Old/New Testament

The Vision of the New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck, on that very day the hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me there. ² In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me upon a very high mountain, on which was as the frame of a city on the south. ³ He brought me there, and there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring reed in his hand. And he stood in the gate. ⁴ The man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you. For you have been brought here to show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

The East Gate

⁵ There was a wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring reed of six cubits^[a] long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth.^[b] So he measured the width of the building, one reed. And the height, one reed.

⁶ Then he went to the gateway facing east; and he went up its stairs and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed wide. And the other threshold of the gate was one reed wide. ⁷ Every little chamber was one reed long and one reed wide. And between the little chambers were five cubits.^[c] And the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the inside gate was one reed.

⁸ He measured also the vestibule of the gate within, one reed. ⁹ Then he measured the vestibule of the gate, eight cubits.^[d] And its posts, two cubits.^[e] And the vestibule of the gate was the inner end.

¹⁰ The little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side and three on that side. The three were of one measurement. And the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. ¹¹ He measured the width of the entrance of the gate, ten cubits,^[f] and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.^{[g] 12} The space also before the little chambers was one cubit^[h] on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side. And the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. ¹³ He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another; the width was twenty-five cubits,^[i] door against door. ¹⁴ He measured the posts, sixty cubits,^[j] even to the post of the court all around the gate. ¹⁵ From the face of the gate of the entrance to the face of the vestibule of the inner gate was fifty cubits.^{[k] 16} There were narrow windows in the little chambers and in their posts inside the gate all around, and likewise in the vestibules. And windows were all around inside. And on each post were palm tree ornaments.

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a pavement made all around the court. Thirty chambers were on the pavement. ¹⁸ The pavement was by the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court, a hundred cubits^[l] eastward and northward.

The North Gate

²⁰ As for the gate of the outer court that faced north, he measured its length and its width. ²¹ Its little chambers, three on this side and three on that side, its posts, and its arches had the same measurements as the first gate; its length was fifty cubits, and its width twenty-five cubits. ²² Its windows, and those of its arches, and its palm trees had the same measurements as the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it; and its arches were in front of it. ²³ The gate of the inner court was opposite the gate on the north, as on the east. And he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits.

The South Gate

²⁴ After that he brought me toward the south, and there was a gate facing south. And he measured its posts and its arches according to these same measurements. ²⁵ There were windows in it and in its arches all around like those windows. The length was fifty cubits, and the width twenty-five cubits. ²⁶ There were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them. And it had palm tree ornaments, one on this side, and another on that side on its posts. ²⁷ There was a gate in the inner court facing south. And he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits.

The Inner Court

²⁸ He brought me to the inner court by the south gate. And he measured the south gate according to these same measurements. ²⁹ And its little chambers and its posts and its arches were according to these same measurements. And there were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁰ The arches all around were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. ³¹ Its arches faced the outer court. And palm tree ornaments were on its posts. And its staircase had eight steps.

³² He brought me into the inner court facing east. And he measured the gate according to these same measurements. ³³ Its little chambers and its posts and its arches were according to these same measurements. And there were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was fifty cubits^[m] long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁴ Its arches faced the outer court. And palm tree ornaments were on its posts, on this side and on that side. And its staircase had eight steps.

³⁵ He brought me to the north gate and measured it according to these same measurements; ³⁶ its little chambers, its posts, and its arches, and it had windows all around: the length was fifty cubits, and the width twenty-five cubits. ³⁷ Its posts faced the outer court. And palm tree ornaments were on its posts, on this side and on that side. And its staircase had eight steps.

Chambers for Washing the Sacrifice

³⁸ The chambers and its entrance were by the posts of the gates where they washed the burnt offering. ³⁹ In the vestibule of the gate were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, to slay on it the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering. ⁴⁰ On the outside of the vestibule, as one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables. And on the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. ⁴¹ Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side by the side of the gate, eight tables on which they slaughtered their sacrifices. ⁴² The four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high.^[n] On which also they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. ⁴³ Within were hooks, a handbreadth wide,^[o] fastened all around. And on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

Chambers for the Singers and Priests

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate were the chambers for the singers in the inner court, one at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the east gate facing north. ⁴⁵ He said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple. ⁴⁶ The chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, who come near to the Lord to minister to Him.”

⁴⁷ So he measured the court, a hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits wide, foursquare. And the altar was before the temple.

The Vestibule of the Temple

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured each post of the vestibule, five cubits^[p] on this side, and five cubits on that side. And the width of the gate was three cubits^[q] on this side and three cubits on that side. ⁴⁹ The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits^[r] and the width eleven cubits.^[s] And he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it. And there were pillars by the posts, one on this side and another on that side.

The Inner Temple

41 Afterward he brought me to the temple and measured the posts, six cubits^[t] wide on the one side and six cubits wide on the other side, which was the width of the tabernacle. ² The width of the door was ten cubits.^[u] And the sides of the door were five cubits^[v] on the one side and five cubits on the other side. And he measured its length, forty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits.^[w]

³ Then he went inward and measured the post of the door, two cubits,^[x] and the door, six cubits, and the width of the door, seven cubits.^{[y] 4} So he measured its length, twenty cubits. And before the temple, the width was twenty cubits. And he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

⁵ Afterward he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits, and the width of every side chamber, four cubits,^[z] all around the temple on every side. ⁶ The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty in each story. There were offsets all around to serve as supports for the side chambers, so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple. ⁷ The side chambers became wider with each successive story going up because the structures went up all around the temple. Therefore the width of the temple increased going upwards and thus one went up from the lowest to the highest level through the middle level.

⁸ I saw also the height all around the temple. The foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. ⁹ The thickness of the wall of the side chambers was five cubits. And that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within. ¹⁰ Between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. ¹¹ The doors of the side chambers opened onto the open place, one door toward the north and another door toward the south. And the width of the open place was five cubits all around.

¹² Now the building that was facing the separate yard on the west side was seventy cubits^[aa] wide. And the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.^[ab]

¹³ So he measured the temple, a hundred cubits long; and the separate yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long;^{[ac] 14} also the width of the eastern face of the temple and the separate yard was a hundred cubits.

¹⁵ Then he measured the length of the building facing the yard at the west, together with its galleries on either side, one hundred cubits with the nave of the temple and the porches of the court, ¹⁶ the doorposts and the narrow windows. The galleries all around their three stories opposite the threshold were paneled with wood from the ground to the windows (the windows were covered), ¹⁷ from the space above the door, even to the inner room, as well as outside, and on every wall all around, inside and outside, by measure. ¹⁸ It was made with cherubim and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between cherub and cherub. And every cherub had two faces, ¹⁹ so that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. It was made throughout the temple all round. ²⁰ From the ground to the top of the door and on the wall of the nave, cherubim and palm trees were carved.

²¹ The posts of the temple and the face of the sanctuary were squared. The appearance of the one was as the appearance of the other. ²² The altar of wood was three cubits^[ad] high, and its length two cubits. And its corners and its length and its walls were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.” ²³ The temple and the sanctuary had two doors. ²⁴ The doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves. Two leaves were for the one door, and two leaves for the other door. ²⁵ There were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubim and palm trees like those made on the walls. And there were thick planks on the front of the vestibule outside. ²⁶ There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides, on the sides of the vestibule; thus were the side chambers of the temple and the thresholds.

The Promise of the Lord’s Coming

3 This is now, beloved, the second epistle I am writing to you, in which I am stirring up your sincere minds by way of reminder, ² that you should remember the words that were spoken previously by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior spoken through us, the apostles.

³ Know this first, that there shall come scoffers in the last days who walk after their own lusts, ⁴ and say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were since the beginning of the creation.” ⁵ For they willingly ignore that, by the word of God the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed standing out of the water and in the water, ⁶ by which the world that then existed was flooded with water and perished. ⁷ But by the same word, the heavens and the earth that now exist are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. The earth also and the works that are in it will be burned up.

¹¹ Seeing then that all these things are to be destroyed, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹² while you are waiting for and desiring the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will be consumed by intense heat? ¹³ But, according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless. ¹⁵ Keep in mind that the patience of our Lord means salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul has also written to you according to the wisdom given to him. ¹⁶ As in all his letters, he writes about these things, in which some things are hard to understand, which the unlearned and unstable distort, as they also do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own firm footing, being led away by the deception of the wicked. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen.