The Daily Audio Bible

²⁸ When he brought me to the inner courtyard by way of the south gate, he took the same measurements of the south gate. ²⁹ Its rooms, arches, and porch, as well as its windows and porch all the way around, measured the same as the others. It was seventy-five feet long and thirty-seven and a half feet wide. ³⁰ There were porches all around, thirty-seven and a half feet long and seven and a half feet wide. ³¹ Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Palms decorated its arches, and its stairway had eight steps.

³² Then he brought me to the inner courtyard on the east side, and again he took the same measurements of the gate. ³³ Its rooms, arches, and porch measured the same as the others, as well as its windows and porch all the way around. It was seventy-five feet long and thirty-seven and a half feet wide. ³⁴ Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated its arches on both sides, and its stairway had eight steps. ³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate and took the same measurements of the ³⁶ rooms, arches, and porch, and also its windows all around. It was seventy-five feet long and thirty-seven and a half feet wide. ³⁷ Its porch^[a] faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated its arches on both sides, and its stairway had eight steps.

³⁸ At that gate, there was a room with an entrance in the arches for washing the entirely burned offering, ³⁹ and inside the porch on each side of the gate were two tables where the entirely burned offerings, the purification offerings, and the compensation offerings were slaughtered. ⁴⁰ Outside, two pairs of tables flanked the entrance of the north gate at both ends, at the steps on one end and the porch on the other. ⁴¹ There were four tables on each side of the gate, eight tables in all, for preparing the animal offerings. ⁴² The four tables that were used for the entirely burned offering as well as for the communal sacrifices were made of hewn stone. Each was twenty-seven inches square and eighteen inches high. Equipment used in the ritual slaughter was set on them. ⁴³ Hooks,^[b] three inches wide, were securely fixed all the way around. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate there were two^[c] chambers in the inner courtyard. The one beside the north gate faced south, and the one beside the east gate faced north. ⁴⁵ He spoke to me: “The chamber facing south is for the priests who keep watch over the temple, ⁴⁶ and the chamber facing north is for the priests who keep watch over the altar. Of all the Levites, only the Zadokites may draw near to serve the Lord.” ⁴⁷ Then he measured the courtyard. It was square, one hundred fifty feet long and one hundred fifty feet wide. The altar was in front of the temple.

The temple

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the porch of the temple and measured its arches. They were seven and a half feet on each side, and the width of the gate was four and a half feet on each side. ⁴⁹ The porch was thirty feet long and eighteen feet wide. Steps led up into the porch, and there were columns for the arches, one on each side.

41 He brought me to the main hall, and he measured the arches. They were nine feet deep on both sides, so that was also the depth of the tent. ² The entrance was fifteen feet wide, and the facades on either side of the entrance were seven and a half feet. When he measured its length, it was sixty feet, and its width was thirty feet. ³ Then he went into the inner room, and he measured the arches on both sides of the entrance; they were each three feet. The entrance was nine feet wide, and its depth was ten and a half feet. ⁴ When he measured the length of the inner room, it was thirty feet, and the width of the side adjoining the main hall was also thirty feet. He said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

⁵ When he measured the wall of the temple, it was nine feet, and the side chambers that went all the way around the temple were six feet. ⁶ Now these side chambers adjoined each other, thirty chambers in three stories. The side chambers had a ledge in the temple wall all the way around to serve as supports, but these supports were not inserted into the temple wall itself. ⁷ A wide ramp ascended stage by stage to the side chambers all the way around the temple. In this way, the ascent stage by stage all around the temple added to the temple’s width. One ascended from the foundation to the top by way of the middle story. ⁸ Then I looked at the temple: Its roof all around rested on the side chambers. Each raised section was ten and a half feet, and the indentations between them were nine feet.^{[d] 9} The width of the outer wall of the side chambers was seven and a half feet. The space left free between the temple’s side chambers and ¹⁰ the other chambers was thirty feet wide all the way around the temple. ¹¹ There were two entrances from the side chambers to the free space, one facing north, the other facing south. And the width of the place that was left free was seven and a half feet all the way around. ¹² The structure facing the yard on the west was one hundred five feet wide. The structure’s wall was seven and a half feet wide all the way around, and its length was one hundred thirty-five feet.

¹³ Then he measured the temple. It was one hundred fifty feet long. The yard, the structure, and its walls were also one hundred fifty feet. ¹⁴ The area in front of the house and the yard to the east was one hundred fifty feet also. ¹⁵ Then he measured the length of the structure along the side of the yard, including its promenades on both sides: one hundred fifty feet.

Now the interior of the main hall as well as the porches in the courtyard ¹⁶ were paneled all around, including the ceilings,^[e] closed windows, and its three courses of promenades that adjoined the ceiling. From the ground up to the windows was covered. ¹⁷ Above the entrance, from the interior to the exterior of the temple, and on every interior and exterior wall, ¹⁸ there were carved winged creatures and palm trees. The palm trees were positioned between the winged creatures, and each winged creature had two faces. ¹⁹ A human face turned toward one palm tree, and the face of a lion turned toward another. They were carved on the temple all the way around. ²⁰ From the ground to above the entrance, the walls of the main hall were carved with winged creatures and palm trees. ²¹ In the main hall itself, there were square doorposts in front of the holy place, where there was the appearance of ²² the altar. It was four and a half feet high and three feet wide. It was made of wood, and its corners, base, and sides were also wood. He said to me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”

²³ The main hall and the holy place each had two doors, ²⁴ and each door had two turning panels, two for one door and two for the other. ²⁵ Like the walls, the doors of the main hall were carved with winged creatures and palm trees. A single luxuriant^[f] tree stood outside, in front of the porch, ²⁶ while closed windows and palm trees decorated both sides of the facade of the porch, the temple’s side chambers, and the beams.

Conflict with people and God

4 What is the source of conflict among you? What is the source of your disputes? Don’t they come from your cravings that are at war in your own lives? ² You long for something you don’t have, so you commit murder. You are jealous for something you can’t get, so you struggle and fight. You don’t have because you don’t ask. ³ You ask and don’t have because you ask with evil intentions, to waste it on your own cravings.

⁴ You unfaithful people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy. ⁵ Or do you suppose that scripture is meaningless? Doesn’t God long for our faithfulness in^[a] the life he has given to us?^{[b] 6} But he gives us more grace. This is why it says, God stands against the proud, but favors the humble.^{[c] 7} Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. ⁸ Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Cry out in sorrow, mourn, and weep! Let your laughter become mourning and your joy become sadness. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, don’t say evil things about each other. Whoever insults or criticizes a brother or sister insults and criticizes the Law. If you find fault with the Law, you are not a doer of the Law but a judge over it. ¹² There is only one lawgiver and judge, and he is able to save and to destroy. But you who judge your neighbor, who are you?

Warning the proud and wealthy

¹³ Pay attention, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such-and-such a town. We will stay there a year, buying and selling, and making a profit.” ¹⁴ You don’t really know about tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for only a short while before it vanishes. ¹⁵ Here’s what you ought to say: “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast and brag, and all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ It is a sin when someone knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it.