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the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city had fallen—on that very day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me there. 2 In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain, which on the south side had a structure that looked like a city. 3 He brought me over to it, and I saw a man there whose appearance was like bronze. He had a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. 4 The man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show this to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel.”
5 Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the thickness of the wall, and it was one measuring rod thick, and one rod high.
6 Then he went to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep—the first threshold was one rod deep. 7 Each recess was one rod long and one rod deep, and there was a of five cubits between the recesses; and the threshold of the gate next to the gate’s portico facing the temple was one rod deep.
8 Then he measured the inner portico of the gateway facing the temple, it was one rod deep. 9 Then he measured the portico of the gateway, and it was eight cubits deep, and its pilasters were two cubits thick. The portico of the gate was at the inner end.
10 There were three recesses on either side of the east gate; each of the three had the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side had the same measurements. 11 Then he measured the width of the entrance to the gateway; it was ten cubits, and the length of the gate itself was thirteen cubits. 12 There was a barrier in front of the recesses, one cubit high on either side, and the recesses on either side were six cubits deep. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the top of the rear wall of one recess to the top of the opposite one, and the distance was twenty-five cubits, from wall to wall. 14 He measured along the walls of the vestibule all the way around the inside of the gateway—sixty cubits. The measurement was for the gate extending around to the portico facing the courtyard. 15 The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. 16 The recesses and their pilasters had bevelled windows all around the inside of the gateway, and the interiors of the vestibules. Each of the pilasters was decorated with palm trees.
17 Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers, with a pavement laid out all around the court; thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 The pavement flanked the gates and corresponded to the lengths of the gates; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits toward the east side and the north.
20 Then he measured the gate of the outer court facing north, both its length and width. 21 Its three recesses on each side, its pilasters, and its vestibules had the same measurements as the first gate; it was fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 22 Its windows, its vestibule, and its decorations of palm trees had the same measurements of the gate that faced east. Seven steps on a stairway lead up to the gate, and its portico was ahead of them. 23 There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was a hundred cubits.
24 Then he brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate facing south. When he measured its pilasters and its portico, they had the same measurements as the others. 25 The gateway and its portico had windows all around, like the windows of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 26 Seven steps led up to it on a stairway, and its portico was ahead of them. It had palm tree decorations on its pilasters, one on either side. 27 The inner court also had a gate facing south. He measured from gate to gate on the south side; it was a hundred cubits.
28 Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate. He measured the south gate, and it had the same measurements as the others. 29 Its recesses, pilasters, and its portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30 There were porticos all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. 31 Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees, and eight steps led up to it on a stairway.
32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others. 33 Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it on a stairway.
35 Then he brought me to the north gate. When he measured it, it had the same measurements as the others, 36 as did its recesses, pilasters, and its portico; and it had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37 Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees on both sides; eight steps led up to it on a stairway.
38 There was a chamber with a doorway that opened into the portico of the gate, where the burnt offerings were to be washed. 39 Inside the portico of the gate there were two tables on either side, on which the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering were to be slaughtered. 40 By the outside wall of the portico of the gateway, as one goes up to the entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side, and there were two tables on the other side of the gateway’s vestibule. 41 So there were four tables on one side of the gateway and four on the other—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered. 42 There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offerings, one and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one cubit high. On these tables were laid out the instruments used for slaughtering the burnt offerings and other sacrifices. 43 There were hooks, each a handbreadth wide, attached all around the inside; and the flesh of the offerings was to be laid on the tables.
44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers: one beside the north gate, facing south, and one beside the south gate, facing north. 45 Then the man said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple. 46 The chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone from the sons of Levi may come near to the Lord to minister to Him.”
47 Then he measured the court. It was square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. The altar was in front of the temple.
48 Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the pilasters of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the gateway was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate were three cubits wide on either side. 49 The portico was twenty cubits wide and twelve cubits deep, and ten steps led up to it on a stairway. There were pillars by the pilasters, one on each side.