Ezekiel 40-42
English Standard Version
Vision of the New Temple
40 (A)In the twenty-fifth year (B)of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, (C)in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, (D)the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city.[a] 2 In (E)visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on (F)a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3 When he brought me there, behold, there was (G)a man whose appearance was (H)like bronze, with (I)a linen cord and (J)a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, (K)“Son of man, (L)look with your eyes, and (M)hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. (N)Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”
The East Gate to the Outer Court
5 And behold, there was (O)a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was six long cubits, (P)each being a cubit and a handbreadth[b] in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. 6 Then he went into (Q)the gateway facing east, (R)going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.[c] 7 And (S)the side rooms, one reed long and one reed broad; and the space between the side rooms, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end, one reed. 8 Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, on the inside, one reed. 9 Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; (T)and its jambs, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. 10 And there were three side rooms on either side of the east gate. (U)The three were of the same size, and the jambs on either side were of the same size. 11 Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits. 12 There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side. And the side rooms were six cubits on either side. 13 Then he measured the gate from the ceiling of the one side room to the ceiling of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; the openings faced each other. 14 He measured also (V)the vestibule, sixty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.[d] 15 From the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. 16 And the gateway had (W)windows all around, narrowing inwards toward the side rooms and toward their (X)jambs, and likewise the vestibule had windows all around inside, and on the jambs were (Y)palm trees.
The Outer Court
17 Then he brought me into (Z)the outer court. And behold, there were (AA)chambers and a (AB)pavement, all around the court. (AC)Thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 And 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 the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court,[e] a hundred cubits on the east side and on the north side.[f]
The North Gate
20 As for (AD)the gate that faced toward the north, belonging to (AE)the outer court, he measured its length and its breadth. 21 Its (AF)side rooms, three on either side, and its jambs and its vestibule were of the same size as those of (AG)the first gate. Its length was (AH)fifty cubits, and its breadth (AI)twenty-five cubits. 22 And (AJ)its windows, its vestibule, and (AK)its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. And by seven steps (AL)people would go up to it, and find its vestibule before them. 23 And opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to (AM)the inner court. And (AN)he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits.
The South Gate
24 And he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south. And (AO)he measured its jambs and its vestibule; they had the same size as the others. 25 Both it and its vestibule (AP)had windows all around, like the windows of the others. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 26 And there were seven steps leading up to it, and its vestibule was before them, and it had (AQ)palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. 27 And there was a gate on the south of (AR)the inner court. And he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits.
The Inner Court
28 Then he brought me to (AS)the inner court through the south gate, and (AT)he measured the south gate. It was of the same size as the others. 29 Its (AU)side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule (AV)had windows all around. (AW)Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 30 And there were vestibules all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad. 31 Its vestibule faced the outer court, and (AX)palm trees were on its jambs, and (AY)its stairway had eight steps.
32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and (AZ)he measured the gate. It was of the same size as the others. 33 Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 34 (BA)Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.
35 Then he brought me to (BB)the north gate, and (BC)he measured it. It had the same size as the others. 36 Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others,[g] and it had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 37 Its vestibule[h] faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.
38 There was (BD)a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate,[i] (BE)where the burnt offering was to be washed. 39 And in the vestibule of the gate were two (BF)tables on either side, on which the (BG)burnt offering and the (BH)sin offering and the (BI)guilt offering were to be slaughtered. 40 And off to the side, on the outside as one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables; and off to the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. 41 (BJ)Four tables were on either side of the gate, eight tables, (BK)on which to slaughter. 42 And there were four tables (BL)of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the (BM)burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered. 43 And hooks,[j] a handbreadth long, were fastened all around within. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid.
Chambers for the Priests
44 On the outside of the inner gateway there were two (BN)chambers[k] in the (BO)inner court, one[l] at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south[m] gate facing north. 45 And he said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests (BP)who have charge of the temple, 46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests (BQ)who have charge of the altar. These are (BR)the sons of Zadok, who alone[n] among the sons of Levi may come (BS)near to the Lord to minister to him.” 47 And he measured the court, (BT)a hundred cubits long and (BU)a hundred cubits broad, a square. And (BV)the altar was in front of the temple.
The Vestibule of the Temple
48 Then he brought me to (BW)the vestibule of the temple and measured the (BX)jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate[o] were three cubits on either side. 49 (BY)The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve[p] cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.[q] And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side.
The Inner Temple
41 Then he brought me to (BZ)the nave and measured the (CA)jambs. On each side six cubits[r] was the breadth of the jambs.[s] 2 And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. And he measured the length of the nave,[t] (CB)forty cubits, and its breadth, (CC)twenty cubits. 3 Then he went (CD)into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side[u] of the entrance, seven cubits. 4 And he measured (CE)the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across (CF)the nave. And he said to me, “This is (CG)the Most Holy Place.”
5 Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the breadth of (CH)the side chambers, four cubits, (CI)all around the temple. 6 And the side chambers were in three stories, one over another, (CJ)thirty in each story. There were offsets[v] all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, (CK)so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple. 7 And it became broader as it wound upward to the side chambers, because the temple was enclosed upward all around the temple. Thus the temple had a broad area upward, and (CL)so one went up from the lowest story to the top story through the middle story. 8 I saw also that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of (CM)six long cubits. 9 The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. (CN)The free space between the side chambers of the temple and the 10 (CO)other chambers was a breadth of (CP)twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. 11 And the doors of the (CQ)side chambers opened on (CR)the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. And the breadth of the free space was five cubits all around.
12 The building that was facing (CS)the separate yard on the west side was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.
13 Then he measured the temple, (CT)a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long; 14 also the breadth of the east front of the temple and the yard, a hundred cubits.
15 Then he measured the length of (CU)the building facing the yard that was at the back and (CV)its galleries[w] on either side, a hundred cubits.
The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, 16 (CW)the thresholds and (CX)the narrow windows and the galleries all around the three of them, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered), 17 to the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around, inside and outside, was a measured pattern.[x] 18 It was carved of (CY)cherubim and (CZ)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces: 19 (DA)a human face toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around. 20 From the floor to above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved; similarly the wall of the nave.
21 The doorposts of (DB)the nave were squared, and in front of (DC)the Holy Place was something resembling 22 (DD)an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad.[y] Its corners, its base,[z] and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is (DE)the table that is before the Lord.” 23 The nave and the Holy Place had each (DF)a double door. 24 The double doors had two leaves apiece, (DG)two swinging leaves for each door. 25 And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, (DH)such as were carved on the walls. And there was (DI)a canopy[aa] of wood in front of (DJ)the vestibule outside. 26 And there were (DK)narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, (DL)the side chambers of the temple, and the (DM)canopies.
The Temple's Chambers
42 Then he led me out into (DN)the outer court, (DO)toward the north, and he brought me to (DP)the chambers that were opposite (DQ)the separate yard and opposite (DR)the building on the north. 2 The length of the building whose door faced north was (DS)a hundred cubits,[ab] and (DT)the breadth fifty cubits. 3 Facing (DU)the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing (DV)the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was (DW)gallery[ac] against gallery in three stories. 4 And (DX)before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and (DY)a hundred cubits long,[ad] and (DZ)their doors were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 6 For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. 7 And (EA)there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, (EB)fifty cubits long. 8 For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite (EC)the nave[ae] were (ED)a hundred cubits long. 9 Below these chambers was (EE)an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.
10 In the thickness of (EF)the wall of the court, on the south[af] also, opposite (EG)the yard and opposite (EH)the building, there were (EI)chambers 11 with (EJ)a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits[ag] and arrangements and (EK)doors, 12 as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before (EL)the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.[ah]
13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite (EM)the yard are the holy chambers, (EN)where the priests who approach the Lord (EO)shall eat the (EP)most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—(EQ)the grain offering, (ER)the sin offering, and (ES)the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court (ET)without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. (EU)They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.”
15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by (EV)the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. 16 He measured the east side with (EW)the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 17 He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 18 He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides. It had (EX)a wall around it, (EY)500 cubits long and (EZ)500 cubits broad, (FA)to make a separation between the holy and the common.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 40:1 Hebrew brought me there
- Ezekiel 40:5 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters; a handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters
- Ezekiel 40:6 Hebrew deep, and one threshold, one reed deep
- Ezekiel 40:14 Text uncertain; Hebrew And he made the jambs sixty cubits, and to the jamb of the court was the gateway all around
- Ezekiel 40:19 Hebrew distance from before the low gate before the inner court to the outside
- Ezekiel 40:19 Or cubits. So far the eastern gate; now to the northern gate
- Ezekiel 40:36 One manuscript (compare verses 29 and 33); most manuscripts lack were of the same size as the others
- Ezekiel 40:37 Septuagint, Vulgate (compare verses 26, 31, 34); Hebrew jambs
- Ezekiel 40:38 Hebrew at the jambs, the gates
- Ezekiel 40:43 Or shelves
- Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew were chambers for singers
- Ezekiel 40:44 Hebrew lacks one
- Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew east
- Ezekiel 40:46 Hebrew lacks alone
- Ezekiel 40:48 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate
- Ezekiel 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew eleven
- Ezekiel 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew and by steps that would go up to it
- Ezekiel 41:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Ezekiel 41:1 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew tent
- Ezekiel 41:2 Hebrew its length
- Ezekiel 41:3 Septuagint; Hebrew and the breadth
- Ezekiel 41:6 Septuagint, compare 1 Kings 6:6; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Ezekiel 41:15 The meaning of the Hebrew term is unknown; also verse 16
- Ezekiel 41:17 Hebrew were measurements
- Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks two cubits broad
- Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length
- Ezekiel 41:25 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 26
- Ezekiel 42:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Ezekiel 42:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 5
- Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew and a way of one cubit
- Ezekiel 42:8 Or temple
- Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew east
- Ezekiel 42:11 Hebrew and all their exits
- Ezekiel 42:12 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.