Beginning
A Vision of the New Temple
40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was destroyed, in this day exactly, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there 2 in visions from God. He brought me to the land of Israel and put me on a very high mountain, and on it was something like a structure of a city to the south. 3 And he brought me there, and look, there was a man whose[a] appearance was like the appearance of bronze, and a cord of linen was in his hand and a reed for measurement; he was standing in the gate. 4 And the man spoke to me, “Son of man,[b] look with your eyes and listen with your ears and apply[c] your heart to all that I am showing you, for you were brought here in order to show you this; tell all that you are seeing to the house of Israel.”
The Eastern Gate
5 And there was a wall on the outside of the temple all the way around it,[d] and in the hand of the man the reed[e] for measurement was six long cubits, according to[f] the cubit[g] and a handbreadth,[h] and he measured the width of the outer wall as one reed,[i] and the height as one reed.[j] 6 And then he went toward[k] the gate whose face was to the east.[l] And he went up by[m] its steps, and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed[n] wide. 7 And the alcove[o] was one reed[p] long and one reed[q] wide,[r] and between the alcoves was five cubits,[s] and the threshold of the gate along the side of the portico of the gate on the inside[t] was one reed.[u] 8 And then he measured the portico of the gate on the inside[v] as one reed.[w] 9 And he measured the portico of the gate as eight cubits,[x] and its pilaster was two cubits[y] thick, and he measured the portico of the gate on the inside.[z] 10 And the alcoves[aa] of the gate toward the way[ab] eastward[ac] were three on each side;[ad] the same measurements applied to all three of them;[ae] and the same measurement applied to the pilaster[af] on each side.[ag] 11 And he measured the width of the doorway of the gate as ten cubits[ah] and the length of the gateway[ai] was thirteen cubits.[aj] 12 And a wall[ak] was before[al] the alcoves; one cubit[am] on either side[an] was the wall from here.[ao] And the alcove was six cubits[ap] on each side.[aq] 13 And he measured the gate from the top slab of the alcove to its opposite top slab as twenty-five cubits in width, from one entrance to the other one opposite it.[ar] 14 And he made the pilasters sixty cubits,[as] and to the pilaster of the courtyard all the way around the gate.[at] 15 And from the front of[au] the gate at the entrance to the front of[av] the portico of the inner gate was fifty cubits.[aw] 16 And there were narrow windows for the alcoves and for their pilasters to the inside of the gate all the way around[ax] it. And likewise with respect to the porticos and windows were all the way around[ay] to the inside, and on a pilaster there were images of palm trees.[az]
The Outer Courtyard
17 And he brought me to the outer courtyard, and there were chambers and a pavement made for the courtyard all around it, and thirty chambers were facing to the pavement. 18 And the pavement flanked[ba] the side of the gates and all along the gates;[bb] this describes the lower pavement. 19 And he measured the width from the front of[bc] the lower gate to the front of[bd] the outside of the inner courtyard as a hundred cubits[be] to the east and to the north.
Measurement of the North Gate
20 And as for the gate that had its face toward the north[bf] of the outer courtyard, he measured its length and its width. 21 And its alcoves were three on each side,[bg] and its pilasters and its porticos had the same measurement[bh] as the first gate: its length was fifty cubits,[bi] and its width was twenty-five cubits.[bj] 22 And its windows and its porticos and its palm tree images were like the measurement of the gate that was facing toward the east;[bk] and it had[bl] seven steps that go up it, and there were porticos before them.[bm] 23 And a gate led to the inner courtyard, opposite the gate to the north and to the east, and he measured from gate to gate as a hundred cubits.[bn]
The Gate to the South
24 And then he took me toward the south,[bo] and look, a gate toward the south,[bp] and he measured its pilasters and its porticos; they had measurements just like the others.[bq] 25 And there were for it windows and for its porticos all the way around it[br] like these windows; fifty cubits[bs] long and twenty-five cubits[bt] wide. 26 And seven steps were going up to it and its porticos before them.[bu] And it had palm tree images[bv] all along[bw] its pilasters. 27 And there was to the way of the south[bx] a gate for the inner courtyard, and he measured from gate to the gate on the way of the south, a hundred cubits.[by]
Gates to the Inner Courtyard
28 And he brought me to the inner courtyard through[bz] the gate of the south, and he measured the south gate, and it had measurements like the others.[ca] 29 And its alcoves and its pilasters and its porticos were just like these measurements. And it had windows for it and for its porticos[cb] all the way around,[cc] fifty cubits[cd] along[ce] its length, and twenty-five cubits[cf] wide. 30 And there were porticos all the way around[cg] its length, twenty-five cubits;[ch] and its width was five cubits.[ci] 31 And its porticos were to the outer courtyard, and palm tree images were on its pilasters, and eight steps were for its stairs.
32 And he brought me to the inner courtyard by way of the east gate, and he measured the gate as just like the other measurements.[cj] 33 And its alcoves and its pilasters and its porticos were also like these measurements, and windows were for it and for its porticos all around;[ck] its length was fifty cubits,[cl] and it was twenty-five cubits[cm] wide. 34 And its porticos were toward the outer courtyard, and palm tree images were on its pilasters one each side,[cn] and eight steps served as it stairs.[co]
35 And he brought me to the gate of the north, and he measured it; and he measured the same measurements as these others,[cp] 36 its alcoves, its pilasters and porticos, and its windows[cq] all the way around,[cr] and a length of fifty cubits[cs] and twenty-five cubits wide.[ct] 37 And its pilasters faced the outer courtyard,[cu] and it had palm tree images on its pilasters[cv] on each side;[cw] and eight steps served as its stairs.
Rooms for Sacrificial Preparations
38 And a chamber with its doorway was in[cx] the pilasters at the gates,[cy] and there they rinsed off[cz] the burnt offering. 39 And in the portico of the gate were two tables on each side[da] to slaughter the burnt offering on them and the sin offering and the guilt offering. 40 And on the outer side as one goes up to the doorway of the gate to the north were two tables, and on the other side, which is toward the portico of the gate, were two tables. 41 On each side of the gate were four tables,[db] eight tables in all, and on them they slaughtered sacrifices. 42 And four tables were for the burnt offering, and made of dressed stones, one cubit and a half[dc] long and one cubit and a half wide and one cubit[dd] high was their measurements,[de] and they placed the objects[df] with which they slaughtered the burnt offering on them and the sacrifice. 43 And there were double-pronged hooks, one handbreadth in width, put in place in the house[dg] all around, and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.
Rooms for Priests and Other Worship Leaders
44 And on the outside of the inner gate, there were chambers for[dh] singers in the inner courtyard, which was to the side of the north gate, and their faces[di] were to the south[dj] with respect to one, and on the side of the east gate one facing to the north. 45 And he said to me, “This chamber with its face toward the south[dk] is for the priests who are taking care of the responsibility of the temple. 46 And the chamber with its face to the north[dl] is for the priests who are taking care of the responsibility of the altar. They are the descendants[dm] of Zadok, the ones who approach from among the descendants[dn] of Levi to Yahweh to serve him.”
Inner Courtyard and Temple Measurements
47 And he measured the courtyard as to its length, a hundred cubits,[do] and a hundred cubits[dp] wide, squared, and the altar is in front of[dq] the temple. 48 And he brought me to the portico of the temple, and he measured the pilaster of the portico, five cubits on each side,[dr] and the width of the gate was three cubits on each side.[ds] 49 The length of the portico was twenty cubits[dt] and its width eleven cubits,[du] and with ten steps they went up to it, and the pilasters had pillars,[dv] one on each side.[dw]
Sanctuary and Temple
41 And he brought me to the temple sanctuary,[dx] and he measured the pilasters, six cubits[dy] wide on each side;[dz] this was the width of the tent.[ea] 2 And the width of the doorway was ten cubits,[eb] and the sidewall of the doorway was five cubits on each side,[ec] and he measured its[ed] length as forty cubits,[ee] and its width was twenty cubits.[ef] 3 And he went into the inner room, and he measured the pilaster of the doorway as two cubits[eg] and the doorway as six cubits[eh] and the width of the doorway seven cubits.[ei] 4 And he measured its length as twenty cubits[ej] and its width as twenty cubits to the front of the temple, and he said to me, “This is the most holy place.[ek]
5 And he measured the wall of the temple as six cubits,[el] and the width of the side room as four cubits[em] all along the outside wall for the temple all around the wall.[en] 6 And the side rooms were side by side[eo] in three stories and a total of thirty rooms,[ep] and there were offsets[eq] in the wall, which was for the temple for the side rooms, all the way around[er] to be supports, and so they were not supports extending into the wall of the temple. 7 And each level widened, and it went around[es] upward[et] to the side rooms for the structure that surrounds[eu] the temple upward[ev] all the way around,[ew] therefore the width increased to the temple upward,[ex] and thus the lower level goes up to the upper level by means of the middle story.
8 And I saw for the temple a platform all the way around[ey] the foundations of the side rooms; it was the length of a full reed, six cubits long.[ez] 9 The width of the outside wall, which was for the side room to the outside, was five cubits,[fa] and a space that was set between the side rooms, which was for the temple 10 and between the chambers was the width of twenty cubits[fb] all around the temple, all the way around[fc] it. 11 And the doorway of the side room faced[fd] the open area; one doorway faced[fe] the north,[ff] and one doorway was to the south, and the width of the place of the open area was five cubits[fg] all around.[fh] 12 And the building that faced[fi] the courtyard was toward the west,[fj] and its width was seventy cubits,[fk] and the wall of the building was five cubits[fl] wide all the way around,[fm] and its length was ninety cubits.[fn] 13 And he measured the temple, and its length was a hundred cubits,[fo] and the courtyard and the building and its walls, their length was a hundred cubits.[fp] 14 And the width of the front of the temple and the courtyard to the east was a hundred cubits.[fq] 15 And he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard[fr] at the rear[fs] and its galleries, a hundred cubits[ft] on each side,[fu] and also the temple, the court, and the porticos of the courtyard, 16 the thresholds and the framed windows and the galleries around the three of them. Before the threshold was a covering of wood all around,[fv] and from the ground up to the windows, and all around the windows, they were covered. 17 Above[fw] the doorway and up to the inner temple[fx] and on the outside, and on all of the wall all the way around[fy] in the inner and in the outer areas were patterns,[fz] 18 and it was made of cherubim and palm tree images; a palm tree image between cherub and cherub, and the cherub had two faces.[ga] 19 And the face of a human was toward[gb] the palm tree image on the one side,[gc] and the face of a fierce strong lion faced[gd] the palm tree image on the other side;[ge] this work was executed[gf] for the entire temple all the way around.[gg] 20 From the ground up to above[gh] the doorway,[gi] the cherubim and the palm tree images were made,[gj] and also the outer wall of the temple.
21 As far as the temple is concerned its doorframe was squared, and before[gk] the sanctuary was the appearance as it were the appearance of 22 a wooden altar[gl] that was three cubits[gm] high, and its length was two cubits,[gn] and its corners[go] for it and its length and its walls were of wood. And he spoke to me, “This is the table that is before[gp] Yahweh.” 23 And the two doors were for the temple and for the sanctuary. 24 And two leaves[gq] of a door were for each of the doors, two hinged leaves of a door: two were for the first door, and two leaves of a door were for the other door. 25 And cherubim were made[gr] on them, that is, on the doors of the temple and palm tree images like the ones prepared for the walls;[gs] and an overhang of wood was on the surface of the porticos on the outside. 26 And narrow windows and palm tree images were on either side,[gt] and on the side walls of the portico, and the side rooms of the temple and their[gu] overhang.
Description of Rooms for the Priests
42 And he brought me out to the outer courtyard to the north,[gv] and he brought me to the chamber which was opposite the courtyard and which is opposite the building to the north. 2 As to[gw] the face of the length of the building with the doorway to the north, it was a hundred cubits,[gx] and its[gy] width was fifty cubits.[gz] 3 Opposite the twenty cubits of the inner courtyard,[ha] and opposite the pavement that was to the outer courtyard was a gallery facing[hb] a gallery in the three stories. 4 And in front of[hc] the chambers was a passageway ten cubits[hd] in width toward the inside, a walkway of one cubit,[he] and their doorways were to the north. 5 And the upper chambers narrowed, for the galleries took away space from them more than they took from the lower levels and more than they took from the middle level in the building. 6 For they[hf] were three stories and they had no pillars[hg] like[hh] the pillars of[hi] the courtyards; therefore they were smaller than the lower stories and than the middle stories from the ground up. 7 And there was a wall that was to the outside alongside[hj] the chambers on the walkway to[hk] the outer courtyard[hl] in front of[hm] the chambers; its length was fifty[hn] cubits.[ho] 8 For[hp] the length of the chambers which were to the outer courtyard was fifty[hq] cubits,[hr] and look![hs] The chambers on the front of the temple were a hundred[ht] cubits.[hu] 9 And from under these chambers was the entrance[hv] from the east for them when one enters[hw] from the outer courtyard.
10 All along the width of the wall of the courtyard eastward[hx] in front of the courtyard to the front of the building were chambers. 11 And a walkway was before them[hy] like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north,[hz] just like them in their length, and so was their width and all their exits, and they were built like their arrangements and like their doorways, 12 and like the doorways of the chambers which were on the way of the south was a doorway at the head of the way[ia] before the stone wall, projecting[ib] on[ic] the way of the east at their coming.[id]
13 And he said to me, “The chambers of the north and the chambers of the south which are before[ie] the courtyard, they are the holy chambers[if] in which the priests, who are near to Yahweh, will eat the most holy objects.[ig] There they shall put the most holy objects,[ih] and the grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering, for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter,[ii] then they shall not go out from the sanctuary to the outer courtyard; and there they must put[ij] their garments in which they serve because they are holy. They must put on other garments and then they may approach the area that is for the people.
15 And he completed the measurements of the inner temple, and he brought me to the walkway of the gate that faces toward the east[ik] and he measured it all the way around.[il] 16 He measured the east side with the reed[im] for[in] measuring, five hundred cubits,[io] with respect to reeds with the reed for measurement, he measured it all around. 17 He measured the north side as five hundred cubits, with respect to reeds with the reed for measurement all around. 18 Then he measured the south side as five hundred cubits, with respect to reeds with the reed for measurement. 19 He went around the west side[ip] and he measured five hundred cubits, with respect to reeds with the reed for measurement. 20 Toward the four sides[iq] he measured it; there was a wall for it all the way around.[ir] Its length was five hundred cubits[is] and its width was five hundred cubits, in order to make a separation between what is holy and what is common.
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