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Vision of the New Temple

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[a] was struck down, on this very day,[b] the hand[c] of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there.[d] By divine visions[e] he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me on a very high mountain,[f] and on it was a structure like a city, to the south. When he brought me there, I saw[g] a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring stick in his hand. He was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, “Son of man, watch closely, listen carefully, and pay attention[h] to everything I show you, for you have been brought here so that I can show it to you.[i] Tell the house of Israel everything you see.”

I saw[j] a wall all around the outside of the temple.[k] In the man’s hand was a measuring stick 10½ feet[l] long. He measured the thickness of the wall[m] as 10½ feet,[n] and its height as 10½ feet. Then he went to the gate facing east. He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate as 10½ feet deep.[o] The alcoves were 10½ feet long and 10½ feet wide; between the alcoves were 8¾ feet.[p] The threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate facing inward was 10½ feet. Then he measured the porch of the gate facing inward as 10½ feet. He measured the porch of the gate as 14 feet,[q] and its jambs as 3½ feet;[r] the porch of the gate faced inward. 10 There were three alcoves on each side of the east gate; the three had the same measurement, and the jambs on either side had the same measurement.[s] 11 He measured the width of the entrance of the gateway as 17½ feet,[t] and the length of the gateway as 22¾ feet.[u] 12 There was a barrier in front of the alcoves, 1¾ feet[v] on either side; the alcoves were 10½ feet[w] on either side. 13 He measured the gateway from the roof of one alcove to the roof of the other, a width of 43¾ feet[x] from one entrance to the opposite one. 14 He measured[y] the porch[z] at 105 feet[aa] high;[ab] the gateway went all around to the jamb of the courtyard. 15 From the front of the entrance gate to the porch of the inner gate was 87½ feet.[ac] 16 There were closed windows toward the alcoves and toward their jambs within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. There were windows all around the inside, and on each jamb were decorative palm trees.[ad]

17 Then he brought me to the outer court. I saw[ae] chambers there and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 The pavement was beside the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the width from before the lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court as 175 feet[af] on the east and on the north.

20 He measured the length and width of the gate of the outer court that faces north. 21 Its alcoves, three on each side, and its jambs and porches had the same measurement as the first gate; 87½ feet[ag] long and 43¾ feet[ah] wide. 22 Its windows, its porches, and its decorative palm trees had the same measurement as the gate that faced east. Seven steps led up to it, and its porch was in front of them. 23 Opposite the gate on the north and the east was a gate of the inner court; he measured the distance from gate to gate at 175 feet.[ai]

24 Then he led me toward the south. I saw[aj] a gate on the south. He measured its jambs and its porches; they had the same dimensions as the others. 25 There were windows all around it and its porches, like the windows of the others;[ak] 87½ feet[al] long and 43¾ feet[am] wide. 26 There were seven steps going up to it; its porches were in front of them. It had decorative palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. 27 The inner court had a gate toward the south; he measured it from gate to gate toward the south as 175 feet.[an]

28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate. He measured the south gate; it had the same dimensions as the others. 29 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was 87½ feet[ao] and its width 43¾ feet.[ap] 30 There were porches all around, 43¾ feet[aq] long and 8¾ feet[ar] wide. 31 Its porches faced the outer court, and decorative palm trees were on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps.

32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. He measured the gate; it had the same dimensions as the others. 33 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was 87½ feet[as] and its width 43¾ feet.[at] 34 Its porches faced the outer court, it had decorative palm trees on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps.

35 Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it; it had the same dimensions as the others— 36 its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches. It had windows all around it; its length was 87½ feet[au] and its width 43¾ feet.[av] 37 Its jambs[aw] faced the outer court, and it had decorative palm trees on its jambs on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.

38 There was a chamber with its door by the porch of the gate;[ax] there they washed the burnt offering. 39 In the porch of the gate were two tables on either side on which to slaughter the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. 40 On the outside of the porch as one goes up at the entrance of the north gate were two tables, and on the other side of the porch of the gate were two tables. 41 Four tables were on each side of the gate, eight tables on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered. 42 The four tables for the burnt offering were of carved stone, 32 inches[ay] long, 32 inches[az] wide, and 21 inches[ba] high. They would put the instruments that they used to slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them. 43 There were hooks[bb] three inches[bc] long fastened in the house all around, and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

44 On the outside of the inner gate were chambers for the singers of the inner court, one[bd] at the side of the north gate facing south, and the other at the side of the south[be] gate facing north. 45 He said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple,[bf] 46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the descendants of Zadok, from the descendants of Levi, who may approach the Lord to minister to him.” 47 He measured the court as a square 175 feet long and 175 feet wide;[bg] the altar was in front of the temple.

48 Then he brought me to the porch of the temple and measured the jambs of the porch as 8¾ feet[bh] on either side; the width of the gate was 24½ feet,[bi] and the sides[bj] were 5¼ feet[bk] on each side. 49 The length of the porch was 35 feet[bl] and the width 19¼ feet;[bm] steps[bn] led up to it, and there were pillars beside the jambs on either side.

The Inner Temple

41 Then he brought me to the outer sanctuary and measured the jambs; the jambs were 10½ feet[bo] wide on each side. The width of the entrance was 17½ feet,[bp] and the sides[bq] of the entrance were 8¾ feet[br] on each side. He measured the length of the outer sanctuary as 70 feet[bs] and its width as 35 feet.[bt]

Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance as 3½ feet,[bu] the entrance as 10½ feet,[bv] and the width of the entrance as 12¼ feet.[bw] Then he measured its length as 35 feet[bx] and its width as 35 feet,[by] before the outer sanctuary. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

Then he measured the wall of the temple[bz] as 10½ feet[ca] and the width of the side chambers as 7 feet,[cb] all around the temple. The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty in each story. There were offsets in the wall all around to serve as supports for the side chambers, so that the supports were not in the wall of the temple. The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each successive story,[cc] for the structure surrounding[cd] the temple went up story by story all around the temple. For this reason the width of the temple increased as it went up, and one went up from the lowest story to the highest by the way of the middle story.

I saw that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers were a full measuring stick[ce] of 10½ feet[cf] high. The width of the outer wall of the side chambers was 8¾ feet,[cg] and the open area between the side chambers of the temple 10 and the chambers of the court was 35 feet[ch] in width all around the temple on every side. 11 There were entrances from the side chambers toward the open area, one entrance toward the north, and another entrance toward the south; the width of the open area was 8¾ feet[ci] all around.

12 The building that was facing the temple courtyard at the west side was 122½ feet[cj] wide; the wall of the building was 8¾ feet[ck] thick all around, and its length 157½ feet.[cl]

13 Then he measured the temple as 175 feet[cm] long, the courtyard of the temple and the building and its walls as 175 feet[cn] long, 14 and also the width of the front of the temple and the courtyard on the east as 175 feet.[co]

15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, with its galleries on either side as 175 feet.[cp]

The interior of the outer sanctuary and the porch of the court,[cq] 16 as well as the thresholds, narrow windows and galleries all around on three sides facing the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the ground up to the windows (now the windows were covered), 17 to the space above the entrance, to the inner room, and on the outside, and on all the walls in the inner room and outside, by measurement.[cr] 18 It was made with cherubim and decorative palm trees, with a palm tree between each cherub. Each cherub had two faces: 19 a human face toward the palm tree on one side and a lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around; 20 from the ground to the area above the entrance, cherubim and decorative palm trees were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary. 21 The doorposts of the outer sanctuary were square. In front of the sanctuary one doorpost looked just like the other. 22 The altar was of wood, 5¼ feet[cs] high, with its length 3½ feet;[ct] its corners, its length,[cu] and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.” 23 The outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary each had a double door. 24 Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging[cv] leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. 25 On the doors of the outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and palm trees, like those carved on the walls, and there was a canopy[cw] of wood on the front of the outside porch. 26 There were narrow windows and decorative palm trees on either side of the side walls of the porch; this is what the side chambers of the temple and the canopies were like.

Chambers for the Temple

42 Then he led me out to the outer court, toward the north, and brought me to the chamber that was opposite the courtyard and opposite the building on the north. Its length was 175 feet[cx] on the north side,[cy] and its width 87½ feet.[cz] Opposite the 35 feet[da] that belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court, gallery faced gallery in the three stories. In front of the chambers was a walkway on the inner side, 17½ feet[db] wide at a distance of 1¾ feet,[dc] and their entrances were on the north. Now the upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more space[dd] from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore, the upper chambers[de] were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle ones. As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, it was 87½ feet[df] long. For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet[dg] long, while those facing the temple were 175 feet[dh] long. Below these chambers was a passage on the east side as one enters from the outer court.

10 At the beginning[di] of the wall of the court toward the south,[dj] facing the courtyard and the building, were chambers 11 like those on the north with a passage in front of them. The chambers that were toward the south were the same length and width as those on the north, and had matching exits and entrances and arrangements. 12 There was an opening at the head of the passage, the passage in front of the corresponding wall toward the east when one enters.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers that face the courtyard are holy chambers where the priests[dk] who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, because the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter, then they will not go out from the sanctuary to the outer court without taking off their garments in which they minister, for these are holy; they will put on other garments, then they will go near the places where the people are.”

15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple, he led me out by the gate that faces east and measured all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring stick[dl] as 875 feet[dm] by the measuring stick. 17 He measured the north side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 18 He measured the south side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 19 He turned to the west side and measured 875 feet by the measuring stick. 20 He measured it on all four sides. It had a wall around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to separate the holy and common places.

The Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then he brought me to the gate that faced toward the east. I saw[dn] the glory of the God of Israel[do] coming from the east;[dp] the sound was like that of rushing water,[dq] and the earth radiated[dr] his glory. It was like the vision I saw when he[ds] came to destroy the city, and the vision I saw by the Kebar River. I threw myself face down. The glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate that faces east. Then a wind[dt] lifted me up and brought me to the inner court; I watched[du] the glory of the Lord filling the temple.[dv]

I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man was standing beside me. He said to me: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne[dw] and the place for the soles of my feet,[dx] where I will live among the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their spiritual prostitution or by the pillars of their kings set up when they die.[dy] When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger. Now they must put away their spiritual prostitution and the pillars of their kings far from me, and then I will live among them forever.

10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern. 11 When they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its pattern, its exits and entrances, and its whole design—all its statutes, its entire design, and all its laws; write it all down in their sight, so that they may observe its entire design and all its statutes and do them.

12 “This is the law of the temple: The entire area on top of the mountain all around will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

13 “And these are the measurements of the altar:[dz] Its base[ea] is 1¾ feet[eb] high[ec] and 1¾ feet[ed] wide, and its border nine inches[ee] on its edge. This is to be the height[ef] of the altar. 14 From the base of the ground to the lower ledge is 3½ feet,[eg] and the width 1¾ feet;[eh] and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, 7 feet,[ei] and the width 1¾ feet; 15 and the altar hearth, 7 feet, and from the altar hearth four horns projecting upward. 16 Now the altar hearth[ej] is a perfect square, 21 feet[ek] long and 21 feet wide. 17 The ledge is 24½ feet[el] long and 24½ feet wide on four sides; the border around it is 10½ inches,[em] and its surrounding base 1¾ feet.[en] Its steps face east.”

18 Then he said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These are the statutes of the altar: On the day it is built to offer up burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it,[eo] 19 you will give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are descended from Zadok, who approach me to minister to me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You will take some of its blood and place it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around; you will purify it and make atonement for it.[ep] 21 You will also take the bull for the sin offering, and it will be burned in the appointed place in the temple, outside the sanctuary.

22 “On the second day, you will offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they purified it with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you will offer an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock. 24 You will present them before the Lord, and the priests will scatter salt on them[eq] and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days you will provide every day a goat for a sin offering; a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, will be provided. 26 For seven days they will make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, so they will consecrate it.[er] 27 When the prescribed period is over,[es] on the eighth day and thereafter the priests will offer up on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings;[et] I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

The Closed Gate

44 Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faces east, but it was shut. The Lord said to me: “This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut. Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal[eu] before the Lord; he will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way.”

Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. As I watched, I noticed[ev] the glory of the Lord filling the Lord’s temple, and I threw myself face down. The Lord said to me: “Son of man, pay attention,[ew] watch closely, and listen carefully to[ex] everything I tell you concerning all the statutes of the Lord’s house and all its laws. Pay attention to the entrances[ey] to the temple with all the exits of the sanctuary. Say to the rebellious,[ez] to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of all your abominable practices, O house of Israel! When you bring foreigners, those uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, into my sanctuary, you desecrate[fa] it—even my house—when you offer my food, the fat and the blood. You[fb] have broken my covenant by all your abominable practices. You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners[fc] to keep charge of my sanctuary for you. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner who is uncircumcised in heart and flesh among all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel will enter into my sanctuary.[fd]

10 “‘But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for[fe] their sin. 11 Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they used to minister to them before their idols and became a sinful obstacle[ff] to the house of Israel, consequently I have made a vow[fg] concerning them, declares the Sovereign Lord, that they will be responsible for[fh] their sin. 13 They will not come near me to serve me as priest, nor will they come near any of my holy things, the things that are most sacred. They will bear the shame of the abominable deeds they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, all its service, and all that will be done in it.

The Levitical Priests

15 “‘But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok[fi] who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, will approach me to minister to me; they will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 They will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to minister to me; they will keep my charge.

17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they must wear linen garments; they must not have any wool on them when they minister in the inner gates of the court and in the temple. 18 Linen turbans will be on their heads and linen undergarments will be around their waists; they must not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer court to the people, they must remove the garments they were ministering in and place them in the holy chambers; they must put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.[fj]

20 “‘They must not shave their heads[fk] nor let their hair grow long;[fl] they must only trim their heads. 21 No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 They must not marry a widow or a divorcee, but they may marry a virgin from the house of Israel[fm] or a widow who is a priest’s widow. 23 Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and the clean.[fn]

24 “‘In a controversy they will act as judges;[fo] they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe[fp] my Sabbaths.

25 “‘They must not come near a dead person or they will be defiled;[fq] however, for father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister, they may defile themselves. 26 After a priest[fr] has become ceremonially clean, they[fs] must count off a period of seven days for him. 27 On the day he enters the sanctuary into the inner court to serve in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering, declares the Sovereign Lord.

28 “‘This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I am their property.[ft] 29 They may eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel will be theirs. 30 The first of all the firstfruits and all contributions of any kind[fu] will be for the priests; you will also give to the priest the first portion of your dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house. 31 The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal.[fv]

The Lord’s Portion of the Land

45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment[fw] to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be 8¼ miles[fx] and the width 3⅓ miles.[fy] This entire area will be holy.[fz] Of this area a square 875 feet[ga] by 875 feet will be designated for the sanctuary, with 87½ feet[gb] set aside for its open space round about. From this measured area you will measure a length of 8¼ miles[gc] and a width of 3⅓ miles;[gd] in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It will be a holy portion of the land; it will be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary who approach the Lord to minister to him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.[ge] An area 8¼ miles[gf] in length and 3⅓ miles[gg] in width will be for the Levites, who minister at the temple, as the place for the cities[gh] in which they will live.

“‘Alongside the portion set apart as the holy allotment, you will allot for the city an area 1⅔ miles[gi] wide and 8¼ miles[gj] long; it will be for the whole house of Israel.

“‘For the prince there will be land on both sides of the holy allotment and the allotted city, on the west side and on the east side; it will be comparable in length to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border of the land. This will be his property in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people, but the land will be allotted to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put away violence and destruction and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of my people,[gk] declares the Sovereign Lord. 10 You must use just balances,[gl] a just dry measure (an ephah),[gm] and a just liquid measure (a bath).[gn] 11 The dry and liquid measures will be the same: The bath will contain a tenth of a homer,[go] and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure. 12 The shekel will be twenty gerahs. Sixty shekels[gp] will be a mina for you.

13 “‘This is the offering you must offer: a sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, a sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley, 14 and as the prescribed portion of olive oil, one-tenth of a bath from each cor (which is ten baths or a homer, for ten baths make a homer); 15 and one sheep from each flock of 200, from the watered places of Israel, for a grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offering, to make atonement for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 All the people of the land will contribute[gq] to this offering for the prince of Israel. 17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offering, and the drink offering at festivals, on the new moons and Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he will provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.

18 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you must take an unblemished young bull and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on the doorpost of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the doorpost of the gate of the inner court. 20 This is what you must do on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins inadvertently or through ignorance; so you will make atonement for the temple.

21 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you will celebrate the Passover, and for the seven days of the festival bread made without yeast will be eaten. 22 On that day the prince will provide for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. 23 And during the seven days of the feast he will provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven bulls and seven rams, all without blemish, on each of the seven days, and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 He will provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a gallon[gr] of olive oil for each ephah of grain.[gs] 25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast,[gt] he will make the same provisions for the sin offering, burnt offering, and grain offering, and for the olive oil, for the seven days.

The Prince’s Offerings

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court that faces east[gu] will be closed six working days, but on the Sabbath day it will be opened and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. The prince will enter by way of the porch of the gate from the outside and will stand by the doorpost of the gate. The priests will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he will bow down at the threshold of the gate and then go out. But the gate will not be closed until evening. The people of the land will bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. The burnt offering that the prince will offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day will be six unblemished lambs and one unblemished ram. The grain offering will be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs will be as much as he is able to give,[gv] and a gallon[gw] of olive oil with an ephah. On the day of the new moon he will offer[gx] an unblemished young bull and six lambs and a ram, all without blemish. He will provide a grain offering: an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wishes,[gy] and a gallon[gz] of olive oil with each ephah of grain.[ha] When the prince enters, he will come by way of the porch of the gate and will go out the same way.

“‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship will go out by way of the south gate; whoever enters by way of the south gate will go out by way of the north gate. No one will return by way of the gate they entered but will go out straight ahead. 10 When they come in, the prince will come in with them, and when they go out, he will go out.

11 “‘At the festivals and at the appointed feasts the grain offering will be an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as one is able,[hb] and a gallon[hc] of olive oil with each ephah of grain.[hd] 12 When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a voluntary offering to the Lord, the gate facing east will be opened for him, and he will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings just as he did on the Sabbath. Then he will go out, and the gate will be closed after he goes out.[he]

13 “‘You[hf] will provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering daily to the Lord; morning by morning he will provide it. 14 And you[hg] will provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a gallon[hh] of olive oil to moisten the choice flour, as a grain offering to the Lord; this is a perpetual statute. 15 Thus they will provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil morning by morning, as a perpetual burnt offering.

16 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince should give a gift to one of his sons as[hi] his inheritance, it will belong to his sons; it is their property by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will be his until the year of liberty;[hj] then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance will only remain with his sons. 18 The prince will not take away any of the people’s inheritance by oppressively removing them from their property. He will give his sons an inheritance from his own possessions so that my people will not be scattered, each from his own property.’”

19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which faced north. There I saw[hk] a place at the extreme western end. 20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out to the outer court to transmit holiness to the people.”

21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me past the four corners of the court, and I noticed[hl] that in every corner of the court there was a court. 22 In the four corners of the court were small[hm] courts, 70 feet[hn] in length and 52½ feet[ho] in width; the four were all the same size. 23 There was a row of masonry around each of the four courts, and places for boiling offerings were made under the rows all around. 24 Then he said to me, “These are the houses for boiling, where the ministers of the temple boil the sacrifices of the people.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:1 sn That is, Jerusalem.
  2. Ezekiel 40:1 tn April 19, 573 b.c.
  3. Ezekiel 40:1 tn Or “power.” sn Hand in the OT can refer metaphorically to power, authority, or influence. In Ezekiel God’s hand being on the prophet is regularly associated with communication or a vision from God (3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1).
  4. Ezekiel 40:1 sn That is, to the land of Israel (see v. 2).
  5. Ezekiel 40:2 tn The expression introduces the three major visions of Ezekiel (1:1; 8:3; 40:2).
  6. Ezekiel 40:2 tn The reference to a very high mountain is harmonious with Isa 2:2.
  7. Ezekiel 40:3 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  8. Ezekiel 40:4 tn Heb “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and set your mind on.”
  9. Ezekiel 40:4 tn Heb “in order to show (it) to you.”
  10. Ezekiel 40:5 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  11. Ezekiel 40:5 tn Heb “house.”
  12. Ezekiel 40:5 tn Heb “a measuring stick of 6 cubits, [each] a cubit and a handbreadth.” The measuring units here and in the remainder of this section are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Therefore the measuring stick in the man’s hand was 10.5 feet (3.15 meters) long. Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard feet and inches, with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes.
  13. Ezekiel 40:5 tn Heb “building.”
  14. Ezekiel 40:5 tn Heb “one rod [or “reed”]” (also a second time in this verse, twice in v. 6, three times in v. 7, and once in v. 8).
  15. Ezekiel 40:6 tn The Hebrew text adds “the one threshold 10½ feet deep.” This is probably an accidental duplication of what precedes. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:517.
  16. Ezekiel 40:7 tn Heb “5 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters) according to the “long” cubit. See the note on the first occurrence of the phrase “10½ feet” in v. 5.
  17. Ezekiel 40:9 tn Heb “8 cubits” (i.e., 4.2 meters).
  18. Ezekiel 40:9 tn Heb “2 cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
  19. Ezekiel 40:10 sn The three alcoves are parallel to the city gates found at Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer.
  20. Ezekiel 40:11 tn Heb “10 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
  21. Ezekiel 40:11 tn Heb “13 cubits” (i.e., 6.825 meters).
  22. Ezekiel 40:12 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  23. Ezekiel 40:12 tn Heb “6 cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
  24. Ezekiel 40:13 tn Heb “25 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
  25. Ezekiel 40:14 tn Heb “made.”
  26. Ezekiel 40:14 tc The MT reads “jambs,” which does not make sense in context. Supposing a confusion of י (yod) for ו (vav), the text may be emended to read “porch.” See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:518.
  27. Ezekiel 40:14 tn Heb “60 cubits” (i.e., 31.5 meters).
  28. Ezekiel 40:14 tn The word “high” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied for sense.
  29. Ezekiel 40:15 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  30. Ezekiel 40:16 sn Decorative palm trees were also a part of Solomon’s temple (1 Kgs 6:29, 32, 35).
  31. Ezekiel 40:17 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  32. Ezekiel 40:19 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  33. Ezekiel 40:21 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  34. Ezekiel 40:21 tn Heb “25 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
  35. Ezekiel 40:23 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  36. Ezekiel 40:24 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  37. Ezekiel 40:25 tn Heb “as these windows.”
  38. Ezekiel 40:25 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  39. Ezekiel 40:25 tn Heb “25 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
  40. Ezekiel 40:27 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  41. Ezekiel 40:29 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  42. Ezekiel 40:29 tn Heb “25 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
  43. Ezekiel 40:30 tn Heb “25 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
  44. Ezekiel 40:30 tn Heb “5 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
  45. Ezekiel 40:33 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  46. Ezekiel 40:33 tn Heb “25 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
  47. Ezekiel 40:36 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  48. Ezekiel 40:36 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
  49. Ezekiel 40:37 tc The LXX reads “porches.”
  50. Ezekiel 40:38 tc The MT reads “jambs of the gates,” which does not make sense in a context discussing one chamber. The emendation to “porch” is similar to v. 14. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:530.
  51. Ezekiel 40:42 tn Heb “1½ cubits” (i.e., 78.75 cm).
  52. Ezekiel 40:42 tn Heb “1½ cubits” (i.e., 78.75 cm).
  53. Ezekiel 40:42 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  54. Ezekiel 40:43 tc This reading is supported by the Aramaic Targum. The LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac read “shelves” or some type of projection.
  55. Ezekiel 40:43 tn Heb “one handbreadth” (7.5 cm).
  56. Ezekiel 40:44 tn “One” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied for clarity in the translation.
  57. Ezekiel 40:44 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads “east.”
  58. Ezekiel 40:45 tn Heb “the house.”
  59. Ezekiel 40:47 tn Heb “100 cubits long and 100 cubits wide, a square” (i.e., 52.5 meters by 52.5 meters).
  60. Ezekiel 40:48 tn Heb “5 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
  61. Ezekiel 40:48 tn The LXX reads “14 cubits” (i.e., 7.35 meters). See following note.
  62. Ezekiel 40:48 tc The translation follows the LXX. The MT reads: “the width of the gate was 3 cubits,” the omission due to haplography.tn Or “sidewalls.”
  63. Ezekiel 40:48 tn Heb “3 cubits” (i.e., 1.575 meters).
  64. Ezekiel 40:49 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  65. Ezekiel 40:49 tn Heb “11 cubits” (i.e., 5.775 meters).
  66. Ezekiel 40:49 tc The LXX reads: “ten steps.”
  67. Ezekiel 41:1 tn Heb “6 cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
  68. Ezekiel 41:2 tn Heb “10 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
  69. Ezekiel 41:2 tc The translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “the width of the gate was 3 cubits,” the omission due to haplography.tn Or “sidewalls.”
  70. Ezekiel 41:2 tn Heb “5 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
  71. Ezekiel 41:2 tn Heb “40 cubits” (i.e., 21 meters).
  72. Ezekiel 41:2 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  73. Ezekiel 41:3 tn Heb “2 cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
  74. Ezekiel 41:3 tn Heb “6 cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
  75. Ezekiel 41:3 tn Heb “7 cubits” (i.e., 3.675 meters).
  76. Ezekiel 41:4 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  77. Ezekiel 41:4 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  78. Ezekiel 41:5 tn Heb “house” throughout Ezek 41.
  79. Ezekiel 41:5 tn Heb “6 cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
  80. Ezekiel 41:5 tn Heb “4 cubits” (i.e., 2.1 meters).
  81. Ezekiel 41:7 tc The Hebrew is difficult here. The Targum envisions a winding ramp or set of stairs, which entails reading the first word as a noun rather than a verb and reading the second word also not as a verb, supposing that an initial mem has been read as vav and nun. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:549.
  82. Ezekiel 41:7 tn The Hebrew term occurs only here in the OT.
  83. Ezekiel 41:8 tn Heb “reed.”
  84. Ezekiel 41:8 tn Heb “6 cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
  85. Ezekiel 41:9 tn Heb “5 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
  86. Ezekiel 41:10 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  87. Ezekiel 41:11 tn Heb “5 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
  88. Ezekiel 41:12 tn Heb “70 cubits” (36.75 meters).
  89. Ezekiel 41:12 tn Heb “5 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
  90. Ezekiel 41:12 tn Heb “90 cubits” (i.e., 47.25 meters).
  91. Ezekiel 41:13 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  92. Ezekiel 41:13 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  93. Ezekiel 41:14 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  94. Ezekiel 41:15 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  95. Ezekiel 41:15 tc Some Hebrew mss read: “and its outer court.”
  96. Ezekiel 41:17 tc The LXX does not have the word “by measurements.” The word may be a technical term referring to carpentry technique, the exact meaning of which is unclear.
  97. Ezekiel 41:22 tn Heb “3 cubits” (i.e., 1.575 meters).
  98. Ezekiel 41:22 tn Heb “2 cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
  99. Ezekiel 41:22 tc So the Masoretic text. The LXX reads “base.”
  100. Ezekiel 41:24 tn Heb “turning” leaves.
  101. Ezekiel 41:25 tn Or “railings.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:218.
  102. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  103. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “the door of the north.”
  104. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  105. Ezekiel 42:3 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  106. Ezekiel 42:4 tn Heb “10 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
  107. Ezekiel 42:4 tc Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm). The LXX and the Syriac read: “100 cubits” (= 175 feet or about 53m).
  108. Ezekiel 42:5 tn The verb יוֹכְלוּ (yokhelu) “took space” is listed by BDB 37 as אָכַל (’akhal, “eat, consume”), though it prefers to emend the text. HALOT also lists this verb as אכל (1:46) while also listing it under יכל,“prevail” (2:410-11). If אָכַל is correct, then the א (’alef) has dropped out. See the note at Ezek 21:28. BHS refers to a few medieval manuscripts and a Qumran manuscript including the א, יֹאכְלוּ instead of יוֹכְלוּ; both are pronounced the same.
  109. Ezekiel 42:6 tn The phrase “upper chambers” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
  110. Ezekiel 42:7 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  111. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  112. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  113. Ezekiel 42:10 tc The reading is supported by the LXX.
  114. Ezekiel 42:10 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads: “east.”
  115. Ezekiel 42:13 sn The priests are from the Zadokite family (Ezek 40:6; 44:15).
  116. Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “reed” (also in the following verses).
  117. Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “500 cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters).
  118. Ezekiel 43:2 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  119. Ezekiel 43:2 sn This same title appears in 8:4; 9:3; 10:19; 11:22.
  120. Ezekiel 43:2 sn Earlier Ezekiel had observed God leaving the temple to the east (11:23).
  121. Ezekiel 43:2 sn See Ezek 1:24; Rev 1:15; 14:2; 19:6.
  122. Ezekiel 43:2 tn Heb “shone from.”
  123. Ezekiel 43:3 tc Heb “I.” The reading is due to the confusion of yod (י, indicating a first person pronoun) and vav (ו, indicating a third person pronoun). A few medieval Hebrew mss, Theodotion’s Greek version, and the Latin Vulgate support a third person pronoun here.
  124. Ezekiel 43:5 tn See note on “wind” in 2:2.
  125. Ezekiel 43:5 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  126. Ezekiel 43:5 sn In 1 Kgs 8:10-11 we find a similar event with regard to Solomon’s temple. See also Exod 40:34-35 and Isa 6:4.
  127. Ezekiel 43:7 sn God’s throne is mentioned in Isa 6:1 and Jer 3:17.
  128. Ezekiel 43:7 sn See 1 Chr 28:2; Pss 99:5; 132:7; Isa 60:13; Lam 2:1.
  129. Ezekiel 43:7 tn Heb “by their corpses in their death.” But the term normally translated “corpses” is better understood here as a reference to funeral pillars or funerary offerings. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:583-85, and L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:257.
  130. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “the measurements of the altar by cubits, the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth.” The measuring units here and in the remainder of this section are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard feet and inches, with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes. On the altar see Ezek 40:47.
  131. Ezekiel 43:13 tn The Hebrew term normally means “bosom.” Here it refers to a hollow in the ground.
  132. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  133. Ezekiel 43:13 tn The word “high” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  134. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  135. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one span.” A span was three handbreadths, or about nine inches (i.e., 22.5 cm).
  136. Ezekiel 43:13 tc Heb “bulge, protuberance, mound.” The translation follows the LXX.
  137. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “2 cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
  138. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm; the phrase occurs again later in this verse).
  139. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “4 cubits” (i.e., 2.1 meters; the phrase also occurs in the next verse).
  140. Ezekiel 43:16 tn The precise Hebrew word used here to refer to an “altar hearth” occurs only here in the OT.
  141. Ezekiel 43:16 tn Heb “12 cubits” (i.e., 6.3 meters; the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
  142. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “fourteen”; the word “cubits” is not in the Hebrew text but is understood from the context; the phrase occurs again later in this verse. Fourteen cubits is about 7.35 meters.
  143. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “half a cubit” (i.e., 26.25 cm).
  144. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  145. Ezekiel 43:18 sn For the “sprinkling of blood,” see Lev 1:5, 11; 8:19; 9:12.
  146. Ezekiel 43:20 sn Note the similar language in Lev 16:18.
  147. Ezekiel 43:24 sn It is likely that salt was used with sacrificial meals (Num 18:19; 2 Chr 13:5).
  148. Ezekiel 43:26 tn Heb “fill its hands.”
  149. Ezekiel 43:27 tn Heb “and they will complete the days.”
  150. Ezekiel 43:27 sn The people also could partake of the food of the peace offering (Lev 3).
  151. Ezekiel 44:3 tn Heb “to eat bread.”
  152. Ezekiel 44:4 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  153. Ezekiel 44:5 tn Heb “set your heart” (so also in the latter part of the verse).
  154. Ezekiel 44:5 tn Heb “Set your mind, look with your eyes, and with your ears hear.”
  155. Ezekiel 44:5 tc The Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum read the plural. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:618.
  156. Ezekiel 44:6 tc The LXX reads “house of rebellion.”
  157. Ezekiel 44:7 tn Heb “to desecrate.”
  158. Ezekiel 44:7 tc The Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions read “you.” The Masoretic text reads “they.”
  159. Ezekiel 44:8 tc Instead of an energic ו (nun), the text may have read a third masculine plural suffix ם (mem), “them,” which was confused with ן (nun) in the old script. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:621. tn This word is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
  160. Ezekiel 44:9 sn Tobiah, an Ammonite (Neh 13:8), was dismissed from the temple.
  161. Ezekiel 44:10 tn Heb “will bear.”
  162. Ezekiel 44:12 tn Heb “a stumbling block of iniquity.” This is a unique phrase of the prophet Ezekiel (cf. also Ezek 7:19; 14:3, 4, 7; 18:30).
  163. Ezekiel 44:12 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
  164. Ezekiel 44:12 tn Heb “will bear.”
  165. Ezekiel 44:15 sn Zadok was a descendant of Aaron through Eleazar (1 Chr 6:50-53) who served as a priest during David’s reign (2 Sam 8:17).
  166. Ezekiel 44:19 sn For a similar concept of transmitting holiness, see Exod 19:12-14; Lev 10:1-2; 2 Sam 6:7. Comparable laws concerning the priest are found in Lev 10 and 21.
  167. Ezekiel 44:20 sn The shaving of the head was associated with mourning (Ezek 7:18).
  168. Ezekiel 44:20 sn Letting the hair grow was associated with taking a vow (Num 6:5; Acts 21:23-26).
  169. Ezekiel 44:22 tn Heb “from the offspring of the house of Israel.”
  170. Ezekiel 44:23 sn This task was a fundamental role of the priest (Lev 10:10).
  171. Ezekiel 44:24 sn For a historical illustration of the priest carrying out this function, see 2 Chr 19:9-11.
  172. Ezekiel 44:24 tn Heb “sanctify, set apart.”
  173. Ezekiel 44:25 sn This law was part of the legal code for priests (Lev 21:1-3).
  174. Ezekiel 44:26 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  175. Ezekiel 44:26 tc One medieval Hebrew ms, the LXX, and the Syriac, along with Lev 15:13, 28, read the verb as singular.
  176. Ezekiel 44:28 sn See Num 18:20; Deut 10:9; 18:2; Josh 13:33; 18:7.
  177. Ezekiel 44:30 tn Heb has in addition “from your contributions,” a repetition unnecessary in English.
  178. Ezekiel 44:31 tn The words “by a wild animal” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation as a clarification of the circumstances.sn For this law, see Lev 7:24 and 17:15.
  179. Ezekiel 45:1 tn Heb “a contribution.”
  180. Ezekiel 45:1 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers). The measuring units here are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard miles (one mile = 5,280 feet), with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes.
  181. Ezekiel 45:1 tc The LXX reads “20,000 cubits.”tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  182. Ezekiel 45:1 tn Heb “holy it is in all its territory round about.”
  183. Ezekiel 45:2 tn Heb “500 cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters); the phrase occurs twice in this verse.
  184. Ezekiel 45:2 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  185. Ezekiel 45:3 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  186. Ezekiel 45:3 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  187. Ezekiel 45:4 tc The LXX apparently understood “open land” instead of “sanctuary.”
  188. Ezekiel 45:5 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  189. Ezekiel 45:5 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  190. Ezekiel 45:5 tc The translation follows the LXX here. The MT reads “twenty.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:246.
  191. Ezekiel 45:6 tn Heb “5,000 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 kilometers).
  192. Ezekiel 45:6 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  193. Ezekiel 45:9 sn Evictions of the less fortunate by the powerful are described in 1 Kgs 21:1-16; Jer 22:1-5, 13-17; Ezek 22:25.
  194. Ezekiel 45:10 sn Previous legislation regarding this practice may be found in Lev 19:35-36; Deut 25:13-16; Mic 6:10-12.
  195. Ezekiel 45:10 tn Heb “ephah,” which was 1/2 bushel.
  196. Ezekiel 45:10 tn Heb “bath,” a liquid measure, was 5 1/2 gallons.
  197. Ezekiel 45:11 sn The homer was about 5 bushels as a dry measure and 55 gallons as a liquid measure.
  198. Ezekiel 45:12 tn Heb “twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, fifteen shekels.”
  199. Ezekiel 45:16 tn Heb “will be.”
  200. Ezekiel 45:24 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
  201. Ezekiel 45:24 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
  202. Ezekiel 45:25 sn That is, the Feast of Temporary Shelters, traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Exod 23:16; 34:22; Deut 16:16).
  203. Ezekiel 46:1 sn The east gate of the outer court was permanently closed (Ezek 44:2).
  204. Ezekiel 46:5 tn Or “as much as he wishes.” Heb “a gift of his hand.”
  205. Ezekiel 46:5 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
  206. Ezekiel 46:6 tn The phrase “he will offer” is not in the Hebrew text but is warranted from the context.
  207. Ezekiel 46:7 tn Heb “with the lambs as his hand can reach.”
  208. Ezekiel 46:7 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
  209. Ezekiel 46:7 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
  210. Ezekiel 46:11 tn Or “as much as he wishes.” Heb “a gift of his hand.”
  211. Ezekiel 46:11 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
  212. Ezekiel 46:11 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
  213. Ezekiel 46:12 tn Heb “he shall shut the gate after he goes out.”
  214. Ezekiel 46:13 tc A few Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Vulgate read the verb as third person singular (referring to the prince), both here and later in the verse.
  215. Ezekiel 46:14 tc Two medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, the Syriac, and the Vulgate read the verb as third person singular.
  216. Ezekiel 46:14 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
  217. Ezekiel 46:16 tn The Hebrew text has no preposition; the LXX reads “from” (see v. 17).
  218. Ezekiel 46:17 sn That is, the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8-15).
  219. Ezekiel 46:19 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  220. Ezekiel 46:21 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  221. Ezekiel 46:22 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term is unclear. The LXX and Syriac render: “small.”
  222. Ezekiel 46:22 tn Heb “40 cubits” (i.e., 21 meters).
  223. Ezekiel 46:22 tn Heb “30 cubits” (i.e., 15.75 meters).

The Temple Area Restored

40 In 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(A)—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me(B) and he took me there. In visions(C) of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain,(D) on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze;(E) he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod(F) in his hand. The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you,(G) for that is why you have been brought here. Tell(H) the people of Israel everything you see.(I)

The East Gate to the Outer Court

I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits,[a] each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured(J) the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.

Then he went to the east gate.(K) He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep. The alcoves(L) for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits[b] thick. And the threshold of the gate next to the portico facing the temple was one rod deep.

Then he measured the portico of the gateway; it[c] was eight cubits[d] deep and its jambs were two cubits[e] thick. The portico of the gateway faced the temple.

10 Inside 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. 11 Then he measured the width of the entrance of the gateway; it was ten cubits and its length was thirteen cubits.[f] 12 In front of each alcove was a wall one cubit high, and the alcoves were six cubits square. 13 Then 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[g] from one parapet opening to the opposite one. 14 He measured along the faces of the projecting walls all around the inside of the gateway—sixty cubits.[h] The measurement was up to the portico[i] facing the courtyard.[j](M) 15 The distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.[k] 16 The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the gateway were surmounted by narrow parapet openings all around, as was the portico; the openings all around faced inward. The faces of the projecting walls were decorated with palm trees.(N)

The Outer Court

17 Then he brought me into the outer court.(O) There I saw some rooms and a pavement that had been constructed all around the court; there were thirty rooms(P) along the pavement.(Q) 18 It abutted the sides of the gateways and was as wide as they were long; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court;(R) it was a hundred cubits[l](S) on the east side as well as on the north.

The North Gate

20 Then he measured the length and width of the north gate, leading into the outer court. 21 Its alcoves(T)—three on each side—its projecting walls and its portico(U) had the same measurements as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 22 Its openings, its portico(V) 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.(W) 23 There 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.(X)

The South Gate

24 Then 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(Y) as the others. 25 The gateway and its portico had narrow openings all around, like the openings of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.(Z) 26 Seven 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.(AA) 27 The inner court(AB) 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.(AC)

The Gates to the Inner Court

28 Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements(AD) as the others. 29 Its alcoves,(AE) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.(AF) 30 (The porticoes(AG) of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.) 31 Its portico(AH) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.(AI)

32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements(AJ) as the others. 33 Its alcoves,(AK) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its portico(AL) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.

35 Then he brought me to the north gate(AM) and measured it. It had the same measurements(AN) as the others, 36 as did its alcoves,(AO) its projecting walls and its portico, and it had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37 Its portico[m](AP) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.(AQ)

The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

38 A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings(AR) were washed. 39 In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings,(AS) sin offerings[n](AT) and guilt offerings(AU) were slaughtered.(AV) 40 By 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. 41 So 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. 42 There were also four tables of dressed stone(AW) for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.[o] On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.(AX) 43 And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth[p] long, were attached to the wall all around. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.

The Rooms for the Priests

44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two rooms, one[q] at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south[r] gate and facing north. 45 He said to me, “The room facing south is for the priests who guard the temple,(AY) 46 and the room facing north(AZ) is for the priests who guard the altar.(BA) These are the sons of Zadok,(BB) who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.(BC)

47 Then 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.(BD)

The New Temple

48 He brought me to the portico of the temple(BE) and measured the jambs of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the entrance was fourteen cubits[s] and its projecting walls were[t] three cubits[u] wide on either side. 49 The portico(BF) was twenty cubits[v] wide, and twelve[w] cubits[x] from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs,[y] and there were pillars(BG) on each side of the jambs.

41 Then the man brought me to the main hall(BH) and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits[z] on each side.[aa] The entrance was ten cubits[ab] wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits[ac] wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.[ad](BI)

Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits[ae] wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits[af] wide. And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall.(BJ) He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.(BK)

Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits[ag] wide. The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty(BL) on each level. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into the wall of the temple.(BM) The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive level. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so that the rooms widened as one went upward. A stairway(BN) went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the middle floor.

I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits. The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick. The open area between the side rooms of the temple 10 and the priests’ rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. 11 There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the north and another on the south; and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.

12 The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits[ah] wide. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.[ai]

13 Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits[aj] long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long. 14 The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.(BO)

15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries(BP) on each side; it was a hundred cubits.

The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, 16 as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows(BQ) and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered.(BR) 17 In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary 18 were carved(BS) cherubim(BT) and palm trees.(BU) Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:(BV) 19 the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple.(BW) 20 From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.

21 The main hall(BX) had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar. 22 There was a wooden altar(BY) three cubits[ak] high and two cubits square[al]; its corners, its base[am] and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table(BZ) that is before the Lord.” 23 Both the main hall(CA) and the Most Holy Place had double doors.(CB) 24 Each door had two leaves—two hinged leaves(CC) for each door. 25 And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico. 26 On the sidewalls of the portico were narrow windows with palm trees carved on each side. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs.(CD)

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms(CE) opposite the temple courtyard(CF) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.(CG) The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.[an] Both in the section twenty cubits[ao] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery(CH) faced gallery at the three levels.(CI) In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits[ap] long.[aq] Their doors were on the north.(CJ) Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. The lower rooms had an entrance(CK) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

10 On the south side[ar] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard(CL) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms(CM) 11 with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north 12 were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

13 Then he said to me, “The north(CN) and south rooms(CO) facing the temple courtyard(CP) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,(CQ) the sin offerings[as](CR) and the guilt offerings(CS)—for the place is holy.(CT) 14 Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments(CU) in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.(CV)

15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate(CW) and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.[at][au] 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits[av] by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured(CX) the area(CY) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,(CZ) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,(DA) to separate the holy from the common.(DB)

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,(DC) and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters,(DD) and the land was radiant with his glory.(DE) The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he[aw] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. The glory(DF) of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.(DG) Then the Spirit(DH) lifted me up(DI) and brought me into the inner court, and the glory(DJ) of the Lord filled the temple.(DK)

While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne(DL) and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile(DM) my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings[ax] for their kings at their death.[ay](DN) When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.(DO)

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed(DP) of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations[az] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.(DQ)

12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area(DR) on top of the mountain will be most holy.(DS) Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

13 “These are the measurements of the altar(DT) in long cubits,[ba] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span[bb] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.[bc] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.[bd] 15 Above that, the altar hearth(DU) is four cubits high, and four horns(DV) project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits[be] long and twelve cubits wide.(DW) 17 The upper ledge(DX) also is square, fourteen cubits[bf] long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.[bg] The steps(DY) of the altar face east.(DZ)

18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings(EA) and splashing blood(EB) against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull(EC) as a sin offering[bh] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok,(ED) who come near(EE) to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar(EF) and on the four corners of the upper ledge(EG) and all around the rim, and so purify the altar(EH) and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.(EI)

22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(EJ) 24 You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt(EK) on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days(EL) you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(EM) 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day(EN) on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings(EO) and fellowship offerings(EP) on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

The Priesthood Restored

44 Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east,(EQ) and it was shut. The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.(ER) It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence(ES) of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.(ET)

Then the man brought me by way of the north gate(EU) to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple(EV) of the Lord, and I fell facedown.(EW)

The Lord said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord. Give attention to the entrance(EX) to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.(EY) Say to rebellious Israel,(EZ) ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart(FA) and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.(FB) Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary.(FC) This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.(FD)

10 “‘The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray(FE) and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin.(FF) 11 They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings(FG) and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.(FH) 12 But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall(FI) into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand(FJ) that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord.(FK) 13 They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame(FL) of their detestable practices.(FM) 14 And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.(FN)

15 “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok(FO) and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat(FP) and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.(FQ) 16 They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table(FR) to minister before me and serve me as guards.(FS)

17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes;(FT) they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. 18 They are to wear linen turbans(FU) on their heads and linen undergarments(FV) around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.(FW) 19 When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated(FX) through contact with their garments.(FY)

20 “‘They must not shave(FZ) their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.(GA) 21 No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.(GB) 22 They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.(GC) 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common(GD) and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.(GE)

24 “‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges(GF) and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals,(GG) and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.(GH)

25 “‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.(GI) 26 After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days.(GJ) 27 On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary(GK) to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering[bi](GL) for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.

28 “‘I am to be the only inheritance(GM) the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. 29 They will eat(GN) the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted[bj] to the Lord(GO) will belong to them.(GP) 30 The best of all the firstfruits(GQ) and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal(GR) so that a blessing(GS) may rest on your household.(GT) 31 The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead(GU) or torn by wild animals.(GV)

Israel Fully Restored

45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance,(GW) you are to present to the Lord a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits[bk] long and 20,000[bl] cubits[bm] wide; the entire area will be holy.(GX) Of this, a section 500 cubits[bn] square(GY) is to be for the sanctuary, with 50 cubits[bo] around it for open land. In the sacred district, measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits[bp] wide. In it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests,(GZ) who minister in the sanctuary and who draw near to minister before the Lord. It will be a place for their houses as well as a holy place for the sanctuary.(HA) An area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide will belong to the Levites, who serve in the temple, as their possession for towns to live in.[bq](HB)

“‘You are to give the city as its property an area 5,000 cubits[br] wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjoining the sacred portion; it will belong to all Israel.(HC)

“‘The prince will have the land bordering each side of the area formed by the sacred district and the property of the city. It will extend westward from the west side and eastward from the east side, running lengthwise from the western to the eastern border parallel to one of the tribal portions.(HD) This land will be his possession in Israel. And my princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes.(HE)

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression(HF) and do what is just and right.(HG) Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 10 You are to use accurate scales,(HH) an accurate ephah[bs](HI) and an accurate bath.[bt] 11 The ephah(HJ) and the bath are to be the same size, the bath containing a tenth of a homer and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer is to be the standard measure for both. 12 The shekel[bu] is to consist of twenty gerahs.(HK) Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels equal one mina.[bv]

13 “‘This is the special gift you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah[bw] from each homer of wheat and a sixth of an ephah[bx] from each homer of barley. 14 The prescribed portion of olive oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath[by] from each cor (which consists of ten baths or one homer, for ten baths are equivalent to a homer). 15 Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings(HL) and fellowship offerings to make atonement(HM) for the people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 All the people of the land will be required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel. 17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons(HN) and the Sabbaths(HO)—at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings,[bz] grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the Israelites.(HP)

18 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month(HQ) on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect(HR) and purify the sanctuary.(HS) 19 The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge(HT) of the altar(HU) and on the gateposts of the inner court. 20 You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally(HV) or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.

21 “‘In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover,(HW) a festival lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast. 22 On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.(HX) 23 Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams(HY) without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for a sin offering.(HZ) 24 He is to provide as a grain offering(IA) an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin[ca] of olive oil for each ephah.(IB)

25 “‘During the seven days of the festival,(IC) which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil.(ID)

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court(IE) facing east(IF) is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon(IG) it is to be opened. The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico(IH) of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering(II) and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.(IJ) On the Sabbaths(IK) and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway.(IL) The burnt offering the prince brings to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah,[cb] and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin[cc] of olive oil for each ephah.(IM) On the day of the New Moon(IN) he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect.(IO) He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.(IP) When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico(IQ) of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way.(IR)

“‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals,(IS) whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. 10 The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out.(IT) 11 At the feasts and the appointed festivals, the grain offering is to be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and with the lambs as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.(IU)

12 “‘When the prince provides(IV) a freewill offering(IW) to the Lord—whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings—the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.(IX)

13 “‘Every day you are to provide a year-old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord; morning by morning(IY) you shall provide it.(IZ) 14 You are also to provide with it morning by morning a grain offering, consisting of a sixth of an ephah[cd] with a third of a hin[ce] of oil(JA) to moisten the flour. The presenting of this grain offering to the Lord is a lasting ordinance.(JB) 15 So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular(JC) burnt offering.(JD)

16 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance.(JE) 17 If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom;(JF) then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. 18 The prince must not take(JG) any of the inheritance(JH) of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that not one of my people will be separated from their property.’”

19 Then the man brought me through the entrance(JI) at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north,(JJ) which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end. 20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to cook the guilt offering and the sin offering[cf] and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating(JK) the people.”(JL)

21 He then brought me to the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw in each corner another court. 22 In the four corners of the outer court were enclosed[cg] courts, forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide;[ch] each of the courts in the four corners was the same size. 23 Around the inside of each of the four courts was a ledge of stone, with places for fire built all around under the ledge. 24 He said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple are to cook the sacrifices of the people.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:5 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters; also in verse 12. The long cubit of about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters is the basic unit of measurement of length throughout chapters 40–48.
  2. Ezekiel 40:7 That is, about 8 3/4 feet or about 2.7 meters; also in verse 48
  3. Ezekiel 40:9 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts gateway facing the temple; it was one rod deep. Then he measured the portico of the gateway; it
  4. Ezekiel 40:9 That is, about 14 feet or about 4.2 meters
  5. Ezekiel 40:9 That is, about 3 1/2 feet or about 1 meter
  6. Ezekiel 40:11 That is, about 18 feet wide and 23 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 6.9 meters long
  7. Ezekiel 40:13 That is, about 44 feet or about 13 meters; also in verses 21, 25, 29, 30, 33 and 36
  8. Ezekiel 40:14 That is, about 105 feet or about 32 meters
  9. Ezekiel 40:14 Septuagint; Hebrew projecting wall
  10. Ezekiel 40:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  11. Ezekiel 40:15 That is, about 88 feet or about 27 meters; also in verses 21, 25, 29, 33 and 36
  12. Ezekiel 40:19 That is, about 175 feet or about 53 meters; also in verses 23, 27 and 47
  13. Ezekiel 40:37 Septuagint (see also verses 31 and 34); Hebrew jambs
  14. Ezekiel 40:39 Or purification offerings
  15. Ezekiel 40:42 That is, about 2 2/3 feet long and wide and 21 inches high or about 80 centimeters long and wide and 53 centimeters high
  16. Ezekiel 40:43 That is, about 3 1/2 inches or about 9 centimeters
  17. Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew were rooms for singers, which were
  18. Ezekiel 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew east
  19. Ezekiel 40:48 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  20. Ezekiel 40:48 Septuagint; Hebrew entrance was
  21. Ezekiel 40:48 That is, about 5 1/4 feet or about 1.6 meters
  22. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  23. Ezekiel 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew eleven
  24. Ezekiel 40:49 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  25. Ezekiel 40:49 Hebrew; Septuagint Ten steps led up to it
  26. Ezekiel 41:1 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters; also in verses 3, 5 and 8
  27. Ezekiel 41:1 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts side, the width of the tent
  28. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 18 feet or about 5.3 meters
  29. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 8 3/4 feet or about 2.7 meters; also in verses 9, 11 and 12
  30. Ezekiel 41:2 That is, about 70 feet long and 35 feet wide or about 21 meters long and 11 meters wide
  31. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 3 1/2 feet or about 1.1 meters; also in verse 22
  32. Ezekiel 41:3 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.7 meters
  33. Ezekiel 41:5 That is, about 7 feet or about 2.1 meters
  34. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 123 feet or about 37 meters
  35. Ezekiel 41:12 That is, about 158 feet or about 48 meters
  36. Ezekiel 41:13 That is, about 175 feet or about 53 meters; also in verses 14 and 15
  37. Ezekiel 41:22 That is, about 5 1/4 feet or about 1.5 meters
  38. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew long
  39. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length
  40. Ezekiel 42:2 That is, about 175 feet long and 88 feet wide or about 53 meters long and 27 meters wide
  41. Ezekiel 42:3 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  42. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew and one cubit
  43. Ezekiel 42:4 That is, about 18 feet wide and 175 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 53 meters long
  44. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew Eastward
  45. Ezekiel 42:13 Or purification offerings
  46. Ezekiel 42:16 See Septuagint of verse 17; Hebrew rods; also in verses 18 and 19.
  47. Ezekiel 42:16 Five hundred cubits equal about 875 feet or about 265 meters; also in verses 17, 18 and 19.
  48. Ezekiel 42:17 Septuagint; Hebrew rods
  49. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts I
  50. Ezekiel 43:7 Or the memorial monuments; also in verse 9
  51. Ezekiel 43:7 Or their high places
  52. Ezekiel 43:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts regulations and its whole design
  53. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters; also in verses 14 and 17. The long cubit is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.
  54. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  55. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 3 1/2 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 105 centimeters high and 53 centimeters wide
  56. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 7 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 2.1 meters high and 53 centimeters wide
  57. Ezekiel 43:16 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  58. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  59. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  60. Ezekiel 43:19 Or purification offering; also in verses 21, 22 and 25
  61. Ezekiel 44:27 Or purification offering; also in verse 29
  62. Ezekiel 44:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  63. Ezekiel 45:1 That is, about 8 miles or about 13 kilometers; also in verses 3, 5 and 6
  64. Ezekiel 45:1 Septuagint (see also verses 3 and 5 and 48:9); Hebrew 10,000
  65. Ezekiel 45:1 That is, about 6 1/2 miles or about 11 kilometers
  66. Ezekiel 45:2 That is, about 875 feet or about 265 meters
  67. Ezekiel 45:2 That is, about 88 feet or about 27 meters
  68. Ezekiel 45:3 That is, about 3 1/3 miles or about 5.3 kilometers; also in verse 5
  69. Ezekiel 45:5 Septuagint; Hebrew temple; they will have as their possession 20 rooms
  70. Ezekiel 45:6 That is, about 1 2/3 miles or about 2.7 kilometers
  71. Ezekiel 45:10 An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 3/5 bushel or about 22 liters.
  72. Ezekiel 45:10 A bath was a liquid measure equaling about 6 gallons or about 22 liters.
  73. Ezekiel 45:12 A shekel weighed about 2/5 ounce or about 12 grams.
  74. Ezekiel 45:12 That is, 60 shekels; the common mina was 50 shekels. Sixty shekels were about 1 1/2 pounds or about 690 grams.
  75. Ezekiel 45:13 That is, probably about 6 pounds or about 2.7 kilograms
  76. Ezekiel 45:13 That is, probably about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
  77. Ezekiel 45:14 That is, about 2 1/2 quarts or about 2.2 liters
  78. Ezekiel 45:17 Or purification offerings; also in verses 19, 22, 23 and 25
  79. Ezekiel 45:24 That is, about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters
  80. Ezekiel 46:5 That is, probably about 35 pounds or about 16 kilograms; also in verses 7 and 11
  81. Ezekiel 46:5 That is, about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters; also in verses 7 and 11
  82. Ezekiel 46:14 That is, probably about 6 pounds or about 2.7 kilograms
  83. Ezekiel 46:14 That is, about 1 1/2 quarts or about 1.3 liters
  84. Ezekiel 46:20 Or purification offering
  85. Ezekiel 46:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  86. Ezekiel 46:22 That is, about 70 feet long and 53 feet wide or about 21 meters long and 16 meters wide