Bible in 90 Days
36 Eternal One: Son of man, preach to Israel’s mountains. Tell them to heed the word of the Eternal.
2 Here is what the Eternal Lord has to say:
Eternal One: The enemy rejoiced over you and said, “Finally! The ancient highlands are ours.” 3 Because they rejoiced, I, the Eternal Lord, say, “Your enemies crushed you from every side and left you nothing but an empty wasteland. They have carried you off in pieces, divided you up, and made you a remnant among the nations; and you became the topic of everyone’s gossip and malicious attacks.”
4 Because of this, you mountains of Israel, heed the word of the Eternal Lord. The Eternal Lord says this to the ancient mountains and hills, to the riverbeds and valleys, and to the empty wasteland and deserted cities that have been plundered and mocked by every nation around you.
Eternal One: 5 With fiery passion I have spoken against the rest of the nations, but most especially to Edom, who with malicious joy took My precious land for themselves and divided it up as their spoil. 6 Therefore speak out about the land of Israel to the ancient mountains and hills and rivers and valleys.
The Eternal Lord gave this message to me.
Eternal One: Look! I have spoken with fiery anger and jealousy because you have been scoffed at by the nations. 7 Therefore, I, the Eternal Lord, lift My hand and swear to you that those nations around you will suffer as you have; they’ll be mocked and put to shame.
8 But you, Israel’s mountains, will shoot forth new branches and bear fruit for My people Israel. They will be home soon. 9 I, of course, care about you and will turn My attention on you. Therefore, your soil will be plowed and your fields sown. 10 I will increase the population and replenish the whole community of Israel. I will bring life back into the desolate cities, and heaps of rubble will be turned into grand structures. 11 I will increase the population of people and animals that live on your slopes once again; they will be more numerous, and you will become more productive than ever before! After all these things come to pass, you will know that I am the Eternal. 12 I will settle My people Israel on you, and they will possess you, and you will be the land they pass from one generation to the next. You will never again take their children.
13 This is what the Eternal Lord said.
Eternal One: Because some say, “The land of Israel is known for devouring its people and depriving them of their children,” 14 I declare that you will never devour any of My people again or deprive them of their children. 15 I will see to it that you do not have to listen to the other nations scoff at you anymore, and you will no longer suffer humiliation or be the cause of your own nation’s faltering.
So said the Eternal.
16 Again the word of the Eternal came to me.
Eternal One: 17 Son of man, when Israel’s people lived in their own land, they desecrated it with their foul lifestyles. Their actions were as impure as a woman’s menstrual cycle. 18 Because they infected the land, pouring out innocent blood and filling their hearts and homes with idols, I poured out My wrath upon them. 19 I scattered them among the nations and dispersed them through many lands. I judged them based on their lifestyles and actions. 20 Whenever they settled among the nations of their exile, they defiled My sacred name. Everywhere they went people were saying, “These are the Eternal’s people, yet they have been forced out of His land.” 21 I became concerned for My sacred name, for everywhere they went the people of Israel were giving Me a bad name.
22 Consequently, tell the people of Israel that the Eternal Lord says, “When I act, people of Israel, it won’t be for your own good, but for the sake of salvaging My own reputation, which you have slandered in front of those outside our covenant.[a] 23 I will restore My great name to its holy state which has been desecrated in every nation by you! After all these things come to pass and I reveal My holiness through you right before their eyes, then these nations will know that I am the Eternal. 24 I will take you away from the nations, gather you from all the foreign soils, and bring you back to your own land. 25 I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean. I will wash away all of your dirtiness, and you will be clean and pure, free from the taint of idols. 26 I will plant a new heart and new spirit inside of you. I will take out your stubborn, stony heart and give you a willing, tender heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit inside of you and inspire you to live by My statutes and follow My laws. 28 Then you will live in the same land I gave your ancestors; you will be My people, and I will be your God. 29-30 I will rescue you from your impurity. I will summon the grain to produce large harvests and never bring a famine upon you again. I will increase your harvests of fruit and grain, so that you will never have to face the disgrace of famine again among the nations. 31 Then you will recall your evil ways and wicked deeds. You will recognize how bad they were and hate yourselves for all the shocking and despicable things you did! 32 But I, the Eternal Lord, am not doing this for your own good. You should still feel shame and humiliation for all you’ve done, people of Israel!”
33 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say.
Eternal One: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will bring people back into your desolate cities, and heaps of rubble will be turned into grand structures. 34 The wasteland will be plowed and sown—a vast change from the emptiness those passing by are used to seeing. 35 They will be amazed, saying, “This place used to be an empty wasteland. Now it’s like the garden of Eden! The cities were demolished, lying in ruins and completely abandoned. Now they are all restored, strong and full of people!” 36 Then the nations near you will know that I, the Eternal, am the One who rebuilt and restored the ruined cities and replanted the empty wilderness. I, the Eternal One, promise to do exactly what I’ve said.
37 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say.
Eternal One: I will soothe Israel’s desire and do as they have asked Me to do: I will make their population grow like a flock of sheep. 38 Just as flocks of sheep fill Jerusalem before the sacrifices at the public feasts, the cities filled with rubble will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Eternal One.
37 The Eternal had a hold on me, and I couldn’t escape it. The divine wind of the Eternal One picked me up and set me down in the middle of the valley, but this time it was full of bones. 2 God led me through the bones. There were piles of bones everywhere in the valley—dry bones left unburied.
This oracle may be one of the best known in Ezekiel’s prophecy. God’s promise of a new heart and a new spirit echoes Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy (Jeremiah 31:31-34). What God’s people need more than anything is for God to do a work of grace within them. Like other prophets of his day, Ezekiel is convinced that heaven must intervene in order to fix what is wrong on earth. It is not enough for people to try harder and do better. This work of grace begins with God cleansing His people with fresh water. Idolatry and various sins have made them impure and unclean, so before they can be restored, they must be made pure by the washing of water. Then, once God gives them a new heart, His people will become willing covenant partners; they will give up on their rebellious, hurtful ways and embrace God’s designs for their lives. With a new spirit—which seems to be nothing other than God’s Spirit living in and among them—they will have the desire and ability to live out God’s reasonable demands on them.
God insists that all He intends to do to save and redeem His people is not for their good; He is working to restore His good name. God’s covenant people have given Him a bad reputation among the nations, so God must act in His own interest to make sure His name is given the honor it is due.
Eternal One (to Ezekiel): 3 Son of man, do you think these bones can live?
Ezekiel: Eternal Lord, certainly You know the answer better than I do.
Eternal One: 4-5 Actually, I do. Prophesy to these bones. Tell them to listen to what the Eternal Lord says to them: “Dry bones, I will breathe breath into you, and you will come alive. 6 I will attach muscles and tendons to you, cause flesh to grow over them, and cover you with skin. I will breathe breath into you, and you will come alive. After this happens, you will know that I am the Eternal.”
God is not only the Creator of life, but He is also the Restorer of life.
7 So I did what God told me to do: I prophesied to the bones. As I was speaking, I heard a loud noise—a rattling sound—and all the bones began to come together and form complete skeletons. 8 I watched and saw muscles and tendons attach to the bones, flesh grow over them, and skin wrap itself around the reforming bodies. But there was still no breath in them.
Eternal One: 9 Prophesy to the breath. Speak, son of man, and tell them what the Eternal Lord has to say: “O sweet breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these who have been killed. Make these corpses come alive.”
10 So I did what God told me to do: I prophesied to the breath. As I was speaking, breath invaded the lifeless. The bodies came alive and stood on their feet. I realized then I was looking at a great army.
Eternal One: 11 Son of man, these bones are the entire community of Israel. They keep saying, “Our bones are dry now, picked clean by scavengers. All hope is gone. Our nation is lost.”
12-13 He told me to prophesy and tell them what He said.
Eternal One: Pay attention, My people! I am going to open your graves and bring you back to life! I will carry you straight back to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Eternal One. 14 I will breathe My Spirit into you, and you will be alive once again. I will place you back in your own land. After that you will know I, the Eternal, have done what I said I would do.
So said the Eternal One.
15 Again the word of the Eternal came to me.
Eternal One: 16 Son of man, find a stick and write these words on it: “For Judah and the people of Israel associated with him.” Then go find another stick, and write these words on it: “For Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and the entire community of Israel associated with him.” 17 Now take both sticks and join them together in your hand as if they are one. 18 When your compatriots question you about what you are doing, asking, “Will you not tell us plainly what these actions mean?” 19 tell them I say, “Watch as I take Joseph’s stick (the one held by Ephraim) and the ten Israelite tribes of the North, your compatriots, and put it end to end with Judah’s stick. The two sticks will become one in My hand.” 20 Make sure the people are able to see what you have written on each stick. 21 Then tell them what I say: “Look! I’m gathering the Israelites up from the countries where they’ve been scattered and putting them back in their own land.” 22 I will form them into one nation upon Israel’s mountains, and they will live under the reign of one king. They will no longer live as two separate peoples, split into two different kingdoms. 23 From then on, they will not defile themselves with idols and abhorrent images and strange perversions. I will rescue them from all the places where they’ve lived and sinned. I will make them pure and clean again! They will be My people, and I will be their God.
24 My beloved servant, David, will be their king. They will all live peaceably under one shepherd. They will live according to My laws and obey My statutes and do them. 25 My people will dwell in the same land I gave to Jacob, My servant.
How could David be the king of Israel’s new nation? He died 500 years earlier! Certainly God does not mean that David comes back from the dead to reign; He means that David is the archetype for the eternal king. This new king will carry David’s name because He will be a descendant of David. He will rule a united kingdom just as David ruled a united Israel in his day. He, too, will be a shepherd of God’s people.
These hopes and aspirations will remain in the psyche of God’s people for hundreds of years. When Jesus begins His ministry, His followers will be certain they have found the good shepherd.
Eternal One: It will be the same land where your ancestors dwelled, but their past wickedness will be forgotten there. They, their children, and their children’s children will live there forever; and My servant David will be their prince forever. 26 I will establish a covenant of peace—an everlasting promise—with them. I will make them strong and numerous in the land I gave them. My sanctuary will be at the heart of their community forever. 27 I will make My home with them. I will be their God, and they will be My people.[b] 28 After all these things come to pass and My sanctuary is at the heart of their community forever, all the nations will know that I, the Eternal, am the One who makes Israel holy.
38 The word of the Eternal came to me.
Gog likely refers to Gyges who ruled Lydia in Asia Minor. As a contemporary, Ezekiel accords him larger-than-life, nearly cosmic significance.
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, turn your face toward Gog in the land of Magog, the highest ruler of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him, 3 and tell him what the Eternal Lord has to say: “Beware, Gog, highest ruler of Meshech and Tubal. I oppose you. 4 I am going to turn you around, insert sharp hooks into your jaws, and haul you off with your entire army—horses and riders outfitted with armor, breastplates, body shields, and swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia[c], and Libya[d] will be there, too, marching behind with shields and helmets, 6 along with Gomer’s troops and Beth-togarmah’s troops from the far north. Numerous nations will be a part of your coalition.
7 “Get prepared. You’re in command of all the armies who’ve come to help you. Now watch over them. 8 After many days, you are going to be summoned to fight. Sometime in the latter years, you are going to seize a nation that has been reconstructed after a war—a nation of people gathered from many countries and brought to Israel’s mountains—the mountains that were, for many years, nothing but rubble. They were gathered from the nations, and now they all live safely. 9 You, your troops, and all of your armies will go up and attack that nation. You’ll be like a fierce storm whose clouds cover the land.”
10 This is what the Eternal Lord continued to say:
Eternal One: On that day, you will begin pondering an evil plan. 11 You’ll think to yourself, “I will go up and invade an open country of unprotected villages and will assault the tranquil, unsuspecting people living safely there without walls, without gates, without bars. 12 I will pillage and plunder the entire place! I will tear down the rubble that’s been rebuilt and attack the people who have been gathered from the farthest nations to live at the center of the world. All their animals and goods—I will steal.” 13 Sheba, Rhodes, and the traders of Tarshish and their villages will ask you, “Did you come here simply to steal everything? Did you assemble so great an army to plunder their goods, to seize their silver and gold, to carry off their livestock and valuables?”
14 The Eternal Lord told me, the son of man, to prophesy and tell Gog:
Eternal One: When you see My people Israel living safely, will you not take note? 15 You and your vast army recruited from the many nations, all mounted on horses, will march as one force down from the far north. 16 Like a storm whose clouds cover the land, you will go up and attack My people Israel. In the last days, Gog, I will summon you to storm My land. Then, right in front of everyone’s eyes, I will exhibit My holiness through you.
17 This is what the Eternal Lord continued to say:
Eternal One: Are you not the one I was talking about all those years ago through My servants, the prophets of Israel? For years, they prophesied that I would summon you to march against them. 18 On the day the prophecy is fulfilled, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, most certainly My wrath will come like a fire. 19 My jealousy and burning anger guarantee that all of Israel will quake on that day! 20 Creatures of the sky, earth, and sea—all people and beasts—will shake with awe in My presence. The mountains will be knocked down! Great cliffs and every fortress will crumble to the ground. 21 I will summon the sword against Gog upon all of My hills and mountains. Confusion will abound; Gog’s soldiers will turn and fight each other. 22 I will come down and render My judgment in person. Disease and massacre will be their sentence. I will command heaven to throw everything it has upon Gog and all his armies, pouring down rain, hail, lightning, and burning sulfur. 23 They will see just how great and holy I really am. I will make Myself known to the nations of the world. Then they will all know that I am the Eternal One.
39 Eternal One: Son of man, prophesy against Gog, and tell him that this is what the Eternal Lord has to say: “I oppose you, Gog, highest ruler of Meshech and Tubal. 2 I will turn you around and lead you. I will bring you from the remote regions of the north and send you up against Israel’s mountains. 3 But just when you think you’ve had success, I will knock the bow out of your left hand and the arrows out of your right hand. 4 Right then and there, on the mountains of Israel, you will meet your end—you and all your troops and everyone in your coalition. I will feed your remains to the predatory birds and wild beasts and deny you an honorable burial. 5 You will fall and be defeated out in the open fields.” I, the Eternal Lord, have spoken. 6 I will pour fire on Magog and on the heads of all those who believe themselves to be living safely on the coastlands. Then they will know that I am the Eternal One.
7 Everyone in Israel will know My holy name! No longer will I allow My name to be profaned! All the nations will know that I, the Eternal, am the Holy One of Israel. 8 Pay attention! The time is coming! I promise it will happen just as I have said. This is the day I’ve been talking about for so long.
The Lord’s slaughter of Gog and his forces serves two purposes. Obviously, it reminds Israel and the other nations of God’s ultimate power, but more importantly, it solidifies His new covenant with Israel. In ancient Israel, when two people made a covenant with one another, they would slaughter an animal, cut it in half, lay the two halves parallel to each other on the ground, and walk between them. This action indicated, “If I break this covenant, then you may do this to me.” The covenant partners would then share a meal together. In this case, God makes Gog’s armies the sacrifice that establishes His covenant with Israel. He, of course, will never break the covenant, and He warns Israel that He could destroy them if they abandon Him again.
Eternal One: 9 Those dwelling in the cities of Israel will leave and make huge bonfires with all of Gog’s weapons—body and chest shields, bows, arrows, clubs, and spears. The troops will be so numerous and their weapons so many that Israel will have fuel to burn for seven years. 10 No one will have to go into the fields or woods to fetch kindling or cut down trees because they’ll use their enemies’ weapons for fuel. They will strip the ones who stripped them and rob the ones who robbed them. I, the Eternal Lord, declare it so.
11 On that day, I will set aside a burial ground for Gog in Israel in the valley of the travelers east of the Dead Sea. No one will be able to pass through there anymore once Gog and all of Gog’s armies are buried there. The place will be renamed the valley of Hamon-gog, which means, “the hordes of Gog.” 12 It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury Gog and Gog’s armies in order to cleanse the land of death’s defilement. 13 Everyone in the nation will participate; and on the day I display My glory, their name will be famous. This I promise. 14 At the end of the seven months of burial, men will be designated to patrol the land and bury any of the bodies that remain on the ground and the bodies of any others who may die while traveling across Israel. This is how they will keep the land clean. 15 As they search through the land, anyone who happens upon even one bone will set up a marker beside it, and it will remain untouched until the buriers find it and lay it to rest in the valley of Hamon-gog. 16 (There will be a town called Hamonah there.) This is how the Israelites will purify the land from death’s defilement.
17-18 Then the Eternal Lord told me, “Son of man, I am telling you to send My message to every bird and wild beast”:
Eternal One: Come together, all you creatures of the sky and earth—birds of the air, beasts of the forests and field! From all around, gather around My sacrifice. I am preparing an enormous feast for you atop Israel’s mountains. You will eat the flesh of great men and drink the blood of princes as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls—all the finest, meatiest animals in all of lush Bashan! 19 I will sacrifice all these people for you, and you will eat fat until you are stuffed and drink blood until you are drunk. 20 At the table of My feast, you will devour horses and charioteers from Gog’s forces, heroes and champions of every kind!
21 I will exhibit My glory for all the nations to see, and they will all recognize the results of My judgment. They will understand that Gog was destroyed by My own powerful hand. 22 From that day on, the people of Israel will know I am the Eternal One, 23 and all the nations will know the people of Israel were exiled because they acted wickedly and willfully turned their backs on Me. This is why I turned My back on them and allowed their enemies to do with them as they pleased. As a result, all of them fell by the sword. 24 I judged them according to their impurities and crimes, and I kept My back turned on them because they violated our covenant.
25 So this is what the Eternal Lord continued to say:
Eternal One: I am going to restore the fortunes of Jacob and have compassion upon all My people Israel, for I am eager to defend My reputation and to protect My holy name. 26 Once they are living comfortably back in their ancestral lands without anyone terrorizing them, the memory of their shame and faithlessness toward Me will fade. 27 By gathering them from the enemy nations and bringing them home, I will reveal My holiness right in the sight of all the nations. 28 After all these things take place, My people will know that I, the Eternal, am their God. Even though I banished them to exile in other lands, I gathered them and put them back in their own land. No one was left behind. 29 I will not turn My back on them ever again, for I have poured out My Spirit upon the community of Israel.
So said the Eternal Lord.
The description and measurements of the new temple are both complex and staggering. The outer walls form a square with priestly kitchens for preparing sacrifices and food on each corner. On the four sides of the temple complex, a total of thirty chambers line the perimeter wall. The actual temple and inner courtyard is a smaller version of the outer walls, three gates (east, north, and south), and outer courtyard. As Ezekiel walks in a westerly direction from the outer east gate, he ascends a set of stairs that leads to the outer courtyard where he then goes up another staircase to the inner courtyard and altar where he then finds a third staircase leading to the temple portico and the two holy and most holy chambers of the Eternal’s sanctuary.
Ezekiel’s mysterious tour guide first begins at the eastern outer gate facing the rising sun. Then he takes Ezekiel to the outer courtyard where he measures the north gate before taking him to the south gate for its measurements. They then enter the inner courtyard via its south gate. Now at the inner courtyard, they follow the same path of measuring the east and north gates. Finally, after exiting the north gate of the inner courtyard, they move to the original east gate of the outer courtyard where Ezekiel witnesses the awesome return of the Eternal’s presence.
40 During the 25th year of our exile (which was the 14th year after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem), at the beginning of the year on the 10th day of the month, the Eternal took hold of me and brought me to the ruined city. 2 In the visions God showed me, He carried me into the land of Israel and put me on top of a very high mountain. Southward, there was a building that looked like a city unto itself. 3 God led me to that place, and there I saw a man whose appearance gleamed as if he were made of bronze. He stood at the structure’s gate with a linen tape for long measurements and a reed for short measurements.
The Man (to Ezekiel): 4 Son of man, sharpen your senses! See with your eyes, and listen with your ears! Take notice of everything I am about to show you, because you are here to see what I do and to relay it all to the people of Israel.
The measuring reed is a long cubit, at 20 to 21 inches, rather than a short cubit at 18 inches. The sheer grandeur of this new temple and city and its surrounding land—along with its most prominent, divine dweller—calls for nothing less than royal measurements.
5 I saw a wall surrounding the temple. The measuring reed in the man’s hand was about 10½ feet long. He measured the wall and found it to be about 10½ feet thick and 10½ feet high. 6 He walked around to the wall of the eastern gate and climbed its steps. He measured the depth of the gate’s entrance, and it was 10½ feet deep as well.
7 Inside the gate, the side guard chambers on each side were about 10½ feet square, with 8¾-feet-thick walls between each of them. The threshold of the gate entrance nearest to the portico that faced the temple was about 10½ feet deep. 8 Then he measured the portico that faced the temple; it was also 10½ feet deep. 9 But the portico on the inner side of the gate complex was 14 feet with columns of 3½ feet. 10 The eastern gate had 3 chambers on each side. All 3 chambers, as well as all of the columns, had the exact same measurements. 11 Then he measured the entrance of the east gate: it was 17½ feet wide and 22¾ feet long. 12 The short barrier stood in front of each guard chamber; it was 21 inches high on both sides. The chambers themselves were 10½ feet square. 13 He then measured the distance between the top of the back wall of one chamber to the top of the wall opposite of it: 43¾ feet. 14 Then he measured the length of the gate-complex portico at 35 feet, which stretched to the outer courtyard.[e] 15 The measurement from the outer courtyard gate entrance to the farthest end of the outer courtyard at the inner portico of the inner east gate was 87½ feet. 16 This inner gateway complex had windows with multiple recessed frames toward the side chambers and columns, as did the portico. And all the columns were decorated with palm trees.
17 Then the man with the appearance of bronze led me to the outer courtyard. There, I saw a paved walkway all around the courtyard. Thirty chambers had been built on all four sides of the outer courtyard facing the walkway. 18 This lower walkway for the outer courtyard was laid in front of the chambers and connected all the gates and was as wide as the gates were long. 19 The man then measured the area between the inner entrance of the lower east gate and the outside of the inner courtyard upper gate. It was about 175 feet on the east and the north.
20 Then I followed my guide to the north gateway at the outer courtyard and measured its length and width. 21 It had 3 chambers on each side, and all of their columns and porticos had the exact same measurements as the first east gate: 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 22 All its windows, its porticos, and its decorations of palm trees had the exact same measurements as the east gate. There were 7 steps from the outside of the gate complex leading up to it, and the portico was on the opposite side of the gate from the steps. 23 Facing the lower north gate was another gate that led to the inner courtyard, just as an inner court gate faced the lower east gate. The man measured the distance between one gate and the one opposite of it, and the distance was 175 feet.
24 Then I followed him south along the wall where I saw the south gate. He took measurements of its columns and porticos and found that they were the same size as the other gates’. 25 The gate complex and its porticos had the same kind of windows with multiple recessed frames all around it as the other ones did. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 26 There were 7 steps leading up to it, and the portico was on the opposite side of the gate from the steps. The columns on both sides were adorned with palm trees. 27 There was also a lower south gate that led to the outer courtyard facing the upper south gate, and the man measured the distance between one gate and the one opposite of it, on the southern side. The distance was 175 feet.
28 Then I followed him to the inner court across from the south gate. He took measurements of the gate complex and discovered it had the exact same dimensions as the others. 29 Its chambers, columns, and porticos were the exact same as the others. The gate and its porticos had the same kind of windows with multiple recessed frames all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 30 The interior gate had porticos all around that were 43¾ feet wide and 8¾ feet deep. 31 Eight steps led up to its porticos, which faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated the columns.
32 Then I followed my guide to the inner courtyard on the eastern side, and he took measurements of the gate complex and discovered it had the exact same measurements as the others. 33 Its chambers, columns, and porticos were the exact same as the others. The gate and its porticos had the same kind of windows with multiple recessed frames all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 34 Eight steps led up to its porticos, which faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated the columns.
35 Then I followed the man around the inner court to the interior north gate. He took measurements and discovered it had the exact same measurements as the others. 36 Its chambers, columns, and porticos were the exact same as the others. The gate had windows with multiple recessed frames all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 37 Eight steps led up to its porticos, which faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated the columns.
38 Near the porticos in each of the inner gates was a chamber with a doorway. There the burnt offerings were cleansed after their slaughter but before their offering. 39 Inside of the portico, there were four tables (two on each side) where the whole burnt offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings were slaughtered. 40 There were also two tables outside at each outer wall of the portico where one would climb up to the north gate. 41 This means there were eight tables in all—four inside each gate and four outside. These tables were where the offerings were slaughtered. 42-43 There were also four tables carved from stone used for the burnt offerings. They were 31½ inches square and 21 inches high and held the flesh of the offerings. The tools used to slaughter the sacrificial animals for burnt offerings rested on these tables. Hooks, about 3 inches long, were attached to the walls around the stone tables. The meats for the burnt offerings were prepared on these tables.
44 There were two chambers for the singers and the priests within the inner court, just outside the inner gate. One chamber was on the side of the north gate and faced the south. The other chamber was on the side of the south[f] gate and faced the north.
The Man (to Ezekiel): 45 The chamber that faces south is designated for the priests who take care of the temple. 46 But the chamber that faces north is set aside for the priests who take care of the altar. They are all sons of Zadok and are the only Levites allowed to approach the Eternal and to minister before Him at the altar.
47 Then the man took measurements of the inner courtyard: it was 175 feet square. The altar sat in front of the temple in the inner courtyard.
48 Then I followed him to the temple’s portico, and he took the measurements of the portico’s columns. They were 8¾ feet wide on both sides. The gate entrance was [24½ feet deep, and the walls were][g] 5¼ feet wide on both sides. 49 The portico was 30 feet long and 18 feet wide. There were steps leading[h] up to the portico, as well as columns like the Jachin and Boaz columns of Solomon’s temple on both sides.
41 Then I followed the man whose appearance was like bronze to the outer nave of the temple; he took measurements of the pillars. Each was 10½ feet wide on each side.
Now Ezekiel is at the outer porch or nave of the actual temple structure. He watches as the man measures the holy place and then proceeds deeper into the recesses of the most holy place. Ezekiel cannot enter these areas because he is not one of the “sons of Zadok” (40:46).
2 The entrance was 17½ feet wide. The walls on both sides of the entrance were 8¾ feet wide. He measured the outer nave of the temple and discovered it was 70 feet long and 35 feet wide. 3 Then he went inside by himself and took measurements of the columns of the entrance to the inner sanctuary. Each column was 3½ feet wide, the entrance was 10½ feet wide, and the [walls on each side of it were][i] 12¼ feet long. 4 Then the man took measurements of the inner sanctuary, which was 35 feet long and wide.
The Man: This inner sanctuary is the most holy place in all the temple.
5 Then he walked over to the temple wall and took its measurements and the measurements of each chamber surrounding the temple. The wall of the temple was 10½ feet thick, and each side chamber was 7 feet wide. 6-7 The side chambers were built in 3 stories (one right on top of the other), and there were 30 chambers on each level. The chambers on the second story were wider than those on the first, and the chambers on the third story were wider than the second’s. To keep the second and third stories from overhanging the temple’s sacred space, the wall separating the temple’s inner chamber and the side chambers widened from top to bottom. One entered the third story by climbing stairs through the first and second stories. 8 I noticed the temple floor was higher than the rest of the complex. This raised foundation was also the foundation of the side chambers, and it was 10½ feet thick. 9 The wall on the outside of the side chambers was 8¾ feet thick. The open area between the temple’s side chambers 10 and the priests’ chambers circumscribed the temple, 35 feet around. 11 In that open space were two entrances to the temple’s side chambers. One of the entrances was on the north side, and the other one was on the south side. The open area was exactly 8¾ feet wide all around the temple.
12 On the west end of the complex there was a structure that faced the temple courtyard. It was 122½ feet wide and 157½ feet long. Its walls were 8¾ feet thick. 13 Then the man measured the temple and discovered that it was 175 feet long. The courtyard of the temple plus the western structure and its walls measured 175 feet as well. 14 The eastern courtyard in front of the temple was 175 feet wide. 15 Then he measured the length of the western structure and the galleries on both sides that faced the courtyard west of the temple. It, too, was 175 feet.
The temple’s nave and outer portico[j] 16 were paneled.[k] The recessed windows were trimmed in wood. The interior walls and the space between the floor and the windows were all covered with wood. 17-18 Images of winged guardians[l] and palm trees were carved into the wood above the entrance that led to the sanctuary and also all over the walls of the inner and outer sanctuaries. The two symbols alternated palm tree, guardian, palm tree, etc. Each winged guardian was carved with only two faces: 19 the face of a man peered in the direction of the palm tree on one side, and the face of a lion gazed in the direction of the palm tree on the other side. This relief encompassed the entire temple. 20 Carvings of winged guardians and palm trees covered the wall of the sanctuary in the space between the floor and the top of the entrance.
21 The doorframes leading into the outer sanctuary were square, as were the ones leading to the inner sanctuary. 22 The altar was made of wood. It was 5¼ feet high and 3½ feet square. All of it—its base, horns, and sides—was made of wood.
The Man (to Ezekiel): This is the table that sits before the Eternal.
23 The outer nave and the inner holy place each had a double door. 24 Each door was made of two panels hinged together.[m] 25 On the doors of the outer sanctuary were carvings of winged guardians and palm trees—the exact same images that were on the walls. A wooden roof hung over the front of the outside portico. 26 On both side walls of the portico were windows that had carvings of palm trees. There were roofs over all the side chambers of the temple.
Ezekiel’s descriptions of the Jerusalem temple are often difficult to comprehend. Since Jerusalem’s temple was completely destroyed, archaeology is helpful in reconstructing Ezekiel’s description of it. In Northern Syria lie the ruins of a temple at ‘Ain Dara‘ that closely resemble the biblical descriptions of God’s temple. It, too, had three rooms, winged beings guarding the holiest place, and an eastern gate through which a deity entered. But what might be the most helpful parallel between it and Jerusalem’s temple are its windows. Carved into the stone are false windows, each with three successively smaller window frames—the largest frame on the outside and the smallest on the inside. Apparently this architectural detail was popular in ornate Near Eastern buildings during the first millennium b.c., especially in temples, and it sheds light on Ezekiel’s obscure description.
42 Then the man whose appearance was like bronze took me north into the outer courtyard. He brought me to the chambers that were opposite the open area around the temple and opposite the outside wall on the northern end. 2 This building with its north-facing door was 175 feet long and 87½ feet wide. 3 Facing a 35-foot-wide section of the inner court and facing the paved area of the outer court were rows of chambers 3 stories high. 4 An interior passageway ran in front of each chamber. It was 17½ feet wide and ran the entire length of the gallery, 175 feet. The doors faced north. 5 All the upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took up more space than they did on the first and second levels. 6 There were no columns for the chambers on the third level—no columns like the ones in the courtyards—so the chambers on the third level were set back further than the chambers on the first and second levels. 7 The wall behind the chambers ran parallel to them and the outer courtyard for a distance of 87½ feet. 8 On the side next to the outer courtyard, the row of chambers was 87½ feet long. On the side nearest to the sanctuary it was 175 feet long. 9 The chambers on the first level could be entered from the east when coming in from the outer courtyard.
These chambers on the wall surrounding the inner courtyard are where the priests prepare themselves for their sacred duties.
10 There were rows of chambers on the south[n] side of the temple, just like on the north, separating the inner and outer courtyards. 11 There was a walkway in front of them. These chambers were exactly like the chambers on the northern side—same measurements and architecture. 12 In front of each walkway in the south chambers was a doorway near the wall that could be entered from the east when coming in from the outer courtyard.
The Man (to Ezekiel): 13 The north and south chambers that face the courtyard around the temple are sacred, set apart for the priests who come near to the Eternal to eat the holiest of offerings. In those sacred chambers, the priests store the holiest of offerings—grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. 14 As soon as the priests enter into the sacred areas, they can’t leave and go into the outer courtyard until they first take off their holy clothes in which they have ministered to the Lord. These ministerial clothes are sacred. They must put on other clothes before they go anywhere other people are allowed to be, because their priestly garments can’t come into contact with anything impure.
15 When the man completed taking measurements inside the temple, he took me out through the lower eastern gate and began measuring around the temple complex. 16 He took his measuring reed and measured the entire east side. It was 875 feet long. 17-19 He measured the north, south, and west sides; and they, too, were each 875 feet long. 20 He measured the temple complex on all four sides. The wall around it formed a square 875 feet by 875 feet. It served to separate the sacred from the common.
43 Then the man whose appearance was like bronze led me to the gate that faced the east. 2 There, I witnessed the glory of the God of Israel storming from the east. His voice thundered like a great waterfall. The entire earth reflected His shining glory.
Just as God’s glorious presence departs Jerusalem for Babylon in the east (Ezekiel 10), so He returns with spectacular fullness to the eastern gate of a restored temple.
3 The vision I saw then was just like the vision I saw when He arrived to destroy the city and was kindred to the vision I had near the Chebar Canal. I fell on my face to the ground. 4 The glory of the Eternal entered the temple by the east gate, 5 and the Spirit picked me up and brought me to the inner courtyard so I could watch as the Eternal’s glory filled the temple.
6 While the man stood beside me, I heard a voice addressing me from inside the temple.
Eternal One: 7 Son of man, this temple is the home of My throne on earth and the place where I’ll rest My feet. I will dwell here among My people Israel forever. Never again will the Israelites or their kings desecrate My holy name. Never again will they prostitute themselves by worshiping false gods or erecting monuments to their dead kings. 8 They defiled My name and committed disgusting acts right next to My sacred space by putting their thresholds and doorposts right next to Mine with only a wall separating Me from their idols. This is why I consumed them in My wrath. 9 Now it’s time for the people to change—to put away their whoring and the monuments to their dead kings. If they do that, then I will dwell among them forever.
10 Son of man, go to the people of Israel, and give them a detailed description of the temple you have seen so that they will feel ashamed of their abhorrent living. Give them some time to study the plan. 11 If they express shame for all they have done, explain to them the temple design, the structure, the complex’s entrances and exits, its rules and regulations. Write it down so that everyone can see the design and the regulations and be sure to follow the specifications and rules when the time comes. 12 Now here is My directive concerning the temple: the mountaintop and everything around the temple must be regarded as sacred ground. Pay strict attention to this directive concerning the temple.
13 The following measurements are the dimensions of the altar. They were taken with the long measure, which is 21 inches long. The gutter at the base of the altar is 21 inches deep and 21 inches wide and has a 9-inch rim around the edge of it. These are the heights of each part of the altar: 14 The altar rises from the ground 3½ feet to the lower ledge that is 21 inches wide; from there it rises an additional 7 feet to an upper ledge that is also 21 inches wide. 15 The altar’s hearth rises another 7 feet and has 4 horns that protrude from each of its 4 corners. 16 The altar’s hearth is square, 21 feet by 21 feet. 17 The upper ledge is square, too, 24½ feet on each side. The rim around it is 10½ inches, and the base is 21 inches wide all around. The steps of the altar face east.
Burnt offerings are arguably the most important sacrifices and the centerpiece of the temple practices. They are performed every morning and evening without fail, at every festival holiday, and by individuals for various personal reasons. The burnt offerings differ from other offerings because they are totally consumed in the fire. No meat is left over to serve the priests and Levites or to be the main course in a festival meal; everything is offered up to God. The burnt offerings attract God’s attention to the temple because they rise up to heaven with a pleasing aroma. Before the people can begin their steady stream of offerings to God, the altar itself must be consecrated to Him.
Eternal One: 18 Son of man, this is what I, the Eternal Lord, have to say regarding the regulations for the altar after it is built; these apply to burnt offerings and sprinkling blood on the altar. 19 For a sin offering, give a young bull to the Levitical priests who belong to Zadok’s line; these are permitted to come before Me to serve. 20 Take some of the young bull’s blood and wipe it all over the altar’s four horns, the four corners of the upper ledge, and its rim. This ceremony will cleanse the altar and cover any of the impurities. 21 Then take the young bull to the appointed area outside the temple complex and burn its carcass. 22 On the second day, offer another sin offering—a perfect male goat—and cleanse the altar the same way you cleansed it with the bull. 23 After you have finished this part of the cleansing ritual, find a perfect young bull and a perfect young ram from the flock and bring them to the altar. 24 Present them to the Eternal, and the priests will throw salt on them and give them as a burnt offering to the Eternal. 25 Then every day after that for seven days, you are to offer a male goat at the altar as a sin offering. Along with the male goat, you are to prepare a perfect young bull and a perfect ram from the flock. 26 Present these offerings for seven days in a row, and they will cleanse and cover the altar, dedicating it for service. 27 After the seven days of cleansing are over, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar. This will begin on the eighth day and continue forever. Then I, the Eternal Lord, will accept you and your offerings.
44 Then the man whose appearance was like bronze led me back to the eastern gate where the Eternal One had entered, but I could see that the outer gate was now closed.
Eternal One (to Ezekiel): 2 This gate must remain closed. It will never be opened again for anyone to walk through. The Eternal God of Israel has entered through this gate, so it must remain shut for all time. 3 Only the prince is allowed inside the gateway to sit and feast before the Eternal. He will not go all the way through the gate but only through the portico of the gateway where he will stop and sit. He’ll exit the same way he came in.
4 Then he led me back through the inner northern gate to stand in front of the temple. From there I witnessed the Eternal’s glory illuminating His temple. I fell and buried my face in the ground.
Eternal One: 5 Son of man, look closely and listen carefully. Pay attention to all I am about to tell you. I am going to lay out the rules and regulations for My temple. Take note of those having to do with entering the temple and exiting the sanctuary. 6 Tell the rebellious people of Israel living in exile what the Eternal Lord says: “I’ve had it with your disgusting actions, people of Israel! 7 Not only do you engage in shocking behaviors, but you have the audacity to bring the uncircumcised—in heart and in flesh—into My sanctuary, knowing they’ll contaminate it. You allowed them in even as you offered My food, the fat and blood of the sacrifices, on the altar. In doing so, you shattered our pact. 8 When you should have been upholding your side of the covenant and taking care of My holy things yourselves, you put outsiders in charge of My sanctuary.”
9 This is what I, the Eternal Lord, have to say: “Do not let any foreigner—even if he lives among the people of Israel—come into My sanctuary because foreigners are uncircumcised in both their hearts and their flesh. 10 The Levites who abandoned Me when the rest of Israel strayed and pursued their idols instead of Me will bear the consequences for the wicked things they have done. 11 They are still allowed to minister in My sanctuary, guard the temple outer gates, and serve in the temple proper. They are allowed to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices for the people, and to help serve them. 12 But because they acted as a stumbling block to Israel and helped the people worship their worthless idols, I have made an oath that they must pay for the wicked things they have done. This I, the Eternal One, promise. 13 They are not allowed to approach Me as the priests do. In fact, they aren’t permitted anywhere near Me or any of My sacred things and holy offerings. They must endure the shame of their shocking and deplorable actions. 14 But I will still allow them to be in charge of the maintenance of the temple and keep it running day to day.
15 “As for the Levitical priests who are the descendants of Zadok—the ones who took care of My holy place even as the rest of Israel strayed—they will draw near to Me and serve Me. They will stand before Me in the sanctuary and present offerings of fat and blood. 16 They are permitted to enter My sanctuary, draw near to My holy table, and accomplish all that priestly service requires. 17 When the Zadokite priests enter a gate to the inner courtyard, they should already be clothed in linen. They are not allowed to wear any wool clothing while serving inside the temple or inside any gate to the inner courtyard. 18 I want them to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments. They should not wear any clothing that will cause them to perspire. 19 When they enter the outer courtyard where all the people congregate, they should remove the linen clothes they wore while serving and leave them in the sacred chambers. They are to dress in regular clothing so that they do not pass on holiness to the people who may come in contact with their clothing. 20 They are not allowed to shave their heads or have long hair. They are always to keep their hair neatly trimmed. 21 Priests are not allowed to consume wine before they enter the inner courtyard. 22 The priests are not allowed to marry widows or women who are divorced. They are only allowed to marry virgins of Israelite ancestry or widows of other priests. 23 They are responsible for teaching My people Israel the line between the sacred and common. They are to instruct My people on how to detect what is ritually pure and impure. 24 I want the priests to act as the judges to resolve any dispute among My people. They are to judge and make their decisions according to the statutes I’ve outlined. The priests must uphold My rules and regulations regarding all My required feasts and all My holy Sabbaths. 25 Priests are not allowed to defile themselves by being in the presence of a dead person. The only exception is when the corpse is that of a close relative: mother or father, son or daughter, brother or unwed sister. In that situation a priest may be near and defile himself. 26 After the priest has been ritually purified from death’s defilement, he is required to wait seven days before returning to his duties. 27 When he does return to the sanctuary, he is to enter the inner court and first present a sin offering for himself before ministering for others.
28 “The priests are to have only one inheritance: Me. I am their inheritance. You are to allot them only one possession in Israel: Me. I am their possession. 29 As for the food they eat, they are to consume the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings brought to the temple by the people. Everything devoted to Me will be theirs. 30 The priests are to receive the first and finest gifts of your firstfruit offerings, even your grain offerings, so that your household will be blessed. 31 The priests are not allowed to eat any animal—bird or beast—that dies of natural causes or is torn apart by a predator.”
45 Eternal One: When you divide the land among the people to determine inheritance, you must set aside a plot of land for the Eternal as His sacred ground. It is to be 8⅓ miles long and 6⅔ miles[o] wide; every bit of it will be regarded as holy. 2 Within this sacred ground, designate a 875-foot square for the temple. Leave a strip of land 87½ feet wide around the perimeter of the temple. 3 And from these sacred grounds allot a section of land 8⅓ miles long by 3⅓ miles wide to place the sanctuary, which will contain the most holy place. 4 These sacred lands will be set apart for the priests who serve in the sanctuary and draw near to the Eternal. They will build their homes there, not far from the holy precincts of the sanctuary. 5 As for the other half of the sacred ground—an area of 8⅓ miles long and 3⅓ miles wide—it will be designated for the Levites who serve in the temple. They will live there and possess those cities. 6 Next to this sacred land, you are to set aside a strip of land 8⅓ miles long and 1⅔ miles wide to build a city. This will be common land that belongs to all the people of Israel. 7 The prince is to have possession of the land on either side of the sacred grounds and the common property of the city. His land will run westward from the west side and eastward from the east side occupying an area equal to one of the tribal inheritances. 8 This will be the prince’s own section of land in Israel. Never again will My princes rob and oppress My people. Then they are to divide the rest of the land between the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel’s vision of the land of Israel once the Jews return from exile has several significant features: each tribe receives a similar allotment of land, the rulers are given property of their own (so the tribes don’t have to support them), the temple is situated in the exact center of the country, and the priests and Levites all live around the temple itself (instead of being scattered among the tribes). These changes in the nation’s political and social structure reflect many of the changes that take place during the exile.
Eternal One (to the princes of Israel): 9 That’s enough tyranny, you princes of Israel! Stop your abuse and persecutions! Do the right thing; choose to be just in your actions. Stop cheating and depriving My people of their land. I, the Eternal Lord, insist!
10 I command you to be honest in your commerce. You are to use accurate and fair weights and measures. 11 Regarding measures, the standard dry measure and liquid measure are to have a similar volume, about 6 bushels or 55 gallons, making the standard dry unit of measurement ⅗ of a bushel and the standard liquid unit of measurement 5½ gallons. 12 Regarding weights, one small counterweight will weigh ⅖ of an ounce, and one large counterweight will weigh 1¼ pounds.
13 You are to offer the following: 1⁄60 of your wheat, 1⁄60 of your barley, 14 one percent of your oil, 15 and one sheep from every flock of two hundred that wanders the rich watering places of Israel. I, the Eternal Lord, declare that these gifts will act as the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings that will cover the wrongs of the people and will be offered on your behalf by the priests. 16 Everyone in Israel will be required to give these offerings to the prince in Israel. 17 Then it will be the prince’s responsibility to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at all the sacred festivals, the new moon festivals, the Sabbaths, and all the rest of the feasts appointed for Israel. Using the animals and produce he’s collected, the prince will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings to cover the wrongs done by the people of Israel.
(to Ezekiel) 18 On the first day of the first month, take a perfect young bull and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest will smear some blood of the sin offering on the temple doorposts, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the entrance to the inner courtyard. 20 On the seventh day of the month, do this same ritual for anyone who strays from Me unknowingly. Cover the impurities of the temple this way.
21 On the fourteenth day of the first month, I want you to observe the Passover for seven days. During the feast, I want you to eat only yeast-free bread. 22 When that day arrives, it is the prince’s responsibility to provide a bull for himself and for all the people of the land as a sin offering. 23 Every day for the seven days of the feast, the prince is to bring seven perfect bulls and seven perfect rams as a burnt offering to the Eternal. Also, he will present a male goat each day as a sin offering. 24 The prince is also to provide a grain offering: ⅗ of a bushel of grain mixed with one gallon of oil for each bull and each ram. 25 The seven-day feast begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. On each of the seven days, the prince is responsible for providing the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings (made from grain and oil).
46 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say:
Eternal One: During the six working days of each week, I want you to close the east gate of the inner courtyard; but keep it open on the seventh day, the Sabbath, and on the new moon. 2 The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand directly outside the gate where he can watch the priests offer his burnt offerings and peace offerings. He is to worship as his offerings are being made, and then exit the same way he entered. The priests won’t shut the gate until the evening. 3 On Sabbaths and new moons, the rest of the people are to worship the Eternal at the entrance to that gate. 4 I want the prince to give this burnt offering to Me, the Eternal, on the Sabbath: six lambs and a ram—all perfect. 5 I want him to give a grain offering along with it as is customary: ⅗ of a bushel of grain and a gallon of oil with the ram and as much grain and oil as he is able for each lamb. 6 During each new moon celebration, I want the prince to offer a young bull, six lambs, and a ram—all perfect. 7 He is to provide a customary grain offering as well: ⅗ of a bushel of grain and one gallon of oil for each ram and bull, and as much grain and oil as he can for each lamb. 8 The prince is to enter the temple through the portico of the eastern gate and exit the same way.
9 When the people of the land come together to worship the Eternal at the regularly scheduled feasts, all those who come in through the north gate are to go out through the south gate, and all those who come in through the south gate are to go out through the north gate. They will exit the temple through the opposite gate so they continue to move straight ahead. 10 During these feasts, the prince will walk with everyone else, entering and exiting at the same time and in the same way as the commoners.
11 At all the feasts and the regularly scheduled festivals, the customary grain offering is to always be the same: ⅗ of a bushel of grain plus one gallon of oil for each bull and each ram, and as much grain and oil as is available for each lamb. 12 Whenever the prince gives a voluntary offering to the Eternal, be it a burnt offering or a peace offering, he will have the same privileges as he does for all Sabbath offerings: the east gate will be opened for him. He will offer his burnt offering or peace offering as he does on the Sabbath. After he leaves, the priests are to close the east gate.
13 Every single morning, I want the priests to offer a perfect one-year-old lamb to Me as a burnt offering. 14 Along with it each morning you are to offer a grain offering: ⅒ of a bushel of grain mixed with ⅓ gallon of oil in order to moisten the flour. This grain offering is to be an ordinance you observe for all time. 15 The lamb, the grain, and the oil are to be offered every single morning as a regular burnt offering.
16 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say:
Eternal One: If the prince gives one of his sons a piece of property as his inheritance—the property I allotted him on either side of My land—that piece will belong to all the descendants of that son and never leave the family. 17 But if the prince gives a piece of property to one of his servants, it will be leased by the servant only until the fiftieth year—the jubilee year when liberty is granted; then the inheritance will return to the prince. The prince’s inheritance belongs to his sons alone. It is never to leave the family. 18 Similarly, the prince must never demand possession of other people’s property and evict them from their own land. He is to give his sons their inheritance from his own property. This way, none of My people will be separated from his property.
19 The man whose appearance was like bronze then took me through the entrance next to the gateway and led me to the priests’ sacred chambers, which faced northward. He took me to a place on the far western side.
The Man (to Ezekiel): 20 This is where the priests are to boil the meat of the guilt offerings and sin offerings and bake the bread made from the grain offerings, so that they won’t have to transport the gifts through the outer courtyard and accidentally transmit holiness to the people.
21-22 Then my guide brought me to the outer courtyard and took me to each of its four corners. In each corner were smaller, confined courts, each measuring 70 feet long and 52½ feet wide. 23 There was a stone shelf that ran along the inside wall of each of the four courts. Beneath these stone shelves were hearths.
The Man (to Ezekiel): 24 These are kitchens. Everyone who serves in the temple will boil the peoples’ sacrifices here.
47 The man whose appearance was like bronze led me back to the temple’s entryway. There I observed a stream of water bubbling up from beneath the temple threshold, flowing eastward in the same direction the temple faced. The water was running parallel to the temple’s wall south of the altar.
This flowing, running, living water cleanses, heals, and restores everything in its path.
2 My guide led me through the north gate and took me around the outside wall to the east gate. I looked and could see the water trickling out from the south end of the east gate.
3 The man walked toward the east with a measuring line in his hand and measured off 1,750 feet or about ⅓ mile. Then we walked together through the ankle-deep water. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet, and we walked together now through water that was knee-deep. He measured as we walked another 1,750 feet, and we waded together through water that was waist-deep. 5 Then he measured off another 1,750 feet, but this time I couldn’t wade any farther because the water was too deep. Now the stream of water had become a river, deep enough for swimming.
The Man: 6 Son of man, have you seen anything like this?
Then my guide brought me back to the river’s edge. 7 When we got back there, I looked and saw orchards along both sides of the river.
The Man: 8-9 This river flows eastward and runs down into the Jordan Valley to the place where it flows into the Dead Sea. The moment it meets the sea, the salty water becomes fresh. Swarms of creatures will flourish wherever this river flows. Schools of fish will swim through currents of fresh water, for wherever this water flows everything will come alive! 10 From Engedi to Eneglaim, fishermen will stand upon the shore and spread out their nets! They will come there because the waters contain many fish of various kinds, just as the Mediterranean Sea[p] does. 11 However, the swamps and marshes won’t become fresh; these will continue to provide salt. 12 All kinds of trees will flourish along both sides of the river. Their leaves won’t wither, and their fruit won’t fail. Every month they will bear a fresh crop of fruit because they are nourished from the water that flows from the temple sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves will be for healing.
The Eternal Lord has this to say regarding the land:
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