Ezekiel 40–42

The New Temple

40In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured, ^con that very day the Lord’s hand was on me, ^dand He brought me there. ²In visions of God ^eHe took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. ^fOn its southern slope was a structure resembling a city. ³He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, ^gwith a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. ^hHe was standing by the gate. ⁴He spoke to me: “Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears, ⁱand pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel.” ^j

The Wall and Outer Gates

⁵Now there was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple. ^kThe measuring rod in the man’s hand was six units of 21 inches; ^leach unit was the standard length plus three inches. ^mHe measured the thickness of the wall structure; it was about 10 feet, ⁿand its height was the same. ^o6Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps. ^pHe measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10 feet deep—the first threshold was 10 feet deep. ⁷Each recess was about 10 feet ^qlong and 10 feet ^rdeep, and there was a space of 8¾ feet ^sbetween the recesses. The inner threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate’s portico was about 10 feet. ^t8Next he measured the portico of the gate; ⁹it ^uwas 14 feet, ^vand its pilasters were 3½ feet. ^wThe portico of the gate was on the temple side.

¹⁰There were three recesses on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the pilasters on either side also had the same measurements. ¹¹Then he measured the width of the gate’s entrance; it was 17½ feet, ^xwhile the width ^yof the gateway was 22¾ feet. ^z12There was a barrier of 21 inches ^ain front of the recesses on both sides, and the recesses on each side were 10½ feet ^bsquare. ¹³Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one recess to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was 43¾ feet. ^cThe openings of the recesses faced each other. ¹⁴Next, he measured the pilasters—105 feet. ^dThe gate extended around to the pilaster of the court. ^e15The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate’s portico on the inside was 87½ feet. ^f16The recesses and their pilasters had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. ^gThe porticoes also had windows all around on the inside. Each pilaster was decorated with palm trees. ^h

¹⁷Then he brought me into the outer court, ⁱand there were chambers and a paved surface laid out all around the court. ^jThirty chambers faced the pavement, ¹⁸which flanked the gates and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet. ^kThis was the east; next the north is described.

²⁰He measured the gate of the outer court facing north, both its length and width. ²¹Its three recesses on each side, its pilasters, and its portico had the same measurements as the first gate: 87½ feet ^llong and 43¾ feet ^mwide. ²²Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate that faced east. Seven steps led up to the gate, and its portico was ahead of them. ²³The inner court had a gate facing the north gate, like the one on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet. ⁿ

²⁴He brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate on the south. He measured its pilasters and portico; they had the same measurements as the others. ²⁵Both the gate and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87½ feet ^olong and 43¾ feet ^pwide. ²⁶Its stairway had seven steps, and its portico was ahead of them. It had palm trees on its pilasters, one on each side. ²⁷The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet. ^q

The Inner Gates

²⁸Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others. ²⁹Its recesses, pilasters, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet ^rlong and 43¾ feet ^swide. ³⁰(There were porticoes all around, 43¾ feet long and 8¾ feet ^twide. ^u) ³¹Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.

³²Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others. ³³Its recesses, pilasters, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet ^vlong and 43¾ feet ^wwide. ³⁴Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

³⁵Then he brought me to the north gate. ^xWhen he measured it, it had the same measurements as the others, ³⁶as did its recesses, pilasters, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87½ feet ^ylong and 43¾ feet ^zwide. ³⁷Its portico ^afaced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

³⁸There was a chamber whose door opened into the portico of the gate. ^bThe burnt offering was to be washed there. ^c39Inside the portico of the gate there were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, sin offering, ^dand restitution offering. ^e40Outside, as one approaches the entrance of the north gate, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. ⁴¹So there were four tables inside the gate and four outside, eight tables in all on which the slaughtering was to be done. ⁴²There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering, ^feach 31½ inches ^glong, 31½ inches wide, and 21 inches ^hhigh. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. ⁴³There were three-inch ⁱhooks ^jfastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be laid on the tables.

Rooms for Singers and Priests

⁴⁴Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers: ^klone ^mbeside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south ⁿgate, facing north. ⁴⁵Then the man said to me: “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple. ^o46The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, ^pthe ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the Lord to serve Him.” ^q47Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet ^rlong and 175 feet wide. The altar ^swas in front of the temple.

⁴⁸Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the pilasters of the portico; they were 8¾ feet ^tthick on each side. The width of the gateway was 24½ feet, ^uand the side walls of the gate were ^v5¼ feet ^wwide on each side. ⁴⁹The portico was 35 feet ^xacross and 21 ^yfeet ^zdeep, and 10 steps led ^aup to it. ^bThere were pillars by the pilasters, one on each side. ^c

Inside the Temple

41Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the pilasters; ^don each side the width of the pilaster was 10½ feet. ^ef2The width of the entrance was 17½ feet, ^gand the side walls of the entrance were 8¾ feet ^hwide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet, ⁱand the width, 35 feet. ^jk3He went inside the next room and measured the pilasters at the entrance; ^lthey were 3½ feet ^mwide. The entrance was 10½ feet ⁿwide, and the width of the entrance’s side walls on each side ^owas 12¼ feet. ^p4He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, ^qand the width, 35 feet. ^rAnd he said to me, “This is the most holy place.” ^s

Outside the Temple

⁵Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10½ feet ^tthick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was seven feet. ^uv6The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of 30 rooms each. ^wThere were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself. ^x7The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple’s broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one. ^yz

⁸I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10½ feet high. ^ab9The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was 8¾ feet. ^cThe free space between the side rooms of the temple ¹⁰and the outer chambers was 35 feet ^dwide all around the temple. ^e11The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8¾ feet ^fwide all around.

¹²Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122½ feet ^gwide. The wall of the building was 8¾ feet ^hthick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157½ feet. ⁱ

¹³Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet ^jlong. ^kIn addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long. ¹⁴The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet. ¹⁵Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries ^lon each side; ^mit was 175 feet.

Interior Wooden Structures

The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court— ¹⁶the thresholds, the beveled windows, ⁿand the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold—were overlaid with wood on…