True Worship and False

66 Thus says the Lord:

(A)“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
(B)“But on this one will I look:
(C)On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.

“He(D) who kills a bull is as if he slays a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he (E)breaks a dog’s neck;
He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood;
He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.
Just as they have chosen their own ways,
And their soul delights in their abominations,
So will I choose their delusions,
And bring their fears on them;
(F)Because, when I called, no one answered,
When I spoke they did not hear;
But they did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”

The Lord Vindicates Zion

Hear the word of the Lord,
You who tremble at His word:
“Your brethren who (G)hated you,
Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said,
(H)‘Let the Lord be glorified,
That (I)we may see your joy.’
But they shall be ashamed.”

The sound of noise from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of the Lord,
Who fully repays His enemies!

“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
Before her pain came,
She delivered a male child.
Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?
Or shall a nation be born at once?
For as soon as Zion was in labor,
She gave birth to her children.
Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord.
“Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem,
And be glad with her, all you who love her;
Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;
11 That you may feed and be satisfied
With the consolation of her bosom,
That you may drink deeply and be delighted
With the abundance of her glory.”

12 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, (J)I will extend peace to her like a river,
And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.
Then you shall (K)feed;
On her sides shall you be (L)carried,
And be dandled on her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
So I will (M)comfort you;
And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

The Reign and Indignation of God

14 When you see this, your heart shall rejoice,
And (N)your bones shall flourish like grass;
The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants,
And His indignation to His enemies.
15 (O)For behold, the Lord will come with fire
And with His chariots, like a whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by (P)His sword
The Lord will judge all flesh;
And the slain of the Lord shall be (Q)many.

17 “Those(R) who sanctify themselves and purify themselves,
To go to the gardens
[a]After an idol in the midst,
Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse,
Shall [b]be consumed together,” says the Lord.

18 “For I know their works and their (S)thoughts. It shall be that I will (T)gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. 19 (U)I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and [c]Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. (V)And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. 20 Then they shall (W)bring all your brethren (X)for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. 21 And I will also take some of them for (Y)priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

22 “For as (Z)the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord,
“So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And (AA)it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
(AB)All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.

24 “And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their (AC)worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 66:17 Lit. After one
  2. Isaiah 66:17 come to an end
  3. Isaiah 66:19 So with MT, Tg.; LXX Put (cf. Jer. 46:9)

Judgment and Hope

66 This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,(A)
    and the earth is my footstool.(B)
Where is the house(C) you will build for me?
    Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things,(D)
    and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor:
    those who are humble and contrite in spirit,(E)
    and who tremble at my word.(F)
But whoever sacrifices a bull(G)
    is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
    is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
    is like one who presents pig’s(H) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense(I)
    is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,(J)
    and they delight in their abominations;(K)
so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
    and will bring on them what they dread.(L)
For when I called, no one answered,(M)
    when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil(N) in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”(O)

Hear the word of the Lord,
    you who tremble at his word:(P)
“Your own people who hate(Q) you,
    and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
    that we may see your joy!’
    Yet they will be put to shame.(R)
Hear that uproar from the city,
    hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound(S) of the Lord
    repaying(T) his enemies all they deserve.

“Before she goes into labor,(U)
    she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
    she delivers a son.(V)
Who has ever heard of such things?
    Who has ever seen(W) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day(X)
    or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
    than she gives birth to her children.(Y)
Do I bring to the moment of birth(Z)
    and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Do I close up the womb
    when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice(AA) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
    all you who love(AB) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
    all you who mourn(AC) over her.
11 For you will nurse(AD) and be satisfied
    at her comforting breasts;(AE)
you will drink deeply
    and delight in her overflowing abundance.”(AF)

12 For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace(AG) to her like a river,(AH)
    and the wealth(AI) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried(AJ) on her arm
    and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child,(AK)
    so will I comfort(AL) you;
    and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice(AM)
    and you will flourish(AN) like grass;
the hand(AO) of the Lord will be made known to his servants,(AP)
    but his fury(AQ) will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,(AR)
    and his chariots(AS) are like a whirlwind;(AT)
he will bring down his anger with fury,
    and his rebuke(AU) with flames of fire.
16 For with fire(AV) and with his sword(AW)
    the Lord will execute judgment(AX) on all people,
    and many will be those slain(AY) by the Lord.

17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,(AZ) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,(BA) rats(BB) and other unclean things—they will meet their end(BC) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.

18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done,(BD) am about to come[a] and gather the people of all nations(BE) and languages, and they will come and see my glory.(BF)

19 “I will set a sign(BG) among them, and I will send some of those who survive(BH) to the nations—to Tarshish,(BI) to the Libyans[b] and Lydians(BJ) (famous as archers), to Tubal(BK) and Greece,(BL) and to the distant islands(BM) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.(BN) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring(BO) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain(BP) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”(BQ) says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.(BR) 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests(BS) and Levites,” says the Lord.

22 “As the new heavens and the new earth(BT) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.(BU) 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath(BV) to another, all mankind will come and bow down(BW) before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies(BX) of those who rebelled(BY) against me; the worms(BZ) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,(CA) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 66:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 66:19 Some Septuagint manuscripts Put (Libyans); Hebrew Pul

God Judges the Nations

“For behold, (A)in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
(B)I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I (C)will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.
They have (D)cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

“Indeed, what have you to do with Me,
(E)O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?
Will you [a]retaliate against Me?
But if you [b]retaliate against Me,
Swiftly and speedily I will return your [c]retaliation upon your own head;
Because you have taken My silver and My gold,
And have carried into your temples My [d]prized possessions.
Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem
You have sold to the Greeks,
That you may remove them far from their borders.

“Behold, (F)I will raise them
Out of the place to which you have sold them,
And will return your [e]retaliation upon your own head.
I will sell your sons and your daughters
Into the hand of the people of Judah,
And they will sell them to the (G)Sabeans,[f]
To a people (H)far off;
For the Lord has spoken.”

(I)Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for war!
Wake up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
10 (J)Beat your plowshares into swords
And your [g]pruning hooks into spears;
(K)Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
11 Assemble and come, all you nations,
And gather together all around.
Cause (L)Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.

12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there I will sit to (M)judge all the surrounding nations.
13 (N)Put in the sickle, for (O)the harvest is ripe.
Come, go down;
For the (P)winepress is full,
The vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great.”

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For (Q)the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
And the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion,
And utter His voice from Jerusalem;
The heavens and earth will shake;
(R)But the Lord will be a shelter for His people,
And the strength of the children of Israel.

17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling in Zion My (S)holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem shall be holy,
And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

God Blesses His People

18 And it will come to pass in that day
That the mountains shall drip with new wine,
The hills shall flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water;
A (T)fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord
And water the Valley of [h]Acacias.

19 “Egypt shall be a desolation,
And Edom a desolate wilderness,
Because of violence against the people of Judah,
For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall abide forever,
And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will (U)acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted;
For the Lord dwells in Zion.”

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:4 Or render Me repayment
  2. Joel 3:4 Or repay Me
  3. Joel 3:4 Or repayment
  4. Joel 3:5 Lit. precious good things
  5. Joel 3:7 Or repayment
  6. Joel 3:8 Lit. Shebaites, Is. 60:6; Ezek. 27:22
  7. Joel 3:10 pruning knives
  8. Joel 3:18 Heb. Shittim

The Nations Judged

[a]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes(A) of Judah(B) and Jerusalem,
I will gather(C) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b](D)
There I will put them on trial(E)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(F) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.
They cast lots(G) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine(H) to drink.

“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(I) and all you regions of Philistia?(J) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(K) For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[c](L) You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(M) that you might send them far from their homeland.

“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,(N) and I will return(O) on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons(P) and daughters to the people of Judah,(Q) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(R) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.(S)

Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!(T)
Rouse the warriors!(U)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks(V) into spears.(W)
Let the weakling(X) say,
    “I am strong!”(Y)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble(Z) there.

Bring down your warriors,(AA) Lord!

12 “Let the nations be roused;
    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(AB)
for there I will sit
    to judge(AC) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(AD)
    for the harvest(AE) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(AF)
    for the winepress(AG) is full
    and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

14 Multitudes,(AH) multitudes
    in the valley(AI) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(AJ) is near
    in the valley of decision.(AK)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.(AL)
16 The Lord will roar(AM) from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem;(AN)
    the earth and the heavens will tremble.(AO)
But the Lord will be a refuge(AP) for his people,
    a stronghold(AQ) for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

17 “Then you will know(AR) that I, the Lord your God,(AS)
    dwell in Zion,(AT) my holy hill.(AU)
Jerusalem will be holy;(AV)
    never again will foreigners invade her.(AW)

18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(AX)
    and the hills will flow with milk;(AY)
    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(AZ)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house(BA)
    and will water the valley of acacias.[d](BB)
19 But Egypt(BC) will be desolate,
    Edom(BD) a desert waste,
because of violence(BE) done to the people of Judah,
    in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(BF)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(BG)
    No, I will not.(BH)

The Lord dwells in Zion!(BI)

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
  2. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
  3. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
  4. Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim

Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future

Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(A)‘I am [a]zealous for Zion with great [b]zeal;
With great [c]fervor I am zealous for her.’

“Thus says the Lord:

(B)‘I will return to Zion,
And (C)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem (D)shall be called the City of Truth,
(E)The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
(F)The Holy Mountain.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(G)‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of [d]great age.
The streets of the city
Shall be (H)full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘If it is [e]marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
(I)Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’
Says the Lord of hosts.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Behold, (J)I will save My people from the land of the [f]east
And from the land of the [g]west;
I will (K)bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
(L)They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
(M)In truth and righteousness.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(N)‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of (O)the prophets,
Who spoke in (P)the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the Lord of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
10 For before these days
There were no (Q)wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

11 (R)But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

12 ‘For(S) the [h]seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
(T)The ground shall give her increase,
And (U)the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
13 And it shall come to pass
That just as you were (V)a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and (W)you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’

14 “For thus says the Lord of hosts:

(X)‘Just as I determined to [i]punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
(Y)‘And I would not relent,
15 So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
16 These are the things you shall (Z)do:
(AA)Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
17 (AB)Let none of you think evil in [j]your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the Lord.”

18 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(AC)‘The fast of the fourth month,
(AD)The fast of the fifth,
(AE)The fast of the seventh,
(AF)And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be (AG)joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
(AH)Therefore love truth and peace.’

20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
(AI)“Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord,
And seek the Lord of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
22 Yes, (AJ)many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the Lord.’

23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men (AK)from every language of the nations shall (AL)grasp the [k]sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard (AM)that God is with you.” ’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 8:2 Or jealous
  2. Zechariah 8:2 Or jealousy
  3. Zechariah 8:2 Lit. heat or rage
  4. Zechariah 8:4 Lit. many days
  5. Zechariah 8:6 Or wonderful
  6. Zechariah 8:7 Lit. rising sun
  7. Zechariah 8:7 Lit. setting sun
  8. Zechariah 8:12 Lit. seed of peace
  9. Zechariah 8:14 Lit. bring calamity to you
  10. Zechariah 8:17 Lit. his
  11. Zechariah 8:23 Lit. wing, corner of a garment

The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous(A) for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”

This is what the Lord says: “I will return(B) to Zion(C) and dwell in Jerusalem.(D) Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City,(E) and the mountain(F) of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.(G)

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem,(H) each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.(I)

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,(J) but will it seem marvelous to me?(K)” declares the Lord Almighty.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.(L) I will bring them back(M) to live(N) in Jerusalem; they will be my people,(O) and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.(P)

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong(Q) so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets(R) said who were present when the foundation(S) was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages(T) for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely(U) because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,”(V) declares the Lord Almighty.

12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit,(W) the ground will produce its crops,(X) and the heavens will drop their dew.(Y) I will give all these things as an inheritance(Z) to the remnant of this people.(AA) 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse[a](AB) among the nations, so I will save(AC) you, and you will be a blessing.[b](AD) Do not be afraid,(AE) but let your hands be strong.(AF)

14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster(AG) on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good(AH) again to Jerusalem and Judah.(AI) Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth(AJ) to each other, and render true and sound judgment(AK) in your courts;(AL) 17 do not plot evil(AM) against each other, and do not love to swear falsely.(AN) I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth,(AO) fifth,(AP) seventh(AQ) and tenth(AR) months will become joyful(AS) and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth(AT) and peace.”

20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat(AU) the Lord and seek(AV) the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”(AW)

23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 8:13 That is, your name has been used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, you have been regarded as under a curse.
  2. Zechariah 8:13 Or and your name will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or and you will be seen as blessed

A New City, a New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after (A)the city was [a]captured, on the very same day (B)the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there. (C)In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and (D)set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city. He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was (E)like the appearance of bronze. (F)He had a line of flax (G)and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

And the man said to me, (H)“Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and [b]fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. (I)Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.” Now there was (J)a wall all around the outside of the [c]temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six [d]cubits long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod.

The Eastern Gateway of the Temple

Then he went to the gateway which faced (K)east; and he went up its stairs and measured the threshold of the gateway, which was one rod wide, and the other threshold was one rod wide. Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide; between the gate chambers was a space of five cubits; and the threshold of the gateway by the vestibule of the inside gate was one rod. He also measured the vestibule of the inside gate, one rod. Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and the gateposts, two cubits. The vestibule of the gate was on the inside. 10 In the eastern gateway were three gate chambers on one side and three on the other; the three were all the same size; also the gateposts were of the same size on this side and that side.

11 He measured the width of the entrance to the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 12 There was a [e]space in front of the gate chambers, one cubit on this side and one cubit on that side; the gate chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the other; the width was twenty-five cubits, as door faces door. 14 He measured the gateposts, sixty cubits high, and the court all around the gateway extended to the gatepost. 15 From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the vestibule of the inner gate was fifty cubits. 16 There were (L)beveled window frames in the gate chambers and in their intervening archways on the inside of the gateway all around, and likewise in the vestibules. There were windows all around on the inside. And on each gatepost were (M)palm trees.

The Outer Court

17 Then he brought me into (N)the outer court; and there were (O)chambers and a pavement made all around the court; (P)thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 The pavement was by the side of the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the front of the inner court exterior, one hundred cubits toward the east and the north.

The Northern Gateway

20 On the outer court was also a gateway facing north, and he measured its length and its width. 21 Its gate chambers, three on this side and three on that side, its gateposts and its archways, had the same measurements as the first gate; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. 22 Its windows and those of its archways, and also its palm trees, had the same measurements as the gateway facing east; it was ascended by seven steps, and its archway was in front of it. 23 A gate of the inner court was opposite the northern gateway, just as the eastern gateway; and he measured from gateway to gateway, one hundred cubits.

The Southern Gateway

24 After that he brought me toward the south, and there a gateway was facing south; and he measured its gateposts and archways according to these same measurements. 25 There were windows in it and in its archways all around like those windows; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. 26 Seven steps led up to it, and its archway was in front of them; and it had palm trees on its gateposts, one on this side and one on that side. 27 There was also a gateway on the inner court, facing south; and he measured from gateway to gateway toward the south, one hundred cubits.

Gateways of the Inner Court

28 Then he brought me to the inner court through the southern gateway; he measured the southern gateway according to these same measurements. 29 Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30 There were archways all around, (Q)twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. 31 Its archways faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts, and going up to it were eight steps.

32 And he brought me into the inner court facing east; he measured the gateway according to these same measurements. 33 Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; and there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its archways faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side; and going up to it were eight steps.

35 Then he brought me to the north gateway and measured it according to these same measurements— 36 also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways. It had windows all around; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. 37 Its gateposts faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side, and going up to it were eight steps.

Where Sacrifices Were Prepared

38 There was a chamber and its entrance by the gateposts of the gateway, where they (R)washed the burnt offering. 39 In the vestibule of the gateway were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slay the burnt offering, (S)the sin offering, and (T)the trespass offering. 40 At the outer side of the vestibule, as one goes up to the entrance of the northern gateway, were two tables; and on the other side of the vestibule of the gateway were two tables. 41 Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the gateway, eight tables on which they slaughtered the sacrifices. 42 There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, one cubit and a half long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high; on these they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43 Inside were hooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened all around; and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables.

Chambers for Singers and Priests

44 Outside the inner gate were the chambers for (U)the singers in the inner court, one facing south at the side of the northern gateway, and the other facing north at the side of the [f]southern gateway. 45 Then he said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for (V)the priests who have charge of the temple. 46 The chamber which faces north is for the priests (W)who have charge of the altar; these are the sons of (X)Zadok, from the sons of Levi, who come near the Lord to minister to Him.”

Dimensions of the Inner Court and Vestibule(Y)

47 And he measured the court, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, foursquare. The altar was in front of the temple. 48 Then he brought me to the (Z)vestibule of the temple and measured the doorposts of the vestibule, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the width of the gateway was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side. 49 (AA)The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; and by the steps which led up to it there were (AB)pillars by the doorposts, one on this side and another on that side.

Dimensions of the Sanctuary

41 Then he (AC)brought me into the [g]sanctuary and measured the doorposts, six cubits wide on one side and six cubits wide on the other side—the width of the tabernacle. The width of the entryway was ten cubits, and the side walls of the entrance were five cubits on this side and five cubits on the other side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits.

Also he went inside and measured the doorposts, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits high; and the width of the entrance, seven cubits. (AD)He measured the length, twenty cubits; and the width, twenty cubits, beyond the sanctuary; and he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.

The Side Chambers on the Wall

Next, he measured the wall of the [h]temple, six cubits. The width of each side chamber all around the temple was four cubits on every side. (AE)The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty chambers in each story; they rested on [i]ledges which were for the side chambers all around, that they might be supported, but (AF)not fastened to the wall of the temple. As one went up from story to story, the side chambers (AG)became wider all around, because their supporting ledges in the wall of the temple ascended like steps; therefore the width of the structure increased as one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the middle one. I also saw an elevation all around the temple; it was the foundation of the side chambers, (AH)a full rod, that is, six cubits high. The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits, and so also the remaining terrace by the place of the side chambers of the [j]temple. 10 And between it and the wall chambers was a width of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. 11 The doors of the side chambers opened on the terrace, one door toward the north and another toward the south; and the width of the terrace was five cubits all around.

The Building at the Western End

12 The building that faced the separating courtyard at its western end was seventy cubits wide; the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

Dimensions and Design of the Temple Area

13 So he measured the temple, one (AI)hundred cubits long; and the separating courtyard with the building and its walls was one hundred cubits long; 14 also the width of the eastern face of the temple, including the separating courtyard, was one hundred cubits. 15 He measured the length of the building behind it, facing the separating courtyard, with its (AJ)galleries on the one side and on the other side, one hundred cubits, as well as the inner [k]temple and the porches of the court, 16 their doorposts and (AK)the beveled window frames. And the galleries all around their three stories opposite the threshold were paneled with (AL)wood from the ground to the windows—the windows were covered— 17 from the space above the door, even to the inner [l]room, as well as outside, and on every wall all around, inside and outside, by measure.

18 And it was made (AM)with cherubim and (AN)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Each cherub had two faces, 19 (AO)so that the face of a man was toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion toward a palm tree on the other side; thus it was made throughout the temple all around. 20 From the floor to the space above the door, and on the wall of the sanctuary, cherubim and palm trees were carved.

21 The (AP)doorposts of the temple were square, as was the front of the sanctuary; their appearance was similar. 22 (AQ)The altar was of wood, three cubits high, and its length two cubits. Its corners, its length, and its sides were of wood; and he said to me, “This is (AR)the table that is (AS)before the Lord.”

23 (AT)The temple and the sanctuary had two doors. 24 The doors had two (AU)panels apiece, two folding panels: two panels for one door and two panels for the other door. 25 Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the temple just as they were carved on the walls. A wooden canopy was on the front of the vestibule outside. 26 There were (AV)beveled window frames and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the vestibule—also on the side chambers of the temple and on the canopies.

The Chambers for the Priests

42 Then he (AW)brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the (AX)north; and he brought me into (AY)the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the (AZ)pavement of the outer court, was (BA)gallery against gallery in three stories. In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was [m]shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one (BB)hundred cubits. At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

10 Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. 11 (BC)There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. 12 And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord (BD)shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—(BE)the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. 14 (BF)When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.”

Outer Dimensions of the Temple

15 Now when he had finished measuring the inner [n]temple, he brought me out through the gateway that faces toward the (BG)east, and measured it all around. 16 He measured the east side with the [o]measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 17 He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 18 He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 19 He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 20 He measured it on the four sides; (BH)it had a wall all around, (BI)five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy areas from the [p]common.

The Temple, the Lord’s Dwelling Place

43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate (BJ)that faces toward the east. (BK)And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. (BL)His voice was like the sound of many waters; (BM)and the earth shone with His glory. It was (BN)like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when [q]I came (BO)to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw (BP)by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. (BQ)And the glory of the Lord came into the [r]temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. (BR)The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, (BS)the glory of the Lord filled the [s]temple.

Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while (BT)a man stood beside me. And He said to me, “Son of man, this is (BU)the place of My throne and (BV)the place of the soles of My feet, (BW)where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. (BX)No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their [t]harlotry or with (BY)the carcasses of their kings on their high places. (BZ)When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

10 “Son of man, (CA)describe the [u]temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the [v]temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its (CB)ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and (CC)perform them. 12 This is the law of the [w]temple: The whole area surrounding (CD)the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

Dimensions of the Altar

13 “These are the measurements of the (CE)altar in cubits (CF)(the [x]cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the height of the altar: 14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit. 15 The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four (CG)horns extending upward from the [y]hearth. 16 The altar hearth is twelve cubits long, twelve wide, (CH)square at its four corners; 17 the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and (CI)its steps face toward the east.”

Consecrating the Altar

18 And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing (CJ)burnt offerings on it, and for (CK)sprinkling blood on it. 19 You shall give (CL)a young bull for a sin offering to (CM)the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of (CN)Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God. 20 ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and (CO)burn it in the appointed place of the [z]temple, (CP)outside the sanctuary. 22 On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 When you offer them before the Lord, (CQ)the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25 Every day for (CR)seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. 26 Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so [aa]consecrate [ab]it. 27 (CS)When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will (CT)accept you,’ says the Lord God.”

The East Gate and the Prince

44 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary (CU)which faces toward the east, but it was shut. And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, (CV)because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. As for the (CW)prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to (CX)eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”

Those Admitted to the Temple

Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the [ac]temple; so I looked, and (CY)behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; (CZ)and I fell on my face. And the Lord said to me, (DA)“Son of man, [ad]mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the (DB)ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

“Now say to the (DC)rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “O house of Israel, (DD)let Us have no more of all your abominations. (DE)When you brought in (DF)foreigners, (DG)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered (DH)My food, (DI)the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations. And you have not (DJ)kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.” Thus says the Lord God: (DK)“No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

Laws Governing Priests

10 (DL)“And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, (DM)as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; (DN)they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and (DO)they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and (DP)caused[ae] the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have (DQ)raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity. 13 (DR)And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall (DS)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Nevertheless I will make them (DT)keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.

15 (DU)“But the priests, the Levites, (DV)the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary (DW)when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they (DX)shall stand before Me to offer to Me the (DY)fat and the blood,” says the Lord God. 16 “They shall (DZ)enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near (EA)My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. 17 And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that (EB)they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. 18 (EC)They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, (ED)they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall (EE)not sanctify the people.

20 (EF)“They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow (EG)long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. 21 (EH)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 They shall not take as wife a (EI)widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

23 “And (EJ)they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to (EK)discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 (EL)In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, (EM)and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

25 “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves. 26 (EN)After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him. 27 And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, (EO)he must offer his sin offering (EP)in the inner court,” says the Lord God.

28 “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I (EQ)am their inheritance. You shall give them no (ER)possession in Israel, for I am their possession. 29 (ES)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; (ET)every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 The (EU)best[af] of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you (EV)shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, (EW)to cause a blessing to rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that (EX)died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.

The Holy District

45 “Moreover, when you (EY)divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall (EZ)set apart a district for the Lord, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around. Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, (FA)five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty cubits around it for an open space. So this is the district you shall measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; (FB)in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It shall be (FC)a holy section of the land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the Lord; it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. (FD)An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the [ag]temple; they shall have (FE)twenty[ah] chambers as a possession.

Properties of the City and the Prince

(FF)“You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, adjacent to the district of the holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

(FG)“The prince shall have a section on one side and the other of the holy district and the city’s property; and bordering on the holy district and the city’s property, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the east side, the length shall be side by side with one of the tribal portions, from the west border to the east border. The land shall be his possession in Israel; and (FH)My princes shall no more oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel, according to their tribes.”

Laws Governing the Prince

‘Thus says the Lord God: (FI)“Enough, O princes of Israel! (FJ)Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people,” says the Lord God. 10 “You shall have (FK)honest scales, an honest ephah, and an honest bath. 11 The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer. 12 The (FL)shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

13 “This is the offering which you shall offer: you shall give one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley. 14 The ordinance concerning oil, the bath of oil, is one-tenth of a bath from a kor. A kor is a homer or ten baths, for ten baths are a homer. 15 And one lamb shall be given from a flock of two hundred, from the rich pastures of Israel. These shall be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, (FM)to make atonement for them,” says the Lord God. 16 “All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel. 17 Then it shall be the (FN)prince’s part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

Keeping the Feasts(FO)

18 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and (FP)cleanse the sanctuary. 19 (FQ)The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the [ai]temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the gate of the inner court. 20 And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month (FR)for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.

21 (FS)“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land (FT)a bull for a sin offering. 23 On the (FU)seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, (FV)and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. 24 (FW)And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah.

25 “In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the (FX)feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.”

The Manner of Worship

46 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six (FY)working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. (FZ)The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the Lord on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. The burnt offering that (GA)the prince offers to the Lord on the (GB)Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish; (GC)and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, [aj]as much as he wants to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah. On the day of the New Moon it shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish. He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, [ak]as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah. (GD)When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.

“But when the people of the land (GE)come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north (GF)gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate. 10 The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out. 11 At the festivals and the appointed feast days (GG)the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.

12 “Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to the Lord, the gate that faces toward the east (GH)shall then be opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut.

13 (GI)“You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it [al]every morning. 14 And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the Lord. 15 Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a (GJ)regular burnt offering every morning.”

The Prince and Inheritance Laws

16 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until (GK)the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. 18 Moreover (GL)the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.” ’ ”

How the Offerings Were Prepared

19 Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy (GM)chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and there a place was situated at their extreme western end. 20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall (GN)boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall (GO)bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court (GP)to sanctify the people.”

21 Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there was another court. 22 In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size. 23 There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and [am]cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all around. 24 And he said to me, “These are the [an]kitchens where the ministers of the [ao]temple shall (GQ)boil the sacrifices of the people.”

The Healing Waters and Trees

47 Then he brought me back to the door of the [ap]temple; and there was (GR)water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces (GS)east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

And when (GT)the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many (GU)trees on one side and the other. Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the [aq]valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever [ar]the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish (GV)of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. 12 (GW)Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; (GX)their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for (GY)medicine.”[as]

Borders of the Land(GZ)

13 Thus says the Lord God: “These are the (HA)borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. (HB)Joseph shall have two portions. 14 You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I (HC)raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall (HD)fall to you as your inheritance.

15 “This shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea, by (HE)the road to Hethlon, as one goes to (HF)Zedad, 16 (HG)Hamath, (HH)Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran). 17 Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea to (HI)Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.

18 “On the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea. This is the east side.

19 “The south side, toward the [at]South, shall be from Tamar to (HJ)the waters of [au]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south side, toward the South.

20 “The west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side.

21 “Thus you shall (HK)divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 It shall be that you will divide it by (HL)lot as an inheritance for yourselves, (HM)and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. (HN)They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23 And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God.

Division of the Land

48 “Now these are the names of the tribes: (HO)From the northern border along the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one section for (HP)Dan from its east to its west side; by the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, one section for (HQ)Asher; by the border of Asher, from the east side to the west, one section for (HR)Naphtali; by the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for (HS)Manasseh; by the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for (HT)Ephraim; by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for (HU)Reuben; by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one section for (HV)Judah; by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be (HW)the district which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east side to the west, with the (HX)sanctuary in the center.

“The district that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. 10 To these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center. 11 (HY)It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, (HZ)as the Levites went astray. 12 And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a thing most (IA)holy by the border of the Levites.

13 “Opposite the border of the priests, the (IB)Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. 14 (IC)And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

15 (ID)“The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be (IE)for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. 16 These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred. 17 The common-land of the city shall be: to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two hundred and fifty. 18 The rest of the length, alongside the district of the holy section, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west. It shall be adjacent to the district of the holy section, and its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 (IF)The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. 20 The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.

21 (IG)“The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy district and of the city’s property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy district, (IH)and the sanctuary of the [av]temple shall be in the center. 22 Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of (II)Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

23 “As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin shall have one section; 24 by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, (IJ)Simeon shall have one section; 25 by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west, (IK)Issachar shall have one section; 26 by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west, (IL)Zebulun shall have one section; 27 by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, (IM)Gad shall have one section; 28 by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the [aw]South, the border shall be from Tamar to (IN)the waters of [ax]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the (IO)Great Sea. 29 (IP)This is the land which you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions,” says the Lord God.

The Gates of the City and Its Name

30 “These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits 31 (IQ)(the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; 32 on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; 33 on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; 34 on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; (IR)and the name of the city from that day shall be: (IS)THE[ay] LORD IS THERE.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:1 Lit. struck
  2. Ezekiel 40:4 Lit. set your heart
  3. Ezekiel 40:5 Lit. house
  4. Ezekiel 40:5 A royal cubit of about 21 inches
  5. Ezekiel 40:12 Lit. border
  6. Ezekiel 40:44 So with LXX; MT, Vg. eastern
  7. Ezekiel 41:1 Heb. heykal; the main room in the temple, the holy place, Ex. 26:33
  8. Ezekiel 41:5 Lit. house
  9. Ezekiel 41:6 Lit. the wall
  10. Ezekiel 41:9 Lit. house
  11. Ezekiel 41:15 Or sanctuary
  12. Ezekiel 41:17 Lit. house; the Most Holy Place
  13. Ezekiel 42:6 Or narrowed
  14. Ezekiel 42:15 Lit. house
  15. Ezekiel 42:16 About 10.5 feet, Ezek. 40:5
  16. Ezekiel 42:20 Or profane
  17. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Heb. mss., Vg. He
  18. Ezekiel 43:4 Lit. house
  19. Ezekiel 43:5 Lit. house
  20. Ezekiel 43:7 Unfaithful idolatry
  21. Ezekiel 43:10 Lit. house
  22. Ezekiel 43:11 Lit. house
  23. Ezekiel 43:12 Lit. house
  24. Ezekiel 43:13 A royal cubit of about 21 inches
  25. Ezekiel 43:15 Heb. ariel
  26. Ezekiel 43:21 Lit. house
  27. Ezekiel 43:26 Lit. fill its hands
  28. Ezekiel 43:26 LXX, Syr. themselves
  29. Ezekiel 44:4 Lit. house
  30. Ezekiel 44:5 Lit. set your heart
  31. Ezekiel 44:12 Lit. became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel
  32. Ezekiel 44:30 Lit. first
  33. Ezekiel 45:5 Lit. house
  34. Ezekiel 45:5 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX a possession, cities of dwelling
  35. Ezekiel 45:19 Lit. house
  36. Ezekiel 46:5 Lit. the gift of his hand
  37. Ezekiel 46:7 Lit. as much as his hand can reach
  38. Ezekiel 46:13 Lit. morning by morning
  39. Ezekiel 46:23 Lit. boiling places
  40. Ezekiel 46:24 Lit. house of those who boil
  41. Ezekiel 46:24 Lit. house
  42. Ezekiel 47:1 Lit. house
  43. Ezekiel 47:8 Or Arabah, the Jordan Valley
  44. Ezekiel 47:9 Lit. two rivers
  45. Ezekiel 47:12 Or healing
  46. Ezekiel 47:19 Heb. Negev
  47. Ezekiel 47:19 Lit. Strife
  48. Ezekiel 48:21 Lit. house
  49. Ezekiel 48:28 Heb. Negev
  50. Ezekiel 48:28 Lit. Strife
  51. Ezekiel 48:35 Heb. YHWH Shammah

The Temple Area Restored

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city(A)—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me(B) and he took me there. In visions(C) of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain,(D) on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze;(E) he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod(F) in his hand. The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you,(G) for that is why you have been brought here. Tell(H) the people of Israel everything you see.(I)

The East Gate to the Outer Court

I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits,[a] each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured(J) the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.

Then he went to the east gate.(K) He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep. The alcoves(L) for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits[b] thick. And the threshold of the gate next to the portico facing the temple was one rod deep.

Then he measured the portico of the gateway; it[c] was eight cubits[d] deep and its jambs were two cubits[e] thick. The portico of the gateway faced the temple.

10 Inside the east gate were three alcoves on each side; the three had the same measurements, and the faces of the projecting walls on each side had the same measurements. 11 Then he measured the width of the entrance of the gateway; it was ten cubits and its length was thirteen cubits.[f] 12 In front of each alcove was a wall one cubit high, and the alcoves were six cubits square. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the top of the rear wall of one alcove to the top of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits[g] from one parapet opening to the opposite one. 14 He measured along the faces of the projecting walls all around the inside of the gateway—sixty cubits.[h] The measurement was up to the portico[i] facing the courtyard.[j](M) 15 The distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.[k] 16 The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the gateway were surmounted by narrow parapet openings all around, as was the portico; the openings all around faced inward. The faces of the projecting walls were decorated with palm trees.(N)

The Outer Court

17 Then he brought me into the outer court.(O) There I saw some rooms and a pavement that had been constructed all around the court; there were thirty rooms(P) along the pavement.(Q) 18 It abutted the sides of the gateways and was as wide as they were long; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court;(R) it was a hundred cubits[l](S) on the east side as well as on the north.

The North Gate

20 Then he measured the length and width of the north gate, leading into the outer court. 21 Its alcoves(T)—three on each side—its projecting walls and its portico(U) had the same measurements as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 22 Its openings, its portico(V) and its palm tree decorations had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.(W) 23 There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured from one gate to the opposite one; it was a hundred cubits.(X)

The South Gate

24 Then he led me to the south side and I saw the south gate. He measured its jambs and its portico, and they had the same measurements(Y) as the others. 25 The gateway and its portico had narrow openings all around, like the openings of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.(Z) 26 Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them; it had palm tree decorations on the faces of the projecting walls on each side.(AA) 27 The inner court(AB) also had a gate facing south, and he measured from this gate to the outer gate on the south side; it was a hundred cubits.(AC)

The Gates to the Inner Court

28 Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements(AD) as the others. 29 Its alcoves,(AE) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.(AF) 30 (The porticoes(AG) of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.) 31 Its portico(AH) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.(AI)

32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements(AJ) as the others. 33 Its alcoves,(AK) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its portico(AL) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.

35 Then he brought me to the north gate(AM) and measured it. It had the same measurements(AN) as the others, 36 as did its alcoves,(AO) its projecting walls and its portico, and it had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37 Its portico[m](AP) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.(AQ)

The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

38 A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings(AR) were washed. 39 In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings,(AS) sin offerings[n](AT) and guilt offerings(AU) were slaughtered.(AV) 40 By the outside wall of the portico of the gateway, near the steps at the entrance of the north gateway were two tables, and on the other side of the steps were two tables. 41 So there were four tables on one side of the gateway and four on the other—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were slaughtered. 42 There were also four tables of dressed stone(AW) for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.[o] On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.(AX) 43 And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth[p] long, were attached to the wall all around. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.

The Rooms for the Priests

44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two rooms, one[q] at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south[r] gate and facing north. 45 He said to me, “The room facing south is for the priests who guard the temple,(AY) 46 and the room facing north(AZ) is for the priests who guard the altar.(BA) These are the sons of Zadok,(BB) who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.(BC)

47 Then he measured the court: It was square—a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.(BD)

The New Temple

48 He brought me to the portico of the temple(BE) and measured the jambs of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the entrance was fourteen cubits[s] and its projecting walls were[t] three cubits[u] wide on either side. 49 The portico(BF) was twenty cubits[v] wide, and twelve[w] cubits[x] from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs,[y] and there were pillars(BG) on each side of the jambs.

41 Then the man brought me to the main hall(BH) and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits[z] on each side.[aa] The entrance was ten cubits[ab] wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits[ac] wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.[ad](BI)

Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits[ae] wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits[af] wide. And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall.(BJ) He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.(BK)

Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits[ag] wide. The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty(BL) on each level. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into the wall of the temple.(BM) The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive level. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so that the rooms widened as one went upward. A stairway(BN) went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the middle floor.

I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits. The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick. The open area between the side rooms of the temple 10 and the priests’ rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. 11 There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the north and another on the south; and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.

12 The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits[ah] wide. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.[ai]

13 Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits[aj] long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long. 14 The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.(BO)

15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries(BP) on each side; it was a hundred cubits.

The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, 16 as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows(BQ) and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered.(BR) 17 In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary 18 were carved(BS) cherubim(BT) and palm trees.(BU) Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:(BV) 19 the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple.(BW) 20 From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.

21 The main hall(BX) had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar. 22 There was a wooden altar(BY) three cubits[ak] high and two cubits square[al]; its corners, its base[am] and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table(BZ) that is before the Lord.” 23 Both the main hall(CA) and the Most Holy Place had double doors.(CB) 24 Each door had two leaves—two hinged leaves(CC) for each door. 25 And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico. 26 On the sidewalls of the portico were narrow windows with palm trees carved on each side. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs.(CD)

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms(CE) opposite the temple courtyard(CF) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.(CG) The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.[an] Both in the section twenty cubits[ao] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery(CH) faced gallery at the three levels.(CI) In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits[ap] long.[aq] Their doors were on the north.(CJ) Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. The lower rooms had an entrance(CK) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

10 On the south side[ar] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard(CL) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms(CM) 11 with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north 12 were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

13 Then he said to me, “The north(CN) and south rooms(CO) facing the temple courtyard(CP) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,(CQ) the sin offerings[as](CR) and the guilt offerings(CS)—for the place is holy.(CT) 14 Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments(CU) in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.(CV)

15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate(CW) and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.[at][au] 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits[av] by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured(CX) the area(CY) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,(CZ) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,(DA) to separate the holy from the common.(DB)

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,(DC) and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters,(DD) and the land was radiant with his glory.(DE) The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he[aw] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. The glory(DF) of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.(DG) Then the Spirit(DH) lifted me up(DI) and brought me into the inner court, and the glory(DJ) of the Lord filled the temple.(DK)

While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne(DL) and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile(DM) my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings[ax] for their kings at their death.[ay](DN) When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.(DO)

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed(DP) of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations[az] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.(DQ)

12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area(DR) on top of the mountain will be most holy.(DS) Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

13 “These are the measurements of the altar(DT) in long cubits,[ba] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span[bb] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.[bc] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.[bd] 15 Above that, the altar hearth(DU) is four cubits high, and four horns(DV) project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits[be] long and twelve cubits wide.(DW) 17 The upper ledge(DX) also is square, fourteen cubits[bf] long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.[bg] The steps(DY) of the altar face east.(DZ)

18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings(EA) and splashing blood(EB) against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull(EC) as a sin offering[bh] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok,(ED) who come near(EE) to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar(EF) and on the four corners of the upper ledge(EG) and all around the rim, and so purify the altar(EH) and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.(EI)

22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(EJ) 24 You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt(EK) on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days(EL) you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(EM) 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day(EN) on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings(EO) and fellowship offerings(EP) on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

The Priesthood Restored

44 Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east,(EQ) and it was shut. The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.(ER) It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence(ES) of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.(ET)

Then the man brought me by way of the north gate(EU) to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple(EV) of the Lord, and I fell facedown.(EW)

The Lord said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord. Give attention to the entrance(EX) to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.(EY) Say to rebellious Israel,(EZ) ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart(FA) and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.(FB) Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary.(FC) This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.(FD)

10 “‘The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray(FE) and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin.(FF) 11 They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings(FG) and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.(FH) 12 But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall(FI) into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand(FJ) that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord.(FK) 13 They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame(FL) of their detestable practices.(FM) 14 And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.(FN)

15 “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok(FO) and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat(FP) and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.(FQ) 16 They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table(FR) to minister before me and serve me as guards.(FS)

17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes;(FT) they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. 18 They are to wear linen turbans(FU) on their heads and linen undergarments(FV) around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.(FW) 19 When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated(FX) through contact with their garments.(FY)

20 “‘They must not shave(FZ) their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.(GA) 21 No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.(GB) 22 They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.(GC) 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common(GD) and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.(GE)

24 “‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges(GF) and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals,(GG) and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.(GH)

25 “‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.(GI) 26 After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days.(GJ) 27 On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary(GK) to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering[bi](GL) for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.

28 “‘I am to be the only inheritance(GM) the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. 29 They will eat(GN) the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted[bj] to the Lord(GO) will belong to them.(GP) 30 The best of all the firstfruits(GQ) and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal(GR) so that a blessing(GS) may rest on your household.(GT) 31 The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead(GU) or torn by wild animals.(GV)

Israel Fully Restored

45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance,(GW) you are to present to the Lord a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits[bk] long and 20,000[bl] cubits[bm] wide; the entire area will be holy.(GX) Of this, a section 500 cubits[bn] square(GY) is to be for the sanctuary, with 50 cubits[bo] around it for open land. In the sacred district, measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits[bp] wide. In it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests,(GZ) who minister in the sanctuary and who draw near to minister before the Lord. It will be a place for their houses as well as a holy place for the sanctuary.(HA) An area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide will belong to the Levites, who serve in the temple, as their possession for towns to live in.[bq](HB)

“‘You are to give the city as its property an area 5,000 cubits[br] wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjoining the sacred portion; it will belong to all Israel.(HC)

“‘The prince will have the land bordering each side of the area formed by the sacred district and the property of the city. It will extend westward from the west side and eastward from the east side, running lengthwise from the western to the eastern border parallel to one of the tribal portions.(HD) This land will be his possession in Israel. And my princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes.(HE)

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression(HF) and do what is just and right.(HG) Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 10 You are to use accurate scales,(HH) an accurate ephah[bs](HI) and an accurate bath.[bt] 11 The ephah(HJ) and the bath are to be the same size, the bath containing a tenth of a homer and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer is to be the standard measure for both. 12 The shekel[bu] is to consist of twenty gerahs.(HK) Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels equal one mina.[bv]

13 “‘This is the special gift you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah[bw] from each homer of wheat and a sixth of an ephah[bx] from each homer of barley. 14 The prescribed portion of olive oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath[by] from each cor (which consists of ten baths or one homer, for ten baths are equivalent to a homer). 15 Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings(HL) and fellowship offerings to make atonement(HM) for the people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 All the people of the land will be required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel. 17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons(HN) and the Sabbaths(HO)—at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings,[bz] grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the Israelites.(HP)

18 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month(HQ) on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect(HR) and purify the sanctuary.(HS) 19 The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge(HT) of the altar(HU) and on the gateposts of the inner court. 20 You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally(HV) or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.

21 “‘In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover,(HW) a festival lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast. 22 On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.(HX) 23 Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams(HY) without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for a sin offering.(HZ) 24 He is to provide as a grain offering(IA) an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin[ca] of olive oil for each ephah.(IB)

25 “‘During the seven days of the festival,(IC) which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil.(ID)

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court(IE) facing east(IF) is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon(IG) it is to be opened. The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico(IH) of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering(II) and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.(IJ) On the Sabbaths(IK) and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway.(IL) The burnt offering the prince brings to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:5 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters; also in verse 12. The long cubit of about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters is the basic unit of measurement of length throughout chapters 40–48.
  2. Ezekiel 40:7 That is, about 8 3/4 feet or about 2.7 meters; also in verse 48
  3. Ezekiel 40:9 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts gateway facing the temple; it was one rod deep. Then he measured the portico of the gateway; it
  4. Ezekiel 40:9 That is, about 14 feet or about 4.2 meters
  5. Ezekiel 40:9 That is, about 3 1/2 feet or about 1 meter
  6. Ezekiel 40:11 That is, about 18 feet wide and 23 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 6.9 meters long
  7. Ezekiel 40:13 That is, about 44 feet or about 13 meters; also in verses 21, 25, 29, 30, 33 and 36
  8. Ezekiel 40:14 That is, about 105 feet or about 32 meters
  9. Ezekiel 40:14 Septuagint; Hebrew projecting wall
  10. Ezekiel 40:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  11. Ezekiel 40:15 That is, about 88 feet or about 27 meters; also in verses 21, 25, 29, 33 and 36
  12. Ezekiel 40:19 That is, about 175 feet or about 53 meters; also in verses 23, 27 and 47
  13. Ezekiel 40:37 Septuagint (see also verses 31 and 34); Hebrew jambs
  14. Ezekiel 40:39 Or purification offerings
  15. Ezekiel 40:42 That is, about 2 2/3 feet long and wide and 21 inches high or about 80 centimeters long and wide and 53 centimeters high
  16. Ezekiel 40:43 That is, about 3 1/2 inches or about 9 centimeters
  17. Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew were rooms for singers, which were
  18. Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew east
  19. Ezekiel 40:48 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  20. Ezekiel 40:48 Septuagint; Hebrew entrance was
  21. Ezekiel 40:48 That is, about 5 1/4 feet or about 1.6 meters
  22. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  23. Ezekiel 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew eleven
  24. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  25. Ezekiel 40:49 Hebrew; Septuagint Ten steps led up to it
  26. Ezekiel 41:1 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters; also in verses 3, 5 and 8
  27. Ezekiel 41:1 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts side, the width of the tent
  28. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 18 feet or about 5.3 meters
  29. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 8 3/4 feet or about 2.7 meters; also in verses 9, 11 and 12
  30. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 70 feet long and 35 feet wide or about 21 meters long and 11 meters wide
  31. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 3 1/2 feet or about 1.1 meters; also in verse 22
  32. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.7 meters
  33. Ezekiel 41:5 That is, about 7 feet or about 2.1 meters
  34. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 123 feet or about 37 meters
  35. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 158 feet or about 48 meters
  36. Ezekiel 41:13 That is, about 175 feet or about 53 meters; also in verses 14 and 15
  37. Ezekiel 41:22 That is, about 5 1/4 feet or about 1.5 meters
  38. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew long
  39. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length
  40. Ezekiel 42:2 That is, about 175 feet long and 88 feet wide or about 53 meters long and 27 meters wide
  41. Ezekiel 42:3 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  42. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew and one cubit
  43. Ezekiel 42:4 That is, about 18 feet wide and 175 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 53 meters long
  44. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew Eastward
  45. Ezekiel 42:13 Or purification offerings
  46. Ezekiel 42:16 See Septuagint of verse 17; Hebrew rods; also in verses 18 and 19.
  47. Ezekiel 42:16 Five hundred cubits equal about 875 feet or about 265 meters; also in verses 17, 18 and 19.
  48. Ezekiel 42:17 Septuagint; Hebrew rods
  49. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts I
  50. Ezekiel 43:7 Or the memorial monuments; also in verse 9
  51. Ezekiel 43:7 Or their high places
  52. Ezekiel 43:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts regulations and its whole design
  53. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters; also in verses 14 and 17. The long cubit is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.
  54. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  55. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 3 1/2 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 105 centimeters high and 53 centimeters wide
  56. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 7 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 2.1 meters high and 53 centimeters wide
  57. Ezekiel 43:16 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  58. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  59. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  60. Ezekiel 43:19 Or purification offering; also in verses 21, 22 and 25
  61. Ezekiel 44:27 Or purification offering; also in verse 29
  62. Ezekiel 44:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  63. Ezekiel 45:1 That is, about 8 miles or about 13 kilometers; also in verses 3, 5 and 6
  64. Ezekiel 45:1 Septuagint (see also verses 3 and 5 and 48:9); Hebrew 10,000
  65. Ezekiel 45:1 That is, about 6 1/2 miles or about 11 kilometers
  66. Ezekiel 45:2 That is, about 875 feet or about 265 meters
  67. Ezekiel 45:2 That is, about 88 feet or about 27 meters
  68. Ezekiel 45:3 That is, about 3 1/3 miles or about 5.3 kilometers; also in verse 5
  69. Ezekiel 45:5 Septuagint; Hebrew temple; they will have as their possession 20 rooms
  70. Ezekiel 45:6 That is, about 1 2/3 miles or about 2.7 kilometers
  71. Ezekiel 45:10 An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 3/5 bushel or about 22 liters.
  72. Ezekiel 45:10 A bath was a liquid measure equaling about 6 gallons or about 22 liters.
  73. Ezekiel 45:12 A shekel weighed about 2/5 ounce or about 12 grams.
  74. Ezekiel 45:12 That is, 60 shekels; the common mina was 50 shekels. Sixty shekels were about 1 1/2 pounds or about 690 grams.
  75. Ezekiel 45:13 That is, probably about 6 pounds or about 2.7 kilograms
  76. Ezekiel 45:13 That is, probably about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
  77. Ezekiel 45:14 That is, about 2 1/2 quarts or about 2.2 liters
  78. Ezekiel 45:17 Or purification offerings; also in verses 19, 22, 23 and 25
  79. Ezekiel 45:24 That is, about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters