EzekielChapter 40

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1It was the twenty-fifth year of our exile. It was the start of the year, on the tenth day of the month. It was the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck down. On that very day the hand of the LORD was on me, and he took me there. 2In visions from God he took me to the land of Israel. He set me on a very high mountain. On its south side was a group of buildings that looked like a city. 3He took me there, and I saw a man who looked like he was made of bronze. He was standing in the gateway. He had a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4The man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes and listen with your ears. Pay attention to everything I am going to show you. That is why you were brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see." 5I saw a wall all around the temple area. The measuring rod in the man's hand was about 10 1/2 feet long. He measured the wall. It was one rod thick and one rod high.a 6Then he went to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate. It was one rod deep. 7Each guardroom of the gate was one rod long and one rod wide. There were five cubits, about 9 feet, between the guardrooms. The inner threshold of the gate, next to the porch facing inward, was one rod deep.b 8Then he measured the porch of the gateway on the inside. 9It was 14 feet deep. Its side posts were 3 1/2 feet thick. The porch of the gateway faced the temple.c 10There were three guardrooms on each side of the east gate. They were all the same size. The posts on each side were also the same size. 11Then he measured the gateway entrance. It was 17 1/2 feet wide and about 23 feet long.d 12In front of each guardroom was a low wall 21 inches high. The guardrooms were 10 1/2 feet on each side.e 13Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one guardroom to the roof of the one across from it. It was about 44 feet from doorway to doorway.f 14Next he measured the gateposts. They were 105 feet high. The gateway reached around to the gatepost of the courtyard.g 15From the front entrance of the gateway to the far end of its inner porch was about 88 feet.h 16The guardrooms and their side pillars had narrow windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porches also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees. 17Then he brought me into the outer court. I saw rooms there, and a stone pavement laid all around the court. Thirty rooms faced the pavement. 18The pavement ran along the sides of the gateways. It was as long as the gates were. This was the lower pavement. 19Then he measured from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court. It was 175 feet on the east side and on the north side too.i 20He also measured the length and width of the outer court's gateway that faced north. 21It had three guardrooms on each side. Its guardrooms, side pillars, and porch were the same size as those of the first gate. It was about 88 feet long and about 44 feet wide.j 22Its windows, porch, and palm trees were the same size as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps went up to it. Its porch was across from the steps. 23There was a gate to the inner court across from the north gate, just like the one on the east. He measured from one gateway to the other. It was 175 feet.k 24Then he led me to the south side. I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and its porch. They were the same size as the others. 25The gateway and its porch had windows all around, like the other windows. It was about 88 feet long and about 44 feet wide.l 26Seven steps went up to it. Its porch was across from the steps. It had palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side. 27The inner court also had a gate facing south. He measured from that gateway to the outer gateway on the south. It was 175 feet.m 28Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate. He measured the south gate. It was the same size as the others. 29Its guardrooms, side pillars, and porch were the same size as the others. The gateway and its porch had windows all around. It was about 88 feet long and about 44 feet wide.n 30(The porches around the inner court were about 44 feet long and about 9 feet deep.)o 31Its porch faced the outer court. Its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps went up to it. 32Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. He measured the gateway. It was the same size as the others. 33Its guardrooms, side pillars, and porch were the same size as the others. The gateway and its porch had windows all around. It was about 88 feet long and about 44 feet wide.p 34Its porch faced the outer court. Its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps went up to it. 35Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It was the same size as the others. 36So were its guardrooms, side pillars, and porch. It also had windows all around. It was about 88 feet long and about 44 feet wide.q 37Its porch faced the outer court. Its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps went up to it. 38There was a room with a door by the porch of each inner gateway. The burnt offering was to be washed there. 39Inside the porch of the gateway were two tables on each side. On them the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be killed. 40Outside, as you go up to the entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side. There were two more tables on the other side of the gate's porch. 41So there were four tables inside the gateway and four outside. That made eight tables in all. The sacrifices were to be killed on them. 42There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering. Each was about 32 inches long, 32 inches wide, and 21 inches high. The tools used to kill the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices were placed on them.r 43Hooks with two prongs, each about 3 inches long, were fastened all around the inside of the room. The meat of the offerings was to be placed on the tables.s 44Outside the inner gate, inside the inner court, were two rooms. One was beside the north gate and faced south. The other was beside the south gate and faced north. 45Then the man said to me, "The room that faces south is for the priests who take care of the temple. 46The room that faces north is for the priests who take care of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok. They are the only Levites who may come near the LORD to serve him." 47Next he measured the court. It was a square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar was in front of the temple.t 48Then he brought me to the porch of the temple. He measured the side pillars of the porch. They were about 9 feet thick on each side. The gateway was 24 1/2 feet wide. Its side walls were about 5 feet thick on each side.u 49The porch was 35 feet wide and 21 feet deep. Ten steps went up to it. There were columns by the side pillars, one on each side.v

Notes

  1. a 40:5 Hebrew: six long cubits, each a cubit and a handbreadth. In Ezekiel's temple vision, a long cubit is about 21 inches.
  2. b 40:7 Hebrew: five cubits. The guardrooms are small rooms beside the gateway.
  3. c 40:9 Hebrew: eight cubits; two cubits.
  4. d 40:11 Hebrew: ten cubits; thirteen cubits.
  5. e 40:12 Hebrew: one cubit; six cubits.
  6. f 40:13 Hebrew: twenty-five cubits.
  7. g 40:14 Hebrew: sixty cubits.
  8. h 40:15 Hebrew: fifty cubits.
  9. i 40:19 Hebrew: a hundred cubits.
  10. j 40:21 Hebrew: fifty cubits; twenty-five cubits.
  11. k 40:23 Hebrew: a hundred cubits.
  12. l 40:25 Hebrew: fifty cubits; twenty-five cubits.
  13. m 40:27 Hebrew: a hundred cubits.
  14. n 40:29 Hebrew: fifty cubits; twenty-five cubits.
  15. o 40:30 Hebrew: twenty-five cubits; five cubits.
  16. p 40:33 Hebrew: fifty cubits; twenty-five cubits.
  17. q 40:36 Hebrew: fifty cubits; twenty-five cubits.
  18. r 40:42 Hebrew: a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit high.
  19. s 40:43 Hebrew: a handbreadth.
  20. t 40:47 Hebrew: a hundred cubits.
  21. u 40:48 Hebrew: five cubits; fourteen cubits; three cubits.
  22. v 40:49 Hebrew: twenty cubits; twelve cubits.