Ezekiel 40

1 In the twenty-fifth year after we had been taken away prisoners, in the first month of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the town was taken, on the very same day, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he took me there.

At the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month of the twenty-fifth year of our exile, (fourteenth years after Jerusalem had been captured), was the exact day that the Lord's power came over me and he took me there to the city.

2 In the visions of God he took me into the land of Israel, and put me down on a very high mountain, on which there was, as it seemed, a building like a town opposite me.

God took me to the country of Israel in vision and set me down on a very high mountain. On the south side of the mountain there were buildings that seemed to be a city.

3 He took me there, and I saw a man, looking like brass, with a linen cord in his hand and a measuring rod: and he was stationed in the doorway.

When he took me there I saw a man who looked like shining bronze. He was holding a linen cord and a measuring rod as he stood in the entrance way.

4 And the man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes and give hearing with your ears, and take to heart everything I am going to let you see; for in order that I might let you see them, you have come here: and give an account of all you see to the children of Israel.

“Son of man,” he told me, “watch with your eyes, listen with your ears. Concentrate on everything I'm about to show you, because that's the reason you were brought here. You are to explain to the people of Israel what you've been shown, everything you see.”

5 And there was a wall on the outside of the house all round, and in the man's hand there was a measuring rod six cubits long by a cubit and a hand's measure: so he took the measure of the building from side to side, one rod; and from base to top, one rod.

I could see a wall that surrounded the Temple. The measuring rod the man was holding was six long cubits in length (a long cubit is a cubit plus a handbreadth). He measured the wall as six cubits thick and six cubits high.

6 Then he came to the doorway looking to the east, and went up by its steps; and he took the measure of the doorstep, one rod wide.

Then he went up the steps of the east-facing gate. He measured the gate's threshold as six cubits deep.

7 And the watchmen's rooms were one rod long and one rod wide; and the space between the rooms was five cubits; the doorstep of the doorway, by the covered way of the doorway inside, was one rod.

Beyond that were alcoves that measured six cubits by six cubits, with five cubits between the alcoves. The threshold of the inside entrance facing the porch measured six cubits.

8 And he took the measure of the covered way of the doorway inside,

Then he measured the entrance porch.

9 Eight cubits; and its uprights, two cubits; the covered way of the doorway was inside.

It was eight cubits deep, and its posts were two cubits thick. The entrance porch faced the Temple.

10 And the rooms of the doorway on the east were three on this side and three on that; all three were of the same size; and the uprights on this side and on that were of the same size.

There were three alcoves on each side of the east gate entrance that all measured the same. The posts on each side also measured the same.

11 And he took the measure of the opening of the doorway, ten cubits wide; and the way down the doorway was thirteen cubits;

He measured the width of the entrance gateway as ten cubits. It was thirteen cubits long.

12 And the space in front of the rooms, a cubit on this side and a cubit on that side; and the rooms six cubits on this side and six cubits on that.

A wall one cubit high was in front of alcove, and the alcoves measured six cubits by six cubits.

13 And he took the measure of the doorway from the back of one room to the back of the other, twenty-five cubits across, from door to door.

Then he measured the entrance gateway from the roof of one alcove to the roof of the one opposite. It was twenty-five cubits from one doorway to the opposite doorway.

14 And he took the measure of the covered way, twenty cubits; and opening from the covered way of the doorway was the open square round about.

Then he measured the distance between the posts as sixty cubits. The gateway led all the way around to the courtyard.

15 And from before the opening of the doorway to before the inner covered way of the doorway was fifty cubits.

It was fifty cubits from the gateway entrance to the far side of the inside porch.

16 And the rooms and their uprights had sloping windows inside the doorway all round, and in the same way the covered way had windows all round on the inside: and on every upright there were palm-trees.

The alcoves and their pillars had narrow windows on all of the inside of the gateway. The porches also had windows on all of the inside. All the posts were decorated with palm tree designs.

17 Then he took me into the outer square, and there were rooms and a stone floor made for the open square all round: there were thirty rooms on the stone floor.

He took me into the outer courtyard. I saw rooms and a pavement had been constructed around the courtyard. There were thirty rooms facing the pavement.

18 And the stone floor was by the side of the doorways, and was as wide as the doorways were long, even the lower floor.

This was termed the lower pavement and it extended along the sides of the gateways and was the same length as them.

19 Then he took the measure of the square across, from before the lower doorway inside to before the inner doorway outside, one hundred cubits. And he took me in the direction of the north,

He measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the far side of the inner courtyard as one hundred cubits, both to the east side and the north.

20 And there was a doorway to the outer square, looking to the north; and he took the measure of it to see how wide and how long it was.

He also measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer courtyard that faced north.

21 And it had three rooms on this side of it and three on that; its uprights and its covered ways were the same size as those of the first doorway: it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Its three alcoves on both sides, its posts, and its porch all measured the same as the first gateway and was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

22 And its windows, and the windows of its covered ways, and its palm-trees, were the same as those of the doorway looking to the east; and there were seven steps up to it; and the covered way went inside.

Its windows, porch, and palm tree decorations were the same as those of the east-facing gate. It had seven steps leading up to it, with its porch facing them.

23 And there was a doorway to the inner square opposite the doorway on the north, like the doorway on the east; and he took the measure from doorway to doorway, a hundred cubits.

There was an entrance to the inner courtyard facing the north gate, just like the east gate. He measured the distance from the entrance to the gate as a hundred cubits.

24 And he took me to the south, and I saw a doorway looking to the south: and he took the measure of its rooms and its uprights and its covered ways by these measures.

He took me to the south side, and I saw a gateway that faced south. He measured its posts and its porch, and they measured the same as those previously.

25 And there were windows in it and in the covered way all round, like the other windows: it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Both the gateway and its porch had windows all around it that were like the other windows. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

26 And there were seven steps up to it, and its covered way went inside: and it had palm-trees, one on this side and one on that, on its uprights.

It had seven steps leading up to it, and its porch faced them. It had one post on each side with palm tree designs on them.

27 And there was a doorway to the inner square looking to the south: he took the measure from doorway to doorway to the south, a hundred cubits.

The inner courtyard also had an entrance facing south, and he measured the distance from the entrance to the south gate as a hundred cubits.

28 Then he took me to the inner square by the south doorway: and he took the measure of the south doorway by these measures;

He took me into the inner courtyard through the south gate, and he measured the south gate. It measured the same as those previously.

29 And the rooms in it and the uprights and the covered ways, by these measures:

Its alcoves, posts, and porch had the same measurements as those previously. The gateway and its porch had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

30 And there were windows in it and in the covered way all round: it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

(The other surrounding porches measured twenty-five cubits long and five cubits deep.)

31 The covered way was on the side nearest the outer square; and there were palm-trees on the uprights: and there were eight steps going up to it.

Its porch faced the outer courtyard, and its pillars were decorated with palm tree designs. It had eight steps leading up to it.

32 And he took me into the inner square facing the east: and he took the measure of the doorway by these measures;

He took me to the inner courtyard on the east side. He measured the gateway and it measured the same as those previously.

33 And of the rooms in it and its uprights and its covered ways, by these measures: and there were windows in it and in the covered way round about: it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Its alcoves, posts, and porch measured the same as those previously. The gateway and its porch had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

34 And the covered way was on the side nearest the outer square; there were palm-trees on the uprights, on this side and on that: and there were eight steps going up to it.

Its porch faced the outer courtyard, and its posts were decorated with palm tree designs. It had eight steps leading up to it.

35 And he took me to the north doorway: and he took the measure of it by these measures;

He took me to the north gate and measured it. It measured the same as those previously,

36 Its rooms, its uprights, and its covered way had the same measures, and its covered way had windows all round: it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

including its alcoves, posts, and porch. The gateway and its porch had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

37 Its uprights were on the side nearest to the outer square; there were palm-trees on the uprights, on this side and on that: and there were eight steps going up to it.

Its porch faced the outer courtyard, and its posts were decorated with palm tree designs on all sides. It had eight steps leading up to it.

38 And there was a room with a door in the covered way of the doorway, where the burned offering was washed.

A room with a doorway stood beside by the porch of the inner gateways. This was where the burnt offering was washed.

39 And in the covered way of the doorway there were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which the burned offering and the sin-offering and the offering for error were put to death:

Inside the gateway porch were two tables on both sides, where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered for burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings.

40 On the outer side, to the north, as one goes up to the opening of the doorway, were two tables.

Outside, on the way up to the entrance of the north gateway, were two tables on one side of the gate's porch and two tables on the other side.

41 There were four tables on one side and four tables on the other, by the side of the doorway; eight tables, on which they put to death the beasts for the offerings.

So there were four tables on the inside the of gateway and another four outside, making a total of eight tables. This is where the sacrifices were slaughtered.

42 And there were four tables for the burned offering, made of cut stone, one and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide and a cubit high, where the instruments were placed which were used for putting to death the burned offering and the beasts for the offerings.

There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering. They each measured one and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and a cubit high. The tools used to slaughter the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices were placed on these tables.

43 And they had edges all round as wide as a man's hand: and on the tables was the flesh of the offerings.

Hooks measuring the width of a hand were attached to the walls inside the room. The meat of the offering was to be placed on the tables.

44 And he took me into the inner square, and there were two rooms in the inner square, one at the side of the north doorway, facing south; and one at the side of the south doorway, facing north.

Outside the inner gate but inside the inner courtyard were two rooms. One was beside the north gate and faced south; the other beside the south gate and faced north.

45 And he said to me, This room, facing south, is for the priests who have the care of the house.

The man told me: “The room that faces south is for the priests in charge of the Temple,

46 And the room facing north is for the priests who have the care of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who, from among the sons of Levi, come near to the Lord to do the work of his house.

and the room that faces north is for the priests in charge of the altar. These priests are the descendants of Zadok and are the only Levites who are allowed to come near to the Lord and minister before him.”

47 And he took the measure of the open square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide, being square; and the altar was in front of the house.

He measured the square courtyard: a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. The altar stood in the courtyard in front of the Temple.

48 Then he took me to the covered way before the house, and took the measure of its uprights, five cubits on one side and five cubits on the other: and the doorway was fourteen cubits wide; and the side-walls of the doorway were three cubits on one side and three cubits on the other.

He took me to the Temple porch and measured the pillars of the porch as five cubits on each side. The gateway was fourteen cubits wide and its sides measured three cubits.

49 The covered way was twenty cubits long and twelve cubits wide, and they went up to it by ten steps; and there were pillars by the uprights, one on one side and one on the other.

The porch was twenty cubits wide and twelve cubits deep, and had ten steps leading up to it. There were columns by the posts, one on both sides.