Bible in 90 Days

Blessings for the Mountains of Israel

36 ⌞The Lord said,⌟ “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Tell them, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the Lord’s word. ² This is what the Almighty Lord says: Your enemies said this about you, “Aha! The ancient worship sites now belong to us.” ’

³ “So prophesy. Say, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Your enemies turned you into ruins and crushed you from every side. You became the possession of the rest of the nations, and people began to talk and gossip about you.

⁴ “ ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the Almighty Lord’s word. This is what the Almighty Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, and to the empty ruins and abandoned cities that have become prey and are mocked by the rest of the surrounding nations: ⁵ In my fiery anger I have spoken against the rest of the nations and against all of Edom. The Edomites have taken possession of my land with wholehearted joy and with complete scorn. They forced out the people and took their land.’

⁶ “So prophesy about Israel. Tell the mountains and hills and the ravines and valleys, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am speaking in my anger and fury because you have been insulted by the nations. ⁷ So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I raise my hand and swear that the nations which surround you will be insulted.

⁸ “ ‘But you, mountains of Israel, will grow branches and bear fruit for my people Israel. My people will come home soon. ⁹ I am for you. I will turn to you, and you will be plowed and planted. ¹⁰ I will increase the number of people who live on you. All the people of Israel, all of them, will live on you. The cities will be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt. ¹¹ I will increase the number of people and animals that live on you. They will grow and become many. I will let people live on you as in the past, and I will make you better off than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹² I will bring people, my people Israel, to you. They will take possession of you, and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer take their children away from them.

¹³ “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: People say that you devour your people and take the children away from your nation. ¹⁴ So you will no longer devour your people or take the children away from your nation, declares the Almighty Lord. ¹⁵ I will no longer let you hear the insults from the nations. You will no longer suffer the disgrace of the people. You will never again take the children away from your own nation, declares the Almighty Lord.’ ”

¹⁶ The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they dishonored it by the way they lived and by everything they did. Their ways were as unclean ^[a] as a woman’s menstrual period. ¹⁸ So I poured out my fury on them because they poured out blood on the land and they dishonored the land with their idols. ¹⁹ I forced them into other nations, and they became scattered among the nations. I judged them based on the way that they lived and based on everything that they had done. ²⁰ But wherever they went among the nations, they dishonored my holy name. People said about them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, yet they had to leave his land.’ ²¹ I became concerned about my holy name because my people dishonored it among the nations wherever they went.

²² “So tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am about to do something, people of Israel. I will not do this for your sake but for the sake of my holy name, which you have dishonored among the nations wherever you have gone. ²³ I will reveal the holiness of my great name, which has been dishonored by the nations, ⌞the name⌟ that you have dishonored among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, because I will reveal my holiness among you as they watch, declares the Almighty Lord.

²⁴ “ ‘I will take you from the nations and gather you from every country. I will bring you back to your own land. ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean ^[b] instead of unclean. Then I will cleanse you from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stubborn hearts and give you obedient hearts. ²⁷ I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my laws, and you will obey my rules. ²⁸ Then you will live in the land that I gave your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will rescue you from all your uncleanness. I will make the grain grow so that you will never again have famines. ³⁰ I will make fruit grow on the trees and crops grow in the fields so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famines. ³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways and the bad things that you did, and you will hate yourselves for all these wicked and disgusting things. ³² I want you to know that I’m not doing this for your sake, declares the Almighty Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced because of your ways, people of Israel.

³³ “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: On the day that I cleanse you from all your wickedness, I will cause your cities to be lived in again, and your ruins will be rebuilt. ³⁴ The wasteland will be plowed. It will no longer remain empty for everyone passing by to see. ³⁵ People will say, “This wasteland has become like the garden of Eden. The cities were destroyed. They were empty and ruined, but now they are fortified and have people living in them.” ³⁶ The surrounding nations that are left will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted crops in the land that was empty. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’

³⁷ “This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will also let the people of Israel ask me to make them as numerous as sheep. ³⁸ They will be like the sheep for sacrifices, like the sheep in Jerusalem during the appointed festivals. Their ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The power of the Lord came over me. The Lord brought me out by his Spirit and put me down in the middle of a valley. The valley was filled with bones. ² He led me all around them. I saw that there were very many bones at the bottom of the valley, and they were very dry.

³ Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I answered, “Only you know, Almighty Lord.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones. Tell them, ‘Dry bones, listen to the Lord’s word. ⁵ This is what the Almighty Lord says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. ⁶ I will put ligaments on you, place muscles on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. While I was prophesying, suddenly there was a rattling noise, and the bones came together, one bone ⌞attaching itself⌟ to another. ⁸ As I looked, I saw that ligaments were on them, muscles were on them, and skin covered them. Yet, there was no breath in them.

⁹ Then the Lord said to me, “Prophesy to the breath! ^[c] Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Come from the four winds, Breath, and breathe on these people who were killed so that they will live.’ ”

¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered them. Then they came to life and stood on their feet. There were enough of them to form a very large army.

¹¹ The Lord also said to me, “Son of man, all the people of Israel are like these bones. The people say, ‘Our bones are dry, and our hope has vanished. We are completely destroyed.’ ¹² So prophesy. Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: My people, I will open your graves and take you out of them. I will bring you to Israel. ¹³ Then, my people, you will know that I am the Lord, because I will open your graves and bring you out of your graves. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ”

¹⁵ The Lord spoke his word to me again. He said, ¹⁶ “Son of man, take a stick and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the Israelites who are associated with it.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘The stick of Ephraim, for Joseph and for all the people of Israel associated with it.’ ¹⁷ Then join both sticks together so that they will be one in your hand. Your people will say to you, ¹⁸ ‘Tell us what you mean by this.’ ¹⁹ Then say to them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will take Joseph’s stick, which is in Ephraim’s hand, and the tribes of Israel associated with it, and I will put them with Judah’s stick. I will make them into one stick. They will be one in my hand.’ ²⁰ When you hold the sticks in your hand, let the people see them.

²¹ “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they’ve gone. I will gather them from everywhere and bring them to their own land. ²² I will form them into one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule all of them. They will no longer be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ They will no longer dishonor themselves with their idols, with their detestable things, or with their rebellious acts. I will forgive them for all the times they turned away from me and sinned. I will cleanse them so that they will be my people, and I will be their God.

²⁴ “ ‘My servant David will be their king, and all of them will have one shepherd. They will live by my rules, and they will obey my laws. ²⁵ They will live in the land that I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They, their children, and their grandchildren will live in it permanently. My servant David will always be their prince. ²⁶ I will promise them peace. This promise ^[d] will last forever. I will establish them, make them increase in number, and put my holy place among them permanently. ²⁷ My dwelling place will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ²⁸ Then the nations will know that I, the Lord, have set Israel apart as holy, because my holy place will be among them permanently.’ ”

The Destruction of Gog and Its Army

38 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, turn to Gog from the land of Magog. He is the chief prince of ⌞the nations of⌟ Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him. ³ Tell him, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws. I will lead you out with all your military forces, with horses and riders. Your soldiers will be fully armed. They will carry large and small shields and be able to use swords. ⁵ Persia, Sudan, and Put will be with you. They, too, will have shields and helmets. ⁶ Gomer will come with all its troops and with the nation of Togarmah from the far north. There will be many armies with you.

⁷ “ ‘Be prepared! Be prepared, you and all the soldiers assembled around you. You will be their leader. ⁸ After a long time you will be called to service. In the years to come, you will attack a land that has been rebuilt after a war. Its people have been gathered from many nations and brought to the mountains of Israel, mountains that have been ruined for a long time. These people were brought there from the nations, and all of them live there safely. ⁹ You will attack like a storm and cover the land like a cloud. Your troops and the many armies will be with you.

¹⁰ “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: At that time ideas will enter your head, and you will make wicked plans. ¹¹ You will say, “I’ll attack a land with unwalled villages. I will attack peaceful people who live safely. All of them live without walls, locks, or gates. ¹² I will come to rob them and loot them. I will use my power against the ruins that people are living in again. I will use it against the people who were gathered from the nations. These people have cattle and property, and they live in the world.”

¹³ “ ‘Sheba, Dedan, the merchants from Tarshish, and all their villages will ask you, “Did you come to rob these people of their possessions? Did you assemble all these soldiers to carry away large amounts of silver and gold and to take cattle and property?” ’

¹⁴ “So prophesy, son of man. Tell Gog, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: At that time my people Israel will live safely, and you will know it. ¹⁵ You will come from your place in the far north and many armies will be with you. All of you will ride on horses. You will be a large crowd and a mighty army. ¹⁶ You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the days to come, I will let you attack my land so that nations will know me. I will use you for my holy purpose as they watch.

¹⁷ “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: You are the one I spoke about long ago through my servants the prophets of Israel. They prophesied in those days that I would bring you to attack them. ¹⁸ On the day that Gog attacks the land of Israel, I will be filled with burning anger, declares the Almighty Lord. ¹⁹ In my fiery anger I tell you this. On that day there will be a large earthquake in the land of Israel. ²⁰ Fish, birds, wild animals, everything that crawls on the ground, and every person on earth will tremble in my presence. The mountains will be torn down, the cliffs will crumble, and every wall will fall to the ground. ²¹ I will declare war against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Almighty Lord. Each person will use his sword against his relative. ²² I will punish Gog with plagues and death. I will send rainstorms, large hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on his troops and on the many armies with him. ²³ I will show my greatness and my holiness. I will reveal myself to many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

39 ⌞The Lord said,⌟ “Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Tell it, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am against you, Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ² I will turn you around and lead you. I will bring you from the far north and have you attack the mountains of Israel. ³ Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand and make you drop the arrows in your right hand. ⁴ You will die on the mountains of Israel with your troops and the armies that are with you. I will let you become food for every bird of prey and for every wild animal. ⁵ You will die in the open field because I said so, declares the Almighty Lord. ⁶ I will send fire on Magog and on those who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord. ⁷ I will make my holy name known among my people Israel, and I will never let them dishonor my holy name again. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.

⁸ “ ‘It’s coming! It will happen! declares the Almighty Lord. This is the day I have spoken about. ⁹ Those living in the cities of Israel will go out. They will set fire to weapons and burn them. They will burn small and large shields, bows and arrows, and war clubs and spears. They will burn them for seven years. ¹⁰ They will not need to get wood from the field or cut down trees in the woods. They will make fires with the weapons. They will loot those who looted them, and they will grab things back from those who grabbed their things, declares the Almighty Lord.

¹¹ “ ‘When that day comes, I will give Gog a burial place in Israel. It will be in Travelers Valley, east of the Dead Sea. It will block those who travel ⌞through the valley⌟. Gog and his whole army will be buried there. So it will be called the valley of Gog’s troops. ¹² The people of Israel will be burying them there for seven months to make the land clean.^{[e] 13} All the common people will be burying them. The people of Israel will be honored on the day of my victory, declares the Almighty Lord.

¹⁴ “ ‘People will be chosen to go through the land and make it clean. With the help of others they will bury the dead soldiers that are still on the ground. At the end of seven months they will begin their search. ¹⁵ Whenever they go through the land and see a human bone, they will set up a marker beside it until the grave diggers have buried that bone in the valley of Gog’s troops. ¹⁶ (A city named Hamonah ^[f] will also be there.) In this way they will cleanse the land.’

¹⁷ “Son of man, this is what the Almighty Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild animal, ‘Assemble, and come together from all around for the sacrifice that I’m preparing for you. It will be a huge feast on the mountains of Israel. You can eat meat and drink blood there. ¹⁸ You can eat the meat of warriors and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. All of them will be killed like rams, lambs, goats, bulls and all the best animals of Bashan. ¹⁹ You can eat the best meat until you are full and drink blood until you are drunk at the sacrifice that I am preparing for you. ²⁰ At my table you will be filled with horses and riders, warriors, and soldiers of every kind, declares the Almighty Lord.’

²¹ “I will show my greatness among the nations. All the nations will see how I will turn my power against them to punish them. ²² From that day on, the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. ²³ Then the nations will know that the people of Israel went into captivity because they did wrong and rebelled against me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies. They were killed in battle. ²⁴ I paid them back for their uncleanness and their sins, and I hid my face from them.

²⁵ “So this is what the Almighty Lord says: Now I will bring back Jacob’s captives and have compassion for the whole nation of Israel. I will stand up for my holy name. ²⁶ When they live safely in a land where no one will frighten them, they will forget their shame and all the unfaithful things they have done against me. ²⁷ I will bring them back from the other nations and gather them from the countries of their enemies. Many nations will see that I am holy. ²⁸ Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God. I sent them into captivity among the nations, and I brought them back again to their land. I left none of them behind. ²⁹ I will no longer hide my face from them, because I will pour out my Spirit on the nation of Israel, declares the Almighty Lord.”

The New Temple of God

40 It was the tenth day of the month in the beginning of the twenty-fifth year of our captivity and fourteen years after Jerusalem was captured. At that time the Lord’s power came over me, and he brought me to Jerusalem. ² In visions, God brought me to Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. On the south side of the mountain were some buildings that looked like those in a city. ³ He brought me closer. I saw a man who looked like he was covered with bronze. The man was holding a linen tape measure and a measuring stick, and he stood in a gateway. ⁴ He said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and listen with your ears. Pay close attention to everything I’m going to show you. You were brought here to be shown these things. Tell the nation of Israel everything that you see.”

The East Gateway

⁵ I saw a wall that surrounded the temple. The man had a measuring stick that was 10½ feet long. He measured the wall. It was 10½ feet thick and 10½ feet high.

⁶ Then the man went to the gateway that faced east. He went up its steps and measured the entrance to the gateway. It was 10½ feet wide. ⁷ There were also guardrooms. Each guardroom was 10½ feet long and 10½ feet wide. The space between the guardrooms was 9 feet thick. And the entrance to the gateway by the entrance hall of the temple was 10½ feet wide. ⁸ He also measured the entrance hall of the gateway. ⁹ It extended 14 feet from the temple. Its recessed walls were 3½ feet thick. The gateway’s entrance hall faced the temple.

¹⁰ Now, there were three guardrooms on each side of the eastern gateway. All three rooms on each side were the same size, and the recessed walls on each side were the same size.

¹¹ Then the man measured the width of the entrance to the gateway. It was 17½ feet wide, and the gateway was 23 feet long. ¹² There was a barrier about 21 inches in front of each guardroom. The guardrooms were 10½ feet square.

¹³ He measured the gateway from the top of one guardroom to the top of the opposite guardroom. It was 44 feet wide from one door to the opposite door. ¹⁴ He also measured the entrance hall. It was 35 feet wide. In front of the entrance hall to the gateway was a courtyard on all sides.

¹⁵ The total length of the gateway from the front of the outer part to the front of the inner part of the entrance hall was 87½ feet.

¹⁶ The guardrooms and recessed walls inside the gateway had small windows all around. The entrance hall also had windows all around on the inside. Pictures of palm trees were carved on the recessed walls.

The Outer Courtyard

¹⁷ Then the man brought me into the outer courtyard. I saw rooms there and pavement all around the courtyard. There were 30 rooms along the edge of the pavement. ¹⁸ The pavement in the lower courtyard ran alongside the gateways. It was as wide as it was long. ¹⁹ The man measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner courtyard. It was 175 feet from east to north.

The North Gateway

²⁰ Then the man measured the length and width of the gateway, leading to the outer courtyard. This was the gateway that faced north. ²¹ Its three guardrooms, its recessed walls, and its entrance hall were the same size as those in the east gateway. The gateway was 87½ feet long and 44 feet wide. ²² Its windows, recessed walls, and palm tree pictures were the same size as those in the east gateway. Seven steps went up to it and led to its entrance hall. ²³ The inner courtyard had a gateway opposite the north gate just like the east gateway. The man measured the distance from one gate to the other gate. It was 175 feet.

The South Gateway

²⁴ Then the man led me to the south side, and I saw a gateway that faced south. He measured its recessed walls and its entrance hall. They were the same size as those of the other gateways. ²⁵ The gateway and its entrance hall had windows on all sides like the windows in the other gateways. It was 87½ feet long and 44 feet wide. ²⁶ Seven steps went up to it and led to its entrance hall. Pictures of palm trees were carved on the recessed walls, one picture on each side. ²⁷ The inner courtyard had a gateway facing south. The man measured the distance from the gateway on the south side to its opposite gateway. It was 175 feet.

The Inner Courtyard

²⁸ Then the man brought me to the inner courtyard through the south gateway. He measured the south gateway. It was the same size as the others. ²⁹ Its guardrooms, recessed walls, and entrance hall were the same size as the other gateways. The guardrooms and the entrance hall had windows all around. The gateway was 87½ feet long and 44 feet wide. ³⁰ There were entrance halls all around the inner courtyard. They were all 44 feet long and 9 feet wide. ³¹ The entrance halls faced the outer courtyard. Pictures of palm trees were carved on the recessed walls, and eight steps led up to each gateway.

³² Then the man brought me to the east side of the inner courtyard. He measured the gateway. It was the same size as the others. ³³ Its guardrooms, recessed walls, and entrance halls were the same size as those of the other gateways. Its guardrooms and entrance hall had windows all around. The gateway was 87½ feet long and 44 feet wide. ³⁴ Its entrance hall faced the outer courtyard. Pictures of palm trees were carved on the recessed walls, and eight steps led up to the gateway.

³⁵ Then the man brought me to the north gateway. He measured it. It was the same size as the others. ³⁶ Its guardrooms, recessed walls, and entrance hall had windows all around. The gateway was 87½ feet long and 44 feet wide. ³⁷ Its recessed walls faced the outer courtyard. Pictures of palm trees were carved on the recessed walls, and eight steps led up to the gateway.

Special Rooms

³⁸ There was a room with a door that opened toward the entrance hall of the gateway. This is the room where the priests washed the animals for the burnt offerings. ³⁹ In the entrance hall of the gateway there were two tables on each side of the room. On these tables the animals were slaughtered for burnt offerings, offerings for sin, and guilt offerings. ⁴⁰ On each side of the entrance to the north gateway there were two tables, and on the other side of the entrance hall of the gateway there were two tables. ⁴¹ So there were four tables on each side of the gateway, eight tables in all, on which they slaughtered animals. ⁴² There were four tables made of cut stone for burnt offerings. They were 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 21 inches high. On these tables the priests laid the utensils that were used to slaughter animals for burnt offerings and sacrifices. ⁴³ Double-pronged hooks, three inches long, were attached to the wall all around the room, and the tables were for the meat of the animals. ⁴⁴ Outside the gateways to the inner courtyard were the rooms for the singers in the inner courtyards. One room was at the side of the north gateway. It faced south. The other room was at the side of the south gateway. It faced north. ⁴⁵ The man said to me, “This room that faces south is for the priests who serve in the temple. ⁴⁶ The room that faces north is for the priests who serve at the altar. These priests are Zadok’s descendants. They are the only Levites who are able to come near the Lord and serve him.” ⁴⁷ The man measured the courtyard. It was a perfect square—175 feet long and 175 feet wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.

⁴⁸ Then the man brought me to the entrance hall of the temple and measured its recessed walls. They were 9 feet on each side. The gateway was 24½ feet wide, and the walls on each side were 5 feet wide. ⁴⁹ The entrance hall was 35 feet long and 21 feet wide. Steps led up to it. Pillars stood by the recessed walls, one on each side of the entrance hall.

The Holy Place in the Temple

41 Then the man brought me into the holy place in the temple and measured the recessed walls. They were 10½ feet wide on each side. ² The entrance was 17½ feet wide, and on each side of the entrance the walls were 9 feet wide. Then he measured the length of the holy place. It was 70 feet long and 35 feet wide.

³ Then the man went inside and measured the passageway. It was 3½ feet thick. The entrance was 10½ feet high and 12 feet wide. ⁴ Then he measured the room at the end of the holy place. It was 35 feet long and 35 feet wide. The man said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

⁵ Next, the man measured the temple wall. It was 10½ feet wide. The width of each side room around the temple was 7 feet. ⁶ The rooms were arranged on three different stories. There were 30 rooms on each story. These rooms had supports all the way around the temple wall, but these supports were not fastened to the temple wall. ⁷ The side rooms grew wider all the way around as they went up, story after story. The surrounding structure went from story to story all around the temple. The structure grew wider as it went higher. A stairway went from the first story through the second story to the third story.

⁸ I also saw a raised base all around the temple. This base was the foundation for the side rooms. It measured the full length of the measuring rod, 10½ feet. ⁹ The outer wall of the side rooms was 9 feet thick. There was an open area between the side rooms connected to the temple ¹⁰ and the priests’ rooms. It was 35 feet wide and went all around the temple. ¹¹ The doors in the side rooms were entrances into the open area. There was one door to the north and another to the south. The base of the open area was 9 feet wide all the way around.

¹² At the far end of the open area, on the west side of the temple, was a building 122½ feet wide. The wall of the building was 9 feet thick all the way around, and it was 157½ feet long.

¹³ Then the man measured the temple. It was 175 feet long. This included the open area with the building and its walls. All together it was 175 feet long. ¹⁴ The eastern side of the temple, including the open area, was also 175 feet wide. ¹⁵ He also measured the length of the building facing the courtyard on the west side along with its corridors on both sides. It was 175 feet long.

The holy place and the most holy place were paneled. ¹⁶ The doorposts, the small windows, and the corridors of all three stories were paneled. The walls, from the floor up to the windows, were paneled. ¹⁷ In the space above the door to the most holy place and on the walls all around it, ¹⁸ there were pictures of angels ^[g] and palm trees. Palm trees were positioned between each of the angels, and each angel had two faces: ¹⁹ the face of a man, which was turned toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a lion, which was turned toward a palm tree on the other side. These pictures were carved all around the temple. ²⁰ Pictures of angels and palm trees were carved on the walls from the floor to the space above the door.

²¹ The doorframes in the holy place were square. In front of the most holy place was something similar. ²² There was a wooden altar, 5 feet high and 3½ feet wide. Its corners, its base, and its sides were made of wood. Then the man told me, “This is the table that is in the presence of the Lord.”

²³ The holy place and the most holy place had two doors. ²⁴ Each of the doors were double doors that swung open. ²⁵ Pictures of angels and palm trees were carved on the doors of the holy place as on the walls. There was a wooden roof hanging over the outer entrance hall. ²⁶ There were small windows and palm trees on both sides of the entrance hall, on the side rooms of the temple, and on the roofs.

The Courtyards of the Lord’s New Temple

42 Then the man led me out toward the north to the outer courtyard. He brought me to the side rooms opposite both the open area and the northern building. ² The building that faced north was 175 feet long and 87½ feet wide. ³ Opposite the inner courtyard was an area that was 35 feet wide, and opposite the pavement of the outer courtyard were corridors facing corridors on all three stories. ⁴ In front of the side rooms was a walkway, 17½ feet wide and 175 feet long. The doors of these side rooms faced north.

⁵ The side rooms on the third story were narrower than those on the first or second stories of the building because the corridors took space away from them. ⁶ The rooms were in three stories. They didn’t have pillars like the pillars in the courtyards. That is why the rooms on the third story were set farther back than those on the first and second stories. ⁷ There was a wall which ran parallel to the side rooms and the outer courtyard. It ran alongside the side rooms for 87½ feet. ⁸ The row of rooms in the outer courtyard was 87½ feet long. The rooms that faced the temple were 175 feet long. ⁹ These lower side rooms had an entrance on the east side. A person was able to enter the outer courtyard through them.

¹⁰ There were side rooms parallel to the wall of the courtyard on the south side.^[h] They faced the open area and the building. ¹¹ There was a walkway in front of them like the one that was in front of the side rooms on the north side. These side rooms were as long and as wide as the northern rooms. They had the same exits, dimensions, and doors. ¹² The doors to the south rooms were the same as the doors to the north rooms. There was a doorway at the other end of the walkway that was parallel to the corresponding wall that ran eastward. People entered through that doorway.

¹³ Then the man said to me, “The northern and southern side rooms that face the open area are holy rooms. These rooms are where the priests who come near the Lord eat the holiest offerings. Because these rooms are holy, the priests keep the holiest offerings there: the grain offerings, the offerings for sin, and the guilt offerings. ¹⁴ Once the priests enter the holy place, they must not go out of the holy place into the outer courtyard until they leave behind the clothes that they wore as they served. These clothes are holy. The priests must put on other clothes. Then they can go into the area that is for the people.”

¹⁵ When the man had finished measuring the inner part of the temple area, he led me out through the east gate. Then he measured all the way around the outer area. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with a measuring stick. It was 875 feet long according to the measuring stick. ¹⁷ He measured the north side. It was 875 feet long according to the measuring stick. ¹⁸ He measured the south side. It was 875 feet long according to the measuring stick. ¹⁹ He came around to the west side and measured it. It was 875 feet long according to the measuring stick. ²⁰ So he measured all four sides. There was a wall all around it. The wall was 875 feet long and 875 feet wide. It separated what was holy from what was unholy.

The Glory of the Lord Fills the New Temple

43 Then the man took me to the east gate. ² I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the sound of rushing water, and the earth was shining because of his glory. ³ This vision was like the one I saw when he came ^[i] to destroy Jerusalem and like the one I saw by the Chebar River. I immediately bowed down. ⁴ The Lord’s glory came into the temple through the east gate.

⁵ The Spirit lifted me and brought me into the inner courtyard. I saw the Lord’s glory fill the temple. ⁶ I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple while the man was standing beside me. ⁷ The voice said to me, “Son of man, this is the place where my throne is and the place where my feet rest. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. Then the people of Israel and their kings will no longer dishonor my holy name by acting like prostitutes, nor will they dishonor it with the dead bodies of their kings. ⁸ They put their doorway by my doorway and their doorposts by my doorposts. Only a wall separated me from them. They dishonored my holy name because of the disgusting things that they have done. So I destroyed them in my anger. ⁹ Now they must stop acting like prostitutes and take the dead bodies of their kings far away from me. Then I will live among them forever.

¹⁰ “Son of man, describe this temple to the people of Israel. Then they will be ashamed because of their sins. Let them study the plans. ¹¹ Suppose they are ashamed of everything that they have done. Then show them the design of the temple, its arrangements, its exits and entrances—its entire design. Tell them about all its rules and regulations. Then write these things down for them so that they can remember its design and follow all its rules.

¹² “This is a regulation of the temple: The whole area all the way around the top of the mountain is most holy. Yes, this is a regulation of the temple.”

The Altar in the New Temple

¹³ These are the measurements of the altar, using royal measurements. (The royal measuring stick was 21 inches long.) The base of the altar was 21 inches high and 21 inches wide. All around the edge of the altar was a rim measuring 9 inches wide. This was the height of the altar: ¹⁴ From the base on the ground to the lower ledge it was 3½ feet high, and from the lower ledge to the upper ledge it was 7 feet high and 21 inches wide. ¹⁵ The place where the sacrifices were burned was 7 feet high. There were four horns above it. ¹⁶ It was square, 21 feet wide and 21 feet long. ¹⁷ The upper ledge was also square. It was 24½ feet long and 24½ feet wide. It had a rim all the way around that was 10½ inches wide. Its base was 21 inches. The steps to the altar faced east.

¹⁸ Then the man said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Almighty Lord says: These are the rules for sacrificing burnt offerings and for sprinkling blood on the altar after the altar is built. ¹⁹ Give a young bull to the priests as an offering for sin. These priests are Zadok’s descendants, men from the tribe of Levi, who can come near me and serve me. ²⁰ Take some of the bull’s blood, and put it on the altar’s four horns, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim all the way around the altar. When you do this, you will remove sin from the altar and make peace with the Lord. ²¹ Then take a young bull as an offering for sin, and burn it in the place appointed near the temple, outside the holy place.

²² “On the second day bring a male goat that has no defects as an offering for sin. Remove sin from the altar as you did with the young bull. ²³ When you finish removing sin, offer a young bull and a ram that have no defects. ²⁴ Offer them to the Lord. The priests must throw salt on them and offer them as burnt offerings to the Lord. ²⁵ Every day for seven days you must sacrifice a goat, a young bull, and a ram from the flock as an offering for sin. They must be animals that have no defects. ²⁶ For seven days the priests should make peace with the Lord at the altar, purify it, and consecrate it. ²⁷ When those days are over, on the eighth day, the priests must sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept them, declares the Almighty Lord.”

The East Gate Is Sealed Shut

44 Then the man took me back to the outer east gate of the holy place, and the gate was shut. ² The Lord said to me, “This gate will stay shut and will not be opened. No one may enter through it because the Lord God of Israel entered through it. It must be kept shut. ³ Only the prince may sit there and eat food in the presence of the Lord. He will enter through the entrance hall of the gateway and leave the same way.”

⁴ The man brought me through the north gate in front of the temple. When I looked, I saw the Lord’s glory fill the Lord’s temple. I immediately bowed down.

The People Serving in the New Temple

⁵ The Lord said to me, “Son of man, pay close attention. Look, and listen to everything I’m going to tell you. Listen to all the rules and regulations for the Lord’s temple. Pay close attention to everyone who enters the temple and leaves from the holy place. ⁶ Tell the rebellious people of Israel, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’ve had enough of all the disgusting things that you have done, people of Israel. ⁷ You brought godless foreigners ^[j] into my holy place. You dishonored my temple when you offered fat and blood to me. You rejected my promise so that you could do all your disgusting things. ⁸ You didn’t take care of my holy things. You put foreigners in charge of my temple. ⁹ So this is what the Almighty Lord says: Any godless foreigner who lives among the Israelites may not enter my holy place.

¹⁰ “ ‘Some Levites went far away from me when Israel wandered off to follow their idols. They must be punished for their sins. ¹¹ They could have served in my holy place. They could have guarded the gates of the temple. They could have served in the temple by slaughtering the animals for the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people. They could have stood in front of the people and served them. ¹² But they served the people by standing in front of their idols and by making Israel fall into sin. So I raised my hand and swore that they would be punished for their sins, declares the Lord. ¹³ They must not come near me and serve me as priests. They must not come near any of my holy things or my most holy things. They must suffer disgrace because of the disgusting things that they have done. ¹⁴ I will assign them all of the less important work in the temple.

¹⁵ “ ‘But the priests who are Levites and descendants of Zadok took care of my holy place when the Israelites wandered away from me. They may come near me and serve me, and they may stand in my presence. They may bring fat and blood to me, declares the Almighty Lord. ¹⁶ They may enter my holy place, come near my table to serve me, and take care of everything I gave them. ¹⁷ When they enter the gateways to the inner courtyard, they must wear linen clothes. They must have no wool on them while they serve in the gateways to the inner courtyard and in the temple. ¹⁸ They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat. ¹⁹ When they go out among the people in the outer courtyard, they must take off the clothes that they wore as they served. They must leave their clothes in the side rooms of the holy place and put on other clothes so that they do not transfer the holiness from their clothes to the people.

²⁰ “ ‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long. They must keep the hair on their heads trimmed. ²¹ None of the priests may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard. ²² They must not marry widows or women who have been divorced. They may marry only virgins from the nation of Israel or widows of priests. ²³ They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is unholy. They must show the people how to tell the difference between what is clean and what is unclean.^{[k] 24} In all disputes the priests must act as judges and make decisions based on my laws. They must obey my rules and my regulations at all my festivals. They must observe holy days to worship me.

²⁵ “ ‘A priest must not make himself unclean by going near a dead body. But a priest may become unclean if the dead person is his father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister. ²⁶ After a priest is made clean, he must wait seven days. ²⁷ When he enters the inner courtyard of the holy place to serve in the holy place, he must bring his offering for sin, declares the Almighty Lord.

²⁸ “ ‘The priests will have no inheritance. I am their inheritance. Don’t give them any possessions in Israel. The priests belong to me. ²⁹ They will eat grain offerings, offerings for sin, and guilt offerings. Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord will belong to them. ³⁰ The priests should have the best of all the first ripened fruits. The best of every gift from all your contributions must go to the priests. The best of your dough must go to the priests. This will cause a blessing to rest on your home. ³¹ The priests must never eat any bird or animal that has died naturally or was killed by other wild animals.

Land for the Priests, Levites, and the Prince

45 “ ‘Divide the land by drawing lots for the property you will inherit. Set aside an area 43,750 feet long and 35,000 feet wide for the Lord. The entire area will be holy. ² An area of 875 feet square will be for the holy place with an open area 87½ feet wide. ³ Measure off an area 43,750 feet long and 17,500 feet wide. The holy place, that is, the most holy place, will be in this area. ⁴ This holy part of the land will belong to the priests who serve in the holy place, the priests who come near to serve the Lord. They will use this place for their homes, and it will be the location for the holy place. ⁵ An area 43,750 feet long and 17,500 feet wide will belong to the Levites who serve in the temple. It will be given to them so that they have cities to live in.

⁶ “ ‘You must designate an area 8,750 feet wide and 43,750 feet long as the city’s property. It will be located alongside the holy area. It will belong to all the people of Israel.

⁷ “ ‘The prince will have all the land on both sides of the holy area and on both sides of the property belonging to the city. From the western boundary of the holy area, his land will extend to the Mediterranean Sea. From the eastern boundary of the holy area, his land will extend to the eastern border ⌞of the country⌟. His territory will be as large as the territory of one of the tribes. ⁸ This land will belong to the prince in Israel. Then my princes will no longer oppress my people. They will give land to each tribe of the nation of Israel.

Honest Weights and Measures for the Lord’s People

⁹ “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’ve had enough of you, you princes of Israel. Stop your violence and looting, and do what is fair and right. Stop evicting my people, declares the Almighty Lord. ¹⁰ You must have honest scales and honest dry and liquid measures. ¹¹ The dry and liquid measures must always be the same: The ephah and the bath should hold the same as one-tenth of a homer. The homer must be the standard measure.^{[l] 12} One shekel must weigh 20 gerahs. One mina must weigh 60 shekels.^[m]

Rules for Worship

¹³ “ ‘This is the contribution you must give to the Lord: seventeen percent of your wheat and seventeen percent of your barley. ¹⁴ You must give one percent of your olive oil using the standard measure. ¹⁵ You must take one sheep out of every 200 from the well-watered pastures of Israel. You must sacrifice them with grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings to make peace with the Lord, declares the Almighty Lord. ¹⁶ All the common people must give this contribution to the prince in Israel. ¹⁷ Then the prince is responsible to provide burnt offerings, grain offerings, and wine offerings at the annual festivals, the New Moon Festivals, the weekly days of rest—holy days, and all the other appointed festivals of the nation of Israel. He must prepare offerings for sin, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings to make peace with the Lord for the nation of Israel.

¹⁸ “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: On the first day of the first month, take a young bull that has no defects and remove sin from the holy place. ¹⁹ The priest must take some blood from the offering for sin and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the doorposts of the gateways of the inner courtyard. ²⁰ You must do the same on the seventh day of the month for everyone who unintentionally does something wrong and is unaware of it. So you must make peace with the Lord for the temple.

²¹ “ ‘On the fourteenth day of the first month, you will celebrate the Passover, a festival lasting seven days when unleavened bread is eaten. ²² At that time the prince must prepare for himself and for all the common people a young bull as an offering for sin. ²³ Every day during the seven days of the festival, he must prepare burnt offerings for the Lord: seven young bulls that have no defects, seven rams that have no defects, and one male goat as an offering for sin. ²⁴ He must also give as a grain offering a half-bushel for each young bull and a half-bushel for each ram. He must also give one gallon of olive oil for every half-bushel of grain. ²⁵ On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at the Festival of Booths, he must do the same as on those seven days. He must prepare the same offerings for sin, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and olive oil.

46 “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: The east gate of the inner courtyard must be closed during the six working days, but it must be opened on the weekly day of rest—a holy day. It must also be opened on the New Moon Festival. ² The prince must enter from the outside through the entrance hall of the gateway. He must stand by the doorposts of the gateway. Then the priests must prepare the prince’s burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He must worship at the entrance of the gateway and then leave. The gate must not be closed until evening. ³ The common people must worship at the door of the gateway in the presence of the Lord on the weekly days of rest—holy days, and on New Moon Festivals. ⁴ The prince must offer to the Lord six lambs that have no defects and one ram that has no defects as a burnt offering on the day of rest—a holy day. ⁵ The grain offering that is to be brought with the ram must be a half-bushel, and the grain offering that is to be brought with the lambs must be whatever the prince can bring. One gallon of olive oil must be brought with each half-bushel of grain. ⁶ On the first day of the month, the burnt offering must be one young bull, six lambs, and one ram—all animals that have no defects. ⁷ With each young bull and each ram the offering must include a half-bushel of grain, and with each lamb the offering must be whatever the prince wants to bring. One gallon of olive oil must be offered with each half-bushel of grain. ⁸ When the prince enters, he must enter through the entrance hall of the gateway. He must enter and leave the same way.

⁹ “ ‘The people will enter the Lord’s presence at the time of the appointed festivals. Those entering through the north gate to worship must leave through the south gate. Those entering through the south gate must leave through the north gate. They must not leave through the same gate they entered. They must leave through the opposite gate. ¹⁰ The prince must be among them. When they enter, he must enter. When they leave, he must leave.

¹¹ “ ‘On festival days and at appointed festivals, a grain offering of a half-bushel must be brought with each young bull, and a half-bushel must be brought with each ram. But with the lambs, the prince may bring whatever he wants to bring. One gallon of olive oil must be brought with each half-bushel of grain. ¹² When the prince prepares a freewill burnt offering, either a burnt offering or a fellowship offering to the Lord, the east gate must be opened for him. He must sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings as he does on the day of rest—a holy day. When he leaves, the gate must be shut after him.

¹³ “ ‘Prepare a year-old lamb that has no defects every day as a burnt offering to the Lord. Do this every morning. ¹⁴ Also, prepare a grain offering with it every morning: three-and-a-third quarts of grain and one-and-a-third quarts of olive oil to moisten the flour. It will be a grain offering dedicated to the Lord. These rules are to be followed always. ¹⁵ Prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil every morning as a daily burnt offering.

¹⁶ “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Suppose the prince offers one of his sons a gift from his property. The gift will belong to his descendants because it is their inheritance. ¹⁷ But suppose the prince offers a gift from his property to one of his servants. The gift will belong to the servant only until the year of freedom. Then the gift will go back to the prince. Only his sons can inherit his property. ¹⁸ The prince must not take any of the people’s property. He must not force them to give up their property. He must give his own property as an inheritance to his sons so that none of my people will be separated from their property.’ ”

¹⁹ The man brought me through a passage beside the gateway to the side rooms that faced north. These rooms were reserved for the priests. He showed me a place on the west side of the rooms. ²⁰ He said to me, “This is the place where the priests must boil the meat for the guilt offering and the offering for sin. This is the place where they must bake grain offerings so that they don’t have to bring the offerings into the outer courtyard. This way they won’t transfer holiness to the people.”

²¹ Then the man led me to the outer courtyard and took me past the four corners of the courtyard. I saw that in each corner of the courtyard there was a smaller courtyard. ²² The smaller courtyards that were in each of the four corners of the courtyard were 60 feet long and 45 feet wide. All four of the smaller courtyards in the corners of the courtyard were the same size. ²³ Around each of the four courtyards were stone walls, and these walls were equipped with fireplaces.

²⁴ Then the man said to me, “These are the kitchens where the temple servants must boil the people’s sacrifices.”

Water Flowing from the Temple

47 Then the man took me back to the door of the temple. I saw water flowing from under the entrance of the temple toward the east. (The temple faced east.) The water was flowing under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. ² Then he led me through the north gate and around to the outer east gate. The water was flowing down the south side of the gate.

³ With a measuring line in his hand, the man went eastward. He measured off 1,500 feet and led me through the water. The water came up to my ankles. ⁴ Then he measured off another 1,500 feet and led me through the water. The water came up to my knees. He measured off another 1,500 feet and led me through the water. The water came up to my waist. ⁵ Then he measured another 1,500 feet. But the water had risen so much that it became a river which I couldn’t cross. The river was too deep to cross except by swimming. ⁶ Then he asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

⁷ Then the man led me back along the bank of the river. As I went back, I saw many trees on both sides of the river. ⁸ Then the man said to me, “This water flows through the land to the east, down into the Jordan Valley, and into the Dead Sea. When the water flows into the Dead Sea, it will replace the salt water there with fresh water. ⁹ Wherever the river flows, there will be many fish and animals. The river will make the water in the Dead Sea fresh. Wherever the river flows, it will bring life. ¹⁰ From En Gedi to En Eglaim people will be standing on the shore of the sea with their fishing nets spread out. As many kinds of fish will be there as there are in the Mediterranean Sea. ¹¹ But the water in the swamps and marshes won’t become fresh. It will remain salty. ¹² All kinds of fruit trees will grow on both sides of the river. Their leaves won’t wither, and they won’t fail to produce fruit. Each month they will produce fresh fruit because this water flows from the holy place. The fruit will be good food, and the leaves will be used for healing.”