The Inner Gates

28 Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others. 29 Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 30 (There were porticoes all around, 43¾ feet long and 8¾ feet wide.[a]) 31 Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.

32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others. 33 Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 34 Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

35 Then he brought me to the north gate.(A) When he measured it, it had the same measurements as the others, 36 as did its recesses, jambs, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 37 Its portico[b] faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

38 There was a chamber whose door opened into the gate’s portico.[c] The burnt offering was to be washed there.(B) 39 Inside the gate’s portico there were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, sin offering,(C) and guilt offering.(D) 40 Outside, as one approaches the entrance of the north gate, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. 41 So there were four tables inside the gate and four outside, eight tables in all on which the slaughtering was to be done. 42 There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering,(E) each 31½ inches[d] long, 31½ inches wide, and 21 inches high. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. 43 There were three-inch[e] hooks[f] fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be laid on the tables.

Rooms for Singers and Priests

44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers:[g](F) one[h] beside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south[i] gate, facing north. 45 Then the man said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple.(G) 46 The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok,(H) the ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the Lord to serve him.”(I) 47 Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar(J) was in front of the temple.

48 Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were 8¾ feet thick on each side. The width of the gate was 24½ feet,[j] and the side walls of the gate were[k] 5¼ feet[l] wide on each side. 49 The portico was 35 feet[m] across and 21[n] feet[o] deep, and 10 steps led[p] up to it.(K) There were pillars by the jambs, one on each side.(L)

Inside the Temple

41 Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the jambs;(M) on each side the width of the jamb was 10½ feet.[q][r] The width of the entrance was 17½ feet,[s] and the side walls of the entrance were 8¾ feet[t] wide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet,[u] and the width, 35 feet.[v](N) He went inside the next room and measured the jambs at the entrance;(O) they were 3½ feet[w] wide. The entrance was 10½ feet wide, and the width of the entrance’s side walls on each side[x] was 12¼ feet.[y] He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet.(P) And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”(Q)

Outside the Temple

Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10½ feet thick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was 7 feet.[z](R) The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of thirty rooms each.[aa] There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself.(S) The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple’s broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.[ab](T)

I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10½ feet high.[ac](U) The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was 8¾ feet. The free space between the side rooms of the temple 10 and the outer chambers was 35 feet wide all around the temple.(V) 11 The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8¾ feet wide all around.

12 Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122½ feet[ad] wide. The wall of the building was 8¾ feet thick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157½ feet.[ae]

13 Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet[af] long.(W) In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long. 14 The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet. 15 Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries[ag] on each side;(X) it was 175 feet.

Interior Wooden Structures

The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court— 16 the thresholds, the beveled windows,(Y) and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold—were overlaid with wood on all sides.(Z) They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), 17 reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern 18 carved with cherubim and palm trees.(AA) There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim.(AB) Each cherub had two faces: 19 a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side,(AC) and a lion’s face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides. 20 Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.

21 The doorposts of the great hall were square,(AD) and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance. 22 The altar was[ah] made of wood, 5¼ feet[ai] high and 3½ feet long.[aj] It had corners, and its length[ak] and sides were of wood.(AE) The man told me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”(AF)

23 The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,(AG) 24 and each of the doors had two swinging panels.(AH) There were two panels for one door and two for the other. 25 Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy[al](AI) outside, in front of the portico. 26 There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides,(AJ) on the side walls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.[am]

Footnotes

  1. 40:30 Some Hb mss, LXX omit v. 30
  2. 40:37 LXX; MT reads jambs
  3. 40:38 Text emended; MT reads door was by the jambs, at the gates
  4. 40:42 Lit one and a half cubits
  5. 40:43 Lit one handbreadth
  6. 40:43 Or ledges
  7. 40:44 LXX reads were two chambers
  8. 40:44 LXX; MT reads singers, which was
  9. 40:44 LXX; MT reads east
  10. 40:48 Lit 14 cubits
  11. 40:48 LXX; MT omits 24½ feet, and the side walls of the gate were
  12. 40:48 Lit three cubits
  13. 40:49 Lit 20 cubits
  14. 40:49 LXX; MT reads 19¼
  15. 40:49 Lit 12 cubits
  16. 40:49 MT reads and it was on steps that they would go
  17. 41:1 LXX; MT reads jambs; they were 10½ feet wide on each side—the width of the tabernacle
  18. 41:1 Lit six cubits, also in vv. 3,5
  19. 41:2 Lit 10 cubits
  20. 41:2 Lit five cubits, also in vv. 9,11,12
  21. 41:2 Lit 40 cubits
  22. 41:2 Lit 20 cubits, also in vv. 4,10
  23. 41:3 Lit two cubits, also in v. 22
  24. 41:3 LXX; MT reads width of the entrance
  25. 41:3 Lit seven cubits
  26. 41:5 Lit four cubits
  27. 41:6 Lit another three and thirty times
  28. 41:7 Hb obscure
  29. 41:8 Lit a full rod of six cubits of a joint; Hb obscure
  30. 41:12 Lit 70 cubits
  31. 41:12 Lit 90 cubits
  32. 41:13 Lit 100 cubits
  33. 41:15 Or ledges
  34. 41:21–22 Or and in front of the sanctuary was something that looked like 22 an altar
  35. 41:22 Lit three cubits
  36. 41:22 LXX reads long and 3½ feet wide
  37. 41:22 LXX reads base
  38. 41:25 Hb obscure
  39. 41:26 Hb obscure

The Gates to the Inner Court

28 Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements(A) as the others. 29 Its alcoves,(B) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.(C) 30 (The porticoes(D) of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.) 31 Its portico(E) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.(F)

32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements(G) as the others. 33 Its alcoves,(H) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its portico(I) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.

35 Then he brought me to the north gate(J) and measured it. It had the same measurements(K) as the others, 36 as did its alcoves,(L) its projecting walls and its portico, and it had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37 Its portico[a](M) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.(N)

The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

38 A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings(O) were washed. 39 In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings,(P) sin offerings[b](Q) and guilt offerings(R) were slaughtered.(S) 40 By the outside wall of the portico of the gateway, near the steps at the entrance of the north gateway were two tables, and on the other side of the steps were two tables. 41 So there were four tables on one side of the gateway and four on the other—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were slaughtered. 42 There were also four tables of dressed stone(T) for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.[c] On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.(U) 43 And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth[d] long, were attached to the wall all around. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.

The Rooms for the Priests

44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two rooms, one[e] at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south[f] gate and facing north. 45 He said to me, “The room facing south is for the priests who guard the temple,(V) 46 and the room facing north(W) is for the priests who guard the altar.(X) These are the sons of Zadok,(Y) who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.(Z)

47 Then he measured the court: It was square—a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.(AA)

The New Temple

48 He brought me to the portico of the temple(AB) and measured the jambs of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the entrance was fourteen cubits[g] and its projecting walls were[h] three cubits[i] wide on either side. 49 The portico(AC) was twenty cubits[j] wide, and twelve[k] cubits[l] from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs,[m] and there were pillars(AD) on each side of the jambs.

41 Then the man brought me to the main hall(AE) and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits[n] on each side.[o] The entrance was ten cubits[p] wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits[q] wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.[r](AF)

Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits[s] wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits[t] wide. And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall.(AG) He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.(AH)

Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits[u] wide. The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty(AI) on each level. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into the wall of the temple.(AJ) The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive level. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so that the rooms widened as one went upward. A stairway(AK) went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the middle floor.

I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits. The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick. The open area between the side rooms of the temple 10 and the priests’ rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. 11 There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the north and another on the south; and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.

12 The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits[v] wide. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.[w]

13 Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits[x] long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long. 14 The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.(AL)

15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries(AM) on each side; it was a hundred cubits.

The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, 16 as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows(AN) and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered.(AO) 17 In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary 18 were carved(AP) cherubim(AQ) and palm trees.(AR) Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:(AS) 19 the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple.(AT) 20 From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.

21 The main hall(AU) had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar. 22 There was a wooden altar(AV) three cubits[y] high and two cubits square[z]; its corners, its base[aa] and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table(AW) that is before the Lord.” 23 Both the main hall(AX) and the Most Holy Place had double doors.(AY) 24 Each door had two leaves—two hinged leaves(AZ) for each door. 25 And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico. 26 On the sidewalls of the portico were narrow windows with palm trees carved on each side. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs.(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:37 Septuagint (see also verses 31 and 34); Hebrew jambs
  2. Ezekiel 40:39 Or purification offerings
  3. Ezekiel 40:42 That is, about 2 2/3 feet long and wide and 21 inches high or about 80 centimeters long and wide and 53 centimeters high
  4. Ezekiel 40:43 That is, about 3 1/2 inches or about 9 centimeters
  5. Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew were rooms for singers, which were
  6. Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew east
  7. Ezekiel 40:48 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  8. Ezekiel 40:48 Septuagint; Hebrew entrance was
  9. Ezekiel 40:48 That is, about 5 1/4 feet or about 1.6 meters
  10. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  11. Ezekiel 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew eleven
  12. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  13. Ezekiel 40:49 Hebrew; Septuagint Ten steps led up to it
  14. Ezekiel 41:1 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters; also in verses 3, 5 and 8
  15. Ezekiel 41:1 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts side, the width of the tent
  16. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 18 feet or about 5.3 meters
  17. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 8 3/4 feet or about 2.7 meters; also in verses 9, 11 and 12
  18. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 70 feet long and 35 feet wide or about 21 meters long and 11 meters wide
  19. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 3 1/2 feet or about 1.1 meters; also in verse 22
  20. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.7 meters
  21. Ezekiel 41:5 That is, about 7 feet or about 2.1 meters
  22. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 123 feet or about 37 meters
  23. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 158 feet or about 48 meters
  24. Ezekiel 41:13 That is, about 175 feet or about 53 meters; also in verses 14 and 15
  25. Ezekiel 41:22 That is, about 5 1/4 feet or about 1.5 meters
  26. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew long
  27. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length

Proud or Humble

What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions(A) that wage war within you?[a] You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war.[b] You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.(B)

You adulterous people![c] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.(C) Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?[d](D)

But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:

God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.[e](E)

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.(F) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.(G) Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.(H) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer[f] defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.(I) 12 There is one lawgiver and judge[g] who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?(J)

Our Will and God’s Will

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”(K) 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.(L)

15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.(M) 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.(N)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Or war in your members
  2. 4:2 Or You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and wage war.
  3. 4:4 Lit Adulteresses
  4. 4:5 Or Scripture says: He jealously yearns for the spirit he made to live in us?, or Scripture says: The Spirit he made to dwell in us longs jealously?
  5. 4:6 Pr 3:34
  6. 4:11 Or his brother or sister
  7. 4:12 Other mss omit and judge

Submit Yourselves to God

What causes fights and quarrels(A) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle(B) within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill.(C) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive,(D) because you ask with wrong motives,(E) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous(F) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(G) means enmity against God?(H) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(I) Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?(J) But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”[c](K)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(L) and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.(M) Wash your hands,(N) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(O) you double-minded.(P) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(Q) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(R)

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.(S) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them(T) speaks against the law(U) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,(V) but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,(W) the one who is able to save and destroy.(X) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?(Y)

Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Now listen,(Z) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”(AA) 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.(AB) 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,(AC) we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.(AD) 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.(AE)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
  2. James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
  3. James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
  4. James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.

19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.(A)
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.(B)
21 I will give thanks to you
because you have answered me
and have become my salvation.(C)
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.(D)
23 This came from the Lord;
it is wondrous in our sight.(E)
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
let’s rejoice and be glad in it.(F)

25 Lord, save us!
Lord, please grant us success!(G)
26 He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.(H)
From the house of the Lord we bless you.(I)
27 The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.(J)
28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt you.(K)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(L)

Read full chapter

19 Open for me the gates(A) of the righteous;
    I will enter(B) and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord(C)
    through which the righteous may enter.(D)
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;(E)
    you have become my salvation.(F)

22 The stone(G) the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;(H)
23 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous(I) in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.(J)

25 Lord, save us!(K)
    Lord, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes(L) in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.[a](M)
27 The Lord is God,(N)
    and he has made his light shine(O) on us.
With boughs in hand,(P) join in the festal procession
    up[b] to the horns of the altar.(Q)

28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God,(R) and I will exalt(S) you.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 118:26 The Hebrew is plural.
  2. Psalm 118:27 Or Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it

A destitute leader[a] who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no food.(A)

Those who reject the law praise the wicked,(B)
but those who keep the law pit themselves against them.(C)

The evil do not understand justice,(D)
but those who seek the Lord understand everything.(E)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 28:3 LXX reads A wicked man

A ruler[a] who oppresses the poor
    is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
    but those who heed it resist them.

Evildoers do not understand what is right,
    but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:3 Or A poor person