The New Temple Area

40 It was the 14th year after Jerusalem had been captured. It was the tenth day of a month near the beginning of the 25th year since we had been brought to Babylonia as prisoners. On that very day the Lord put his strong hand on me. He took me back to my land. 2In visions God gave me, he brought me to the land of Israel. He set me on a very high mountain. Some buildings were on the south side of it. They looked like a city.

3He took me there. I saw a man who appeared to be made out of bronze. He was standing at the gate of the outer courtyard. He was holding a linen measuring tape and a measuring rod. 4The man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes. Listen with your ears. Pay attention to everything I show you. That is why the Lord brought you here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”

The East Gate to the Outer Courtyard

5I saw a wall that completely surrounded the temple area. The measuring rod in the man’s hand was ten and a half feet long. He measured the wall with it. The wall was as thick and as high as one measuring rod.

6Then the man went to the gate that faced east. He climbed its steps. He measured the gateway. It was one rod wide. 7The rooms where the guards stood were one rod long and one rod wide. The walls between the rooms were almost nine feet thick. The gateway next to the porch was one rod wide. The porch faced the front of the temple.

8Then the man measured the porch of the gateway. 9It was 14 feet wide. Each of its doorposts was three and a half feet thick. The porch of the gateway faced the front of the temple.

10Inside the east gate were three rooms on each side. All of the rooms were the same size. The walls on each side of the rooms had the same thickness.

11Then the man measured the entrance of the gateway. It was 17 and a half feet wide and almost 23 feet long. 12In front of each room was a wall. It was 21 inches high. The rooms measured ten and a half feet on each side.

13Then he measured the gateway from the back wall of one room to the back wall of the room across from it. It was almost 44 feet from the top of one wall to the top of the other.

14He measured along the front of the side walls that were all around the inside of the gateway. The total was 105 feet. That didn’t include the porch that faced the courtyard. 15It was 87 and a half feet from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its porch.

16The rooms and their side walls inside the gateway had narrow openings on top of them. So did the porch. All of the openings faced the inside. The front of each side wall was decorated with a palm tree.

The Outer Courtyard

17Then the man brought me into the outer courtyard. There I saw some rooms and a sidewalk. They had been built all around the courtyard. Along the sidewalk were 30 rooms. 18The sidewalk went all the way up to the sides of the gateways. It was as wide as they were long. That was the lower sidewalk.

19Then he measured from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner courtyard. The east side measured 175 feet. So did the north side.

The North Gate

20Then the man measured the gate that faced north. He wanted to show me how long and wide it was. The gate led into the outer courtyard. 21It had three rooms on each side. Their side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the first gateway. They measured 87 and a half feet long and almost 44 feet wide. 22Its openings, porch and palm tree decorations measured the same as the ones at the east gate. Seven steps led up to the north gate. Its porch was across from them.

23The inner courtyard had a gate. It faced the gate on the north. It was just like the east gate. He measured from one gate to the one across from it. The total was 175 feet.

The South Gate

24Then the man led me to the south side of the courtyard. There I saw a gate that faced south. He measured its doorposts and porch. They measured the same as the others. 25The gateway and its porch had narrow openings all around. The openings were the same as the others had. The side walls and porch measured 87 and a half feet long and almost 44 feet wide. 26Seven steps led up to it. Its porch was across from them. The front of each side wall was decorated with a palm tree.

27The inner courtyard also had a gate that faced south. The man measured from that gate to the outer gate on the south side. The total was 175 feet.

The Gates to the Inner Courtyard

28Then the man brought me into the inner courtyard. We went through the south gate. He measured it. It was the same size as the others. 29Its rooms, side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the other gateways. The gateway and its porch had openings all around. The side walls and porch measured 87 and a half feet long and almost 44 feet wide. 30The porches of the gateways around the inner courtyard were almost 44 feet wide and 9 feet long. 31Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated its doorposts. Eight steps led up to it.

32Then the man brought me to the east side of the inner courtyard. There he measured the gateway. It was the same size as the others. 33Its rooms, side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the other gateways. The gateway and its porch had openings all around. The side walls and porch measured 87 and a half feet long and almost 44 feet wide. 34Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Each doorpost was decorated with a palm tree. Eight steps led up to the porch.

35Then the man brought me to the north gate. He measured it. It was the same size as the others. 36Its rooms, side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the other gateways. It had openings all around. The side walls and the porch measured 87 and a half feet long and almost 44 feet wide. 37The porch faced the outer courtyard. Each doorpost was decorated with a palm tree. Eight steps led up to the porch.

The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

38A room with a doorway was by the porch of each inner gateway. The burnt offerings were washed there. 39On each side of the porch of the gateway were two tables. The burnt offerings were killed on them. So were the sin offerings and guilt offerings.

40Two more tables were by the outer wall of the gateway porch. They were near the steps at the entrance of the north gateway. Two more tables were on the other side of the steps. 41So there were four tables on each side of the gateway. The total number of tables was eight. Animals for sacrifice were killed on all of them.

42There were also four other tables for the burnt offerings. They were made out of blocks of stone. Each table was two and a half feet long and two and a half feet wide. And each was almost two feet high. The tools for killing the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. 43Large hooks hung on the walls all around. Each was three inches long. The meat of the offerings was placed on the tables.

The Rooms for the Priests

44Near the inner gates were two rooms. They were in the inner courtyard. One room was next to the north gate. It faced south. The other one was next to the south gate. It faced north. 45The man said to me, “The room that faces south is for the priests who are in charge of the temple. 46The one that faces north is for the priests who are in charge of the altar. All of those priests are the sons of Zadok. They are the only Levites who can approach the Lord to serve him.”

47Then the man measured the courtyard. It was square. It measured 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.

The Temple

48The man brought me to the porch of the temple. He measured the doorposts of the porch. Each of them was almost nine feet wide. The entrance was 24 and a half feet wide. Each of the side walls was a little over five feet wide. 49The porch was 35 feet wide. It was 21 feet from front to back. It was reached by some stairs. Pillars were on each side of the doorposts.