Ezekiel 40

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me there. In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain. On it, toward the south, was something like the structure of a city. He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He had a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand, and he was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears, and pay attention to everything I show you, for you have been brought here so that I may show it to you. Tell the house of Israel everything you see.” There was a wall outside the temple, all around it. The measuring rod in the man's hand was six cubits long—about ten and a half feet—using a cubit that was a cubit plus a handbreadth. He measured the thickness of the wall: about ten and a half feet, and its height: about ten and a half feet. Then he came to the gateway facing east and went up its steps. He measured the threshold of the gateway: about ten and a half feet wide, and the other threshold: about ten and a half feet wide. Each chamber was about ten and a half feet long and ten and a half feet wide, with about eight feet nine inches between the chambers. The threshold of the gateway beside the vestibule, on the temple side, was about ten and a half feet. He measured the vestibule of the gateway on the temple side: about ten and a half feet. He measured the vestibule of the gateway: about fourteen feet, and its gateposts: about three and a half feet. The vestibule of the gateway was on the temple side. The east-facing gateway had three chambers on one side and three on the other. All three had the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side had the same measurements. He measured the width of the gateway opening: about seventeen and a half feet, and the length of the gateway: about twenty-two feet nine inches. There was a barrier of about twenty-one inches in front of the chambers on one side, and a barrier of about twenty-one inches on the other. Each chamber was about ten and a half feet on either side. He measured the gateway from the roof of one chamber to the roof of the other: about forty-three feet nine inches wide, with opening opposite opening. He determined the measurement of the gateposts: about one hundred five feet. The courtyard extended to the gatepost all around the gateway. From the front of the entrance gateway to the front of the inner vestibule of the gateway was about eighty-seven and a half feet. The chambers and their gateposts had narrow windows facing inward all around the gateway, and so did the vestibules. There were windows facing inward all around, and palm trees on the gateposts. Then he brought me into the outer court. There were rooms and a pavement built all around the court, with thirty rooms along the pavement. The pavement ran beside the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways. This was the lower pavement. He measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the outside front of the inner court: about one hundred seventy-five feet, on the east and on the north. He measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer court that faced north. It had three chambers on one side and three on the other. Its gateposts and vestibules had the same measurements as the first gateway: about eighty-seven and a half feet long and forty-three feet nine inches wide. Its windows, vestibules, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the east-facing gateway. Seven steps led up to it, and its vestibules were in front of them. A gateway to the inner court stood opposite the gateway on the north and on the east. He measured from gateway to gateway: about one hundred seventy-five feet. He led me toward the south, and there was a gateway facing south. He measured its gateposts and vestibules, which had the same measurements. The gateway and its vestibules had windows all around like the other windows. It was about eighty-seven and a half feet long and forty-three feet nine inches wide. Seven steps led up to it, and its vestibules were in front of them. It had palm trees on its gateposts, one on either side. There was a gateway to the inner court facing south. He measured from gateway to gateway toward the south: about one hundred seventy-five feet. Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gateway and measured the south gateway. It had the same measurements. Its chambers, gateposts, and vestibules had the same measurements. The gateway and its vestibules had windows all around. It was about eighty-seven and a half feet long and forty-three feet nine inches wide. There were vestibules all around, about forty-three feet nine inches long and eight feet nine inches wide. Its vestibules faced the outer court, with palm trees on its gateposts. Eight steps led up to it. He brought me into the inner court toward the east and measured the gateway. It had the same measurements. Its chambers, gateposts, and vestibules had the same measurements. The gateway and its vestibules had windows all around. It was about eighty-seven and a half feet long and forty-three feet nine inches wide. Its vestibules faced the outer court, with palm trees on its gateposts on either side. Eight steps led up to it. He brought me to the north gateway and measured it. It had the same measurements: its chambers, gateposts, and vestibules, with windows all around. It was about eighty-seven and a half feet long and forty-three feet nine inches wide. Its gateposts faced the outer court, with palm trees on its gateposts on either side. Eight steps led up to it. There was a room with its entrance by the gateposts of the gateways. There they washed the burnt offering. In the vestibule of the gateway were two tables on one side and two tables on the other, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. Outside, on one side as one went up to the entrance of the north gateway, were two tables, and on the other side of the vestibule of the gateway were two tables. There were four tables on one side and four on the other, beside the gateway: eight tables on which they slaughtered the sacrifices. There were four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, about thirty-one and a half inches long, thirty-one and a half inches wide, and twenty-one inches high. On them they laid the implements with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. Double hooks about three inches long were fastened all around inside the building. The meat of the offering was on the tables. Outside the inner gateway, in the inner court, were rooms for the singers, beside the north gateway and facing south. There was another beside the east gateway, facing north. He said to me, “This room facing south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple. The room facing north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who among the sons of Levi draw near to the LORD to minister to him.” He measured the court: about one hundred seventy-five feet long and one hundred seventy-five feet wide, a square. The altar was in front of the temple. He brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the gateposts of the vestibule: about eight feet nine inches on one side and eight feet nine inches on the other. The width of the gateway was about five feet three inches on one side and five feet three inches on the other. The vestibule was about thirty-five feet long and nineteen feet three inches wide. Steps led up to it, and there were columns beside the gateposts, one on either side.

Rights and attribution