The Lantern

Ezekiel40

The Man with a Measuring Rod

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the head of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck — on that very day the hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me there.

In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel and laid me down on a very high mountain; and on it was like the structure of a city to the south.

And he brought me there, and see: a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, and a cord of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he was standing in the gate.

And the man spoke to me: Son of man, see with your eyes and hear with your ears and set your heart on all that I am showing you, for you were brought here so that it might be shown to you. Tell all that you see to the house of Israel.

The East Gate

And see: a wall on the outside of the house all around. And in the hand of the man a measuring reed of six cubits, by the cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the breadth of the building, one reed, and the height, one reed.

And he came to the gate whose face is the way of the east and went up its steps; and he measured the sill of the gate, one reed in breadth, and the other sill, one reed in breadth.

And the guardroom, one reed in length and one reed in breadth; and between the guardrooms, five cubits; and the sill of the gate beside the porch of the gate, from the house, one reed.

And he measured the porch of the gate, from the house, one reed.

And he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits, and its pilasters, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was from the house.

And the guardrooms of the gate the way of the east: three on this side and three on that side; one measure for the three of them, and one measure for the pilasters on this side and on that.

And he measured the breadth of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

And a border before the guardrooms, one cubit; and one cubit the border on that side. And the guardroom, six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side.

And he measured the gate from the roof of one guardroom to the roof of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits, opening against opening.

And he made the pilasters sixty cubits; and to the pilaster of the court was the gate, all around.

And from the face of the gate of the entrance to the face of the porch of the inner gate, fifty cubits.

And closed windows to the guardrooms and to their pilasters, inward to the gate all around, and so for the porches; and windows all around inward; and on the pilaster, palms.

The Outer Court

And he brought me to the outer court, and see: chambers, and a pavement made for the court all around — thirty chambers on the pavement.

And the pavement was at the shoulder of the gates, alongside the length of the gates: the lower pavement.

And he measured the breadth from before the lower gate to before the inner court, on the outside, a hundred cubits — the east and the north.

The North Gate

And the gate whose face is the way of the north, of the outer court: he measured its length and its breadth.

And its guardrooms, three on this side and three on that side; and its pilasters and its porches were as the measure of the first gate — fifty cubits its length, and a breadth of twenty-five by the cubit.

And its windows and its porches and its palms were as the measure of the gate whose face is the way of the east; and by seven steps they go up to it, and its porches were before them.

And a gate to the inner court was opposite the gate to the north and to the east; and he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits.

The South Gate

And he led me the way of the south, and see: a gate the way of the south; and he measured its pilasters and its porches as these measures.

And windows to it and to its porches all around, like these windows: fifty cubits in length, and a breadth of twenty-five cubits.

And seven steps going up to it, and its porches before them; and palms it had, one on this side and one on that side, on its pilasters.

And a gate to the inner court the way of the south; and he measured from gate to the gate the way of the south, a hundred cubits.

The Gates of the Inner Court

And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate; and he measured the south gate as these measures.

And its guardrooms and its pilasters and its porches were as these measures; and windows to it and to its porches all around: fifty cubits in length, and a breadth of twenty-five cubits.

And porches all around: twenty-five cubits in length, and a breadth of five cubits.

And its porches were toward the outer court, and palms on its pilasters; and eight steps were its stairway.

And he brought me to the inner court the way of the east, and he measured the gate as these measures.

And its guardrooms and its pilasters and its porches were as these measures; and windows to it and to its porches all around: fifty cubits in length, and a breadth of twenty-five cubits.

And its porches were toward the outer court, and palms on its pilasters on this side and on that; and eight steps were its stairway.

And he brought me to the north gate and measured it as these measures —

its guardrooms, its pilasters and its porches, and windows to it all around: fifty cubits in length, and a breadth of twenty-five cubits.

And its pilasters were toward the outer court, and palms on its pilasters on this side and on that; and eight steps were its stairway.

Eight Tables for Sacrifices

And a chamber, and its opening, was at the pilasters of the gates. There they wash the burnt offering.

And in the porch of the gate, two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering.

And at the outer shoulder, as one goes up to the opening of the north gate, two tables; and at the other shoulder, which is at the porch of the gate, two tables.

Four tables on this side and four tables on that side, at the shoulder of the gate — eight tables, on which they slaughter.

And four tables for the burnt offering, of hewn stones: a cubit and a half in length, and a cubit and a half in breadth, and one cubit high; on them they lay the vessels with which they slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

And ledges of one handbreadth were fixed in the house all around; and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

Chambers for Ministry

And outside the inner gate were chambers of singers, in the inner court, which was at the shoulder of the north gate, and their faces the way of the south; one at the shoulder of the east gate, its face the way of the north.

And he spoke to me: This chamber, whose face is the way of the south, is for the priests who keep the charge of the house.

And the chamber whose face is the way of the north is for the priests who keep the charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, those of the sons of Levi who draw near to the LORD to serve him.

The Inner Court

And he measured the court: a hundred cubits in length and a hundred cubits in breadth, square; and the altar was before the house.

And he brought me to the porch of the house and measured the pilaster of the porch, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the breadth of the gate, three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.

The length of the porch, twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and by the steps that they go up to it; and pillars were by the pilasters, one on this side and one on that side.