The Inner Temple

41 Then he brought me to ^(A)the nave and measured the ^(B)jambs. On each side six cubits^[a] was the breadth of the jambs.^{[b] 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,^{[c] (C)}forty cubits, and its breadth, ^(D)twenty cubits. ³ Then he went ^(E)into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side^[d] of the entrance, seven cubits. ⁴ And he measured ^(F)the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across ^(G)the nave. And he said to me, “This is ^(H)the Most Holy Place.”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the breadth of ^(I)the side chambers, four cubits, ^(J)all around the temple. ⁶ And the side chambers were in three stories, one over another, ^(K)thirty in each story. There were offsets^[e] all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, ^(L)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 ^(M)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 ^(N)six long cubits. ⁹ The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. ^(O)The free space between the side chambers of the temple and the ^10 (P)other chambers was a breadth of ^(Q)twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. ¹¹ And the doors of the ^(R)side chambers opened on ^(S)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 ^(T)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, ^(U)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 ^(V)the building facing the yard that was at the back and ^(W)its galleries^[f] on either side, a hundred cubits.

The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, ^16 (X)the thresholds and ^(Y)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.^{[g] 18} It was carved of ^(Z)cherubim and ^(AA)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces: ^19 (AB)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 ^(AC)the nave were squared, and in front of ^(AD)the Holy Place was something resembling ^22 (AE)an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad.^[h] Its corners, its base,^[i] and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is ^(AF)the table that is before the Lord.” ²³ The nave and the Holy Place had each ^(AG)a double door. ²⁴ The double doors had two leaves apiece, ^(AH)two swinging leaves for each door. ²⁵ And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, ^(AI)such as were carved on the walls. And there was ^(AJ)a canopy^[j] of wood in front of ^(AK)the vestibule outside. ²⁶ And there were ^(AL)narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, ^(AM)the side chambers of the temple, and the ^(AN)canopies.

The Temple's Chambers

42 Then he led me out into ^(AO)the outer court, ^(AP)toward the north, and he brought me to ^(AQ)the chambers that were opposite ^(AR)the separate yard and opposite ^(AS)the building on the north. ² The length of the building whose door faced north was ^(AT)a hundred cubits,^[k] and ^(AU)the breadth fifty cubits. ³ Facing ^(AV)the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing ^(AW)the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was ^(AX)gallery^[l] against gallery in three stories. ⁴ And ^(AY)before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and ^(AZ)a hundred cubits long,^[m] and ^(BA)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 ^(BB)there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, ^(BC)fifty cubits long. ⁸ For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite ^(BD)the nave^[n] were ^(BE)a hundred cubits long. ⁹ Below these chambers was ^(BF)an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.

¹⁰ In the thickness of ^(BG)the wall of the court, on the south^[o] also, opposite ^(BH)the yard and opposite ^(BI)the building, there were ^(BJ)chambers ¹¹ with ^(BK)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^[p] and arrangements and ^(BL)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 ^(BM)the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.^[q]

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite ^(BN)the yard are the holy chambers, ^(BO)where the priests who approach the Lord ^(BP)shall eat the ^(BQ)most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—^(BR)the grain offering, ^(BS)the sin offering, and ^(BT)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 ^(BU)without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. ^(BV)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 ^(BW)the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with ^(BX)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 ^(BY)a wall around it, ^(BZ)500 cubits long and ^(CA)500 cubits broad, ^(CB)to make a separation between the holy and the common.

Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

10 For since the law has but ^(A)a shadow ^(B)of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, ^(C)it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. ² Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But ^(D)in these sacrifices ^(E)there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴ For ^(F)it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Consequently, ^(G)when Christ^[a] came into the world, he said,

⁸ When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in ^(I)sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), ⁹ then he added, ^(J)“Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will ^(K)we have been sanctified through the offering of ^(L)the body of Jesus Christ ^(M)once for all.

¹¹ And every priest stands ^(N)daily at his service, ^(O)offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, ^(P)which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ^[b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he ^(Q)sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time ^(R)until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering ^(S)he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁷ then he adds,

¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The Full Assurance of Faith

^19 (V)Therefore, brothers,^[c] since we have confidence to enter ^(W)the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by ^(X)the new and living way that he opened for us through ^(Y)the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have ^(Z)a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts ^(AA)sprinkled clean ^(AB)from an evil conscience and our bodies ^(AC)washed with pure water. ^23 (AD)Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for ^(AE)he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And ^(AF)let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ^25 (AG)not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ^(AH)all the more as you see ^(AI)the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For ^(AJ)if we go on sinning deliberately ^(AK)after receiving the knowledge of the truth, ^(AL)there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ^27 (AM)but a fearful expectation of judgment, and ^(AN)a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ^28 (AO)Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy ^(AP)on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one ^(AQ)who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned ^(AR)the blood of the covenant ^(AS)by which he was sanctified, and has ^(AT)outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, ^(AU)“Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, ^(AV)“The Lord will judge his people.” ^31 (AW)It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after ^(AX)you were enlightened, you endured ^(AY)a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being ^(AZ)publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For ^(BA)you had compassion on those in prison, and ^(BB)you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had ^(BC)a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has ^(BD)a great reward. ³⁶ For ^(BE)you have need of endurance, so that ^(BF)when you have done the will of God you may ^(BG)receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

The Lord Surrounds His People

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.