Ezekiel 40-42
Visions of the House of Yahweh
In the atwenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the bcity was struck down, on that same day the chand of Yahweh was upon me, and He brought me there. 2 In the avisions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and caused me to rest on a very bhigh mountain, and on it cto the south there was a dstructure like a city. 3 So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of abronze, with a bline of flax and a cmeasuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man spoke to me, “aSon of man, bsee with your eyes, hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. cDeclare to the house of Israel all that you are seeing.”
The East Gate
5 And behold, there was a awall on the outside of the house of Yahweh all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one rod; and the height, one rod. 6 Then he went to the gate which faced aeast, went up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one rod in width; and the other threshold was one rod in width. 7 The aguardroom was one rod long and one rod wide; and there were five cubits between the guardrooms. And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate facing inward was one rod. 8 Then he measured the porch of the gate facing inward, one rod. 9 He measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its side pillars, two cubits. And the porch of the gate was faced inward. 10 The guardrooms of the gate toward the east numbered three on each side; the three of them had the same measurement. The side pillars also had the same measurement on each side. 11 And he measured the width of the entrance of the gate, ten cubits, and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 12 There was a barrier wall one cubit wide in front of the guardrooms on each side; and the guardrooms were six cubits square on each side. 13 He measured the gate from the roof of the one guardroom to the roof of the other, a width of twenty-five cubits from one door to the door opposite. 14 He made the side pillars sixty cubits high; the gate extended round about to the side pillar of the acourtyard. 15 From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the inner porch of the gate was fifty cubits. 16 There were ashuttered windows looking toward the guardrooms and toward their side pillars within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. And there were windows all around inside; and on each side pillar were bpalm tree ornaments.
The Outer Court Chambers
17 Then he brought me into the aouter court, and behold, there were bchambers and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 The pavement (that is, the lower pavement) was by the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. 19 Then he measured the width from the front of the alower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court, one bhundred cubits on the east and on the north.
The North Gate
20 As for the agate of the outer court which faced the north, he measured its length and its width. 21 It had three aguardrooms on each side; and its bside pillars and its porches had the same measurement as the first gate. Its length was cfifty cubits and the width dtwenty-five cubits. 22 Its awindows and its porches and its palm tree ornaments had the same measurements as the bgate which faced toward the east; and it was reached by seven csteps, and its porch was in front of them. 23 The inner court had a gate opposite the gate on the north as well as the gate on the east; and he measured one ahundred cubits from gate to gate.
The South Gate
24 Then he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a agate toward the south; and he measured its bside pillars and its porches according to those same measurements. 25 The gate and its porches had awindows all around like those other windows; the length was bfifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. 26 There were seven asteps going up to it, and its porches were in front of them; and it had bpalm tree ornaments on its side pillars, one on each side. 27 The inner court had a gate toward the asouth; and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, one bhundred cubits.
The Inner Court Gates
28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate; and he measured the south gate aaccording to those same measurements. 29 Its aguardrooms also, its side pillars, and its bporches were according to those same measurements. And the gate and its porches had bwindows all around; it was cfifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30 There were aporches all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. 31 Its porches were toward the outer court; and apalm tree ornaments were on its side pillars, and its stairway had eight bsteps.
32 Then he brought me into the ainner court toward the east. And he measured the gate baccording to those same measurements. 33 Its aguardrooms also, its side pillars, and its porches were according to those same measurements. And the gate and its porches had bwindows all around; it was cfifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its aporches were toward the outer court; and apalm tree ornaments were on its side pillars, on each side, and its stairway had eight bsteps.
35 Then he brought me to the anorth gate; and he measured it according to those same measurements, 36 with its aguardrooms, its side pillars, and its bporches. And the gate had bwindows all around; the length was cfifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. 37 Its side pillars were toward the outer court; and apalm tree ornaments were on its side pillars on each side, and its stairway had eight bsteps.
38 A achamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates; there they brinse the burnt offering. 39 In the porch of the gate were two atables on each side, on which to slaughter the bburnt offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering. 40 On the outer side, as one went up to the entrance of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side of the porch of the gate were two tables. 41 Four atables were on each side next to the gate; or, eight tables on which they slaughter sacrifices. 42 For the burnt offering there were four atables of bcut stone, a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high, on which they lay the instruments with which they slaughter the aburnt offering and the sacrifice. 43 The double hooks, one handbreadth in length, were installed in the house all around; and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.
The Chambers for the Priests
44 From the outside to the ainner gate were bchambers for the csingers in the inner court, one of which was at the side of the north gate, with its front toward the south, and one at the side of the south gate facing toward the north. 45 Then he said to me, “This is the achamber which faces toward the south, intended for the priests who bkeep the responsibility of the house; 46 but the achamber which faces toward the north is for the priests who bkeep the responsibility of the altar. These are the csons of Zadok, who from the sons of Levi dcome near to Yahweh to minister to Him.” 47 He measured the court, a perfect square, one ahundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide; and the altar was in front of the house.
The Porch
48 Then he brought me to the aporch of the house and measured each side pillar of the porch, five cubits on each side; and the width of the gate was three cubits on each side. 49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits and the width eleven cubits; and at the astairway by which it was ascended were bcolumns belonging to the side pillars, one on each side.
The Nave
Then he abrought me to the bnave and measured the cside pillars; six cubits wide on each side was the width of the side pillar. 2 The width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. And he measured the length of the nave, aforty cubits, and the width, atwenty cubits.
The Holy of Holies
3 Then he went ainside and measured each bside pillar of the doorway, two cubits, and the doorway, six cubits high; and the width of the doorway, seven cubits. 4 He measured its length, atwenty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits, before the bnave; and he said to me, “This is the cHoly of Holies.”
The Wall, Side Chambers, and West Building
5 Then he measured the wall of the house of Yahweh, six cubits; and the width of the aside chambers, four cubits, all around about the house on every side. 6 aThe side chambers were in three stories, one above another, and thirty in each story; and the side chambers bextended to the wall which stood on their inward side all around, that they might be fastened, and not be fastened into the wall of the house itself. 7 The side chambers surrounding the house were wider at each successive story. Because the astructure surrounding the house went upward by stages on all sides of the house, therefore the width of the house increased as it went higher; and thus one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the second story. 8 I saw also that the house had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers were a full rod of asix long cubits in height. 9 The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. But the afree space between the side chambers belonging to the house 10 and the outer achambers was twenty cubits in width all around the house on every side. 11 The doorways of the side chambers toward the afree space consisted of one doorway toward the north and another doorway toward the south; and the width of the place of the afree space was five cubits all around.
12 The abuilding that was in front of the bseparate area at the side toward the west was seventy cubits wide; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.
The Measurements of the Building
13 Then he measured the house, one ahundred cubits long; the bseparate area with the cbuilding and its walls were also one ahundred cubits long. 14 Also the width of the front of the house and that of the separate areas along the east side totaled one hundred cubits.
15 He measured the length of the abuilding along the front of the bseparate area behind it, with a cgallery on each side, one hundred cubits, along with the inner nave and the porches of the court.
Carvings and Furnishings
16 The athresholds, the blatticed windows, and the cgalleries round about their dthree stories, opposite the threshold, were epaneled with wood all around, and from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), 17 over the entrance, and to the inner house, and on the outside, and on all the wall all around inside and outside, by measurement. 18 It was carved with acherubim and bpalm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, 19 a aman’s face toward the palm tree on one side and a young alion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around. 20 From the ground to above the entrance acherubim and apalm trees were carved, as well as on the wall of the nave.
21 The adoorposts of the bnave were square; as for the front of the sanctuary, the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other. 22 The aaltar was of wood, three cubits high and its length two cubits; its corners, its base, and its sides were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the btable that is before Yahweh.” 23 The anave and the bsanctuary each had a double cdoor. 24 Each of the doors had two leaves, two aswinging leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. 25 Also there were carved on them, on the doors of the nave, acherubim and apalm trees like those carved on the walls; and there was a bcanopy of wood over the front of the porch outside. 26 There were alatticed windows and bpalm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the cporch; thus were the dside chambers of the house and the canopies.
The Chambers
Then he abrought me out into the bouter court, the way ctoward the north; and he brought me to the dchamber which was opposite the eseparate area and opposite the fbuilding toward the north. 2 Along the length, which was one ahundred cubits, was the north door; the width was fifty cubits. 3 Opposite the atwenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the bpavement which belonged to the outer court, was cgallery corresponding to gallery in three stories. 4 Before the achambers was an inner walk ten cubits wide, a way of one hundred cubits; and their openings were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were smaller because the agalleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building. 6 For they were in athree stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper chambers were set back from the ground upward, more than the lower and middle ones. 7 As for the aouter wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, its length was fifty cubits. 8 For the length of the chambers which were in the outer court was fifty cubits; and behold, the length of those facing the temple was one ahundred cubits. 9 Below these chambers was the aentrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.
10 In the thickness of the awall of the court toward the east, facing the bseparate area and facing the building, there were cchambers. 11 The away in front of them was like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north, according to their length so was their width, and all their exits were both according to their arrangements and openings. 12 Corresponding to the openings of the chambers which were toward the south was an opening at the head of the way, the way in front of the awall toward the east, as one enters them.
13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the aseparate area, they are the bholy chambers where the priests who are cnear to Yahweh shall eat the dmost holy things. There they shall lay the most holy things, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter, then they shall not go out into the outer court from the sanctuary without alaying there their bgarments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they shall come near to that which is for the people.”
15 Then he had finished measuring the inner house; he brought me out by the way of the agate which faced toward the east and measured it all around. 16 He measured on the east side with the measuring reed 500 reeds by the ameasuring reed. 17 He measured on the north side 500 reeds by the measuring reed. 18 On the south side he measured 500 reeds with the measuring reed. 19 He turned to the west side and measured 500 reeds with the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides; it had a awall all around, the blength 500 and the bwidth 500, to cdivide between the holy and the profane.
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