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Ezekiel 42-43
New English Translation

Chambers for the Temple

42 Then he led me out to the outer court, toward the north, and brought me to the chamber that was opposite the courtyard and opposite the building on the north. 2 Its length was 175 feet[a] on the north side,[b] and its width 87½ feet.[c] 3 Opposite the 35 feet[d] that belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court, gallery faced gallery in the three stories. 4 In front of the chambers was a walkway on the inner side, 17½ feet[e] wide at a distance of 1¾ feet,[f] and their entrances were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more space[g] from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 6 For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore, the upper chambers[h] were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle ones. 7 As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, it was 87½ feet[i] long. 8 For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet[j] long, while those facing the temple were 175 feet[k] long. 9 Below these chambers was a passage on the east side as one enters from the outer court.

10 At the beginning[l] of the wall of the court toward the south,[m] facing the courtyard and the building, were chambers 11 like those on the north with a passage in front of them. The chambers that were toward the south were the same length and width as those on the north, and had matching exits and entrances and arrangements. 12 There was an opening at the head of the passage, the passage in front of the corresponding wall toward the east when one enters.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers that face the courtyard are holy chambers where the priests[n] who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, because the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter, then they will not go out from the sanctuary to the outer court without taking off their garments in which they minister, for these are holy; they will put on other garments, then they will go near the places where the people are.”

15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple, he led me out by the gate that faces east and measured all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring stick[o] as 875 feet[p] by the measuring stick. 17 He measured the north side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 18 He measured the south side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 19 He turned to the west side and measured 875 feet by the measuring stick. 20 He measured it on all four sides. It had a wall around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to separate the holy and common places.

The Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then he brought me to the gate that faced toward the east. 2 I saw[q] the glory of the God of Israel[r] coming from the east;[s] the sound was like that of rushing water,[t] and the earth radiated[u] his glory. 3 It was like the vision I saw when he[v] came to destroy the city, and the vision I saw by the Kebar River. I threw myself face down. 4 The glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate that faces east. 5 Then a wind[w] lifted me up and brought me to the inner court; I watched[x] the glory of the Lord filling the temple.[y]

6 I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man was standing beside me. 7 He said to me: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne[z] and the place for the soles of my feet,[aa] where I will live among the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their spiritual prostitution or by the pillars of their kings set up when they die.[ab] 8 When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger. 9 Now they must put away their spiritual prostitution and the pillars of their kings far from me, and then I will live among them forever.

10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern. 11 When they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its pattern, its exits and entrances, and its whole design—all its statutes, its entire design, and all its laws; write it all down in their sight, so that they may observe its entire design and all its statutes and do them.

12 “This is the law of the temple: The entire area on top of the mountain all around will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

13 “And these are the measurements of the altar:[ac] Its base[ad] is 1¾ feet[ae] high[af] and 1¾ feet[ag] wide, and its border nine inches[ah] on its edge. This is to be the height[ai] of the altar. 14 From the base of the ground to the lower ledge is 3½ feet,[aj] and the width 1¾ feet;[ak] and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, 7 feet,[al] and the width 1¾ feet; 15 and the altar hearth, 7 feet, and from the altar hearth four horns projecting upward. 16 Now the altar hearth[am] is a perfect square, 21 feet[an] long and 21 feet wide. 17 The ledge is 24½ feet[ao] long and 24½ feet wide on four sides; the border around it is 10½ inches,[ap] and its surrounding base 1¾ feet.[aq] Its steps face east.”

18 Then he said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These are the statutes of the altar: On the day it is built to offer up burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it,[ar] 19 you will give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are descended from Zadok, who approach me to minister to me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You will take some of its blood and place it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around; you will purify it and make atonement for it.[as] 21 You will also take the bull for the sin offering, and it will be burned in the appointed place in the temple, outside the sanctuary.

22 “On the second day, you will offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they purified it with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you will offer an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock. 24 You will present them before the Lord, and the priests will scatter salt on them[at] and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days you will provide every day a goat for a sin offering; a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, will be provided. 26 For seven days they will make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, so they will consecrate it.[au] 27 When the prescribed period is over,[av] on the eighth day and thereafter the priests will offer up on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings;[aw] I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  2. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “the door of the north.”
  3. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  4. Ezekiel 42:3 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  5. Ezekiel 42:4 tn Heb “10 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
  6. Ezekiel 42:4 tc Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm). The LXX and the Syriac read: “100 cubits” (= 175 feet or about 53m).
  7. Ezekiel 42:5 tn The verb יוֹכְלוּ (yokhelu) “took space” is listed by BDB 37 as אָכַל (’akhal, “eat, consume”), though it prefers to emend the text. HALOT also lists this verb as אכל (1:46) while also listing it under יכל,“prevail” (2:410-11). If אָכַל is correct, then the א (’alef) has dropped out. See the note at Ezek 21:28. BHS refers to a few medieval manuscripts and a Qumran manuscript including the א, יֹאכְלוּ instead of יוֹכְלוּ; both are pronounced the same.
  8. Ezekiel 42:6 tn The phrase “upper chambers” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
  9. Ezekiel 42:7 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  10. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  11. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  12. Ezekiel 42:10 tc The reading is supported by the LXX.
  13. Ezekiel 42:10 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads: “east.”
  14. Ezekiel 42:13 sn The priests are from the Zadokite family (Ezek 40:6; 44:15).
  15. Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “reed” (also in the following verses).
  16. Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “500 cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters).
  17. Ezekiel 43:2 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  18. Ezekiel 43:2 sn This same title appears in 8:4; 9:3; 10:19; 11:22.
  19. Ezekiel 43:2 sn Earlier Ezekiel had observed God leaving the temple to the east (11:23).
  20. Ezekiel 43:2 sn See Ezek 1:24; Rev 1:15; 14:2; 19:6.
  21. Ezekiel 43:2 tn Heb “shone from.”
  22. Ezekiel 43:3 tc Heb “I.” The reading is due to the confusion of yod (י, indicating a first person pronoun) and vav (ו, indicating a third person pronoun). A few medieval Hebrew mss, Theodotion’s Greek version, and the Latin Vulgate support a third person pronoun here.
  23. Ezekiel 43:5 tn See note on “wind” in 2:2.
  24. Ezekiel 43:5 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  25. Ezekiel 43:5 sn In 1 Kgs 8:10-11 we find a similar event with regard to Solomon’s temple. See also Exod 40:34-35 and Isa 6:4.
  26. Ezekiel 43:7 sn God’s throne is mentioned in Isa 6:1 and Jer 3:17.
  27. Ezekiel 43:7 sn See 1 Chr 28:2; Pss 99:5; 132:7; Isa 60:13; Lam 2:1.
  28. Ezekiel 43:7 tn Heb “by their corpses in their death.” But the term normally translated “corpses” is better understood here as a reference to funeral pillars or funerary offerings. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:583-85, and L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:257.
  29. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “the measurements of the altar by cubits, the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth.” The measuring units here and in the remainder of this section are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard feet and inches, with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes. On the altar see Ezek 40:47.
  30. Ezekiel 43:13 tn The Hebrew term normally means “bosom.” Here it refers to a hollow in the ground.
  31. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  32. Ezekiel 43:13 tn The word “high” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  33. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  34. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one span.” A span was three handbreadths, or about nine inches (i.e., 22.5 cm).
  35. Ezekiel 43:13 tc Heb “bulge, protuberance, mound.” The translation follows the LXX.
  36. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “2 cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
  37. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm; the phrase occurs again later in this verse).
  38. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “4 cubits” (i.e., 2.1 meters; the phrase also occurs in the next verse).
  39. Ezekiel 43:16 tn The precise Hebrew word used here to refer to an “altar hearth” occurs only here in the OT.
  40. Ezekiel 43:16 tn Heb “12 cubits” (i.e., 6.3 meters; the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
  41. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “fourteen”; the word “cubits” is not in the Hebrew text but is understood from the context; the phrase occurs again later in this verse. Fourteen cubits is about 7.35 meters.
  42. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “half a cubit” (i.e., 26.25 cm).
  43. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  44. Ezekiel 43:18 sn For the “sprinkling of blood,” see Lev 1:5, 11; 8:19; 9:12.
  45. Ezekiel 43:20 sn Note the similar language in Lev 16:18.
  46. Ezekiel 43:24 sn It is likely that salt was used with sacrificial meals (Num 18:19; 2 Chr 13:5).
  47. Ezekiel 43:26 tn Heb “fill its hands.”
  48. Ezekiel 43:27 tn Heb “and they will complete the days.”
  49. Ezekiel 43:27 sn The people also could partake of the food of the peace offering (Lev 3).
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Ezekiel 42-43
New International Version

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms(A) opposite the temple courtyard(B) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.(C) 2 The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.[a] 3 Both in the section twenty cubits[b] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery(D) faced gallery at the three levels.(E) 4 In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits[c] long.[d] Their doors were on the north.(F) 5 Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. 6 The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. 7 There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. 8 While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. 9 The lower rooms had an entrance(G) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

10 On the south side[e] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard(H) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms(I) 11 with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north 12 were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

13 Then he said to me, “The north(J) and south rooms(K) facing the temple courtyard(L) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,(M) the sin offerings[f](N) and the guilt offerings(O)—for the place is holy.(P) 14 Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments(Q) in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.(R)”

15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate(S) and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.[g][h] 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits[i] by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured(T) the area(U) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,(V) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,(W) to separate the holy from the common.(X)

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,(Y) 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters,(Z) and the land was radiant with his glory.(AA) 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he[j] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory(AB) of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.(AC) 5 Then the Spirit(AD) lifted me up(AE) and brought me into the inner court, and the glory(AF) of the Lord filled the temple.(AG)

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne(AH) and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile(AI) my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings[k] for their kings at their death.[l](AJ) 8 When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.(AK)

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed(AL) of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations[m] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.(AM)

12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area(AN) on top of the mountain will be most holy.(AO) Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

13 “These are the measurements of the altar(AP) in long cubits,[n] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span[o] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.[p] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.[q] 15 Above that, the altar hearth(AQ) is four cubits high, and four horns(AR) project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits[r] long and twelve cubits wide.(AS) 17 The upper ledge(AT) also is square, fourteen cubits[s] long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.[t] The steps(AU) of the altar face east.(AV)”

18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings(AW) and splashing blood(AX) against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull(AY) as a sin offering[u] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok,(AZ) who come near(BA) to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar(BB) and on the four corners of the upper ledge(BC) and all around the rim, and so purify the altar(BD) and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.(BE)

22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(BF) 24 You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt(BG) on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days(BH) you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.(BI) 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day(BJ) on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings(BK) and fellowship offerings(BL) on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 42:2 That is, about 175 feet long and 88 feet wide or about 53 meters long and 27 meters wide
  2. Ezekiel 42:3 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  3. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew and one cubit
  4. Ezekiel 42:4 That is, about 18 feet wide and 175 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 53 meters long
  5. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew Eastward
  6. Ezekiel 42:13 Or purification offerings
  7. Ezekiel 42:16 See Septuagint of verse 17; Hebrew rods; also in verses 18 and 19.
  8. Ezekiel 42:16 Five hundred cubits equal about 875 feet or about 265 meters; also in verses 17, 18 and 19.
  9. Ezekiel 42:17 Septuagint; Hebrew rods
  10. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts I
  11. Ezekiel 43:7 Or the memorial monuments; also in verse 9
  12. Ezekiel 43:7 Or their high places
  13. Ezekiel 43:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts regulations and its whole design
  14. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters; also in verses 14 and 17. The long cubit is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.
  15. Ezekiel 43:13 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  16. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 3 1/2 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 105 centimeters high and 53 centimeters wide
  17. Ezekiel 43:14 That is, about 7 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 2.1 meters high and 53 centimeters wide
  18. Ezekiel 43:16 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters
  19. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters
  20. Ezekiel 43:17 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters
  21. Ezekiel 43:19 Or purification offering; also in verses 21, 22 and 25
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