Ezekiel 42–44

The Priests’ Chambers

42Then the man led me out by way of the north gate into the outer court. ^gHe brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple yard and opposite the building ^hto the north. ²Along the length of the chambers, which was 175 feet, ^ijthere was an entrance on the north; the width was 87½ feet. ^k3Opposite the 35 foot space ^lbelonging to the inner court and opposite the paved surface ^mbelonging to the outer court, the structure rose gallery by gallery ⁿin three tiers. ⁴In front of the chambers was a walkway toward the inside, ^o17½ feet ^pwide and 175 feet ^qlong, ^rand their entrances were on the north. ⁵The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building. ⁶For they were arranged in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; ^stherefore the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle stories. ⁷A wall on the outside ran in front of the chambers, parallel to them, toward the outer court; it was 87½ feet ^tlong. ⁸For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet long, while those facing the great hall were 175 feet ^ulong. ^v9At the base of these chambers there was an entryway on the east side as one enters them from the outer court. ^w

¹⁰In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the south, ^xthere were chambers facing the temple yard ^yand the western building, ¹¹with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that faced north. ^zTheir length and width, as well as all their exits, measurements, and entrances, were identical. ¹²The entrance at the beginning of the passageway, the way in front of the corresponding ^awall as one enters on the east side, was similar to the entrances of the chambers that were on the south side.

¹³Then the man said to me, “The northern and southern chambers that face the temple yard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord will eat ^bthe most holy offerings. ^cThere they will deposit the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, sin offerings, and restitution offerings—for the place is holy. ^d14Once the priests have entered, they must not go out from the holy area to the outer court until they have removed the clothes they minister in, for these are holy. ^eThey are to put on other clothes before they approach the public area.” ^f

Outside Dimensions of the Temple Complex

¹⁵When he finished measuring inside the temple complex, he led me out by way of the gate that faced east and measured all around the complex. ^g

¹⁶He measured the east side with a measuring rod;

it was 875 feet ^hby the measuring rod. ⁱ

¹⁷He ^jmeasured the north side;

it was 875 feet ^kby the measuring rod. ^l

¹⁸He ^mmeasured the south side;

it was 875 feet ⁿby the measuring rod. ^o

¹⁹Then he turned to the west side

and measured 875 feet ^pby the measuring rod. ^q

²⁰He measured the temple complex on all four sides. It had a wall all around it, ^r875 feet long and 875 feet ^swide, to separate the holy from the common. ^t

Return of the Lord’s Glory

43He led me to the gate, ^uthe one that faces east, ²and I saw the glory of the God of Israel ^vcoming from the east. ^wHis voice sounded like the roar of mighty waters, ^xand the earth shone with His glory. ^y3The vision I saw ^zwas like the one I had seen when He ^acame to destroy the city, ^band like the ones I had seen by the Chebar Canal. ^cI fell facedown. ^d4The glory of the Lord entered the temple by way of the gate that faced east. ^e5Then the Spirit lifted me up ^fand brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. ^g

⁶While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from the temple. ^h7He said to me: “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, ⁱwhere I will dwell among the Israelites forever. ^jThe house of Israel and their kings will no longer defile My holy name by their religious prostitution and by the corpses ^klof their kings at their high places. ^mn8Whenever they placed their threshold next to My threshold and their doorposts beside My doorposts, with only a wall between Me and them, they were defiling My holy name by the detestable acts they committed. ^oSo I destroyed them in My anger. ⁹Now let them remove their prostitution and the corpses ^pqof their kings far from Me, and I will dwell among them forever. ^r

¹⁰“As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, ^sso that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. ^tLet them measure its pattern, ^u11and they will be ashamed of all that they have done. Reveal ^vthe design of the temple to them—its layout with its exits and entrances ^w—its complete design along with all its statutes, design specifications, and laws. Write it down in their sight ^xso that they may observe its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out. ^y12This is the law of the temple: all its surrounding territory on top of the mountain ^zwill be especially holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

¹³“These are the measurements of the altar ^ain units of length (each unit being the standard length plus three inches ^b): ^cthe gutter is 21 inches ^ddeep and 21 inches wide, with a rim of nine inches ^earound its edge. This is the base ^fof the altar. ¹⁴The distance from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge is 3½ feet, ^gand the width of the ledge is 21 inches. ^hThere are seven feet ⁱfrom the small ledge to the large ledge, whose width is also 21 inches. ¹⁵The altar hearth ^jis seven feet ^khigh, and four horns ^lproject upward from the hearth. ¹⁶The hearth is square, 21 feet ^mlong by 21 feet wide. ⁿ¹⁷The ledge is 24½ feet ^olong by 24½ feet wide, with four equal sides. ^pThe rim all around it is 10½ inches, ^qand its gutter is 21 inches ^rall around it. The altar’s steps face east.” ^s

¹⁸Then He said to me: “Son of man, ^tthis is what the Lord God says: These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings ^umay be sacrificed on it and blood may be sprinkled on it: ^v19You are to give a bull from the herd ^was a sin offering ^xto the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok, ^ywho approach Me in order to serve Me.” ^zThis is the declaration of the Lord God. ²⁰“You must take some of its blood and apply it to the four horns ^aof the altar, the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim. In this way you will purify the altar and make atonement for it. ^b21Then you must take away the bull for the sin offering, and it must be burned outside the sanctuary in the place appointed for the temple. ^c

²²“On the second day you are to present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they did with the bull. ²³When you have finished the purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull ^dand an unblemished ram from the flock. ^e24You must present them before the Lord; the priests will throw salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord. ^f25You will offer a goat for a sin offering each day for seven days. ^gA young bull and a ram from the flock, both unblemished, must also be offered. ²⁶For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it. In this way they will consecrate it ^h27and complete the days of purification. Then on the eighth day ⁱand afterward, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar, and I will accept you.” ^jThis is the declaration of the Lord God.

The Prince’s Privilege

44The man then brought me back toward the sanctuary’s outer gate that faced east, and it was closed. ²The Lord said to me: “This gate will remain closed. It will not be opened, and no one will enter through it, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. ^kTherefore it will remain closed. ³The prince himself will sit in the gateway to eat a meal before the Lord. ^lHe must enter by way of the portico ^mof the gate and go out the same way.”

⁴Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and the glory of the Lord filled His temple. ⁿAnd I fell facedown. ^o5The Lord said to me: “Son of man, pay attention; ^plook with your eyes and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the Lord’s temple. ^qTake careful note of the entrance of the temple along with all the exits of the sanctuary.

The Levites’ Duties and Privileges

⁶“Say to the rebellious people, ^rthe house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: I have had enough ^sof all your detestable practices, house of Israel. ⁷When you brought in foreigners, ^tuncircumcised in both heart and flesh, ^uto occupy My sanctuary, you defiled My temple while you offered My food—the fat and the blood. You ^vbroke My covenant by all your detestable practices. ⁸You have not kept charge of My holy things ^wbut have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.

⁹“This is what the Lord God says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter My sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites. ¹⁰Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who strayed from Me after their idols, ^xwill bear the consequences of their sin. ^y11Yet they will occupy My sanctuary, serving as guards at the temple gates ^zand ministering at the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings ^aand other sacrifices for the people and will stand before them to serve them. ^b12Because they ministered to the house of Israel before their idols and became a sinful stumbling block to them, therefore I swore an oath ^cagainst them” ^d—this is the declaration of the Lord God—“that they would bear the consequences of their sin. ¹³They must not approach Me to serve Me as priests ^eor come near any of My holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their disgrace and the consequences of the detestable acts they committed. ¹⁴Yet I will make them responsible for…