40 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me thither.

In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.

And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.

And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.

Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad.

And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.

He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.

Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.

10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.

11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

12 The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.

13 He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.

14 He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.

15 And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.

16 And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.

17 Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.

18 And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.

19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.

20 And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.

21 And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.

23 And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.

24 After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.

25 And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

26 And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.

27 And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits.

28 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

29 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

30 And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.

31 And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.

32 And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.

33 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

34 And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

35 And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;

36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

37 And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

38 And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.

39 And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.

40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.

41 Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.

42 And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

43 And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.

44 And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.

45 And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.

46 And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the Lord to minister unto him.

47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.

48 And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.

49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.

A 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 destroyed, in this day exactly, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there in visions from God. He brought me to the land of Israel and put me on a very high mountain, and on it was something like a structure of a city to the south. And he brought me there, and look, there was a man whose[a] appearance was like the appearance of bronze, and a cord of linen was in his hand and a reed for measurement; he was standing in the gate. And the man spoke to me, “Son of man,[b] look with your eyes and listen with your ears and apply[c] your heart to all that I am showing you, for you were brought here in order to show you this; tell all that you are seeing to the house of Israel.”

The Eastern Gate

And there was a wall on the outside of the temple all the way around it,[d] and in the hand of the man the reed[e] for measurement was six long cubits, according to[f] the cubit[g] and a handbreadth,[h] and he measured the width of the outer wall as one reed,[i] and the height as one reed.[j] And then he went toward[k] the gate whose face was to the east.[l] And he went up by[m] its steps, and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed[n] wide. And the alcove[o] was one reed[p] long and one reed[q] wide,[r] and between the alcoves was five cubits,[s] and the threshold of the gate along the side of the portico of the gate on the inside[t] was one reed.[u] And then he measured the portico of the gate on the inside[v] as one reed.[w] And he measured the portico of the gate as eight cubits,[x] and its pilaster was two cubits[y] thick, and he measured the portico of the gate on the inside.[z] 10 And the alcoves[aa] of the gate toward the way[ab] eastward[ac] were three on each side;[ad] the same measurements applied to all three of them;[ae] and the same measurement applied to the pilaster[af] on each side.[ag] 11 And he measured the width of the doorway of the gate as ten cubits[ah] and the length of the gateway[ai] was thirteen cubits.[aj] 12 And a wall[ak] was before[al] the alcoves; one cubit[am] on either side[an] was the wall from here.[ao] And the alcove was six cubits[ap] on each side.[aq] 13 And he measured the gate from the top slab of the alcove to its opposite top slab as twenty-five cubits in width, from one entrance to the other one opposite it.[ar] 14 And he made the pilasters sixty cubits,[as] and to the pilaster of the courtyard all the way around the gate.[at] 15 And from the front of[au] the gate at the entrance to the front of[av] the portico of the inner gate was fifty cubits.[aw] 16 And there were narrow windows for the alcoves and for their pilasters to the inside of the gate all the way around[ax] it. And likewise with respect to the porticos and windows were all the way around[ay] to the inside, and on a pilaster there were images of palm trees.[az]

The Outer Courtyard

17 And he brought me to the outer courtyard, and there were chambers and a pavement made for the courtyard all around it, and thirty chambers were facing to the pavement. 18 And the pavement flanked[ba] the side of the gates and all along the gates;[bb] this describes the lower pavement. 19 And he measured the width from the front of[bc] the lower gate to the front of[bd] the outside of the inner courtyard as a hundred cubits[be] to the east and to the north.

Measurement of the North Gate

20 And as for the gate that had its face toward the north[bf] of the outer courtyard, he measured its length and its width. 21 And its alcoves were three on each side,[bg] and its pilasters and its porticos had the same measurement[bh] as the first gate: its length was fifty cubits,[bi] and its width was twenty-five cubits.[bj] 22 And its windows and its porticos and its palm tree images were like the measurement of the gate that was facing toward the east;[bk] and it had[bl] seven steps that go up it, and there were porticos before them.[bm] 23 And a gate led to the inner courtyard, opposite the gate to the north and to the east, and he measured from gate to gate as a hundred cubits.[bn]

The Gate to the South

24 And then he took me toward the south,[bo] and look, a gate toward the south,[bp] and he measured its pilasters and its porticos; they had measurements just like the others.[bq] 25 And there were for it windows and for its porticos all the way around it[br] like these windows; fifty cubits[bs] long and twenty-five cubits[bt] wide. 26 And seven steps were going up to it and its porticos before them.[bu] And it had palm tree images[bv] all along[bw] its pilasters. 27 And there was to the way of the south[bx] a gate for the inner courtyard, and he measured from gate to the gate on the way of the south, a hundred cubits.[by]

Gates to the Inner Courtyard

28 And he brought me to the inner courtyard through[bz] the gate of the south, and he measured the south gate, and it had measurements like the others.[ca] 29 And its alcoves and its pilasters and its porticos were just like these measurements. And it had windows for it and for its porticos[cb] all the way around,[cc] fifty cubits[cd] along[ce] its length, and twenty-five cubits[cf] wide. 30 And there were porticos all the way around[cg] its length, twenty-five cubits;[ch] and its width was five cubits.[ci] 31 And its porticos were to the outer courtyard, and palm tree images were on its pilasters, and eight steps were for its stairs.

32 And he brought me to the inner courtyard by way of the east gate, and he measured the gate as just like the other measurements.[cj] 33 And its alcoves and its pilasters and its porticos were also like these measurements, and windows were for it and for its porticos all around;[ck] its length was fifty cubits,[cl] and it was twenty-five cubits[cm] wide. 34 And its porticos were toward the outer courtyard, and palm tree images were on its pilasters one each side,[cn] and eight steps served as it stairs.[co]

35 And he brought me to the gate of the north, and he measured it; and he measured the same measurements as these others,[cp] 36 its alcoves, its pilasters and porticos, and its windows[cq] all the way around,[cr] and a length of fifty cubits[cs] and twenty-five cubits wide.[ct] 37 And its pilasters faced the outer courtyard,[cu] and it had palm tree images on its pilasters[cv] on each side;[cw] and eight steps served as its stairs.

Rooms for Sacrificial Preparations

38 And a chamber with its doorway was in[cx] the pilasters at the gates,[cy] and there they rinsed off[cz] the burnt offering. 39 And in the portico of the gate were two tables on each side[da] to slaughter the burnt offering on them and the sin offering and the guilt offering. 40 And on the outer side as one goes up to the doorway of the gate to the north were two tables, and on the other side, which is toward the portico of the gate, were two tables. 41 On each side of the gate were four tables,[db] eight tables in all, and on them they slaughtered sacrifices. 42 And four tables were for the burnt offering, and made of dressed stones, one cubit and a half[dc] long and one cubit and a half wide and one cubit[dd] high was their measurements,[de] and they placed the objects[df] with which they slaughtered the burnt offering on them and the sacrifice. 43 And there were double-pronged hooks, one handbreadth in width, put in place in the house[dg] all around, and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

Rooms for Priests and Other Worship Leaders

44 And on the outside of the inner gate, there were chambers for[dh] singers in the inner courtyard, which was to the side of the north gate, and their faces[di] were to the south[dj] with respect to one, and on the side of the east gate one facing to the north. 45 And he said to me, “This chamber with its face toward the south[dk] is for the priests who are taking care of the responsibility of the temple. 46 And the chamber with its face to the north[dl] is for the priests who are taking care of the responsibility of the altar. They are the descendants[dm] of Zadok, the ones who approach from among the descendants[dn] of Levi to Yahweh to serve him.”

Inner Courtyard and Temple Measurements

47 And he measured the courtyard as to its length, a hundred cubits,[do] and a hundred cubits[dp] wide, squared, and the altar is in front of[dq] the temple. 48 And he brought me to the portico of the temple, and he measured the pilaster of the portico, five cubits on each side,[dr] and the width of the gate was three cubits on each side.[ds] 49 The length of the portico was twenty cubits[dt] and its width eleven cubits,[du] and with ten steps they went up to it, and the pilasters had pillars,[dv] one on each side.[dw]

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:3 Hebrew “his”
  2. Ezekiel 40:4 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  3. Ezekiel 40:4 Or “set/put”
  4. Ezekiel 40:5 Literally “all around, all around”
  5. Ezekiel 40:5 Or “rod”
  6. Ezekiel 40:5 Literally “with/in”
  7. Ezekiel 40:5 That is, about 18 inches
  8. Ezekiel 40:5 A handbreadth wasabout 3 inches; the reed/rod was 10.5 feet long
  9. Ezekiel 40:5 That is, 10.5 feet
  10. Ezekiel 40:5 That is, about 10.5 feet
  11. Ezekiel 40:6 Or “to”
  12. Ezekiel 40:6 Literally “to the way toward the east”
  13. Ezekiel 40:6 Or “with”
  14. Ezekiel 40:6 That is, about 10.5 feet
  15. Ezekiel 40:7 Or “niches” in the temple tower
  16. Ezekiel 40:7 That is, about 10.5 feet
  17. Ezekiel 40:7 That is, about 10.5 feet
  18. Ezekiel 40:7 That is, 10.5 x 10.5 feet
  19. Ezekiel 40:7 That is, about 8.75 feet
  20. Ezekiel 40:7 Literally “from the house”
  21. Ezekiel 40:7 That is, about 10.5 feet
  22. Ezekiel 40:8 Literally “from the house”
  23. Ezekiel 40:8 That is, about 10.5 feet.
  24. Ezekiel 40:9 That is, about 14 feet
  25. Ezekiel 40:9 That is, 3.5 feet
  26. Ezekiel 40:9 Literally “from the house”
  27. Ezekiel 40:10 Hebrew “alcove”
  28. Ezekiel 40:10 Or “direction”
  29. Ezekiel 40:10 Literally “of the east”
  30. Ezekiel 40:10 Literally “was three from here and three from here”
  31. Ezekiel 40:10 Literally “measurement one was to the three of them”
  32. Ezekiel 40:10 Literally “measurement one was to the pilaster”
  33. Ezekiel 40:10 Literally “from here and from there”
  34. Ezekiel 40:11 That is, 17.5 feet
  35. Ezekiel 40:11 Hebrew “gate”
  36. Ezekiel 40:11 That is, 22.75 feet; or the inside width of the gateway was 22.75 feet
  37. Ezekiel 40:12 Or “guard wall”; others prefer “curb” (NLT)
  38. Ezekiel 40:12 Literally “was to the face of”
  39. Ezekiel 40:12 That is, about 18 inches
  40. Ezekiel 40:12 Literally “cubit one and cubit one”; or 21 inches
  41. Ezekiel 40:12 Or “from the front”
  42. Ezekiel 40:12 That is, 10.5 feet
  43. Ezekiel 40:12 Literally “was six cubits from here and six cubits from here”
  44. Ezekiel 40:13 Literally “doorway opposite doorway”
  45. Ezekiel 40:14 That is, 105 feet (problematic in this context)
  46. Ezekiel 40:14 Literally “the gate all around, all around”
  47. Ezekiel 40:15 Literally “and at the face of”
  48. Ezekiel 40:15 Literally “the face of”
  49. Ezekiel 40:15 That is, 87.5 feet
  50. Ezekiel 40:16 Literally “all around, all around”
  51. Ezekiel 40:16 Literally “all around, all around”
  52. Ezekiel 40:16 Hebrew “tree”
  53. Ezekiel 40:18 Literally “was to the side of”
  54. Ezekiel 40:18 Literally “to along side the length of the gates”
  55. Ezekiel 40:19 Literally “to the face of”
  56. Ezekiel 40:19 Literally “to the face of”
  57. Ezekiel 40:19 That is, 175 feet
  58. Ezekiel 40:20 Literally “to the way of the north”
  59. Ezekiel 40:21 Literally “three from here and three from here”
  60. Ezekiel 40:21 Literally “it was like the measurement of”
  61. Ezekiel 40:21 That is, 87.5 feet
  62. Ezekiel 40:21 Literally “in/by the cubit”; 43.5 feet
  63. Ezekiel 40:22 Literally “its face to the way of the east”
  64. Ezekiel 40:22 Literally “and with steps”
  65. Ezekiel 40:22 Literally “to the face of them”
  66. Ezekiel 40:23 That is, 175 feet
  67. Ezekiel 40:24 Literally “to the way of the south”
  68. Ezekiel 40:24 Literally “to the way of the south”
  69. Ezekiel 40:24 Literally “like the measurements the these”
  70. Ezekiel 40:25 Literally “all around, all around”
  71. Ezekiel 40:25 That is, 87.5 feet
  72. Ezekiel 40:25 That is, 43.75 feet
  73. Ezekiel 40:26 Literally “to the face of them”
  74. Ezekiel 40:26 Literally “and palm tree images were for it”
  75. Ezekiel 40:26 Literally “from here and one from here to”
  76. Ezekiel 40:27 That is, “to the south”
  77. Ezekiel 40:27 That is, 175 feet
  78. Ezekiel 40:28 Or “at”
  79. Ezekiel 40:28 Literally “the measurements the these”
  80. Ezekiel 40:29 Hebrew “portico”
  81. Ezekiel 40:29 Literally “all around, all around”
  82. Ezekiel 40:29 Hebrew “cubit”
  83. Ezekiel 40:29 Literally “long”
  84. Ezekiel 40:29 That is, 43.75 feet
  85. Ezekiel 40:30 Literally “all around, all around”
  86. Ezekiel 40:30 That is, 43.75 feet
  87. Ezekiel 40:30 That is, 8.75 feet, which differs from 40:9; the LXX and some Greek versions lack this verse altogether
  88. Ezekiel 40:32 Literally “the measurements the these”
  89. Ezekiel 40:33 Literally “all around, all around”
  90. Ezekiel 40:33 That is, 87.5 feet
  91. Ezekiel 40:33 That is, 43.75 feet
  92. Ezekiel 40:34 Literally “from here and from here”
  93. Ezekiel 40:34 Literally “and eight steps its stairs”
  94. Ezekiel 40:35 Literally “like the measurements the these”
  95. Ezekiel 40:36 Literally “its windows were for it”
  96. Ezekiel 40:36 Literally “all around, all around”
  97. Ezekiel 40:36 That is, 87.5 feet
  98. Ezekiel 40:36 That is, 43.75 feet
  99. Ezekiel 40:37 Literally “were to the courtyard the outer”
  100. Ezekiel 40:37 Literally “and palm tree images were for its pilaster”
  101. Ezekiel 40:37 Literally “from here and from here”
  102. Ezekiel 40:38 Or “set among”
  103. Ezekiel 40:38 Or “gate”
  104. Ezekiel 40:38 Or “washed”
  105. Ezekiel 40:39 Literally “were two tables from here and two tables from here”
  106. Ezekiel 40:41 Literally “four tables from here and four tables from here”
  107. Ezekiel 40:42 That is, 31.5 inches
  108. Ezekiel 40:42 That is, 21 inches
  109. Ezekiel 40:42 Literally “wasto them
  110. Ezekiel 40:42 Or “instruments/utensils”
  111. Ezekiel 40:43 Or “inside”
  112. Ezekiel 40:44 Hebrew “of”
  113. Ezekiel 40:44 That is, of the chambers
  114. Ezekiel 40:44 Literally “were to the way of the south”
  115. Ezekiel 40:45 Literally “which its face is to the way of the south”
  116. Ezekiel 40:46 Literally “with its face is to the way of the north”
  117. Ezekiel 40:46 Or “sons”
  118. Ezekiel 40:46 Or “sons”
  119. Ezekiel 40:47 That is, 175 feet
  120. Ezekiel 40:47 That is, 175 feet
  121. Ezekiel 40:47 Literally “before face of”
  122. Ezekiel 40:48 That is, 8.75 feet; literally “five cubits from here and five cubits from here”
  123. Ezekiel 40:48 Literally “was three cubits from here and three cubits from here”
  124. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, 35 feet
  125. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, 19.25 feet; LXX reads 12 cubits or 21 feet
  126. Ezekiel 40:49 Literally “and pillars were to the pilasters”
  127. Ezekiel 40:49 Literally “one from here and one from here”