42 He took me out, by way of the northern gate, into the outer court, and he led me [westward] up to a a-complex of chambers-a that ran parallel to the northern ends of the vacant space and the structure. 2The widthb of its façade—c-its north side, the one from which it was entered-c—was 100 cubits, and its depthb was 50 cubits. 3At right angles to the 20 cubitsd of the inner court and to the pavement of the outer court,e the complex rose ledge by ledgef in three tiers. 4There was an areaway, 10 cubits wide and g-a road of one cubit,-g running along the inner-court side of the chamber complex, but its entrances were on its north side. 5Here its upper chambers were cut back, because ledges took away from them as construc-tion proceeded backward from the bottom ones and then from the middle ones. 6For they were arranged in three tiers, and they had no columns like those of the chambers in the courts.h That is why the rise proceeded by stages: from the ground, from the bottom ones, and from the middle ones. 7In the outer court, a wall 50 cubits long ran parallel to the chamber complex up to the chambers in the outer court;h 8for the chambers in the outer court were themselves 50 cubits deep, thus completing 100 cubits alongside the edifice.i 9Thus, at the foot of that complex of chambers ran a passagej—k-of a width set by the wall in the outer court-k—which one entered from the east in order to gain access to them from the outer court.
10There was another chamber complex to the eastl of the vacant space and the structure, 11likewise with a passage in front—just like the complex on the north side, with which this one agreed in widthb and depthb and in the exact layout of its exits and entrances. 12Accordingly, the entrances to the chamber complex on the south side were approached from the east by the entrance at the head of m-the corresponding passage along the matching wall.-m
13And he said to me, “The northern chambers and the southern cham-bers by the vacant space are the consecrated chambers in which the priests who have access to the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall deposit the most holy offerings—the meal offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings, for the place is consecrated. 14When the priests enter, they shall not proceed from the consecrated place to the outer court without first leaving here the vestments in which they minister; for the [vestments] are consecrated. Before proceeding to the area open to the people,n they shall put on other garments.”
15When he had finished the measurements of the inner Temple [area], he led me out by way of the gate which faces east, and he measured off the entire area. 16He measured the east side with the measuring rod, 500 [cubits]—in rods, by the measuring rod. He turned 17[and] measured the north side: 500 [cubits]—in rods, by the measuring rod. He turned 18[and] measured the south side: 500 [cubits]—in rods, by the measuring rod. 19Then he turned to the west side [and] measured it: 500 cubits—in rods, by the measuring rod. 20Thus he measured it on the four sides; it had a wall completely surrounding it, 500 [cubits] long o-on each side,-o to separate the consecrated from the unconsecrated.
43 Then he led me to a gate, the gate that faced east. 2And there, coming from the east with a roar like the roar of mighty waters, was the Presence of the God of Israel, and the earth was lit up by His Presence. 3The vision was like the vision I had seen when Ia came to destroy the city, the very same vision that I had seen by the Chebar Canal. Forthwith, I fell on my face.
4The Presence of the LORD entered the Temple by the gate that faced eastward. 5A spirit carried me into the inner court, and lo, the Presence of the LORD filled the Temple; 6and I heard speech addressed to me from the Temple, though [the] manb was standing beside me. 7It said to me:
O mortal, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people Israel forever. The House of Israel and their kings must not again defile My holy name by their apostasy and by the corpses of their kings c-at their death.-c 8When they placed their threshold next to My threshold and their doorposts next to My doorposts with only a wall between Me and them,d they would defile My holy name by the abominations that they committed, and I consumed them in My anger. 9Therefore, let them put their apostasy and the corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will dwell among them forever.
10[Now] you, O mortal, describe the Temple to the House of Israel,e and let them measure its design. But let them be ashamed of their iniq-uities: 11When they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the plan of the Temple and its layout, its exits and entrances—its entire plan, and all the laws and instructions pertaining to its entire plan. Write it down before their eyes, that they may faithfully follow its entire plan and all its laws. 12Such are the instructions for the Temple on top of the mountain: the entire area of its enclosure shall be most holy. Thus far the instructions for the Temple.
13fAnd these are the dimensions of the altar, in cubits where each is a cubit and a handbreadth. The trenchg shall be a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim one span high around its edge. And the heighth shall be as follows: 14From the trench in the ground to the lower ledge, which shall be a cubit wide: 2 cubits; from the i-lower ledge to the upper-i ledge, which shall likewise be a cubit wide: 4 cubits; 15and the height of the altar hearth shall be 4 cubits, with 4 horns projecting upward from the hearth: 4 cubits. 16Now the hearth shall be 12 cubits long and 12 broad, square, with 4 equal sides. 17Hence, the [upper] basej shall be 14 cubits broad, with 4 equal sides. The surrounding rim shall be half a cubit [high],k and the surrounding trench shall measure one cubit. And the rampl shall face east.
18Then heb said to me: O mortal, thus said the Lord GOD: These are the directions for the altar on the day it is erected, so that burnt offerings may be offered up on it and blood dashed against it. 19You shall give to the levitical priests who are of the stock of Zadok, and so eligible to minister to Me—declares the Lord GOD—a young bull of the herd for a sin offering. 20You shall take some of its blood and apply it to mthe four horns [of the altar],-m to the four corners of the base, and to the sur-rounding rim; thus you shall purge it and perform purification upon it. 21Then you shall take the bull of sin offering and burn it in the n-desig-nated area-n of the Temple, outside the Sanctuary.
22On the following day, you shall offer a goat without blemish as a sin offering; and the altar shall be purged [with it] just as it was purged with the bull. 23When you have completed the ritual of purging, you shall offer a bull of the herd without blemish and a ram of the flock without blemish. 24Offer them to the LORD; let the priests throw salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD. 25Every day, for seven days, you shall present a goat of sin offering, as well as a bull of the herd and a ram of the flock; youo shall present unblemished ones. 26Seven days they shall purge the altar and cleanse it; p-thus shall it be consecrated.-p
27And when these days are over, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being on the altar; and I will extend My favor to you—declares the Lord GOD.
44 Then he led me back to the outer gate of the Sanctuary that faced eastward; it was shut. 2And the LORD said to me: This gate is to be kept shut and is not to be opened! No one shall enter by it because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut. 3Only the prince may sit in it and eat bread before the Lord, since he is a prince; he shall enter by way of a-the vestibule of the gate,-a and shall depart by the same way.
4Then he led me, by way of the north gate, to the front of the Temple. I looked, and lo! the Presence of the LORD filled the Temple of the LORD; and I fell upon my face. 5Then the LORD said to me: O mortal, mark well, look closely and listen carefully to everything that I tell you regarding all the laws of the Temple of the LORD and all the instructions regarding it. Note well who may enter the Temple and all who must be excluded from the Sanctuary. 6And say to the rebellious House of Israel: Thus said the Lord GOD: Too long, O House of Israel, have you committed all your abominations, 7admitting aliens, uncircumcised of spirit
