The Man with a Measuring Rod

¹ In the 25^th year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the the city was struck, on the same day, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there.

² In visions from God he brought me into the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was something like the structure of a city to the south. ³ He brought me there, and there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, and he stood at the gate with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. ⁴ The man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and listen with your ears and set your heart on all that I will show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything that you see.”

The East Gate

⁵ There was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple, and in the man’s hand was a measuring stick ten and a half feet long, each twenty-one inches being a normal measure of eighteen inches plus three inches. So he measured the thickness of the wall, and it was ten and a half feet thick and ten and a half feet high.

⁶ Then he came to the gate facing east and went up its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be ten feet deep. ⁷ Every gate chamber was ten feet long and ten feet wide, and the space between the gate chambers was eight and three quarters, and the inner threshold of the gate by the porch, facing inward was ten feet deep.

⁸ He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, ten and a half feet. ⁹ Then he measured the porch of the gate, twelve feet; and its posts, three feet; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.

¹⁰ There were three chambers on each side of the eastern gate. The three of them had the same measurements. The posts had the same measurement on each side. ¹¹ He measured the width of the opening of the gate, fifteen feet; and the length of the gate, twenty feet; ¹² and a border in front of the gate chambers, eighteen inches on this side, and a border, eighteen inches on the other side; and the gate chambers, nine feet on this side, and nine feet on the other side.

¹³ He measured the gate from the roof of the one gate chamber to the roof of the other, a width of 38 feet, door to door. ¹⁴ He also made posts, 90 feet; and the court reached to the posts, around the gate. ¹⁵ From the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were 75 feet. ¹⁶ There were closed windows to the gate chambers, and to their posts within the gate all around, and likewise to the arches. Windows were around on the inside. Palm trees were on each post.

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court. There were rooms and a pavement made for the court all around. Thirty rooms were on the pavement. ¹⁸ The pavement was by the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates, which was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the width from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront of the inner court outside, 150 feet, both on the east and on the north.

The North Gate

²⁰ He measured the length and width of the gate of the outer court which faces toward the north. ²¹ The little chambers of it were three on one side and three on the other side. Its posts and its arches were the same as the measure of the first gate: its length was 75 feet, and the width 38 feet. ²² Its windows, its arches, and its palm trees were the same as the measure of the gate which faces toward the east. They went up to it by seven steps. Its arches were before them. ²³ There was a gate to the inner court facing the other gate, on the north and on the east. He measured 150 feet from gate to gate.

The South Gate

²⁴ He led me toward the south, and there was a gate toward the south. He measured its posts and its arches according to these measurements. ²⁵ There were windows in it and in its arches all around, like those windows: the length was 75 feet, and the width 38 feet. ²⁶ There were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them. It had palm trees, one on one side, and another on the other side, on its posts. ²⁷ There was a gate to the inner court toward the south. He measured 150 feet from gate to gate toward the south.

The Gates of the Inner Court

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate. He measured the south gate according to these measurements; ²⁹ with its gate chambers, its posts, and its arches, according to these measurements. There were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was 75 feet long, and 38 feet wide. ³⁰ There were arches all around, 38 feet long, and seven and a half feet wide. ³¹ Its arches were toward the outer court. Palm trees were on its posts. The ascent to it had eight steps.

³² He brought me into the inner court toward the east. He measured the gate according to these measurements; ³³ with its lodges, its posts, and its arches, according to these measurements. There were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was 75 feet long, and 38 feet wide. ³⁴ Its arches were toward the outer court. Palm trees were on its posts on each side. The ascent to it had eight steps.

³⁵ He brought me to the north gate, and he measured it according to these measurements; ³⁶ its lodges, its posts, and its arches. There were windows in it all around. The length was 75 feet and the width 38 feet. ³⁷ Its posts were toward the outer court. Palm trees were on its posts on each side. The ascent to it had eight steps.

Eight Tables for Sacrifices

³⁸ A room with its door was by the posts at the gates. They washed the burnt offering there. ³⁹ In the porch of the gate were two tables on one side and two tables on the other side on which to kill the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. ⁴⁰ On the one side outside, as one goes up to the entry of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side, which belonged to the porch of the gate, were two tables. ⁴¹ Four tables were on one side, and four tables on the other side, by the side of the gate: eight tables, on which they killed the sacrifices. ⁴² There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, 27 inches long, and 27 inches wide, and eighteen inches high. They laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them. ⁴³ The hooks, a hand width long, were fastened within all around. The flesh of the offering was on the tables.

Rooms for the Priests

⁴⁴ Outside of the inner gate were rooms for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate. They faced toward the south. One at the side of the east gate faced toward the north. ⁴⁵ He said to me, “This room, which faces toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the house. ⁴⁶ The room which faces toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to the Lord to minister to him.”

The Inner Courtyard

⁴⁷ He measured the court, which was square, 150 feet long and 150 feet wide.

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the porch of the house and measured each post of the porch, seven and a half feet on one side, and seven and a half feet on the other side. The width of the gate was four and a half feet on one side and four and a half feet on the other side. ⁴⁹ The length of the porch was 30 feet, and the width sixteen and a half; from the steps by which they went up to it. There were pillars by the posts, one on one side, and another on the other side.

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