Ezekiel 40-43

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

V. The New Israel^[a]

The New Temple

Chapter 40

The Man with a Measure. ¹ In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, fourteen years after the city had been captured, on that very day the hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me back there.^{(A) 2} In a divine vision he brought me to the land of Israel, where he set me down on a very high mountain. In front of me, there was something like a city built on it.^{(B) 3} He brought me there, and there standing in the gateway was a man whose appearance was like bronze! He held in his hand a linen cord and a measuring rod.^{(C) 4} The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen intently. Pay strict attention to everything I show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Then you must tell the house of Israel everything you see.” ⁵ There an outer wall completely surrounded the temple. The measuring rod in the man’s hand was six cubits long, each cubit being a cubit plus a handbreadth;^[b] he measured the width of the structure, one rod, and its height, one rod.

The East Gate.^{[c] 6} Going to the gate facing east, he climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the outer gateway as one rod wide.^{(D) 7} Each cell was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubits between the cells; the threshold of the inner gateway adjoining the vestibule of the gate facing the temple was one rod wide. ⁸ He also measured the vestibule of the inner gate, ⁹ eight cubits, and its posts, two cubits each. The vestibule faced the inside. ¹⁰ On each side of the east gatehouse were three cells, all the same size; their posts were all the same size. ¹¹ He measured the width of the gate’s entryway, ten cubits, and the length of the gate itself, thirteen cubits. ¹² The borders in front of the cells on both sides were one cubit, while the cells themselves measured six cubits by six cubits from one opening to the next. ¹³ Next he measured the gatehouse from the back wall of one cell to the back wall of the cell on the opposite side through the openings facing each other, a width of twenty-five cubits. ¹⁴ All around the courtyard of the gatehouse were posts six cubits high. ¹⁵ From the front of the gatehouse at its outer entry to the gateway of the porch facing inward, the length was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ There were recessed windows in the cells on all sides and in the posts on the inner side of the gate. Posts and windows were all around the inside, with palm trees decorating the posts.^(E)

The Outer Court. ¹⁷ Then he brought me to the outer court,^[d] where there were chambers and pavement laid all around the courtyard: thirty chambers facing the pavement.^{(F) 18} The pavement lay alongside the gatehouses, the same length as the gates; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ He measured the length of the pavement from the front of the lower gate to the outside of the inner gate, one hundred cubits. He then moved from the east to the north side.

The North Gate. ²⁰ He measured the length and width of the north gate of the outer courtyard. ²¹ Its cells, three on each side, its posts, and its vestibule had the same measurements as those of the first gate, fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ²² Its windows, its vestibule, and its palm decorations had the same proportions as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, and its vestibule faced the inside. ²³ The inner court had a gate opposite the north gate, just as at the east gate; he measured one hundred cubits from one gate to the other.

The South Gate. ²⁴ Then he led me to the south. There, too, facing south, was a gate! He measured its posts and vestibule; they were the same size as the others. ²⁵ The gate and its vestibule had windows on both sides, like the other windows, fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ²⁶ Seven steps led up to it, its vestibule faced inside; and palms decorated each of the posts opposite one another. ²⁷ The inner court also had a gate facing south. He measured it from gate to gate, facing south, one hundred cubits.

Gates of the Inner Court.^{[e] 28} Then he brought me to the inner courtyard by the south gate, where he measured the south gateway; its measurements were the same as the others. ²⁹ Its cells, posts, and vestibule were the same size as the others, fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ^30 [f]The vestibules all around were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. ³¹ Its vestibule faced the outer court; palms decorated its posts, and its stairway had eight steps. ³² Then he brought me to the inner courtyard on the east and measured the gate there; its dimensions were the same as the others. ³³ Its cells, posts, and vestibule were the same size as the others. The gate and its vestibule had windows on both sides, fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁴ Its vestibule faced the outer court, palms decorated the posts opposite each other, and it had a stairway of eight steps. ³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate,^(G) where he measured the dimensions ³⁶ of its cells, posts, and vestibule; they were the same. The gate and its vestibule had windows on both sides, fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁷ Its vestibule faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its posts opposite each other, and it had a stairway of eight steps.

Side Rooms. ³⁸ There was a chamber opening off the vestibule of the gate where burnt offerings were washed.^{(H) 39} In the vestibule of the gate there were two tables on either side for slaughtering the burnt offerings, purification offerings, and reparation offerings.^{(I) 40} Two more tables stood along the wall of the vestibule by the entrance of the north gate, and two tables on the other side of the vestibule of the gate. ⁴¹ There were thus four tables on one side of the gate and four tables on the other side, eight tables in all, for slaughtering. ⁴² The four tables for burnt offerings were made of cut stone, one and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one cubit high; the instruments used for slaughtering burnt offerings and other sacrifices were kept ⁴³ on shelves the width of one hand, fixed all around the room; but on the tables themselves was the meat for the sacrifices. ⁴⁴ Outside the inner gatehouse there were two rooms on the inner courtyard, one beside the north gate, facing south, and the other beside the south gate, facing north. ⁴⁵ He said to me, “This chamber facing south is reserved for the priests who have charge of the temple area, ⁴⁶ while this chamber facing north is reserved for the priests who have charge of the altar; they are the sons of Zadok,^[g] the only Levites who may come near to minister to the Lord.” ⁴⁷ He measured the courtyard, a square one hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide, with the altar standing in front of the temple.^(J)

The Temple Building.^{[h] 48 (K)}Then he brought me into the vestibule of the temple and measured the posts, five cubits on each side. The gateway was fourteen cubits wide, its side walls three cubits. ⁴⁹ The vestibule was twenty cubits long and twelve cubits wide; ten steps led up to it, and there were columns by the posts, one on each side.

Chapter 41

¹ Then he brought me to the nave and measured the posts; each was six cubits wide.^{(L) 2} The width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the walls on either side measured five cubits. He measured the nave, forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.

³ Then he went inside and measured the posts at the other entrance, two cubits wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, with walls seven cubits long on each side. ⁴ Next he measured the length and width of the room beyond the nave, twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He said to me, “This is the holy of holies.”^[i](M)

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits wide, and the width of the side chambers stretching all around the temple, four cubits each. ^6 [j]There were thirty side chambers, chamber upon chamber in three stories; terraces on the outside wall of the temple enclosing the side chambers provided support, but there were no supports for the temple wall itself. ⁷ A broad passageway led up the side chambers, for the house was enclosed all the way up and all the way around. Thus the temple was widened by the ascent that went from the lowest story through the middle one to the highest story.^{(N) 8} I saw a raised platform all around the temple, the foundation for the side chambers; the width of this terrace was a full rod, six cubits. ⁹ The width of the outside wall enclosing the side chambers was five cubits. There was an open space between the side chambers of the temple ¹⁰ and the other chambers that measured twenty cubits around the temple on all sides. ¹¹ The side chambers had entrances to the open space, one entrance on the north and the other on the south. The width of the wall surrounding the open space was five cubits. ¹² The building^[k] opposite the restricted area on the west side was seventy cubits long and ninety cubits wide, with walls five cubits thick all around it. ¹³ Thus he measured the temple, one hundred cubits long. The restricted area, its building and walls, measured a hundred cubits in length. ¹⁴ The temple facade, along with the restricted area to the east, was also one hundred cubits wide. ¹⁵ He then measured the building opposite the restricted area which was behind it, together with its terraces on both sides, one hundred cubits.

Interior of the Temple. The inner nave and the outer vestibule ¹⁶ were paneled; the windows had recesses and precious wood trim around all three sides except the sill. Paneling covered the walls from the floor up to the windows and even the window sections.^{(O) 17} Even above the doorway and in the inner part of the temple and outside as well, around all the walls inside and out, ¹⁸ were figures of cherubim and palm trees: a palm tree between each pair of cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:^{(P) 19} the face of a human being looked toward one palm tree and the face of a lion looked toward the other palm tree. Thus the figures covered all the walls around the temple. ²⁰ From the floor to the lintel of the door, cherubim and palm trees decorated the walls. ²¹ The nave had a square door frame, and inside facing the holy place was something that looked like ²² a wooden altar,^[l] three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits wide. It had corners and a wooden base and sides. He said to me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”^{(Q) 23} The nave had a double door,^(R) and the holy place ²⁴ also had a double door; each door had two sections that could move; two sections on one door, and two on the other.^{(S) 25} Cherubim and palm trees decorated the doors of the nave like the decoration on the walls. Outside a wooden lattice faced the vestibule. ²⁶ There were recessed windows and palm trees on the side walls of the vestibule. The side chambers of the temple also had latticework.

Chapter 42

Other Structures. ¹ Then he led me north to the outer court, bringing me to some chambers on the north side opposite the restricted area and the north building.^{(T) 2} They were a hundred cubits long on the north side and fifty cubits wide. ³ Built in rows at three different levels, they stood between the twenty cubits of the inner court and the pavement of the outer court. ⁴ In front of the chambers was a walkway ten cubits wide on the inside of a wall one cubit wide. The doorways faced north. ^5 [m]The upper chambers were shorter because they lost space to the lower and middle tiers of the building. ⁶ Because they were in three tiers, they did not have foundations like the court, but were set back from the lower and middle levels from the ground up. ⁷ The outside walls ran parallel to the chambers along the outer court, a length of fifty cubits. ⁸ The chambers facing the outer court were fifty cubits long; thus the wall along the nave was a hundred cubits. ⁹ At the base of these chambers, there was an entryway from the east so that one could enter from the outer court ¹⁰ where the wall of the court began.

To the south along the side of the restricted area and the building there were also chambers ¹¹ with a walkway in front of them. They looked like the chambers on the north side in length and width, in their exits, their design, and their doorways. ¹² At the base of the chambers on the south side there was an entry at the end of a walkway in front of the protective wall by which one could enter from the east. ¹³ He said to me, “The north and south chambers facing the restricted area are the chambers of the holy place where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy meals. Here they shall place the most holy offerings: the grain offerings, the purification offerings, and the reparation offerings; for the place is holy.^{[n](U) 14} When the priests have entered, they must not go out again from the holy place into the outer court without leaving the garments in which they ministered because they are holy. They shall put on other garments before approaching the area for the people.”^(V)

Measuring the Outer Court. ¹⁵ When he finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he brought me out by way of the gate facing east and measured all around it. ¹⁶ He measured the east side, five hundred cubits by his measuring rod. Then he turned ¹⁷ and measured the north side: five hundred cubits by his measuring rod. He turned ¹⁸ and measured the south side, five hundred cubits by his measuring rod. ¹⁹ He turned and measured the west side, also five hundred cubits by his measuring rod. ²⁰ Thus he measured it on the four sides. It was surrounded by a wall five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the sacred from the profane.

Restoration of the Temple

Chapter 43

The Glory of the Lord Returns. ¹ Then he led me to the gate facing east,^{(W) 2} and there was the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east! His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. ³ The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the vision I had seen by the river Chebar—I fell on my face. ⁴ The glory of the Lord entered the temple by way of the gate facing east.^{(X) 5} Then the spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court. And there the glory of the Lord filled the temple!^{(Y) 6} I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, but the man was standing beside me. ⁷ The voice said to me: Son of man, do you see the place for my throne, and the place for the soles of my feet? Here I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel, neither they nor their kings, will never again defile my holy name, with their prostitutions and the corpses of their kings at their death.^{(Z) 8} When they placed their threshold against my threshold^[o] and their doorpost next to mine, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by the abominations they committed, and I devoured them in my wrath.^{(AA) 9} From now on, let them put their prostitution and the corpses of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.^(AB)

The Law of the Temple. ¹⁰ As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel so they are ashamed for their sins. Let them measure its layout. ¹¹ If they are ashamed for all they have done, tell them about the layout and design of the temple, its exits and entrances, with all its regulations and instructions; write it down for them to see, that they may carefully observe all its laws and statutes. ¹² This is the law for the temple: the entire area on top of the mountain all around will be a most holy place. This is the law for the temple.

The Altar. ¹³ These were the dimensions of the altar^[p] in cubits, a cubit being one cubit plus a handbreadth. The channel was one cubit deep by one cubit wide, and its rim had a lip one span wide all around it.^(AC) The height of the altar itself was as follows: ¹⁴ from the channel at floor level up to the lower ledge was two cubits, with the ledge one cubit wide; from the lower ledge to the upper ledge, four cubits, with the ledge one cubit wide. ¹⁵ The altar hearth was four cubits high, and extending up from the top of the hearth were four horns. ¹⁶ The hearth was twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide, a square with four equal sides. ¹⁷ The upper ledge was fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide on all four sides. The rim around it was half a cubit, with a channel one cubit all around. The steps faced east.^(AD)

¹⁸ Then he said to me: Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the statutes for the altar when it is set up for sacrificing burnt offerings and splashing blood on it.^{(AE) 19} A young bull must be brought as a purification offering to the priests, the Levites descended from Zadok, who come near to serve me—oracle of the Lord God.^{(AF) 20} You shall take some of its blood and smear it on the four horns of the altar, and on the four corners of the ledge, and all around its rim. Thus you shall purify and purge it.^{(AG) 21} Then take the bull as purification offering and burn it in the appointed place outside the sanctuary.^{(AH) 22} On the second day present an unblemished male goat as a purification offering, to purify the altar as you did with the bull. ²³ When you have completed the purification,^(AI) you must bring an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock ²⁴ and present them before the Lord. The priests shall throw salt on them and sacrifice them as burnt offerings to the Lord. ²⁵ Daily for seven days you shall give a male goat as a purification offering; and a young bull and a ram from the flock, all unblemished,^(AJ) shall be offered ²⁶ for seven days. Thus they shall purge the altar, in order to cleanse and dedicate it. ²⁷ And when these days are over, from the eighth day on, the priests shall sacrifice your burnt offerings and communion offerings on the altar. Then I will be pleased with you—oracle of the Lord God.