The New Temple Area
1It was the 14th year after Jerusalem had been captured. We had been brought to Babylon as prisoners. It was the tenth day of a month near the beginning of the 25th year after that. On that day the power of the Lord came on me. He took me back to my land. 2In visions God gave me, he brought me to the land of Israel. He set me on a very high mountain. Some buildings were on the south side of it. They looked like a city. 3He took me there. I saw a man who appeared to be made out of bronze. He was standing at the gate of the outer courtyard. He was holding a linen measuring tape and a measuring rod. 4The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely. Pay attention to everything I show you. That is why the Lord brought you here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”
The East Gate to the Outer Courtyard
5I saw a wall that completely surrounded the temple area. The measuring rod in the man’s hand was 11 feet long. He measured the wall with it. The wall was as thick and as high as one measuring rod.
6Then the man went to the east gate. He climbed its steps. He measured the gateway. It was one rod wide. 7The rooms where the guards stood were one rod long and one rod wide. The walls between the rooms were almost nine feet thick. The gateway next to the porch was one rod wide. The porch faced the front of the temple.
8Then the man measured the porch of the gateway. 9It was 14 feet wide. Each of its doorposts was three and a half feet thick. The porch of the gateway faced the front of the temple.
10Inside the east gate were three rooms on each side. All the rooms were the same size. The walls on each side of the rooms had the same thickness. 11Then the man measured the entrance of the gateway. It was 18 feet wide and 23 feet long. 12In front of each room was a wall. It was 21 inches high. The rooms measured 11 feet on each side. 13Then he measured the gateway from the back wall of one room to the back wall of the room across from it. It was 44 feet from the top of one wall to the top of the other. 14He measured along the front of the side walls all around the inside of the gateway. The total was 105 feet. That didn’t include the porch that faced the courtyard. 15It was 88 feet from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its porch. 16The rooms and their side walls inside the gateway had narrow openings on top of them. So did the porch. All the openings faced the inside. The front of each side wall was decorated with a palm tree.
The Outer Courtyard
17Then the man brought me into the outer courtyard. There I saw some rooms and a sidewalk. They had been built all around the courtyard. Along the sidewalk were 30 rooms. 18The sidewalk went all the way up to the sides of the gateways. It was as wide as they were long. This was the lower sidewalk. 19Then he measured from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner courtyard. The east side measured 175 feet. So did the north side.
The North Gate
20Then the man measured the north gate. He wanted to show me how long and wide it was. The gate led into the outer courtyard. 21It had three rooms on each side. Their side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the first gateway. They measured 88 feet long and 44 feet wide. 22Its openings, porch and palm tree decorations measured the same as the ones at the east gate. Seven steps led up to the north gate. Its porch was across from them. 23The inner courtyard had a gate. It faced the gate on the north. It was just like the east gate. He measured from one gate to the one across from it. The total was 175 feet.
The South Gate
24Then the man led me to the south side of the courtyard. There I saw the south gate. He measured its doorposts and porch. They measured the same as the others. 25The gateway and its porch had narrow openings all around. The openings were the same as the others had. The side walls and porch measured 88 feet long and 44 feet wide. 26Seven steps led up to it. Its porch was across from them. The front of each side wall was decorated with a palm tree. 27The inner courtyard also had a gate that faced south. The man measured from this gate to the outer gate on the south side. The total was 175 feet.
The Gates to the Inner Courtyard
28Then the man brought me into the inner courtyard. We went through the south gate. He measured it. It was the same size as the others. 29Its rooms, side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the other gateways. The gateway and its porch had openings all around. The side walls and porch measured 88 feet long and 44 feet wide. 30The porches of the gateways around the inner courtyard were 44 feet wide and nine feet long. 31Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated its doorposts. Eight steps led up to it.
32Then the man brought me to the east side of the inner courtyard. There he measured the gateway. It was the same size as the others. 33Its rooms, side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the other gateways. The gateway and its porch had openings all around. The side walls and porch measured 88 feet long and 44 feet wide. 34Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Each doorpost was decorated with a palm tree. Eight steps led up to the porch.
35Then the man brought me to the north gate. He measured it. It was the same size as the others. 36Its rooms, side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the other gateways. It had openings all around. The side walls and the porch measured 88 feet long and 44 feet wide. 37The porch faced the outer courtyard. Each doorpost was decorated with a palm tree. Eight steps led up to the porch.
The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices
38A room with a doorway was by the porch of each inner gateway. The burnt offerings were washed there. 39On each side of the porch of the gateway were two tables. The burnt offerings were killed on them. So were the sin offerings and guilt offerings. 40Two more tables were by the outer wall of the gateway porch. They were near the steps at the entrance of the north gateway. Two more tables were on the other side of the steps. 41So there were four tables on each side of the gateway. The total number of tables was eight. Animals for sacrifice were killed on all of them. 42There were also four other tables for the burnt offerings. They were made out of blocks of stone. Each table was two and a half feet long and two and a half feet wide. And each was almost two feet high. The tools for killing the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. 43Large hooks hung on the walls all around. Each was three inches long. The meat of the offerings was placed on the tables.
The Rooms for the Priests
44Near the inner gates were two rooms. They were in the inner courtyard. One room was next to the north gate. It faced south. The other one was next to the south gate. It faced north. 45The man said to me, “The room that faces south is for the priests who guard the temple. 46The one that faces north is for the priests who guard the altar. All these priests are the sons of Zadok. They are the only Levites who can approach the Lord to serve him.”
47Then the man measured the courtyard. It was square. It measured 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.
The New Temple
48The man brought me to the porch of the temple. He measured the doorposts of the porch. Each of them was almost nine feet wide. The entrance was 24 and a half feet wide. Each of the side walls was a little over five feet wide. 49The porch was 35 feet wide. It was 21 feet from front to back. It was reached by some stairs. Pillars were on each side of the doorposts.
The temple area restored
1In 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 – on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there. 2In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. 3He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4The man said to me, ‘Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.’
The east gate to the outer court
5I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits,40:5 That is, about 3.2 metres; also in verse 12. The long cubit of about 53 centimetres is the basic unit of measurement of length throughout chapters 40–48. each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.
6Then he went to the east gate. He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep. 7The alcoves for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits40:7 That is, about 2.7 metres; also in verse 48 thick. And the threshold of the gate next to the portico facing the temple was one rod deep.
8Then he measured the portico of the gateway; 9it40:8,9 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts gateway facing the temple; it was one rod deep. 9 Then he measured the portico of the gateway; it was eight cubits40:9 That is, about 4.2 metres deep and its jambs were two cubits40:9 That is, about 1 metre thick. The portico of the gateway faced the temple.
10Inside 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. 11Then he measured the width of the entrance of the gateway; it was ten cubits and its length was thirteen cubits.40:11 That is, about 5.3 metres wide and 6.9 metres long 12In front of each alcove was a wall one cubit high, and the alcoves were six cubits square. 13Then 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 cubits40:13 That is, about 13 metres; also in verses 21, 25, 29, 30, 33 and 36 from one parapet opening to the opposite one. 14He measured along the faces of the projecting walls all around the inside of the gateway – sixty cubits.40:14 That is, about 32 metres The measurement was up to the portico40:14 Septuagint; Hebrew projecting wall facing the courtyard.40:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain. 15The distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.40:15 That is, about 27 metres; also in verses 21, 25, 29, 33 and 36 16The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the gateway were surmounted by narrow parapet openings all round, as was the portico; the openings all round faced inward. The faces of the projecting walls were decorated with palm trees.
The outer court
17Then he brought me into the outer court. There I saw some rooms and a pavement that had been constructed all round the court; there were thirty rooms along the pavement. 18It abutted the sides of the gateways and was as wide as they were long; this was the lower pavement. 19Then he measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits40:19 That is, about 53 metres; also in verses 23, 27 and 47 on the east side as well as on the north.
The north gate
20Then he measured the length and width of the north gate, leading into the outer court. 21Its alcoves – three on each side – its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 22Its openings, its portico 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. 23There 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.
The south gate
24Then 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 as the others. 25The gateway and its portico had narrow openings all round, like the openings of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 26Seven 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. 27The inner court 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.
The gates to the inner court
28Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others. 29Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all round. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30(The porticoes of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.) 31Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.
32Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others. 33Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all round. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.
35Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others, 36as did its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico, and it had openings all round. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37Its portico40:37 Septuagint (see also verses 31 and 34); Hebrew jambs faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.
The rooms for preparing sacrifices
38A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings were washed. 39In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings40:39 Or purification offerings and guilt offerings were slaughtered. 40By 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. 41So 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. 42There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.40:42 That is, about 80 centimetres long and wide and 53 centimetres high On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. 43And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth40:43 That is, about 9 centimetres long, were attached to the wall all round. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.
The rooms for the priests
44Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two rooms, one40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew were rooms for singers, which were at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew east gate and facing north. 45He said to me, ‘The room facing south is for the priests who guard the temple, 46and the room facing north is for the priests who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.’
47Then 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.
The new temple
48He brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the entrance was fourteen cubits40:48 That is, about 7.4 metres and its projecting walls were40:48 Septuagint; Hebrew entrance was three cubits40:48 That is, about 1.6 metres wide on either side. 49The portico was twenty cubits40:49 That is, about 11 metres wide, and twelve40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew eleven cubits40:49 That is, about 6.4 metres from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs,40:49 Hebrew; Septuagint Ten steps led up to it and there were pillars on each side of the jambs.
