Ezekiel 40-46

New American Standard Bible

Vision of the Man with a Measuring Rod

40 In the ^(A)twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the ^(B)city was ^[a]taken, on this very day the ^(C)hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me there. ² In the ^(D)visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very ^(E)high mountain, and on it ^(F)to the south there was something like a ^(G)structure of a city. ³ So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of ^(H)bronze, with a ^(I)thread of flax and a ^(J)measuring ^[b]rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. ⁴ And the man said to me, “^(K)Son of man, ^(L)see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and ^[c]pay attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. ^(M)Declare to the house of Israel all that you see.”

Measurements Relating to the Temple

⁵ And behold, there was a ^(N)wall on the outside of the ^[d]temple all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod of six ^[e]cubits, ^[f]each of which was a ^[g]cubit and a hand width. So he measured the thickness of the ^[h]wall, one rod; and the height, one rod. ⁶ Then he went to the gate which faced ^(O)east, went up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one rod ^[i]in width; and the other threshold was one rod ^[j]in width. ⁷ The ^(P)guardroom was one rod long and one rod wide; and there were five cubits between the guardrooms. And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate ^[k]facing inward was one rod. ⁸ Then he measured the porch of the gate ^[l]facing inward, one rod. ⁹ And he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its side pillars, two cubits. And the porch of the gate was ^[m]faced inward. ¹⁰ The guardrooms of the gate toward the east numbered three on each side; the three of them had the same measurement. The side pillars also had the same measurement on each side. ¹¹ And he measured the width of the ^[n]gateway, ten cubits, and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. ¹² There was a ^[o]barrier wall one cubit wide in front of the guardrooms on each side; and the guardrooms were six cubits square on each side. ¹³ And he measured the gate from the roof of the one guardroom to the roof of the other, a width of twenty-five cubits, from one door to the door opposite. ¹⁴ He made the side pillars sixty cubits high; the gate extended all around to the side pillar of the ^(Q)courtyard. ¹⁵ And from the front of the entrance gate to the front of the inner porch of the gate was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ And there were ^[p](R)shuttered windows looking toward the guardrooms, and toward their side pillars within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. And there were windows all around inside; and on each side pillar were ^(S)palm tree decorations.

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the ^(T)outer courtyard, and behold, there were ^(U)chambers and a stone pavement made for the courtyard all around; thirty chambers ^[q]faced the pavement. ¹⁸ And the pavement (that is, the lower pavement) was by the ^[r]side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. ¹⁹ Then he measured the width from the front of the ^(V)lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner courtyard, a ^(W)hundred cubits on the east and on the north.

²⁰ And as for the ^(X)gate of the outer courtyard which faced north, he measured its length and its width. ^21 [s]It had three ^(Y)guardrooms on each side; and its ^(Z)side pillars and its porches ^[t]had the same measurement as the first gate. Its length was ^(AA)fifty cubits, and the width ^(AB)twenty-five cubits. ²² Its ^(AC)windows, its porches, and its palm tree decorations had the same measurements as the ^(AD)gate which faced east; and ^[u]it was reached by seven ^(AE)steps, and its ^[v]porch was in front of them. ²³ The inner courtyard had a gate opposite the gate on the north as well as the gate on the east; and he measured a ^(AF)hundred cubits from gate to gate.

²⁴ Then he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a ^(AG)gate toward the south; and he measured its ^(AH)side pillars and its porches according to ^[w]those same measurements. ^25 [x]The gate and its porches had ^(AI)windows all around like ^[y]those other windows; the length was ^(AJ)fifty cubits and the width, twenty-five cubits. ²⁶ There were seven ^(AK)steps going up to it, and its porches were in front of them; and it had ^(AL)palm tree decorations on its side pillars, one on each side. ²⁷ The inner courtyard had a gate toward the ^(AM)south; and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a ^(AN)hundred cubits.

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner courtyard by the south gate; and he measured the south gate ^(AO)according to those same measurements. ²⁹ Its ^(AP)guardrooms also, its side pillars, and its ^(AQ)porches were according to those same measurements. And ^[z]the gate and its porches had ^(AR)windows all around; it was ^(AS)fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁰ There were ^(AT)porches all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. ³¹ And its porches were toward the outer courtyard; and ^(AU)palm tree decorations were on its side pillars, and its stairway had eight ^(AV)steps.

³² Then he brought me into the ^(AW)inner courtyard toward the east. And he measured the gate ^(AX)according to those same measurements. ³³ Its ^(AY)guardrooms also, its side pillars, and its porches were according to those same measurements. And ^[aa]the gate and its porches had ^(AZ)windows all around; it was ^(BA)fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁴ Its ^(BB)porches were toward the outer courtyard; and ^(BC)palm tree decorations were on its side pillars, on each side, and its stairway had eight ^(BD)steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the ^(BE)north gate; and he measured it according to those same measurements, ³⁶ with its ^(BF)guardrooms, its side pillars, and its ^(BG)porches. And ^[ab]the gate had ^(BH)windows all around; the length was ^(BI)fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. ³⁷ And its side pillars were toward the outer courtyard; and ^(BJ)palm tree decorations were on its side pillars, on each side, and its stairway had eight ^(BK)steps.

³⁸ A ^(BL)chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates; there they ^(BM)rinse the burnt offering. ³⁹ And in the porch of the gate were two ^(BN)tables on each side, on which to slaughter the ^(BO)burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. ⁴⁰ On the outer ^[ac]side, ^[ad]as one went up to the ^[ae]gateway toward the north, were two tables; and on the other ^[af]side of the porch of the gate were two tables. ⁴¹ Four ^(BP)tables were on each side ^[ag]next to the gate; eight tables on which they slaughter sacrifices. ⁴² For the burnt offering there were four ^(BQ)tables of ^(BR)cut stone, a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high, on which they set the utensils with which they slaughter the ^(BS)burnt offering and the sacrifice. ⁴³ And the double ^[ah]hooks, ^[ai]one hand width in length, were installed ^[aj]in the house all around; and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

⁴⁴ From the outside to the ^(BT)inner gate were ^[ak](BU)chambers for the ^(BV)singers in the inner courtyard, one of which was at the ^[al]side of the north gate, with ^[am]its front toward the south, and one at the ^[an]side of the ^[ao]south gate facing north. ⁴⁵ Then he said to me, “This is the ^(BW)chamber which faces south, intended for the priests who ^[ap]are ^(BX)responsible for the ^[aq]temple; ⁴⁶ but the ^(BY)chamber which faces north is for the priests who ^[ar]are ^(BZ)responsible for the altar. They are the ^(CA)sons of Zadok, who from the sons of Levi ^(CB)come near to the Lord to serve Him.” ⁴⁷ He measured the courtyard, a perfect square, a ^(CC)hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide; and the altar was in front of the ^[as]temple.

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the ^(CD)porch of the ^[at]temple and measured each side pillar of the porch, five cubits on each side; and the width of the gate was three cubits on each side. ⁴⁹ The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; and at the ^(CE)stairway by which it was ascended were ^(CF)columns belonging to the side pillars, one on each side.

The Inner Temple

41 Then he ^(CG)brought me to the ^(CH)sanctuary, and he measured the ^(CI)side pillars: six ^[au]cubits wide on each side was the width of the ^[av]side pillar. ² The width of the entrance was ten cubits and the ^[aw]sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. He also measured ^[ax]the length of the sanctuary, ^(CJ)forty cubits, and the width, ^(CK)twenty cubits. ³ Then he went ^[ay](CL)inside and measured each ^(CM)side pillar of the doorway, two cubits, and the doorway, six cubits high; and the width of the doorway, seven cubits. ⁴ And he measured its length, ^(CN)twenty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits, before the ^(CO)sanctuary; and he said to me, “This is the ^(CP)Most Holy Place.”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the ^[az]temple, six cubits; and the width of the ^(CQ)side chambers, four cubits, all around the house on every side. ^6 (CR)The side chambers were in three stories, ^[ba]one above another, and ^[bb]thirty in each story; and ^[bc]the side chambers ^(CS)extended to the wall which stood on ^[bd]their inward side all around, so that they could be attached, but not be attached to the wall of the temple itself. ⁷ And the side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each successive story. Because the ^(CT)structure surrounding the temple went upward by stages on all sides of the temple, for that reason the width of the temple increased as it went higher; and so one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the ^[be]second story. ⁸ I saw also that the house had a raised ^[bf]platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers were a full ^[bg]rod of ^(CU)six ^[bh]long cubits in height. ⁹ The ^[bi]thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. But the ^(CV)free space between the side chambers belonging to the temple ¹⁰ and the outer ^(CW)chambers was twenty cubits in width around the temple on every side. ¹¹ The ^[bj]doorways of the side ^[bk]chambers toward the ^(CX)free space consisted of one doorway toward the north, and another doorway toward the south; and the width of the ^(CY)free space was five cubits all around.

¹² The ^(CZ)building that was in front of the ^(DA)separate area at the side toward the west was seventy cubits wide; and the wall of the building was five cubits ^[bl]thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.

¹³ Then he measured the temple, a ^(DB)hundred cubits long; the ^(DC)separate area with the ^(DD)building and its walls were also a ^(DE)hundred cubits long. ¹⁴ Also the width of the front of the temple and that of the separate ^[bm]areas along the east side totaled a hundred cubits.

¹⁵ And he measured the length of the ^(DF)building ^[bn]along the front of the ^(DG)separate area behind it, with a ^[bo](DH)gallery on each side, a hundred cubits; he also measured the inner sanctuary and the porches of the courtyard. ¹⁶ The ^(DI)thresholds, the ^[bp](DJ)latticed windows, and the ^[bq](DK)galleries all around their ^(DL)three stories, opposite the threshold, were ^(DM)paneled with wood all around, and from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), ¹⁷ over the entrance, and to the inner house, and on the outside, and on all the wall all around inside and outside, by measurement. ¹⁸ It was ^[br]carved with ^(DN)cherubim and ^(DO)palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces: ¹⁹ a ^(DP)human face toward the palm tree on one side and a young ^(DQ)lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were ^[bs]carved on all the house all around. ²⁰ From the ground to above the entrance ^(DR)cherubim and ^(DS)palm trees were ^[bt]carved, as well as on the wall of the sanctuary.

²¹ The ^(DT)doorposts of the ^(DU)sanctuary were square; as for the front of the inner ^[bu]sanctuary, the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other. ²² The ^(DV)altar was of wood, three cubits high, and its length two cubits; its corners, its ^[bv]base, and its ^[bw]sides were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the ^(DW)table that is before the Lord.” ²³ The ^(DX)sanctuary and the inner ^[bx](DY)sanctuary each had a double ^(DZ)door. ²⁴ Each of the doors had two leaves, two ^[by](EA)swinging leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. ²⁵ Also there were ^[bz]carved on them, on the doors of the main room, ^(EB)cherubim and ^(EC)palm trees like those ^[ca]carved on the walls; and there was a ^[cb](ED)threshold of wood on the front of the porch outside. ²⁶ And there were ^[cc](EE)latticed windows and ^(EF)palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the ^(EG)porch; the same were on the ^(EH)side chambers of the house and the ^[cd]thresholds.

Chambers of the Temple

42 Then he ^(EI)brought me out into the ^(EJ)outer courtyard, the way ^(EK)toward the north; and he brought me to the ^(EL)chamber which was opposite the ^(EM)separate area and opposite the ^(EN)building toward the north. ² Along the length, which was a ^(EO)hundred ^[ce]cubits, was the north door; the width was fifty cubits. ³ Opposite the ^(EP)twenty cubits which belonged to the inner courtyard, and opposite the ^(EQ)stone pavement which belonged to the outer courtyard, was ^[cf](ER)gallery corresponding to ^[cg]gallery in three stories. ⁴ In front of the ^(ES)chambers was an inner passage ten cubits wide, a way of one hundred cubits; and their openings were on the north. ⁵ Now the upper chambers were ^[ch]smaller because the ^[ci](ET)galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building. ⁶ For they were in ^(EU)three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courtyards; for that reason the upper chambers were ^[cj]set back from the ground upward, more than the lower and middle ones. ⁷ As for the ^(EV)outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer courtyard facing the chambers, its length was fifty cubits. ⁸ For the length of the chambers which were in the outer courtyard was fifty cubits; and behold, the length of those facing the main room was a ^(EW)hundred cubits. ⁹ And below these chambers was the ^(EX)entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer courtyard.

¹⁰ In the ^[ck]thickness of the ^(EY)wall of the courtyard toward the east, facing the ^(EZ)separate area and facing the building, there were ^(FA)chambers. ¹¹ And the ^(FB)way in front of them was like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north; according to their length, so was their width, and all their exits were according to their building plans and openings. ¹² Corresponding to the openings of the chambers which were toward the south was an opening at the head of the way, the way in front of the ^(FC)wall toward the east, as one enters them.

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the ^(FD)separate area, they are the ^(FE)holy chambers where the priests who are ^(FF)near to the Lord shall eat the ^(FG)most holy things. There they shall set the most holy things, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; for the place is holy. ¹⁴ When the priests enter, they shall not go out into the outer courtyard from the sanctuary ^[cl]without ^(FH)laying their ^(FI)garments there in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they shall approach that which is for the people.”

¹⁵ Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by way of the ^(FJ)gate which faced east, and measured it all around. ¹⁶ He measured on the east side with the measuring ^[cm]rod: five hundred rods by the ^(FK)measuring rod. ¹⁷ He measured on the north side: five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ¹⁸ On the south side he measured five hundred rods with the measuring rod. ¹⁹ He turned to the west side and measured five hundred rods with the measuring rod. ²⁰ He measured it ^[cn]on the four sides; it had a ^(FL)wall all around, the ^(FM)length five hundred rods and the ^(FN)width five hundred, to ^(FO)divide between the holy and the ^[co]common.

Vision of the Glory of God Filling the Temple

43 Then he led me to the ^(FP)gate, the gate facing east; ² and behold, the ^(FQ)glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the ^(FR)east. And His ^(FS)voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth ^(FT)shone from His glory. ³ And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the ^(FU)vision which I saw when ^[cp]He came to ^(FV)destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the ^(FW)river Chebar; and I ^(FX)fell on my face. ⁴ And the glory of the Lord entered the house by way of the gate facing ^(FY)east. ⁵ And the ^(FZ)Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the ^(GA)glory of the Lord filled the house.

⁶ Then I heard Him speaking to me from the house, while a ^(GB)man was standing beside me. ⁷ And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My ^(GC)throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will ^(GD)dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their prostitution and by the ^[cq](GE)corpses of their kings ^[cr]when they die, ⁸ by putting their threshold by My threshold, and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have ^(GF)defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger. ⁹ Now let them ^(GG)remove their prostitution and the ^[cs]corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will ^(GH)dwell among them forever.

¹⁰ “As for you, son of man, ^(GI)inform the house of Israel of the ^[ct]temple, so that they will be ^(GJ)ashamed of their wrongdoings; and have them measure the ^[cu](GK)plan. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of everything that they have done, make known to them the plan of the house, its layout, its ^(GL)exits, its entrances, all its plans, all its ^[cv]statutes, and all its laws. And write it ^(GM)in their sight, so that they may observe its entire plan and all its statutes and ^(GN)execute them. ¹² This is the ^[cw]law of the house: its entire ^[cx]area on the top of the ^(GO)mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the ^[cy]law of the house.

The Altar of Sacrifice

¹³ “And these are the measurements of the ^(GP)altar by cubits (the ^(GQ)cubit being a ^[cz]cubit and a hand width): the ^[da]base shall be a cubit and the width a cubit, and its border on its edge all around one span; and this shall be the height of the ^[db]base of the altar. ¹⁴ And from the base on the ground to the lower ^(GR)ledge shall be two cubits, and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits, and the width ^[dc]one cubit. ¹⁵ The ^[dd]altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the ^[de]altar hearth shall extend upward four ^(GS)horns. ¹⁶ Now the ^[df]altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, ^(GT)square in its four sides. ¹⁷ And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides, the border around it shall be half a cubit, and its base shall be a cubit all around; and its ^(GU)steps shall ^[dg](GV)face east.”

The Offerings

¹⁸ And He said to me, “^(GW)Son of man, this is what the Lord ^[dh]God says: ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer ^(GX)burnt offerings on it and to ^(GY)sprinkle blood on it. ¹⁹ You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the descendants of ^(GZ)Zadok, who come ^(HA)near to Me to serve Me,’ declares the Lord God, ‘a ^[di](HB)bull as a ^(HC)sin offering. ²⁰ And you shall take some of its blood and put it on its four ^(HD)horns and on the four corners of the ^(HE)ledge, and on the border all around; so you shall ^(HF)cleanse it and make atonement for it. ²¹ You shall also take the bull as the sin offering, and it shall be ^(HG)burned in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.

²² ‘And on the second day you shall offer a ^(HH)male goat without blemish as a sin offering, and they shall ^(HI)cleanse the altar from sin as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a ^[dj](HJ)bull without blemish and a ^(HK)ram without blemish from the flock. ²⁴ You shall offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall throw ^(HL)salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ^25 (HM)For seven days you shall prepare a goat as a sin offering daily; also a ^[dk]bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, shall be prepared. ²⁶ For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they ^[dl]consecrate it. ²⁷ When they have completed the days, it shall be that on the ^(HN)eighth day and onward, the priests shall ^[dm]offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your ^(HO)peace offerings; and I will ^(HP)accept you,’ declares the Lord God.”

Gate for the Prince

44 Then He brought me back by way of the ^(HQ)outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. ² And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the ^(HR)Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. ³ As for the ^(HS)prince, he shall sit in it as prince to ^(HT)eat bread before the Lord; he shall ^(HU)enter by way of the ^(HV)porch of the gate and shall go out ^[dn]by the same way.”

⁴ Then He brought me by way of the ^(HW)north gate to the front of the house; and I looked, and behold, the ^(HX)glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I ^(HY)fell on my face. ⁵ And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, ^[do](HZ)pay attention, see with your eyes and hear with your ears everything that I say to you concerning all the ^(IA)statutes of the house of the Lord and all its laws; and ^[dp]pay attention to the entrance of the house, with all the exits of the sanctuary. ⁶ You shall say to the ^[dq](IB)rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord ^[dr]God says: “^(IC)Enough of all your abominations, house of Israel, ⁷ when you brought in ^(ID)foreigners, ^(IE)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, My house, when you ^(IF)offered My food, the fat, and the blood and they ^(IG)broke My covenant—this in addition to all your abominations. ⁸ And you have not ^[ds](IH)taken responsibility for My holy things yourselves, but you have appointed foreigners ^[dt]to take responsibility for My sanctuary.”

⁹ ‘This is what the Lord God says: “^(II)No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. ¹⁰ But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who ^(IJ)went astray from Me ^[du]following their idols, shall ^(IK)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing. ¹¹ Yet they shall be ^(IL)ministers in My sanctuary, having ^(IM)oversight at the gates of the house and ^(IN)ministering in the house; they shall ^(IO)slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall ^(IP)stand before them to minister to them. ¹² Since they ministered to them ^(IQ)before their idols and became a ^(IR)stumbling block of wrongdoing to the house of Israel, for that reason I have ^[dv](IS)sworn against them,” declares the Lord God, “that they shall ^(IT)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing. ¹³ And they shall ^(IU)not approach Me to serve as priests for Me, nor approach any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will ^(IV)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. ¹⁴ Nevertheless I will ^[dw]appoint them ^[dx]to ^(IW)take responsibility for the house, of all its service and of everything that shall be done in it.

Ordinances for the Levites

¹⁵ “But the ^(IX)Levitical priests, the sons of ^(IY)Zadok, who ^[dy](IZ)took responsibility for My sanctuary when the sons of Israel ^(JA)went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to serve Me; and they shall ^(JB)stand before Me to offer Me the ^(JC)fat and the blood,” declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ “They shall ^(JD)enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My ^(JE)table to serve Me and ^[dz]assume the responsibility I give them. ¹⁷ And it shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner courtyard, they shall be clothed with ^(JF)linen garments; and wool shall not ^[ea]be worn by them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner courtyard or in the house. ¹⁸ Linen ^(JG)turbans shall be on their heads and ^(JH)linen undergarments shall be around their waists; they shall not put on anything that makes them sweat. ¹⁹ And when they go out into the outer courtyard, into the outer courtyard to the people, they shall ^(JI)take off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments, so that they will ^(JJ)not transfer holiness to the people with their garments. ²⁰ Also they shall ^(JK)not shave their heads, yet they shall not ^(JL)let their locks ^[eb]grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads. ^21 (JM)Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard. ²² And they shall not ^[ec]marry a widow or a ^(JN)divorced woman, but shall ^(JO)take virgins from the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. ²³ Moreover, they shall teach My people the ^(JP)difference between the holy and the ^[ed]common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. ²⁴ In a dispute ^(JQ)they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My ^(JR)appointed feasts, and ^(JS)sanctify My Sabbaths. ^25 [ee](JT)They shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may defile themselves. ²⁶ And after he is ^(JU)cleansed, seven days ^[ef]shall elapse for him. ²⁷ On the day that he goes into the sanctuary, to the ^(JV)inner courtyard to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his ^(JW)sin offering,” declares the Lord God.

²⁸ “And it shall be regarding an inheritance for them, that ^(JX)I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no property in Israel—I am their property. ²⁹ They shall ^(JY)eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; and everything ^(JZ)banned from secular use in Israel shall be theirs. ³⁰ And the first of all the ^(KA)first fruits of every kind and every ^[eg]contribution of every kind, from all your ^[eh]contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the ^(KB)first of your ^[ei]dough, to make a ^(KC)blessing rest on your house. ³¹ The priests shall not eat any bird or animal that has ^(KD)died a natural death or has been torn to pieces by animals.

The Lord’s Portion of the Land

45 “Now when you ^(KE)divide the land by lot for inheritance, you shall offer ^[ej]an ^(KF)allotment to the Lord, a ^(KG)holy portion of the land; the length shall be a length of twenty-five thousand ^[ek](KH)cubits, and the width shall be ^[el]twenty thousand. It shall be holy within its entire surrounding boundary. ² Out of this there shall be for the sanctuary a square encompassing ^(KI)five hundred by five hundred cubits, and fifty cubits for its ^[em](KJ)open space round about. ³ From this ^[en]area you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand cubits and a width of ten thousand cubits; and in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. ⁴ It shall be the holy portion of the land; it shall be for the ^(KK)priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who ^(KL)come near to serve the Lord, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. ⁵ An area ^(KM)twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house, and for their possession ^[eo]cities in which to live.

⁶ “And you shall give the ^(KN)city possession of an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand cubits long, alongside the ^[ep]allotment of the holy portion; it shall be for the entire house of Israel.

Portion for the Prince

⁷ “And the ^(KO)prince shall have land on either side of the holy ^[eq]allotment and the ^[er]property of the city, adjacent to the holy ^[es]allotment and the ^[et]property of the city, on the west side toward the west and on the east side toward the east, and in length comparable to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border. ⁸ This shall be his land as a possession in Israel; so My princes shall no longer ^(KP)oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel ^(KQ)according to their tribes.”

⁹ ‘This is what the Lord ^[eu]God says: “^(KR)Enough, you princes of Israel; get rid of ^(KS)violence and destruction, and ^(KT)practice justice and righteousness. Revoke your ^(KU)evictions of My people,” declares the Lord God.

¹⁰ “You shall have ^(KV)accurate balances, an accurate ^[ev](KW)ephah, and an accurate ^[ew](KX)bath. ¹¹ The ephah and the bath shall be ^[ex]the same quantity, so that the bath will contain a tenth of a ^(KY)homer, and the ephah a tenth of a ^[ey]homer; ^[ez]their standard shall be according to the homer. ¹² And the ^(KZ)shekel shall be twenty ^(LA)gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

¹³ “This is the offering that you shall offer: a sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat; a sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley; ¹⁴ and the prescribed portion of oil (namely, the bath of oil), a tenth of a bath from each kor (which is ten baths or a homer, for ten baths are a homer); ¹⁵ and one sheep from each flock of two hundred from the watering places of Israel—for a ^(LB)grain offering, for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to ^(LC)make atonement for them,” declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ “^(LD)All the people of the land shall ^[fa]give to this offering for the ^(LE)prince in Israel. ¹⁷ And it shall be the ^(LF)prince’s part to provide the ^(LG)burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the drink offerings, at the ^(LH)feasts, on the ^(LI)new moons, and on the Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the ^(LJ)peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

¹⁸ ‘This is what the Lord God says: “In the ^(LK)first month, on the first of the month, you shall take a ^[fb]bull ^(LL)without blemish and ^(LM)cleanse the sanctuary from sin. ¹⁹ And the priest shall take some of the blood from the sin offering and put it on the door posts of the house, on the ^(LN)four corners of the ^(LO)ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner courtyard. ²⁰ And you shall do this on the seventh day of the month for everyone who does ^(LP)wrong inadvertently or is naive; so you shall make ^(LQ)atonement for the house.

²¹ “In the ^(LR)first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the ^(LS)Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. ²² On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a ^(LT)bull as a sin offering. ²³ And during the ^(LU)seven days of the feast he shall provide as a ^(LV)burnt offering to the Lord ^(LW)seven bulls and seven rams without blemish on every day of the seven days, and a male goat daily as a sin offering. ²⁴ And he shall provide as a ^(LX)grain offering an ^[fc]ephah ^[fd]with a bull, an ^[fe]ephah ^[ff]with a ram, and a ^[fg]hin of oil ^[fh]with an ephah. ²⁵ In the ^(LY)seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he shall provide like these, seven days ^[fi]for the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.”

The Prince’s Offerings

46 ‘This is what the Lord ^[fj]God says: “The ^(LZ)gate of the ^(MA)inner courtyard facing east shall be ^(MB)shut for the six ^(MC)working days; but it shall be opened on the ^(MD)Sabbath day and opened on the day of the ^(ME)new moon. ² The ^(MF)prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate from outside and stand by the ^(MG)post of the gate. Then the priests shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then go out; but the gate shall not be ^(MH)shut until the evening. ³ The ^(MI)people of the land shall also worship at the doorway of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the ^(MJ)new moons. ⁴ The ^(MK)burnt offering which the prince shall offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be ^(ML)six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish; ⁵ and the ^(MM)grain offering shall be an ^[fk]ephah ^[fl]with the ram, and the grain offering ^[fm]with the lambs ^[fn]as much as he is ^(MN)able to give, and a ^[fo]hin of oil ^[fp]with an ephah. ⁶ On the day of the ^(MO)new moon he shall offer a ^[fq]bull without blemish, and six lambs and a ram, which shall be without blemish. ⁷ And he shall provide a ^(MP)grain offering, an ephah ^[fr]with the bull and an ephah ^[fs]with the ram, and ^[ft]with the lambs as ^[fu]much as he is ^(MQ)able, and a hin of oil ^[fv]with an ephah. ⁸ When the ^(MR)prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate, and go out by ^[fw]the same way. ⁹ But when the people of the land come ^(MS)before the Lord at the appointed feasts, one who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And one who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. ^[fx]No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but shall go straight out. ¹⁰ And when they go in, the prince shall go in ^(MT)among them; and when they go out, ^[fy]he shall go out.

¹¹ “At the ^(MU)festivals and the appointed feasts, the ^(MV)grain offering shall be an ephah ^[fz]with a bull and an ephah ^[ga]with a ram, and ^[gb]with the lambs as ^[gc]much as one is able to give, and a hin of oil ^[gd]with an ephah. ¹² And when the prince provides a ^(MW)[ge]voluntary offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a ^[gf]voluntary offering to the Lord, the gate facing east shall be ^(MX)opened for him. And he shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he does on the ^(MY)Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he goes out.

¹³ “And you shall provide a ^(MZ)lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord daily; ^(NA)morning by morning you shall provide it. ¹⁴ You shall also provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a ^(NB)sixth of an ephah and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour, a grain offering to the Lord continually by ^[gg]a permanent ordinance. ¹⁵ So they shall provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, morning by morning, as a ^(NC)continual burnt offering.”

¹⁶ ‘This is what the Lord God says: “If the prince gives a ^(ND)gift from his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. ¹⁷ But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the ^(NE)year of ^[gh]release; then it shall return to the prince. His inheritance shall be only his sons’; it shall belong to them. ¹⁸ And the prince shall ^(NF)not take from the people’s inheritance, ^[gi](NG)depriving them of their property; he shall give his sons inheritance from his own property, so that My people will not be scattered, anyone from his property.”’”

The Boiling Places

¹⁹ Then he brought me through the ^(NH)entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which faced north; and behold, a place was there at the extreme rear toward the west. ²⁰ And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the ^(NI)guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall ^(NJ)bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer courtyard ^[gj]and transfer holiness to the people.”

²¹ Then he brought me out into the outer courtyard and led me across to the four corners of the courtyard; and behold, in every corner of the courtyard there was a small courtyard. ²² In the four corners of the courtyard there were enclosed courtyards, forty ^[gk]cubits long and thirty wide; these four in the corners were ^[gl]the same size. ²³ And there was a row of masonry all around in them, around the four of them, and cooking hearths were made under the rows all around. ²⁴ Then he said to me, “These are the cooking ^[gm]places where the ministers of the house shall cook the sacrifices of the people.”