The New Temple
40 It was the twenty-fifth year [C since King Jehoiachin’s exile (1:2)], at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month [C April 19, 573 bc]. It was in the fourteenth year after ·Jerusalem was captured [L the city was struck down]. On that same day ·I felt the power of the Lord [L the hand of the Lord was upon me], and he brought me to Jerusalem. 2 In the visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel and put me down on a very high mountain. On the south of the mountain there were some buildings that looked like a city. 3 He took me closer to the buildings, and ·I saw [L look; T behold] a man ·who looked as if he were made of [whose appearance was like] bronze, standing in the gateway. He had a cord made of linen and a stick in his hand, both for measuring. 4 The man said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], look with your eyes and hear with your ears. ·Pay attention to [L Set your heart upon] all that I will show you, because that’s why you have been brought here. Tell the ·people [L house] of Israel all that you see.”
The East Gateway
5 ·I saw [L And look/T behold] a wall that surrounded the ·Temple area [L house]. The measuring ·stick [rod] in the man’s hand was ·ten and one-half feet long [L six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; C a regular cubit was eighteen inches long; this long cubit was about twenty-one inches long]. So the man measured the wall, which was ·ten and one-half feet [L six long cubits] thick and ·ten and one-half feet [L one rod/stick] high.
6 Then the man went to the east gateway. He went up its steps and measured the opening of the gateway. It was ·ten and one-half feet [L one rod/stick; v. 5] deep. 7 The ·rooms for the guards [alcoves] were ·ten and one-half feet [L one rod/stick] long and ·ten and one-half feet [L one rod/stick] wide. ·The walls that came out between the guards’ rooms [L Between the alcoves] were ·about nine feet [L five cubits; v. 5] thick. The ·opening [threshold] of the gateway next to the ·porch [portico] that faced the Temple was ·ten and one-half feet [L one rod/stick] deep.
8 Then the man measured the porch of the gateway. 9 It was ·about fourteen feet [L eight cubits] deep, and its ·side walls [or jambs] were ·three and one-half feet [L two cubits] thick. The ·porch [portico] of the gateway faced the Temple.
10 On each side of the east gateway were three ·rooms [alcoves], which ·measured the same on each side [had the same measurement]. The ·walls between each room [dividing walls; or jambs] ·were the same thickness [or had the same measurement]. 11 The man measured the width of the entrance to the gateway, which was ·seventeen and one-half feet [L ten cubits; v. 5] wide. The ·width [or length] of the gate was ·about twenty-three feet [L thirteen cubits]. 12 And there was a low ·wall [barrier] ·about twenty-one inches [L one cubit] high in front of each ·room [alcove]. The ·rooms [alcoves] were ·ten and one-half feet [L six cubits] on each side. 13 The man measured the gateway from the roof of one ·room [alcove] to the roof of the opposite one. It was ·about forty-four feet [L twenty-five cubits] from one door to the opposite door. 14 The man also measured the ·porch [or jambs], which was ·about thirty-five feet [L twenty cubits] wide. The courtyard was around the ·porch [or jamb; C the meaning of this verse is uncertain]. 15 From the front of the ·outer side of the [entrance] gateway to the front of the porch of the ·inner side of the [inner] gateway was ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits]. 16 The ·rooms [alcoves] and porch had small windows on both sides. The windows were narrower on the side facing the gateway. Carvings of palm trees were on each side wall of the rooms.
The Outer Courtyard
17 Then the man brought me into the outer courtyard ·where I saw [L and look/T behold] rooms and a pavement of stones all around the court. Thirty rooms ·were along the edge of [faced] the paved walkway. 18 The pavement ran alongside the gates and was as deep as the gates were wide. This was the lower pavement. 19 Then the man measured from the ·outer wall [front of the lower gate] to the ·inner wall [L exterior face of the inner court]. The outer court between these two walls was ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] on the east and on the north.
The North Gateway
20 The man measured the length and width of the north gateway leading to the outer courtyard. 21 Its three ·rooms [alcoves] on each side, its ·inner walls [or jambs], and its ·porch [portico] measured the same as the first gateway. It was ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] long and ·forty-four feet [L twenty-five cubits] wide. 22 Its windows, ·porch [portico], and carvings of palm trees measured the same as the east gateway. Seven steps went up to the gateway, and the gateway’s ·porch [portico] was at the inner end. 23 The inner courtyard had a gateway across from the northern gateway like the one on the east. The man measured it and found it was ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] from inner gateway to outer gateway.
The South Gateway
24 Then the man led me south ·where I saw [L and look/T behold] a gateway facing south. He measured its ·inner walls [or jambs] and its ·porch [portico], and they measured the same as the other gateways. 25 The gateway and its porch had windows all around like the other gateways. It was ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] long and ·forty-four feet [L twenty-five cubits] wide. 26 Seven steps went up to this gateway. Its porch was at the inner end, and it had carvings of palm trees on its inner walls. 27 The inner courtyard had a gateway on its south side. The man measured from gate to gate on the south side, which was ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits].
The Inner Courtyard
28 Then the man brought me through the south gateway into the inner courtyard. The inner south gateway measured the same as the gateways in the outer wall. 29 The inner south gateway’s ·rooms [alcoves], ·inner walls [or jambs], and ·porch [portico] measured the same as the gateways in the outer wall. There were windows all around the gateway and its porch. The gateway was ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] long and ·forty-four feet [L twenty-five cubits] wide. 30 Each porch of each inner gateway was ·about forty-four feet [L twenty-five cubits] long and ·about nine feet [L five cubits] wide. 31 The inner south gateway’s ·porch [portico] faced the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees were on its ·side walls [or jambs], and its stairway had eight steps.
32 The man brought me into the inner courtyard on the east side. He measured the inner east gateway, and it was the same as the other gateways. 33 The inner east gateway’s ·rooms [alcoves], ·inside walls [or jambs], and ·porch [portico] measured the same as the other gateways. Windows were all around the gateway and its ·porch [portico]. The inner east gateway was ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] long and ·forty-four feet [L twenty-five cubits] wide. 34 Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees were on its ·inner walls [or jambs] on each side, and its stairway had eight steps.
35 Then the man brought me to the inner north gateway. He measured it, and it was the same as the other gateways. 36 Its ·rooms [alcoves], ·inside walls [or jambs], and ·porch [portico] measured the same as the other gateways. There were windows all around the gateway, which was ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] long and ·forty-four feet [L twenty-five cubits] wide. 37 Its ·porch [portico] faced the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees were on its inner walls on each side, and its stairway had eight steps.
Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices
38 There was a room with a door that opened onto the ·porch [portico] of the inner north gateway. ·In this room the priests washed animals for the burnt offerings [L …where the burnt offering was washed; Lev. 1:1–17]. 39 There were two tables on each side of the ·porch [portico], on which animals for burnt offerings, ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], and ·penalty [guilt; reparation] offerings [Lev. 5:14—6:7] were killed. 40 Outside, by each side wall of the ·porch [portico], at the entrance to the north gateway, were two more tables. 41 So there were four tables inside the gateway, and four tables outside. In all there were eight tables on which ·the priests killed animals for sacrifices [L to slaughter]. 42 There were four tables made of cut stone for the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17]. These tables were ·about three feet [L a cubit and a half] long, ·three feet [L a cubit and a half] wide, and ·about two feet [L a cubit] high. On these tables the priests put their tools which they used to kill animals for burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. 43 Double shelves[a] ·three inches [L one handbreadth] wide were put up on all the walls. The flesh for the offering was put on the tables.
The Priests’ Rooms
44 There were two rooms in the inner courtyard. One was beside the north gateway and faced south. The other room was beside the south gateway and faced north. 45 The man said to me, “The room which faces south is for the priests who ·serve in [or guard; or have charge of] the Temple area, 46 while the room that faces north is for the priests who ·serve at [or guard; or have charge of] the altar. This second group of priests are descendants of Zadok, the only descendants of Levi who can come near the Lord to ·serve [minister to] him.”
47 The man measured the inner courtyard. It was a square—·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] long and ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] wide. The altar was in front of the Temple.
The Temple Porch
48 The man brought me to the ·porch [portico] of the Temple and measured each ·side wall [or jamb] of the ·porch [portico]. Each was ·about nine feet [L five cubits] thick. The doorway was ·twenty-four and one-half feet [L fourteen cubits] wide. The side walls of the doorway were each ·about five feet [L three cubits] wide. 49 The ·porch [portico] was ·thirty-five feet [L twenty cubits] long and ·twenty-one feet [L twelve cubits] wide, with ten steps leading up to it. Pillars were by the ·side walls [or jambs], one on each side of the entrance.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 40:43 shelves Aramaic, Greek and Syriac copies read “shelves.” Hebrew copies read “hooks.”