Chronological

Chambers of the Temple

42 Then he (the angel) brought me out into the outer courtyard, toward the north; and he led me to the [attached] chamber which was opposite the separate area and opposite the building to the north. ² Along the length, one hundred cubits, was the north door; and the width was fifty cubits. ³ Opposite the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner courtyard, and opposite the pavement which belonged to the outer courtyard, was gallery (balcony) corresponding to gallery in three stories. ⁴ In front of the [attached] chambers was an inner walkway ten cubits wide ^[a]and one hundred cubits long; and their entrances were on the north. ⁵ Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took away more space from them than from the chambers on the lower and middle stories of the building; ⁶ for they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the [outer] courtyards; therefore the upper chambers were ^[b]set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. ⁷ And the outer wall, by the side of the chambers, toward the outer courtyard facing the chambers, was fifty cubits long. ⁸ For the length of the chambers which were in the outer courtyard was fifty cubits, ^[c]while the length of those facing the temple was a hundred cubits. ⁹ Below these chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer courtyard.

¹⁰ In the width of the wall of the courtyard toward the east, facing the separate area and facing the building, were chambers; ¹¹ and a passage in front of them was like the appearance of the [attached] chambers on the north, and they had the same length and width, and all their exits were like both their ^[d]arrangements and their entrances. ¹² And like the entrances of the chambers that were toward the south there was an entrance at the head of the walkway, the walkway in front of the ^[e]dividing wall toward the east, as one enters them.

¹³ Then he (the angel) said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separate area, are the holy chambers where the priests who are close to the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall place the most holy things—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for the place is holy. ¹⁴ When the priests enter [the Holy Place], they shall not go out from the sanctuary into the outer court ^[f]unless they lay there their garments in which they minister, for these are holy (set apart). They shall put on other garments before they approach that which is for the people.”

¹⁵ Now when he had finished measuring the inner temple, he brought me out toward the gate which faced east and measured the outer area all around. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with the measuring ^[g]rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ¹⁷ He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ¹⁸ He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ¹⁹ He turned about to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ²⁰ He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, the length five hundred and the width five hundred, to make a separation between that which was holy [the temple proper] and that which was common [the outer area].

Vision of the Glory of God Filling the Temple

43 Then he (the angel) led me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. ² And behold, the glory and brilliance of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east; and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.^{(A) 3} And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision I saw beside the River Chebar [near Babylon]; and I fell face downward.^{(B) 4} And the glory and brilliance of the Lord entered the ^[h]temple by way of the gate facing toward the east. ⁵ Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the temple.

⁶ And I heard One speaking to me from the temple, while a man was standing beside me. ⁷ And He [the Lord] said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons (descendants) of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their [idolatrous] prostitution and by the corpses and monuments of their kings in their graves, ⁸ by setting their threshold by My threshold and their doorpost beside My doorpost, with [only] the wall between Me and them. They have defiled and desecrated My holy name by the vile atrocities which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger. ⁹ Now let them put far away from Me their [idolatrous] prostitution and the corpses and monuments of their kings, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰ “As for you, son of man, ^[i]describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins; and let them measure its plan [in detail]. ¹¹ If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple (house), its layout, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its statutes and do them. ¹² This is the law of the temple: Its entire ^[j]area all around on the top of the mountain ^[k](Mount Moriah) shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar of Sacrifice

¹³ “And these are the measurements of the altar [of burnt offering] in cubits (the cubit being a [long] cubit [the length of a forearm] and a hand width): the ^[l]base shall be a cubit [long] and a cubit wide, with its border on its edge all around it of a span [in width]. And this shall be the height of the ^[m]base of the altar. ¹⁴ From the base on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits and the width one cubit. ¹⁵ The altar hearth shall be four cubits high, and from the altar hearth shall extend upwards four horns [one from each corner, each one cubit high]. ¹⁶ Now the altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, square in its four sides. ¹⁷ The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide on its four sides, and the border around it shall be half a cubit; and its base shall be a cubit all around, and its steps shall face the east.”^(C)

The Offerings

¹⁸ And He [the Lord] said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘These are the statutes and regulations for [the use of] the altar on the day that it is built, to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it. ¹⁹ You shall give to the priests, the Levites who are from the descendants of Zadok, who are close to Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God, ‘a young bull for a sin offering [as a memorial to Christ’s sacrifice]. ²⁰ And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns [of the altar of burnt offering] and on the four corners of the ledge and on the border all around; thus you shall cleanse it (from sin) and make atonement for it. ²¹ You shall also take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary.^(D)

²² ‘On the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall cleanse the altar as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴ You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall throw salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ²⁵ For seven days you shall prepare daily a goat for a sin offering; also a young bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be prepared. ²⁶ For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so the priests shall consecrate it [to receive offerings].^{(E) 27} When they have completed these days, on the eighth day and from then onward, the priests shall offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord God.”^(F)