; Hebrew reads base.
  15. 43:14a Hebrew 2 cubits [1.1 meters].
  16. 43:14b Hebrew 1 cubit [53 centimeters]; also in 43:14d.
  17. 43:14c Hebrew 4 cubits [2.1 meters]; also in 43:15.
  18. 43:16 Hebrew 12 [cubits] [6.4 meters] long and 12 [cubits] wide.
  19. 43:17a Hebrew 14 [cubits] [7.4 meters] long and 14 [cubits] wide.
  20. 43:17b Hebrew a gutter of 1 cubit [53 centimeters] and a curb of 1⁄2 a cubit [27 centimeters].

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms(A) opposite the temple courtyard(B) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.(C) The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.[a] Both in the section twenty cubits[b] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery(D) faced gallery at the three levels.(E) In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits[c] long.[d] Their doors were on the north.(F) Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. The lower rooms had an entrance(G) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

10 On the south side[e] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard(H) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms(I) 11 with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north 12 were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

13 Then he said to me, “The north(J) and south rooms(K) facing the temple courtyard(L) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,(M) the sin offerings[f](N) and the guilt offerings(O)—for the place is holy.(P) 14 Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments(Q) in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.(R)

15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate(S) and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.[g][h] 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits[i] by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured(T) the area(U) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,(V) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,(W) to separate the holy from the common.(X)

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,(Y) and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters,(Z) and the land was radiant with his glory.(AA) The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he[j] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. The glory(AB) of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.(AC) Then the Spirit(AD) lifted me up(AE) and brought me into the inner court, and the glory(AF) of the Lord filled the temple.(AG)

While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne(AH) and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile(AI) my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings[k] for their kings at their death.[l](AJ) When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.(AK)

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed(AL) of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations[m] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.(AM)

12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area(AN) on top of the mountain will be most holy.(AO) Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

13 “These are the measurements of the altar(AP) in long cubits,[n] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span[o] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.[p] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.[q] 15 Above that, the altar hearth(AQ) is four cubits high, and four horns(AR) project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits[r] long and twelve cubits wide.(AS) 17 The upper ledge(AT) also is square, fourteen cubits[s] long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.[t] The steps(AU) of the altar face east.(AV)

18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings(AW) and splashing blood(AX) against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull(AY) as a sin offering[u] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok,(AZ) who come near(BA) to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar(BB) and on the four corners of the upper ledge(BC) and all around the rim, and so purify the altar(BD) and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.(BE)

22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(BF) 24 You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt(BG) on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days(BH) you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(BI) 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day(BJ) on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings(BK) and fellowship offerings(BL) on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 42:2 That is, about 175 feet long and 88 feet wide or about 53 meters long and 27 meters wide
  2. Ezekiel 42:3 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  3. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew and one cubit
  4. Ezekiel 42:4 That is, about 18 feet wide and 175 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 53 meters long
  5. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew Eastward
  6. Ezekiel 42:13 Or purification offerings
  7. Ezekiel 42:16 See Septuagint of verse 17; Hebrew rods; also in verses 18 and 19.
  8. Ezekiel 42:16 Five hundred cubits equal about 875 feet or about 265 meters; also in verses 17, 18 and 19.
  9. Ezekiel 42:17 Septuagint; Hebrew rods
  10. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts I
  11. Ezekiel 43:7 Or the memorial monuments; also in verse 9
  12. Ezekiel 43:7 Or their high places
  13. Ezekiel 43:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts regulations and its whole design
  14. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters; also in verses 14 and 17. The long cubit is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.
  15. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  16. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 3 1/2 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 105 centimeters high and 53 centimeters wide
  17. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 7 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 2.1 meters high and 53 centimeters wide
  18. Ezekiel 43:16 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  19. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  20. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  21. Ezekiel 43:19 Or purification offering; also in verses 21, 22 and 25