Ezequiel 40

The vision of the new temple

¹On the tenth day of the month at the start of the year, in the twenty-fifth year of our exile, the fourteenth year after the city had fallen, on that very day the hand of the LORD came on me, and he brought me there.^{a 2}In visions from God he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me on a very high mountain. On it, toward the south, was something like the buildings of a city. ³When he brought me there, I saw a man who looked like bronze. He had a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand, and he was standing in the gateway. ⁴The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely, and give your mind to everything I will show you. You were brought here so that I could show it to you. Tell the house of Israel everything you see.” ⁵There was a wall all around the outside of the temple area. The measuring reed in the man’s hand was about 10 1/2 feet long; each of its six cubits was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the wall, and it was about 10 1/2 feet thick and about 10 1/2 feet high.^{b 6}Then he went to the gate that faces east. He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate: it was about 10 1/2 feet deep. The other threshold was also about 10 1/2 feet deep.^{c 7}Each alcove was about 10 1/2 feet long and about 10 1/2 feet wide, and the walls between the alcoves were about 8 3/4 feet thick. The threshold of the gate next to the porch of the gate, on the inner side, was about 10 1/2 feet deep.^{de 8}He measured the porch of the gate on the inner side: it was about 10 1/2 feet.^{f 9}Then he measured the porch of the gate: it was about 14 feet deep, and its jambs were about 3 1/2 feet thick. The porch of the gate faced the temple.^{g 10}The east gate had three alcoves on each side. All three were the same size, and the jambs on each side were the same size. ¹¹He measured the width of the gate’s entrance: it was about 17 1/2 feet; and the gateway was about 22 3/4 feet long.^{h 12}In front of the alcoves was a barrier about 21 inches high on each side, and the alcoves were about 10 1/2 feet square on each side. ¹³He measured the gate from the roof of one alcove to the roof of the alcove opposite: the width was about 43 3/4 feet, from one opening to the opening facing it. ¹⁴He also measured the jambs: about 105 feet. The gate reached to the jamb of the court on every side.^{i 15}From the front of the gate at the entrance to the far end of the porch on the inner side was about 87 1/2 feet. ¹⁶The alcoves and their jambs had recessed windows facing the inside of the gate all around, and so did the porch. There were windows all around on the inside, and the jambs were decorated with palm trees.^{j 17}Then he brought me into the outer court. There were rooms there, and a pavement laid all around the court; thirty rooms faced the pavement. ¹⁸The pavement ran along the sides of the gates and was as wide as the gates were long. This was the lower pavement. ¹⁹He measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court: it was about 175 feet, on the east side and on the north. ²⁰Next he measured the length and the width of the gate of the outer court that faces north. ²¹Its alcoves, three on each side, its jambs and its porch had the same measurements as the first gate. It was about 87 1/2 feet long and about 43 3/4 feet wide. ²²Its windows, its porch and its palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate that faces east. Seven steps led up to it, and its porch was at the inner end. ²³The inner court had a gate opposite the north gate, as it had on the east. He measured from gate to gate: about 175 feet. ²⁴Then he led me to the south side, and there was a gate facing south. He measured its jambs and its porch, and they had the same measurements as the others. ²⁵The gate and its porch had windows all around like the other windows. It was about 87 1/2 feet long and about 43 3/4 feet wide. ²⁶Seven steps led up to it, and its porch was at the inner end. It had palm trees on its jambs, one on each side. ²⁷The inner court also had a gate facing south. He measured from this gate to the outer gate on the south: about 175 feet. ²⁸Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate. He measured the south gate, and it had the same measurements as the others. ²⁹Its alcoves, its jambs and its porch had the same measurements as the others, and the gate and its porch had windows all around. It was about 87 1/2 feet long and about 43 3/4 feet wide. ³⁰There were porches all around, about 43 3/4 feet long and about 8 3/4 feet wide.^{k 31}Its porch faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it. ³²Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. He measured the gate, and it had the same measurements as the others. ³³Its alcoves, its jambs and its porch had the same measurements as the others, and the gate and its porch had windows all around. It was about 87 1/2 feet long and about 43 3/4 feet wide. ³⁴Its porch faced the outer court, and its jambs on both sides were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it. ³⁵Next he brought me to the north gate and measured it; its measurements matched the others, ³⁶with its alcoves, its jambs and its porch, and it had windows all around. It was about 87 1/2 feet long and about 43 3/4 feet wide. ³⁷Its jambs faced the outer court, and its jambs on both sides were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it.^{l 38}There was a room with its door by the jambs of the gate, where the burnt offering was washed. ³⁹In the porch of the gate there were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings were to be slaughtered. ⁴⁰Outside, as one went up to the entrance of the north gate, two tables stood on one side, and two more stood on the other side of the gate’s porch. ⁴¹So there were four tables on each side of the gate, eight tables in all, on which the animals were slaughtered. ⁴²There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering, about 31 1/2 inches long, about 31 1/2 inches wide and about 21 inches high. On them were placed the tools used for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. ⁴³Hooks about 3 inches long were fixed all around inside the room, and the meat of the offerings was laid on the tables.^{m 44}Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were rooms for the singers. One was beside the north gate, facing south, and one was beside the east gate, facing north.^{n 45}He said to me, “This room facing south is for the priests who are in charge of the temple, ⁴⁶and the room facing north is for the priests who are in charge of the altar. These are the descendants of Zadok, the only ones among the descendants of Levi who may come near to the LORD to serve him.” ⁴⁷Then he measured the court. It was square, about 175 feet long and about 175 feet wide. The altar stood in front of the temple. ⁴⁸Then he brought me to the porch of the temple and measured its jambs: they were about 8 3/4 feet on each side. The sides of the entrance were about 5 1/4 feet wide on each side.^{o 49}The porch was about 35 feet wide and about 19 1/4 feet deep, and steps led up to it. There were pillars beside the jambs, one on each side.^p