Hesekiel 40,36 | New International Reader’s Version

The new temple area

1 It 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. 2 In 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. 3 He 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. 4 The 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

5 I saw a wall that completely surrounded the temple area. The measuring rod in the man’s hand was 3.6 metres long. He measured the wall with it. The wall was as thick and as high as one measuring rod. 6 Then the man went to the east gate. He climbed its steps. He measured the gateway. It was one rod wide. 7 The rooms where the guards stood were one rod long and one rod wide. The walls between the rooms were almost 3 metres thick. The gateway next to the porch was one rod wide. The porch faced the front of the temple. 8 Then the man measured the porch of the gateway. 9 It was 4.8 metres wide. Each of its doorposts was 1.2 metres thick. The porch of the gateway faced the front of the temple. 10 Inside 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. 11 Then the man measured the entrance of the gateway. It was 6 metres wide and 7.8 metres long. 12 In front of each room was a wall. It was 60 centimetres high. The rooms measured 3.6 metres on each side. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the back wall of one room to the back wall of the room opposite it. It was 15 metres from the top of one wall to the top of the other. 14 He measured along the front of the side walls all around the inside of the gateway. The total was 36 metres. That didn’t include the porch that faced the courtyard. 15 It was 30 metres from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its porch. 16 The 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

17 Then the man brought me into the outer courtyard. There I saw some rooms and a pavement. They had been built all around the courtyard. Along the pavement were 30 rooms. 18 The pavement went all the way up to the sides of the gateways. It was as wide as they were long. This was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner courtyard. The east side measured 60 metres. So did the north side.

The north gate

20 Then the man measured the north gate. He wanted to show me how long and wide it was. The gate led into the outer courtyard. 21 It had three rooms on each side. Their side walls and porch measured the same as the ones at the first gateway. They measured 30 metres long and 15 metres wide. 22 Its 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 opposite them. 23 The 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 opposite it. The total was 60 metres.

The south gate

24 Then 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. 25 The gateway and its porch had narrow openings all around. The openings were the same as the others had. The side walls and porch measured 30 metres long and 15 metres wide. 26 Seven steps led up to it. Its porch was opposite them. The front of each side wall was decorated with a palm tree. 27 The 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 60 metres.

The gates to the inner courtyard

28 Then 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. 29 Its 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 30 metres long and 15 metres wide. 30 The porches of the gateways around the inner courtyard were 15 metres wide and 3 metres long. 31 Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Palm trees decorated its doorposts. Eight steps led up to it. 32 Then 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. 33 Its 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 30 metres long and 15 metres wide. 34 Its porch faced the outer courtyard. Each doorpost was decorated with a palm tree. Eight steps led up to the porch. 35 Then the man brought me to the north gate. He measured it. It was the same size as the others. 36 Its 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 30 metres long and 15 metres wide. 37 The 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

38 A room with a doorway was by the porch of each inner gateway. The burnt offerings were washed there. 39 On 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. 40 Two 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. 41 So 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. 42 There were also four other tables for the burnt offerings. They were made out of blocks of stone. Each table was 90 centimetres long and 90 centimetres wide. And each was almost 60 centimetres high. The tools for killing the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. 43 Large hooks hung on the walls all around. Each was 8 centimetres long. The meat of the offerings was placed on the tables.

The rooms for the priests

44 Near 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. 45 The man said to me, ‘The room that faces south is for the priests who guard the temple. 46 The 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.’ 47 Then the man measured the courtyard. It was square. It measured 60 metres long and 60 metres wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.

The new temple

48 The man brought me to the porch of the temple. He measured the doorposts of the porch. Each of them was almost 3 metres wide. The entrance was 8.4 metres wide. Each of the side walls was 1.8 metres wide. 49 The porch was 12 metres wide. It was 7.2 metres from front to back. It was reached by some stairs. Pillars were on each side of the doorposts.