12
Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122
1
/
2
feet wide. The wall of the building was 8
3
/
4
feet thick on all sides, and the building's length was 157
1
/
2
feet.
13
Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet long. In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long.
14
The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet.
15
Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries on each side; it was 175 feet.
Interior Wooden Structures
The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court —
16
the thresholds, the beveled windows, and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold — were overlaid with wood on all sides. They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered),
17
reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern
18
carved with
•cherubim
and palm trees. There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:
19
a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side, and a lion's face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides.
20
Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.
21
The doorposts of the great hall were square, and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance.
22
The altar was made of wood, 5
1
/
4
feet high and 3
1
/
2
feet long. It had corners, and its length and sides were of wood. The man told me, “This is the table that stands before the
Lord
.”
23
The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,
24
and each of the doors had two swinging panels. There were two panels for one door and two for the other.
25
Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy outside, in front of the portico.
26
There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides, on the side walls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.
Ezekiel
The Priests' Chambers
42
Then the man led me out by way of the north gate into the outer court. He brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple yard and opposite the building to the north.
2
Along the length of the chambers, which was 175 feet, there was an entrance on the north; the width was 87
1
/
2
feet.
3
Opposite the 35 foot space belonging to the inner court and opposite the paved surface belonging to the outer court, the structure rose gallery by gallery in three tiers.
4
In front of the chambers was a walkway toward the inside, 17
1
/
2
feet wide and 175 feet long, and their entrances were on the north.
5
The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building.
6
For they were arranged in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle stories.
7
A wall on the outside ran in front of the chambers, parallel to them, toward the outer court; it was 87
1
/
2
feet long.
8
For the chambers on the outer court were 87
1
/
2
feet long, while those facing the great hall were 175 feet long.
9
At the base of these chambers there was an entryway on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.
10
In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the south, there were chambers facing the temple yard and the western building,
11
with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that faced north. Their length and width, as well as all their exits, measurements, and entrances, were identical.
12
The entrance at the beginning of the passageway, the way in front of the corresponding wall as one enters on the east side, was similar to the entrances of the chambers that were on the south side.
13
Then the man said to me, “The northern and southern chambers that face the temple yard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the
Lord
will eat the most holy offerings. There they will deposit the most holy offerings — the
•grain
offerings,
•sin
offerings, and
•restitution
offerings — for the place is holy.
14
Once the priests have entered, they must not go out from the holy area to the outer court until they have removed the clothes they minister in, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the public area.”
Outside Dimensions of the Temple Complex
15
When he finished measuring inside the temple complex, he led me out by way of the gate that faced east and measured all around the complex.
16
He measured the east side with a measuring rod;
it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.
17
He measured the north side;
it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.
18
He measured the south side;
it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.
19
Then he turned to the west side
and measured 875 feet by the measuring rod.
20
He measured the temple complex on all four sides. It had a wall all around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to separate the holy from the common.
Ezekiel
Return of the
Lord
's Glory
43
He led me to the gate, the one that faces east,
2
and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice sounded like the roar of mighty waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
3
The vision I saw was like the one I had seen when He came to destroy the city, and like the ones I had seen by the Chebar Canal. I fell facedown.
4
The glory of the
Lord
entered the temple by way of the gate that faced east.
5
Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the
Lord
filled the temple.
6
While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from the temple.
7
He said to me: “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel and their kings will no longer defile My holy name by their religious prostitution and by the corpses of their kings at their
•high
places.
8
Whenever they placed their threshold next to My threshold and their doorposts beside My doorposts, with only a wall between Me and them, they were defiling My holy name by the detestable acts they committed. So I destroyed them in My anger.
9
Now let them remove their prostitution and the corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will dwell among them forever.
10
“As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure its pattern,
11
and they will be ashamed of all that they have done. Reveal the design of the temple to them — its layout with its exits and entrances — its complete design along with all its statutes, design specifications, and laws. Write it down in their sight so that they may observe its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out.
12
This is the law of the temple: all its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be especially holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.
The Altar
13
“These are the measurements of the altar in units of length (each unit being the standard length plus three inches ): the gutter is 21 inches deep and 21 inches wide, with a rim of nine inches around its edge. This is the base of the altar.
14
The distance from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge is 3
1
/
2
feet, and the width of the ledge is 21 inches. There are seven feet from the small ledge to the large ledge, whose width is also 21 inches.
15
The altar hearth is seven feet high, and four horns project upward from the hearth.
16
The hearth is square, 21 feet long by 21 feet wide.
17
The ledge is 24
1
/
2
feet long by 24
1
/
2
feet wide, with four equal sides. The rim all around it is 10
1
/
2
inches, and its gutter is 21 inches all around it. The altar's steps face east.”
18
Then He said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Lord
God
says: These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that
•burnt
offerings may be sacrificed on it and blood may be sprinkled on it:
19
You are to give a bull from the herd as a
•sin
offering to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok, who approach Me in order to serve Me.” This is the declaration of the Lord
God
.
20
“You must take some of its blood and apply it to the four horns of the altar, the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim. In this way you will purify the altar and make
•atonement
for it.
21
Then you must take away the bull for the sin offering, and it must be burned outside the sanctuary in the place appointed for the temple.
22
“On the second day you are to present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they did with the bull.
23
When you have finished the purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull and an unblemished ram from the flock.
24
You must present them before the
Lord
; the priests will throw salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the
Lord
.
25
You will offer a goat for a sin offering each day for seven days. A young bull and a ram from the flock, both unblemished, must also be offered.
26
For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it. In this way they will consecrate it
27
and complete the days of purification. Then on the eighth day and afterward, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and
•fellowship
offerings on the altar, and I will accept you.” This is the declaration of the Lord
God
.
Ezekiel
The Prince's Privilege
44
The man then brought me back toward the sanctuary's outer gate that faced east, and it was closed.
2
The
Lord
said to me: “This gate will remain closed. It will not be opened, and no one will enter through it, because the
Lord
, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore it will remain closed.
3
The prince himself will sit in the gateway to eat a meal before the
Lord
. He must enter by way of the portico of the gate and go out the same way.”
4
Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and the glory of the
Lord
filled His temple. And I fell facedown.
5
The
Lord
said to me: “Son of man, pay attention; look with your eyes and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the
Lord
's temple. Take careful note of the entrance of the temple along with all the exits of the sanctuary.
The Levites' Duties and Privileges
6
“Say to the rebellious people, the house of Israel: This is what the Lord
God
says: I have had enough of all your detestable practices, house of Israel.
7
When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in both heart and flesh, to occupy My sanctuary, you defiled My temple while you offered My food — the fat and the blood. You broke My covenant by all your detestable practices.
8
You have not kept charge of My holy things but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.
9
“This is what the Lord
God
says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter My sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites.
10
Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who strayed from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their sin.
11
Yet they will occupy My sanctuary, serving as guards at the temple gates and ministering at the temple. They will slaughter the
•burnt
offerings and other sacrifices for the people and will stand before them to serve them.
12
Because they ministered to the house of Israel before their idols and became a sinful stumbling block to them, therefore I swore an oath against them” — this is the declaration of the Lord
God
— “that they would bear the consequences of their sin.
13
They must not approach Me to serve Me as priests or come near any of My holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their disgrace and the consequences of the detestable acts they committed.
14
Yet I will make them responsible for the duties of the temple — for all its work and everything done in it.