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A New House of God

¹ It was the twenty-fifth year since the people of Israel were taken away to a strange land, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, and fourteen years since Jerusalem was taken in battle. On that day the hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me there. ² In a special way God brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain. There were some buildings on its south side that looked like a city. ³ He took me there, and I saw a man who looked like he was made of brass. In his hand was a linen rope and a stick to find how long something is. He was standing at the gate. ⁴ And the man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and think about all I am going to show you. For you have been brought here so that I may show it to you. Tell the people of Israel everything you see."

The East Gate

⁵ I saw a wall all around the outside of the house of the Lord. The stick in the man's hand was six cubits long (with the width of a hand being added to the length of each arm). And with it he showed that the wall was one stick wide and one stick high. ⁶ Then he went up the steps of the east gate, and showed me with his stick that the gateway was one stick wide, and the other gate was also one stick wide. ⁷ The rooms for the watchmen were each one stick long and one stick wide, and they were five cubits apart. And the gateway next to the porch toward the Lord's house was one stick wide. ⁸ Then he showed me with his stick that the porch of the inside gate was one-tenth stick wide. ⁹ The porch of the gate was eight cubits and its side pillars two cubits wide. The porch of the gate was on the inside. ¹⁰ There were three rooms for the watchmen on each side of the east gate. They all had the same length and width. And the pillars on each side were the same in width. ¹¹ Then he showed me that the opening of the gateway was ten cubits wide and thirteen cubits long. ¹² There was a wall one-tenth cubit wide in front of the watchmen's rooms on each side. And the watchmen's rooms were six cubits wide and six cubits long. ¹³ Then he showed me that it was twenty-five cubits from the roof of one room to the roof of the room across from it. ¹⁴ He showed me that it was twenty cubits around the walls inside the gateway, up to the porch facing the open space. ¹⁵ It was fifteen cubits from the front of the outer gate to the front of the porch of the inner gate. ¹⁶ There were narrow windows looking toward the watchmen's rooms and toward their side pillars, all around inside the gate and also in the porches. And pictures of palm trees were cut on each side pillar.

The Outside Open Space

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer open space, and I saw rooms and a stone floor all around it. Thirty rooms were around the stone floor. ¹⁸ The lower stone floor was beside the gates, and was as wide as the gates. ¹⁹ Then he showed me how far it was from the inside of the lower gate to the outside of the inner open space. Both east and north sides were 100 cubits each.

The North Gate

²⁰ He then showed me the length and width of the north gate of the outer open space. ²¹ It had three rooms on each side for the watchmen. Its side pillars and porches were as long and as wide as the first gate. It was as long as fifty cubits, and as wide as twenty-five cubits. ²² Its windows, its porches, and palm tree pictures were the same length and width as those of the east gate. Seven steps led up to it, and its porch was in front of them. ²³ Across from the north gate was another gate leading to the inner open space, just as there was for the east gate. He showed me that it was 100 cubits from gate to gate.

The South Gate

²⁴ Then he led me to the south, and I saw a gate toward the south. He showed me the length and width of its side pillars and its porches, and they were the same as the others. ²⁵ The gate and its porches had windows like the others all around and was as long as fifty cubits and as wide as twenty-five cubits. ²⁶ Seven steps led up to it, and its porches were in front of them. And it had pictures of palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side. ²⁷ The open space had a gate toward the south. He showed me that it was 100 cubits from gate to gate toward the south.

The Inside Open Space

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner open space by the south gate, and showed me that this gate had the same width as the others. ²⁹ Its watchmen's rooms, side pillars and porches were also the same as the others and had windows all around. It was as long as fifty cubits and as wide as twenty-five cubits. ³⁰ (There were porches all around, as long as twenty-five cubits and five cubits wide) ³¹ and its porches were toward the outer open space. Pictures of palm trees were on its side pillars, and leading up to it were eight steps.

³² Then he brought me to the inner open space toward the east. He showed me that it was as wide as the others. ³³ Its watchmen's rooms, side pillars and porches were also the same as the others and, there were windows all around which were as long as fifty cubits and as wide as twenty-five cubits. ³⁴ Its gateway was toward the outer open space. Pictures of palm trees were on its side pillars, on each side. And going up to it were eight steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate, and showed me that it was the same width as the others. ³⁶ Its watchmen's rooms, side pillars and porches were also the same as the others. There were windows all around and it was as long as fifty cubits and as wide as twenty-five cubits. ³⁷ Its side pillars were toward the outer open space. Pictures of palm trees were on its side pillars, on each side. And going up to it were eight steps.

Where the Burnt Gifts Were Made Ready

³⁸ There was a room with its door by the side pillars, where the burnt gifts were washed. ³⁹ And there were two tables on each side of the porch. On these tables the animals were killed for the burnt gifts, the sin gifts, and the guilt gifts. ⁴⁰ On the outer side of the gateway, by the north gate, were two tables. And there were two tables on the other side of the gate. ⁴¹ So there were four tables on each side of the gateway, eight tables in all, where they killed the animals for the altar. ⁴² There were four tables for the burnt gifts. They were made of cut stone, and were one-and-a-half cubits long, one-and-a-half cubits wide, and one cubit high. The objects used for killing the animals for the burnt gifts were kept on these stone tables. ⁴³ Hooks as long as a man's hand hung on the wall all around. The tables were for the meat of the burnt gifts.

⁴⁴ Then he brought me from the outside into the inner open space and there were two rooms for the singers. One was at the side of the north gate which faced the south, and the other was at the side of the south gate which faced the north. ⁴⁵ And he said to me, "This room which faces the south is for the religious leaders who take care of the Lord's house. ⁴⁶ The room which faces the north is for the religious leaders who take care of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may come near the Lord to do His work."

The Inside Open Space and the House of God

⁴⁷ He showed me that the inner open space was as long as 100 cubits and as wide as 100 cubits, the same on all four sides. And the altar was in front of the Lord's house.

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the porch of the Lord's house. He showed me that each side pillar of the porch was five cubits wide. And each side of the gate was three cubits wide. ⁴⁹ The porch was as long as twenty cubits, and six steps wide. Ten steps led up to it, and there was one pillar on each side.