The Vision of the New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me there.^{(A) 2} He brought me, in visions of God, to the land of Israel and set me down upon a very high mountain on which was a structure like a city to the south.^{(B) 3} When he brought me there, a man was there whose appearance shone like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand, and he was standing in the gateway.^{(C) 4} The man said to me, “Mortal, look closely and listen attentively, and set your mind on all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you; declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”^(D)

⁵ Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area. The length of the measuring reed in the man’s hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth in length, so he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed, and the height, one reed. ⁶ Then he went into the gateway facing east, going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.^[a] There were^{(E) 7} recesses, and each recess was one reed wide and one reed deep, and the space between the recesses, five cubits, and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end was one reed deep.^{(F) 8} Then he measured the inner vestibule of the gateway, one reed. ⁹ Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits, and its posts, two cubits, and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. ¹⁰ There were three recesses on either side of the east gate; the three were of the same size, and the posts on either side were of the same size.^{(G) 11} Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits, and the width of the gateway, thirteen cubits. ¹² There was a barrier before the recesses, one cubit on either side, and each recess was six cubits square. ¹³ Then he measured the gate from the back^[b] of the one recess to the back^[c] of the other, a width of twenty-five cubits from wall to wall.^{[d] 14} He measured^[e] the vestibule (sixty cubits) and the gate next to the post on every side of the court.^{[f](H) 15} From the front of the gate at the entrance to the end of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ The recesses and their posts had windows, with shutters^[g] on the inside of the gateway all around, and the vestibules also had windows on the inside all around, and on the posts were palm trees.^(I)

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court; there were chambers there and a pavement all around the court; thirty chambers fronted on the pavement.^{(J) 18} The pavement ran along the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the distance from the inner front of^[h] the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court, one hundred cubits.^[i](K)

²⁰ Then he measured the gate of the outer court that faced north—its depth and width. ²¹ Its recesses, three on either side, and its posts and its vestibule were of the same size as those of the first gate; its depth was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.^{(L) 22} Its windows, its vestibule, and its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. Seven steps led up to it, and its vestibule was on the inside.^{[j](M) 23} Opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to the inner court; he measured from gate to gate, one hundred cubits.^(N)

²⁴ Then he led me toward the south, and there was a gate on the south, and he measured its posts and its vestibule; they had the same dimensions as the others.^{(O) 25} There were windows all around in it and in its vestibule, like the windows of the others; its depth was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.^{(P) 26} There were seven steps leading up to it; its vestibule was on the inside.^[k] It had palm trees on its posts, one on either side.^{(Q) 27} There was a gate on the south of the inner court, and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, one hundred cubits.^(R)

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it was of the same dimensions as the others.^{(S) 29} Its recesses, its posts, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and there were windows all around in it and in its vestibule; its depth was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.^{(T) 30} There were vestibules all around the inner court,^[l] twenty-five cubits deep and five cubits wide.^{(U) 31} Its vestibule faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its posts, and its stairway had eight steps.^(V)

³² Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gate; it was of the same size as the others.^{(W) 33} Its recesses, its posts, and its vestibule were of the same dimensions as the others, and there were windows all around in it and in its vestibule; its depth was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.^{(X) 34} Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its posts, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.^(Y)

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it; it had the same dimensions as the others.^{(Z) 36} Its recesses, its posts, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others,^[m] and it had windows all around. Its depth was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.^{(AA) 37} Its vestibule^[n] faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its posts, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.^(AB)

³⁸ There was a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate^[o] where the burnt offering was to be washed.^{(AC) 39} And in the vestibule of the gate were two tables on either side on which the burnt offering and the purification offering and the guilt offering were to be slaughtered.^{(AD) 40} On the outside of the vestibule, where one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables, and on the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. ⁴¹ Four tables were on one side and four tables on the other side of the gate, eight tables, on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered. ⁴² There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered.^{(AE) 43} There were pegs one handbreadth long fastened all around the inside. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid.

⁴⁴ On the outside of the inner gateway there were two chambers^[p] in the inner court, one^[q] at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south^[r] gate facing north.^{(AF) 45} He said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple,^{(AG) 46} and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar; these are the descendants of Zadok, who alone among the descendants of Levi may come near to the Lord to minister to him.”^{(AH) 47} He measured the court, one hundred cubits deep and one hundred cubits wide, a square, and the altar was in front of the temple.^(AI)

The Temple

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the posts of the vestibule, five cubits deep on either side, and the width of the gate between the posts^[s] was fourteen cubits, and the shoulders of the gate were three cubits wide on either side.^{[t] 49} The width of the vestibule was twenty cubits and the depth twelve^[u] cubits; ten steps led up^[v] to it, and there were pillars beside the posts on either side.^(AJ)

41 Then he brought me to the nave and measured the posts; on each side six cubits was the depth of the posts.^{[w](AK) 2} The width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. He measured the length of the nave, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits.^{(AL) 3} Then he went into the inner room and measured the posts of the entrance, two cubits, and the width of the entrance, six cubits, and the sidewalls^[x] of the entrance, seven cubits.^{(AM) 4} He measured the depth of the room, twenty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits, beyond the nave. And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”^(AN)

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the width of the side chambers, four cubits, all around the temple. ⁶ The side chambers were in three stories, one over another, thirty in each story. There were offsets^[y] all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple.^{(AO) 7} The passageway^[z] of the side chambers widened from story to story, for the structure was supplied with a stairway all around the temple. For this reason the structure became wider from story to story. One ascended from the bottom story to the uppermost story by way of the middle one.^{(AP) 8} I saw also that the temple was on a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of six long cubits high.^{(AQ) 9} The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits, and the free space between the side chambers of the temple^{(AR) 10} and the chambers of the court was a width of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side.^{(AS) 11} The side chambers opened onto the area left free, one door toward the north and another door toward the south, and the width of the part that was left free was five cubits all around.^(AT)

¹² The building that was facing the temple yard on the west side was seventy cubits deep, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around and its width ninety cubits.^(AU)

¹³ Then he measured the temple, one hundred cubits deep, and the yard and the building with its walls, one hundred cubits deep,^{(AV) 14} also the width of the east front of the temple and the yard, one hundred cubits.^(AW)

¹⁵ Then he measured the width of the building facing the yard at the west, together with its galleries^[aa] on either side, one hundred cubits.

The nave of the temple’s interior and the outer^[ab] vestibule^{(AX) 16} were paneled,^[ac] and all around all three had windows with recessed^[ad] frames. Facing the threshold, the temple was paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered).^{(AY) 17} On the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside and on all the walls all around in the inner room and the nave there was a pattern.^{[ae] 18} It was formed of cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Each cherub had two faces:^{(AZ) 19} a human face turned toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion turned toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around;^{(BA) 20} from the floor to the area above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall.^[af]

²¹ The doorposts of the nave were square. In front of the holy place was something resembling^{(BB) 22} an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits wide;^[ag] its corners, its base,^[ah] and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”^{(BC) 23} The nave and the holy place had each a double door.^{(BD) 24} The doors had two leaves apiece, two swinging leaves for each door. ²⁵ On the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, such as were carved on the walls, and there was a canopy of wood in front of the vestibule outside. ²⁶ And there were recessed windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule.^[ai](BE)

The Promise of the Lord’s Coming

3 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you ² that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles. ³ First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts^{(A) 4} and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died,^[a] all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!”^{(B) 5} They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water,^{(C) 6} through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished.^{(D) 7} But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.^(E)

⁸ But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.^{(F) 9} The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you,^[b] not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.^{(G) 10} But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.^[c](H)

¹¹ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening^[d] the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and destroyed and the elements will melt with fire? ¹³ But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.^(I)

Final Exhortation and Doxology

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish,^{(J) 15} and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,^{(K) 16} speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist^[e] to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability.^{(L) 18} But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.^[f]