Visions of the House of Yahweh

1In 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 city was struck down, on that same day the hand of Yahweh was upon me, and He brought me there. 2In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and caused me to rest on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city. 3So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring [†]rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. 4And the man spoke to me, “Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you are seeing.”

The East Gate

5And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the house of Yahweh all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a [†]cubit and a [†]handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the [†]wall, one rod; and the height, one rod. 6Then he went to the gate which faced east, went up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one rod [†]in width; and the other threshold was one rod [†]in width. 7The guardroom was one rod long and one rod wide; and there were five cubits between the guardrooms. And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate [†]facing inward was one rod. 8Then he measured the porch of the gate [†]facing inward, one rod. 9He measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its side pillars, two cubits. And the porch of the gate was [†]faced inward. 10The guardrooms of the gate toward the east numbered three on each side; the three of them had the same measurement. The side pillars also had the same measurement on each side. 11And he measured the width of the entrance of the gate, ten cubits, and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 12There was a [†]barrier wall one cubit wide in front of the guardrooms on each side; and the guardrooms were six cubits square on each side. 13He measured the gate from the roof of the one guardroom to the roof of the other, a width of twenty-five cubits from one door to the door opposite. 14He made the side pillars sixty cubits high; the gate extended round about to the side pillar of the courtyard. 15From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the inner porch of the gate was fifty cubits. 16There were [†]shuttered windows looking toward the guardrooms and toward their side pillars within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. And there were windows all around inside; and on each side pillar were palm tree ornaments.

The Outer Court Chambers

17Then he brought me into the outer court, and behold, there were chambers and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers [†]faced the pavement. 18The pavement (that is, the lower pavement) was by the [†]side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. 19Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court, [†]one hundred cubits on the east and on the north.

The North Gate

20As for the gate of the outer court which faced the north, he measured its length and its width. 21[†]It had three guardrooms on each side; and its side pillars and its porches [†]had the same measurement as the first gate. Its length was [†]fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. 22Its windows and its porches and its palm tree ornaments had the same measurements as the gate which faced toward the east; and [†]it was reached by seven steps, and its [†]porch was in front of them. 23The inner court had a gate opposite the gate on the north as well as the gate on the east; and he measured one hundred cubits from gate to gate.

The South Gate

24Then he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate toward the south; and he measured its side pillars and its porches according to [†]those same measurements. 25[†]The gate and its porches had windows all around like [†]those other windows; the length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. 26There were seven steps going up to it, and its porches were in front of them; and it had palm tree ornaments on its side pillars, one on each side. 27The inner court had a gate toward the south; and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, one hundred cubits.

The Inner Court Gates

28Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate; and he measured the south gate according to those same measurements. 29Its guardrooms also, its side pillars, and its porches were according to those same measurements. And [†]the gate and its porches had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30There were porches all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. 31Its porches were toward the outer court; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars, and its stairway had eight steps.

32Then he brought me into the inner court toward the east. And he measured the gate according to those same measurements. 33Its guardrooms also, its side pillars, and its porches were according to those same measurements. And [†]the gate and its porches had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34Its porches were toward the outer court; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars, on each side, and its stairway had eight steps.

35Then he brought me to the north gate; and he measured it according to those same measurements, 36with its guardrooms, its side pillars, and its porches. And [†]the gate had windows all around; the length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. 37Its side pillars were toward the outer court; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars on each side, and its stairway had eight steps.

38A chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates; there they rinse the burnt offering. 39In the porch of the gate were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering. 40On the outer [†]side, [†]as one went up to the entrance of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other [†]side of the porch of the gate were two tables. 41Four tables were on each side [†]next to the gate; or, eight tables on which they slaughter sacrifices. 42For the burnt offering there were four tables of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high, on which they lay the instruments with which they slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43The double [†]hooks, one handbreadth in length, were installed [†]in the house all around; and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

The Chambers for the Priests

44From the outside to the inner gate were [†]chambers for the singers in the inner court, one of which was at the [†]side of the north gate, with [†]its front toward the south, and one at the [†]side of the [†]south gate facing toward the north. 45Then he said to me, “This is the chamber which faces toward the south, intended for the priests who keep the responsibility of the house; 46but the chamber which faces toward the north is for the priests who keep the responsibility of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who from the sons of Levi come near to Yahweh to minister to Him.” 47He measured the court, a perfect square, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide; and the altar was in front of the house.

The Porch

48Then he brought me to the porch of the house and measured each side pillar of the porch, five cubits on each side; and the width of the gate was three cubits on each side. 49The length of the porch was twenty cubits and the width eleven cubits; and at the stairway by which it was ascended were columns belonging to the side pillars, one on each side.