Ezekiel 40 - Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

The New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year after we were taken away into captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month,^[a] the Lord’s power came on me. This was fourteen years after the Babylonians took Jerusalem. On that day the Lord took me there in a vision.

² In a vision, God carried me to the land of Israel. He put me down near a very high mountain. On the mountain in front of me was a building that looked like a city.^{[b] 3} He took me to that place. There was a man there who looked like polished bronze. He had a cloth tape measure and a measuring rod in his hand. He was standing by the gate. ⁴ The man said to me, “Son of man,^[c] use your eyes and ears. Look at these things and listen to me. Pay attention to everything that I show you, because you have been brought here so that I can show you these things. You must tell the family of Israel all that you see.”

⁵ I saw a wall that went all the way around the outside of the Temple. In the man’s hand there was a ruler for measuring things. It was 6 cubits^[d] long using the long measurement,^[e] so the man measured the thickness of the wall. It was one ruler^[f] thick. He measured the height of the wall. It was one ruler tall.

⁶ Then the man went to the east gate. He walked up its steps and measured the opening for the gate. It was one ruler wide. ⁷ The guardrooms were one ruler long and one ruler wide. The walls between the rooms were 5 cubits^[g] thick. The opening by the porch at the end of the gateway that faced the Temple was also one ruler wide. ⁸ Then he measured the porch. ⁹ It was 8 cubits^[h] long. He measured the walls on either side of the gate. Each side wall was 2 cubits^[i] wide. The porch was at the end of the gateway that faced the Temple. ¹⁰ There were three little guardrooms on each side of the gateway. All these rooms and their side walls measured the same. ¹¹ The man measured the entrance to the gateway. It was 10 cubits^[j] wide and 13 cubits^[k] long. ¹² There was a low wall in front of each room. That wall was 1 cubit^[l] tall and 1 cubit thick. The rooms were square. Each wall was 6 cubits long.

¹³ The man measured the gateway from the outside edge of the roof of one room to the outside edge of the roof of the opposite room. It was 25 cubits.^[m] Each door was directly opposite the other door. ^{14 [n]} He measured the faces of all the side walls, including the side walls on either side of the porch at the courtyard. The total was 60 cubits.^{[o] 15} From the inside edge of the outer gate to the far end of the porch was 50 cubits.^{[p] 16} There were small windows^[q] above all the guardrooms, the side walls, and the porch. The wide part of the windows faced into the gateway. There were carvings of palm trees on the walls that were on either side of the gateway.

The Outer Courtyard

¹⁷ Then the man led me into the outer courtyard. I saw thirty rooms and a pavement that went all the way around the courtyard. The rooms were along the wall and faced in toward the pavement. ¹⁸ The pavement was as wide as the gates were long. The pavement reached to the inside end of the gateway. This was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ The man measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner courtyard. It was 100 cubits^[r] on the east side as well as on the north side.

²⁰ Then the man measured the length and width of the north gate that was in the wall surrounding the outer courtyard. ²¹ This gateway, its three rooms on each side, and its porch all measured the same as the first gate. The gateway was 50 cubits long and 25 cubits wide. ²² Its windows, its porch, and its carvings of palm trees measured the same as the east gate. On the outside, there were seven steps leading up to the gate. Its porch was at the inside end of the gateway. ²³ Across the courtyard from the north gate, there was a gate to the inner courtyard. It was like the gate on the east. The man measured from the gate on the inner wall to the gate on the outer wall. It was 100 cubits from gate to gate.

²⁴ Then the man led me to the south wall. I saw a gate in the south wall. He measured its side walls and its porch. They measured the same as the other gates. ²⁵ The gateway and its porch had windows all around like the other gates. The gateway was 50 cubits long and 25 cubits wide. ²⁶ There were seven steps going up to this gate. Its porch was at the inside end of the gateway. It had carvings of palm trees on the walls that were on either side of the gateway. ²⁷ A gate was on the south side of the inner courtyard. The man measured from the gate on the inner wall to the gate on the outer wall. It was 100 cubits from gate to gate.

The Inner Courtyard

²⁸ Then the man led me through the south gate into the inner courtyard. He measured this gate. This gateway measured the same as the other gates to the inner courtyard. ²⁹ Its rooms, side walls, and porch also measured the same as the other gates. There were windows all around the gateway and its porch. The gateway was 50 cubits long and 25 cubits wide. ³⁰ The porch was 25 cubits wide and 5 cubits long. ³¹ And its porch was at the end of the gateway next to the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees were on the walls on either side of the gateway. There were eight steps leading up to the gate.

³² Then the man led me into the inner courtyard on the east side. He measured the gate. It measured the same as the other gates. ³³ Its rooms, side walls, and porch also measured the same as the other gates. There were windows all around the gateway and its porch. The gateway was 50 cubits long and 25 cubits wide. ³⁴ And its porch was at the end of the gateway next to the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees were on the walls on either side of the gateway. There were eight steps leading up to the gate.

³⁵ Then the man led me to the north gate. He measured it, and it measured the same as the other gates. ³⁶ Its rooms, side walls, and porch also measured the same as the other gates. There were windows all around the gateway and its porch. The gateway was 50 cubits long and 25 cubits wide. ³⁷ And its porch^[s] was at the end of the gateway next to the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees were on the walls on either side of the gateway. There were eight steps leading up to the gate.

The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

³⁸ There was also a doorway in the side walls of the gates. That doorway led into a room where the priests washed the sacrifices. ³⁹ There were two tables on each side of the door of this porch. The animals for the burnt offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings were killed on these tables. ⁴⁰ There were also two tables on each side of the door on the outside wall of this porch. ⁴¹ So there were four tables on the inside wall and four tables on the outside wall—eight tables that the priests used when they killed the animals for sacrifices. ⁴² There were also four tables made from cut stone for the burnt offerings. These tables were 1 1/2 cubits^[t] long, 1 1/2 cubits wide, and 1 cubit high. On these tables, the priests put their tools that they used to kill the animals for the burnt offerings and other sacrifices. ⁴³ There were meat hooks three inches long^[u] on all the walls in this area. The meat of the offerings was put on the tables.

The Priests’ Rooms

⁴⁴ There were two rooms^[v] in the inner courtyard. One was by the north gate facing south. The other room was by the south^[w] gate facing north. ⁴⁵ The man said to me, “The room that looks to the south is for the priests who are on duty and serving in the Temple area. ⁴⁶ But the room that looks to the north is for the priests who are on duty and serving at the altar. The priests are from the tribe of Levi. But the priests in this second group are the descendants of Zadok. They are the only people who can carry the sacrifices to the altar to serve the Lord.^[x]”

⁴⁷ The man measured the inner courtyard. The courtyard was a perfect square. It was 100 cubits long and 100 cubits wide. The altar was in front of the Temple.

The Porch of the Temple

⁴⁸ Then the man led me to the porch of the Temple and measured the walls on either side of the porch. Each side wall was 5 cubits thick and 3 cubits^[y] wide. The opening between them was 14 cubits.^{[z] 49} The porch was 20 cubits^[aa] wide and 12 cubits^[ab] long.^[ac] Ten steps went up to the porch. There were two columns for the walls on either side of the porch—one at each wall.

Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 40:1 tenth day of the month This was the Day of Atonement, 573 B.C. See Lev. 23:26; 25:9.
2. Ezekiel 40:2 On the mountain … city Or “On the mountain, there was a building that looked like a city with a city south of it.”
3. Ezekiel 40:4 Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person” or “a human being.” Here, it is a way of addressing Ezekiel.
4. Ezekiel 40:5 6 cubits 10' 2 7/16" (3.11 m). Also in verse 12.
5. Ezekiel 40:5 long measurement Literally, “a cubit and a handbreadth.” This cubit equals 20 5/8" (51.83 cm).
6. Ezekiel 40:5 one ruler That is, 6 cubits (10' 2 7/16" or 3.11 m). Also in verses 6, 7.
7. Ezekiel 40:7 5 cubits 8' 6" (2.6 m). Also in verses 30, 48.
8. Ezekiel 40:9 8 cubits 13' 7 1/4" (4.2 m).
9. Ezekiel 40:9 2 cubits 3' 4 13/16" (104 cm).
10. Ezekiel 40:11 10 cubits 17' 1/16" (5.18 m).
11. Ezekiel 40:11 13 cubits 22' 1 1/4" (6.74 m).
12. Ezekiel 40:12 1 cubit 20 3/8" (51.83 cm). Also in verse 42.
13. Ezekiel 40:13 25 cubits 42' 6 1/8" (12.96 m). Also in verses 21, 25, 29, 33, 36.
14. Ezekiel 40:14 The meaning of this verse in the Hebrew text is uncertain.
15. Ezekiel 40:14 60 cubits 102' 3/8" (31.1 m).
16. Ezekiel 40:15 50 cubits 85' 5/16" (25.92 m). Also in verses 21, 25, 29, 33, 36.
17. Ezekiel 40:16 small windows These let the soldiers defending the city shoot arrows out at the enemy. The narrow part of the window was on the enemy’s side of the wall to give the smallest target.
18. Ezekiel 40:19 100 cubits 170' 5/8" (51.83 m). Also in verse 23, 27, 47.
19. Ezekiel 40:37 porch The Hebrew text has “side walls.”
20. Ezekiel 40:42 1 1/2 cubits 30 5/8" (77.75 cm).
21. Ezekiel 40:43 meat hooks … long Or “Double shelves three inches wide ….”
22. Ezekiel 40:44 two rooms Or “rooms for the singers.”
23. Ezekiel 40:44 south This is from the ancient Greek version. The Hebrew text has “east.”
24. Ezekiel 40:46 carry the sacrifices … the Lord Literally, “approach the Lord to serve him.”
25. Ezekiel 40:48 3 cubits 5' 1 3/16" (1.55 m).
26. Ezekiel 40:48 14 cubits 23' 9 11/16" (7.26 m).
27. Ezekiel 40:49 20 cubits 34' 1/8" (10.37 m). Also in 41:2, 4.
28. Ezekiel 40:49 12 cubits 20' 4 7/8" (6.22 m).
29. Ezekiel 40:49 20 … long Literally, “20 cubits long … 12 cubits wide.”