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,[1] 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 cubits[2] 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;9it[3] was eight cubits[4] deep and its jambs were two cubits[5] 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.[6]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 cubits[7] 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.[8] The measurement was up to the portico[9] facing the courtyard.[10]15The distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.[11]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 cubits[12] 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 portico[13] 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 offerings[14] 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.[15] On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.43And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth[16] 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, one[17] at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south[18] 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 cubits[19] and its projecting walls were[20] three cubits[21] wide on either side.49The portico was twenty cubits[22] wide, and twelve[23] cubits[24] from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs,[25] and there were pillars on each side of the jambs.
Ezekiel 40
English Standard Version
Vision of the New Temple
1In 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 to the city.[1] (Eze 1:2; Eze 1:3; Eze 20:1; Eze 26:1; Eze 33:21)2In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. (Eze 1:1; Eze 43:12; Re 21:10)3When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. (Eze 1:7; Eze 9:2; Eze 42:16; Eze 43:6; Eze 47:3; Re 11:1)4And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” (Eze 2:1; Eze 43:10; Eze 44:5)
The East Gate to the Outer Court
5And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man’s hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth[2] in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. (Eze 41:8; Eze 42:20; Eze 43:13)6Then he went into the gateway facing east, going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.[3] (Eze 40:22; Eze 43:1)7And the side rooms, one reed long and one reed broad; and the space between the side rooms, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end, one reed. (Eze 40:29; Eze 40:33; Eze 40:36)8Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, on the inside, one reed.9Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and its jambs, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. (Eze 41:1)10And there were three side rooms on either side of the east gate. The three were of the same size, and the jambs on either side were of the same size. (Eze 40:7)11Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits.12There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side. And the side rooms were six cubits on either side.13Then he measured the gate from the ceiling of the one side room to the ceiling of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; the openings faced each other.14He measured also the vestibule, sixty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.[4] (Eze 40:9; Eze 40:16)15From the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits.16And the gateway had windows all around, narrowing inwards toward the side rooms and toward their jambs, and likewise the vestibule had windows all around inside, and on the jambs were palm trees. (1Ki 6:4; Eze 40:9; Eze 40:14; Eze 41:16; Eze 41:18; Eze 41:26)
The Outer Court
17Then he brought me into the outer court. And behold, there were chambers and a pavement, all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement. (2Ki 23:11; 2Ch 7:3; Eze 40:38; Eze 40:44; Eze 40:46; Eze 41:6; Eze 41:10; Eze 42:1; Eze 45:5; Re 11:2)18And the pavement ran along the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. This was the lower pavement.19Then he measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court,[5] a hundred cubits on the east side and on the north side.[6]
The North Gate
20As for the gate that faced toward the north, belonging to the outer court, he measured its length and its breadth. (Eze 40:6; Eze 40:17)21Its side rooms, three on either side, and its jambs and its vestibule were of the same size as those of the first gate. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. (Eze 40:6; Eze 40:7; Eze 40:13; Eze 40:15)22And its windows, its vestibule, and its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. And by seven steps people would go up to it, and find its vestibule before them. (Eze 40:6; Eze 40:16)23And opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to the inner court. And he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits. (Eze 8:3; Eze 40:27; Eze 40:28)
The South Gate
24And he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south. And he measured its jambs and its vestibule; they had the same size as the others. (Eze 40:21)25Both it and its vestibule had windows all around, like the windows of the others. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. (Eze 40:22)26And there were seven steps leading up to it, and its vestibule was before them, and it had palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. (Eze 40:16)27And there was a gate on the south of the inner court. And he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits. (Eze 8:16; Eze 40:23)
The Inner Court
28Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate. It was of the same size as the others. (Eze 40:24; Eze 40:27)29Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. (Eze 40:7; Eze 40:25)30And there were vestibules all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad.31Its vestibule faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps. (Eze 40:22; Eze 40:26)32Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gate. It was of the same size as the others. (Eze 40:21)33Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits.34Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps. (Eze 40:31)35Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it. It had the same size as the others. (Eze 40:32; Eze 47:2)36Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others,[7] and it had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits.37Its vestibule[8] faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.38There was a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate,[9] where the burnt offering was to be washed. (2Ch 4:6; Eze 40:17; Eze 46:2)39And in the vestibule of the gate were two tables on either side, on which the burnt offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering were to be slaughtered. (Le 1:3; Le 4:2; Le 5:1; Eze 40:42; Eze 42:13; Eze 46:2; Eze 46:20)40And off to the side, on the outside as one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables; and off to the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables.41Four tables were on either side of the gate, eight tables, on which to slaughter. (Eze 40:38; Eze 40:39)42And there were four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered. (Ex 20:25; Eze 40:39)43And hooks,[10] a handbreadth long, were fastened all around within. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid.
Chambers for the Priests
44On the outside of the inner gateway there were two chambers[11] in the inner court, one[12] at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south[13] gate facing north. (1Ch 6:31; Eze 40:17; Eze 40:38)45And he said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple, (Le 8:35; Nu 1:53; 1Ch 9:23; Eze 44:8; Eze 44:14; Eze 44:16; Eze 48:11)46and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone[14] among the sons of Levi may come near to the Lord to minister to him.” (Nu 3:31; Nu 18:5; 1Ki 2:35; 1Ch 24:3; 1Ch 24:6; Eze 42:13; Eze 43:19; Eze 44:15; Eze 45:4)47And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, a square. And the altar was in front of the temple. (Ex 40:29; Eze 41:13; Eze 43:13; Mt 23:35)
The Vestibule of the Temple
48Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate[15] were three cubits on either side. (Eze 40:9; Eze 41:25)49The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve[16] cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.[17] And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side. (1Ki 6:3)