Measuring the Temple Complex 40 1In the twenty–fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year on the tenth of the month—it was the fourteenth year after the city fell—God touched me and brought me here. 2He brought me in divine vision to the land of Israel and set me down on a high mountain. To the south there were buildings that looked like a city. 3He took me there and I met a man deeply tanned, like bronze. He stood at the entrance holding a linen cord and a measuring stick. 4The man said to me, “Son of man, look and listen carefully. Pay close attention to everything I’m going to show you. That’s why you’ve been brought here. And then tell Israel everything you see.” 5First I saw a wall around the outside of the Temple complex. The measuring stick in the man’s hand was about ten feet long. He measured the thickness of the wall: about ten feet. The height was also about ten feet. 6He went into the gate complex that faced the east and went up the seven steps. 7He measured the depth of the outside threshold of the gate complex: ten feet. There were alcoves flanking the gate corridor, each ten feet square, each separated by a wall seven and a half feet thick. The inside threshold of the gate complex that led to the porch facing into the Temple courtyard was ten feet deep. 8He measured the inside porch of the gate complex: 9twelve feet deep, flanked by pillars three feet thick. The porch opened onto the Temple courtyard. 10Inside this east gate complex were three alcoves on each side. Each room was the same size and the separating walls were identical. 11He measured the outside entrance to the gate complex: fifteen feet wide and nineteen and a half feet deep. 12In front of each alcove was a low wall eighteen inches high. The alcoves were ten feet square. 13He measured the width of the gate complex from the outside edge of the alcove roof on one side to the outside edge of the alcove roof on the other: thirty–seven and a half feet from one top edge to the other. 14He measured the inside walls of the gate complex: ninety feet to the porch leading into the courtyard. 15The distance from the entrance of the gate complex to the far end of the porch was seventy–five feet. 16The alcoves and their connecting walls inside the gate complex were topped by narrow windows all the way around. The porch also. All the windows faced inward. The doorjambs between the alcoves were decorated with palm trees. 17The man then led me to the outside courtyard and all its rooms. A paved walkway had been built connecting the courtyard gates. Thirty rooms lined the courtyard. 18The walkway was the same length as the gateways. It flanked them and ran their entire length. This was the walkway for the outside courtyard. 19He measured the distance from the front of the entrance gateway across to the entrance of the inner court: one hundred fifty feet. Then he took me to the north side. 20Here was another gate complex facing north, exiting the outside courtyard. He measured its length and width. 21It had three alcoves on each side. Its gateposts and porch were the same as in the first gate: eighty–seven and a half feet by forty–three and three–quarters feet. 22The windows and palm trees were identical to the east gateway. Seven steps led up to it, and its porch faced inward. 23Opposite this gate complex was a gate complex to the inside courtyard, on the north as on the east. The distance between the two was one hundred seventy–five feet. 24Then he took me to the south side, to the south gate complex. He measured its gateposts and its porch. It was the same size as the others. 25The porch with its windows was the same size as those previously mentioned. 26It also had seven steps up to it. Its porch opened onto the outside courtyard, with palm trees decorating its gateposts on both sides. 27Opposite to it, the gate complex for the inner court faced south. He measured the distance across the courtyard from gate to gate: one hundred seventy–five feet. 28He led me into the inside courtyard through the south gate complex. He measured it and found it the same as the outside ones. 29Its alcoves, connecting walls, and vestibule were the same. The gate complex and porch, windowed all around, measured eighty–seven and a half by forty–three and three–quarters feet. 30The vestibule of each of the gate complexes leading to the inside courtyard was forty–three and three–quarters by eight and three–quarters feet. 31Each vestibule faced the outside courtyard. Palm trees were carved on its doorposts. Eight steps led up to it. 32He then took me to the inside courtyard on the east and measured the gate complex. It was identical to the others—33alcoves, connecting walls, and vestibule all the same. The gate complex and vestibule had windows all around. It measured eighty–seven and a half by forty–three and three–quarters feet. 34Its porch faced the outside courtyard. There were palm trees on the doorposts on both sides. And it had eight steps. 35He brought me to the gate complex to the north and measured it: same measurements. 36The alcoves, connecting walls, and vestibule with its windows: eighty–seven and a half by forty–three and three–quarters feet. 37Its porch faced the outside courtyard. There were palm trees on its doorposts on both sides. And it had eight steps. 38There was a room with a door at the vestibule of the gate complex where the burnt offerings were cleaned. 39Two tables were placed within the vestibule, one on either side, on which the animals for burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were slaughtered.40Two tables were also placed against both outside walls of the vestibule41—four tables inside and four tables outside, eight tables in all for slaughtering the sacrificial animals. 42The four tables used for the burnt offerings were thirty–one and a half inches square and twenty–one inches high. The tools for slaughtering the sacrificial animals and other sacrifices were kept there. 43Meat hooks, three inches long, were fastened to the walls. The tables were for the sacrificial animals. 44Right where the inside gate complex opened onto the inside courtyard there were two rooms, one at the north gate facing south and the one at the south gate facing north. 45The man told me, “The room facing south is for the priests who are in charge of the Temple. 46And the room facing north is for the priests who are in charge of the altar. These priests are the sons of Zadok, the only sons of Levi permitted to come near to God to serve him.” 47He measured the inside courtyard: a hundred seventy–five feet square. The altar was in front of the Temple. 48He led me to the porch of the Temple and measured the gateposts of the porch: eight and three–quarters feet high on both sides. 49The entrance to the gate complex was twenty–one feet wide and its connecting walls were four and a half feet thick. The vestibule itself was thirty–five feet wide and twenty–one feet deep. Ten steps led up to the porch. Columns flanked the gateposts.
The Message® / © 2002 Eugene H. Peterson About