Book | Chapter | Verse | Text |
Ezekiel |
40 |
1 |
On April 28, during the twenty-fifth year of our captivity--fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem--the LORD took hold of me. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
2 |
In a vision of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see what appeared to be a city across from me toward the south. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
3 |
As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a measuring tape and a measuring rod. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
4 |
He said to me, "Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen." |
Ezekiel |
40 |
5 |
I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man took a measuring rod that was 10 1/2 feet long and measured the wall, and the wall was 10 1/2 feet thick and 10 1/2 feet high. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
6 |
Then he went over to the gateway that goes through the eastern wall. He climbed the steps and measured the threshold of the gateway; it was 10 1/2 feet deep. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
7 |
There were guard alcoves on each side built into the gateway passage. Each of these alcoves was 10 1/2 feet square, with a distance between them of 8 3/4 feet along the passage wall. The gateway's inner threshold, which led to the foyer at the inner end of the gateway passage, was 10 1/2 feet deep. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
8 |
He also measured the foyer of the gateway |
Ezekiel |
40 |
9 |
and found it to be 14 feet deep, with supporting columns 3 1/2 feet thick. This foyer was at the inner end of the gateway structure, facing toward the Temple. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
10 |
There were three guard alcoves on each side of the gateway passage. Each had the same measurements, and the dividing walls separating them were also identical. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
11 |
The man measured the gateway entrance, which was 17 1/2 feet wide at the opening and 22 3/4 feet wide in the gateway passage. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
12 |
In front of each of the guard alcoves was a 21-inch curb. The alcoves themselves were 10 1/2 feet square. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
13 |
Then he measured the entire width of the gateway, measuring the distance between the back walls of facing guard alcoves; this distance was 43 3/4 feet. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
14 |
He measured the dividing walls all along the inside of the gateway up to the gateway's foyer; this distance was 105 feet. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
15 |
The full length of the gateway passage was 87 1/2 feet from one end to the other. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
16 |
There were recessed windows that narrowed inward through the walls of the guard alcoves and their dividing walls. There were also windows in the foyer structure. The surfaces of the dividing walls were decorated with carved palm trees. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
17 |
Then the man brought me through the gateway into the outer courtyard of the Temple. A stone pavement ran along the walls of the courtyard, and thirty rooms were built against the walls, opening onto the pavement. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
18 |
This pavement flanked the gates and extended out from the walls into the courtyard the same distance as the gateway entrance. This was the lower pavement. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
19 |
Then the man measured across the Temple's outer courtyard between the outer and inner gateways; the distance was 175 feet. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
20 |
There was a gateway on the north just like the one on the east, and the man measured it. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
21 |
Here, too, there were three guard alcoves on each side, with dividing walls and a foyer. All the measurements matched those of the east gateway. The gateway passage was 87 1/2 feet long and 43 3/4 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
22 |
The windows, the foyer, and the palm tree decorations were identical to those in the east gateway. There were seven steps leading up to the gateway entrance, and the foyer was at the inner end of the gateway passage. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
23 |
Here on the north side, just as on the east, there was another gateway leading to the Temple's inner courtyard directly opposite this outer gateway. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
24 |
Then the man took me around to the south gateway and measured its various parts, and he found they were exactly the same as in the others. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
25 |
It had windows along the walls as the others did, and there was a foyer where the gateway passage opened into the outer courtyard. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 1/2 feet long and 43 3/4 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
26 |
This gateway also had a stairway of seven steps leading up to it, and there were palm tree decorations along the dividing walls. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
27 |
And here again, directly opposite the outer gateway, was another gateway that led into the inner courtyard. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
28 |
Then the man took me to the south gateway leading into the inner courtyard. He measured it and found that it had the same measurements as the other gateways. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
29 |
Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and foyer were the same size as those in the others. It also had windows along its walls and in the foyer structure. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 1/2 feet long and 43 3/4 feet wide. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
30 |
(The foyers of the gateways leading into the inner courtyard were 8 3/4 feet deep and 43 3/4 feet wide.) |
Ezekiel |
40 |
31 |
The foyer of the south gateway faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
32 |
Then he took me to the east gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it and found that it had the same measurements as the other gateways. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
33 |
Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and foyer were the same size as those of the others, and there were windows along the walls and in the foyer structure. The gateway passage measured 87 1/2 feet long and 43 3/4 feet wide. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
34 |
Its foyer faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
35 |
Then he took me around to the north gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it and found that it had the same measurements as the other gateways. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
36 |
The guard alcoves, dividing walls, and foyer of this gateway had the same measurements as in the others and the same window arrangements. The gateway passage measured 87 1/2 feet long and 43 3/4 feet wide. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
37 |
Its foyer faced into the outer courtyard, and it had palm tree decorations on the columns. There were eight steps leading to its entrance. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
38 |
A door led from the foyer of the inner gateway on the north side into a side room where the meat for sacrifices was washed before being taken to the altar. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
39 |
On each side of this foyer were two tables, where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered for the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
40 |
Outside the foyer, on each side of the stairs going up to the north entrance, there were two more tables. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
41 |
So there were eight tables in all, four inside and four outside, where the sacrifices were cut up and prepared. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
42 |
There were also four tables of hewn stone for preparation of the burnt offerings, each 31 1/2 inches square and 21 inches high. On these tables were placed the butchering knives and other implements and the sacrificial animals. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
43 |
There were hooks, each three inches long, fastened to the foyer walls and set on the tables where the sacrificial meat was to be laid. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
44 |
Inside the inner courtyard there were two one-room buildings for the singers, one beside the north gateway, facing south, and the other beside the south gateway, facing north. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
45 |
And the man said to me, "The building beside the north inner gate is for the priests who supervise the Temple maintenance. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
46 |
The building beside the south inner gate is for the priests in charge of the altar--the descendants of Zadok--for they alone of all the Levites may approach the LORD to minister to him." |
Ezekiel |
40 |
47 |
Then the man measured the inner courtyard and found it to be 175 feet square. The altar stood there in the courtyard in front of the Temple. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
48 |
Then he brought me to the foyer of the Temple. He measured its supporting columns and found them to be 8 3/4 feet square. The entrance was 24 1/2 feet wide with walls 5 1/4 feet thick. |
Ezekiel |
40 |
49 |
The depth of the foyer was 35 feet and the width was 19 1/4 feet. There were ten steps leading up to it, with a column on each side. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
1 |
After that, the man brought me into the Holy Place, the large main room of the Temple, and he measured the columns that framed its doorway. They were 10 1/2 feet square. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
2 |
The entrance was 17 1/2 feet wide, and the walls on each side were 8 3/4 feet wide. The Holy Place itself was 70 feet long and 35 feet wide. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
3 |
Then he went into the inner room at the end of the Holy Place. He measured the columns at the entrance and found them to be 3 1/2 feet thick. The entrance was 10 1/2 feet wide, and the walls on each side of the entrance extended 12 1/4 feet to the corners of the inner room. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
4 |
The inner room was 35 feet square. "This," he told me, "is the Most Holy Place." |
Ezekiel |
41 |
5 |
Then he measured the wall of the Temple and found that it was 10 1/2 feet thick. There was a row of rooms along the outside wall; each room was 7 feet wide. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
6 |
These rooms were built in three levels, one above the other, with thirty rooms on each level. The supports for these rooms rested on ledges in the Temple wall, but the supports did not extend into the wall. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
7 |
Each level was wider than the one below it, corresponding to the narrowing of the Temple wall as it rose higher. A stairway led up from the bottom level through the middle level to the top level. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
8 |
I noticed that the Temple was built on a terrace, which provided a foundation for the side rooms. This terrace was 10 1/2 feet high. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
9 |
The outer wall of the Temple's side rooms was 8 3/4 feet thick. This left an open area between these side rooms |
Ezekiel |
41 |
10 |
and the row of rooms along the outer wall of the inner courtyard. This open area measured 35 feet in width, and it went all the way around the Temple. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
11 |
Two doors opened from the side rooms into the terrace yard, which was 8 3/4 feet wide. One door faced north and the other south. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
12 |
A large building stood on the west, facing the Temple courtyard. It was 122 1/2 feet wide and 157 1/2 feet long, and its walls were 8 3/4 feet thick. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
13 |
Then the man measured the Temple, and he found it to be 175 feet long. The courtyard around the building, including its walls, was an additional 175 feet in length. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
14 |
The inner courtyard to the east of the Temple was also 175 feet wide. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
15 |
The building to the west, including its two walls, was also 175 feet wide. The Holy Place, the Most Holy Place, and the foyer of the Temple were all paneled with wood, |
Ezekiel |
41 |
16 |
as were the frames of the recessed windows. The inner walls of the Temple were paneled with wood above and below the windows. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
17 |
The space above the door leading into the Most Holy Place was also paneled. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
18 |
All the walls were decorated with carvings of cherubim, each with two faces, and there was a palm tree carving between each of the cherubim. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
19 |
One face--that of a man--looked toward the palm tree on one side. The other face--that of a young lion--looked toward the palm tree on the other side. The figures were carved all along the inside of the Temple, |
Ezekiel |
41 |
20 |
from the floor to the top of the walls, including the outer wall of the Holy Place. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
21 |
There were square columns at the entrance to the Holy Place, and the ones at the entrance of the Most Holy Place were similar. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
22 |
There was an altar made of wood, 3 1/2 feet square and 5 1/4 feet high. Its corners, base, and sides were all made of wood. "This," the man told me, "is the table that stands in the LORD's presence." |
Ezekiel |
41 |
23 |
Both the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place had double doorways, |
Ezekiel |
41 |
24 |
each with two swinging doors. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
25 |
The doors leading into the Holy Place were decorated with carved cherubim and palm trees just as on the walls. And there was a wooden canopy over the front of the Temple's foyer. |
Ezekiel |
41 |
26 |
On both sides of the foyer there were recessed windows decorated with carved palm trees. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
1 |
Then the man led me out of the Temple courtyard by way of the north gateway. We entered the outer courtyard and came to a group of rooms against the north wall of the inner courtyard. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
2 |
This group of structures, whose entrance opened toward the north, was 175 feet long and 87 1/2 feet wide. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
3 |
One block of rooms overlooked the 35-foot width of the inner courtyard. Another block of rooms looked out onto the pavement of the outer courtyard. The two blocks were built three levels high and stood across from each other. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
4 |
Between the two blocks of rooms ran a walkway 17 1/2 feet wide. It extended the entire 175 feet of the complex, and all the doors faced toward the north. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
5 |
Each of the two upper levels of rooms was narrower than the one beneath it because the upper levels had to allow space for walkways in front of them. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
6 |
Since there were three levels and they did not have supporting columns as in the courtyards, each of the upper levels was set back from the level beneath it. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
7 |
There was an outer wall that separated the rooms from the outer courtyard; it was 87 1/2 feet long. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
8 |
This wall added length to the outer block of rooms, which extended for only 87 1/2 feet, while the inner block--the rooms toward the Temple--extended for 175 feet. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
9 |
There was an entrance from the outer courtyard to these rooms from the east. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
10 |
On the south side of the Temple there were two blocks of rooms just south of the inner courtyard between the Temple and the outer courtyard. These rooms were arranged just like the rooms on the north. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
11 |
There was a walkway between the two blocks of rooms just like the complex on the north side of the Temple. This complex of rooms was the same length and width as the other one, and it had the same entrances and doors. The dimensions of each were identical. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
12 |
So there was an entrance in the wall facing the doors of the inner block of rooms, and another on the east at the end of the interior walkway. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
13 |
Then the man told me, "These rooms that overlook the Temple from the north and south are holy. It is there that the priests who offer sacrifices to the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. And they will use these rooms to store the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings because these rooms are holy. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
14 |
When the priests leave the Holy Place, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard. They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering because these clothes are holy. They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building complex open to the public." |
Ezekiel |
42 |
15 |
When the man had finished taking these measurements, he led me out through the east gateway to measure the entire Temple area. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
16 |
He measured the east side; it was 875 feet long. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
17 |
He also measured the north side and got the same measurement. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
18 |
The south side was the same length, |
Ezekiel |
42 |
19 |
and so was the west side. |
Ezekiel |
42 |
20 |
So the area was 875 feet on each side with a wall all around it to separate the holy places from the common. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
1 |
After this, the man brought me back around to the east gateway. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
2 |
Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
3 |
This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River and then when he came to destroy Jerusalem. And I fell down before him with my face in the dust. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
4 |
And the glory of the LORD came into the Temple through the east gateway. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
5 |
Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the LORD filled the Temple. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
6 |
And I heard someone speaking to me from within the Temple. (The man who had been measuring was still standing beside me.) |
Ezekiel |
43 |
7 |
And the LORD said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will remain here forever, living among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by raising monuments in honor of their dead kings. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
8 |
They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such wickedness, so I consumed them in my anger. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
9 |
Now let them put away their idols and the sacred pillars erected to honor their kings, and I will live among them forever. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
10 |
"Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you. Tell them its appearance and its plan so they will be ashamed of all their sins. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
11 |
And if they are ashamed of what they have done, describe to them all the specifications of its construction--including its entrances and doors--and everything else about it. Write down all these specifications and directions as they watch so they will be sure to remember them. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
12 |
And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the hill where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the primary law of the Temple. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
13 |
"These are the measurements of the altar: There is a gutter all around the altar 21 inches wide and 21 inches deep, with a curb 9 inches wide around its edge. And this is the height of the altar: |
Ezekiel |
43 |
14 |
From the gutter the altar rises 3 1/2 feet to a ledge that surrounds the altar; this lower ledge is 21 inches wide. From the lower ledge the altar rises 7 feet to the upper ledge; this upper ledge is also 21 inches wide. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
15 |
The top of the altar, the hearth, rises still 7 feet higher, with a horn rising up from each of the four corners. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
16 |
The top of the altar is square, measuring 21 feet by 21 feet. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
17 |
The upper ledge also forms a square, measuring 24 1/2 feet on each side, with a 21-inch gutter and a 10 1/2-inch curb all around the edge. There are steps going up the east side of the altar." |
Ezekiel |
43 |
18 |
Then he said to me, "Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: These will be the regulations for the burning of offerings and the sprinkling of blood when the altar is built. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
19 |
At that time, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who minister before me, are to be given a young bull for a sin offering, says the Sovereign LORD. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
20 |
You will take some of its blood and smear it on the four horns of the altar, the four corners of the upper ledge, and the curb that runs around that ledge. This will cleanse and make atonement for the altar. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
21 |
Then take the young bull for the sin offering and burn it at the appointed place outside the Temple area. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
22 |
"On the second day, sacrifice as a sin offering a young male goat that has no physical defects. Then cleanse and make atonement for the altar again, just as you did with the young bull. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
23 |
When you have finished the cleansing ceremony, offer another young bull that has no defects and a perfect ram from the flock. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
24 |
You are to present them to the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the LORD. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
25 |
"Every day for seven days a male goat, a young bull, and a ram from the flock will be sacrificed as a sin offering. None of these animals may have physical defects of any kind. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
26 |
Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make atonement for the altar, thus setting it apart for holy use. |
Ezekiel |
43 |
27 |
On the eighth day, and on each day afterward, the priests will sacrifice on the altar the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the people. Then I will accept you, says the Sovereign LORD." |
Ezekiel |
44 |
1 |
Then the man brought me back to the east gateway in the outer wall, but it was closed. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
2 |
And the LORD said to me, "This gate must remain closed; it will never again be opened. No man will ever pass through it, for the LORD, the God of Israel, entered here. Thus, it must always remain shut. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
3 |
Only the prince himself may sit inside this gateway to feast in the LORD's presence. But he may come and go only through the gateway's foyer." |
Ezekiel |
44 |
4 |
Then the man brought me through the north gateway to the front of the Temple. I looked and saw that the glory of the LORD filled the Temple of the LORD, and I fell to the ground with my face in the dust. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
5 |
And the LORD said to me, "Son of man, take careful notice; use your eyes and ears. Listen to everything I tell you about the regulations concerning the LORD's Temple. Take careful note of who may be admitted to the Temple and who is to be excluded from it. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
6 |
And give these rebels, the people of Israel, this message from the Sovereign LORD: O people of Israel, enough of your disgusting sins! |
Ezekiel |
44 |
7 |
You have brought uncircumcised foreigners into my sanctuary--people who have no heart for God. In this way, you profaned my Temple even as you offered me my food, the fat and blood of sacrifices. Thus, in addition to all your other disgusting sins, you have broken my covenant. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
8 |
You have not kept the laws I gave you concerning these sacred rituals, for you have hired foreigners to take charge of my sanctuary. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
9 |
"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: No foreigners, including those who live among the people of Israel, will enter my sanctuary if they have not been circumcised and do not love the LORD. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
10 |
And the men of the tribe of Levi who abandoned me when Israel strayed away from me to worship idols must bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
11 |
They may still be Temple guards and gatemen, and they may still slaughter the animals brought for burnt offerings and be present to help the people. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
12 |
But they encouraged my people to worship other gods, causing Israel to fall into deep sin. So I have raised my hand and taken an oath that they must bear the consequences for their sins, says the Sovereign LORD. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
13 |
They may not approach me to minister as priests. They may not touch any of my holy things or the holy offerings, for they must bear the shame of all the sins they have committed. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
14 |
They are to serve as the Temple caretakers and are relegated to doing maintenance work and helping the people in a general way. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
15 |
"However, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok continued to minister faithfully in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for idols. These men will serve as my ministers. They will stand in my presence and offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices, says the Sovereign LORD. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
16 |
They are the ones who will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to serve me. They are the ones who will fulfill all my requirements. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
17 |
When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard, they must wear only linen clothing. They must wear no wool while on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple itself. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
18 |
They must wear linen turbans and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
19 |
When they return to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must take off the clothes they wear while ministering to me. They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not harm the people by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
20 |
"They must neither let their hair grow too long nor shave it off completely. Instead, they must trim it regularly. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
21 |
The priests must never drink wine before entering the inner courtyard. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
22 |
They may choose their wives only from among the virgins of Israel or the widows of the priests. They may not marry other widows or divorced women. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
23 |
They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is ceremonially clean and unclean. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
24 |
"They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and laws at all the sacred festivals, and they will see to it that the Sabbath is set apart as a holy day. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
25 |
A priest must never defile himself by being in the presence of a dead person unless it is his father, mother, child, brother, or unmarried sister. In such cases it is permitted. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
26 |
But such a priest can only return to his Temple duties after being ritually cleansed and then waiting for seven days. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
27 |
The first day he returns to work and enters the inner courtyard and the sanctuary, he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Sovereign LORD. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
28 |
"As to property, the priests will not have any, for I alone am their inheritance. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
29 |
Their food will come from the gifts and sacrifices brought to the Temple by the people--the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Whatever anyone sets apart for the LORD will belong to the priests. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
30 |
The first of the ripe fruits and all the gifts brought to the LORD will go to the priests. The first samples of each grain harvest and the first of your flour must also be given to the priests so the LORD will bless your homes. |
Ezekiel |
44 |
31 |
The priests may never eat meat from any bird or animal that dies a natural death or that dies after being attacked by another animal. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
1 |
"When you divide the land among the tribes of Israel, you must set aside a section of it for the LORD as his holy portion. This piece of land will be 8 1/3 miles long and 6 2/3 miles wide. The entire area will be holy ground. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
2 |
A section of this land, measuring 875 feet by 875 feet, will be set aside for the Temple. An additional strip of land 87 1/2 feet wide is to be left empty all around it. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
3 |
Within the larger sacred area, measure out a portion of land 8 1/3 miles long and 3 1/3 miles wide. Within it the sanctuary of the Most Holy Place will be located. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
4 |
This area will be a holy land, set aside for the priests who minister to the LORD in the sanctuary. They will use it for their homes, and my Temple will be located within it. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
5 |
The strip of sacred land next to it, also 8 1/3 miles long and 3 1/3 miles wide, will be a living area for the Levites who work at the Temple. It will be their possession and a place for their towns. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
6 |
"Adjacent to the larger sacred area will be a section of land 8 1/3 miles long and 1 2/3 miles wide. This will be set aside to be a city where anyone in Israel can come and live. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
7 |
"Two special sections of land will be set apart for the prince. One section will share a border with the east side of the sacred lands and city, and the second section will share a border on the west side. Then the far eastern and western borders of the prince's lands will line up with the eastern and western boundaries of the tribal areas. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
8 |
These sections of land will be the prince's allotment. "My princes will no longer oppress and rob my people; they will assign the rest of the land to the people, giving an allotment to each tribe. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
9 |
For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Stop all your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Quit robbing and cheating my people out of their land! Stop expelling them from their homes! |
Ezekiel |
45 |
10 |
You must use only honest weights and scales, honest dry volume measures, and honest liquid volume measures. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
11 |
The homer will be your standard unit for measuring volume. The ephah and the bath will each measure one-tenth of a homer. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
12 |
The standard unit for weight will be the silver shekel. One shekel consists of twenty gerahs, and sixty shekels are equal to one mina. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
13 |
"This is the tax you must give to the prince: one bushel of wheat or barley for every sixty you harvest, |
Ezekiel |
45 |
14 |
one percent of your olive oil, |
Ezekiel |
45 |
15 |
and one sheep for every two hundred in your flocks in Israel. These will be the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings that will make atonement for the people who bring them, says the Sovereign LORD. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
16 |
All the people of Israel must join the prince in bringing their offerings. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
17 |
The prince will be required to provide offerings that are given at the religious festivals, the new moon celebrations, the Sabbath days, and all other similar occasions. He will provide the sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings to make reconciliation for the people of Israel. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
18 |
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In early spring, on the first day of each new year, sacrifice a young bull with no physical defects to purify the Temple. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
19 |
The priest will take some of the blood of this sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the Temple, the four corners of the upper ledge on the altar, and the gateposts at the entrance to the inner courtyard. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
20 |
Do this also on the seventh day of the new year for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance. In that way, you will make atonement for the Temple. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
21 |
"On the fourteenth day of the new year, you must celebrate the Passover. This festival will last for seven days. Only bread without yeast may be eaten during that time. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
22 |
On the day of Passover the prince will provide a young bull as a sin offering for himself and the people of Israel. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
23 |
On each of the seven days of the feast he will prepare a burnt offering to the LORD. This daily offering will consist of seven young bulls and seven rams without any defects. A male goat will also be given each day for a sin offering. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
24 |
The prince will provide a half bushel of flour as a grain offering and a gallon of olive oil with each young bull and ram. |
Ezekiel |
45 |
25 |
"During the seven days of the Festival of Shelters, which occurs every year in early autumn, the prince will provide these same sacrifices for the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the grain offering, along with the required olive oil. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
1 |
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The east gateway of the inner wall will be closed during the six workdays each week, but it will be open on Sabbath days and the days of new moon celebrations. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
2 |
The prince will enter the foyer of the gateway from the outside. Then he will stand by the gatepost while the priest offers his burnt offering and peace offering. He will worship inside the gateway passage and then go back out the way he came. The gateway will not be closed until evening. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
3 |
The common people will worship the LORD in front of this gateway on Sabbath days and the days of new moon celebrations. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
4 |
"Each Sabbath day the prince will present to the LORD a burnt offering of six lambs and one ram, all with no physical defects. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
5 |
He will present a grain offering of a half bushel of flour to go with the ram and whatever amount of flour he chooses to go with each lamb. He is to offer one gallon of olive oil for each half bushel of flour. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
6 |
At the new moon celebrations, he will bring one young bull, six lambs, and one ram, all with no physical defects. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
7 |
With the young bull he must bring a half bushel of flour for a grain offering. With the ram he must bring another half bushel of flour. And with each lamb he is to bring whatever amount of flour that he decides to give. With each half bushel of flour he must offer one gallon of olive oil. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
8 |
"The prince must enter the gateway through the foyer, and he must leave the same way he came. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
9 |
But when the people come in through the north gateway to worship the LORD during the religious festivals, they must leave by the south gateway. And those who entered through the south gateway must leave by the north gateway. They must never leave by the same gateway they came in; they must always use the opposite gateway. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
10 |
The prince will enter and leave with the people on these occasions. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
11 |
"So at the special feasts and sacred festivals, the grain offering will be a half bushel of flour with each young bull, another half bushel of flour with each ram, and as much flour as the prince chooses to give with each lamb. One gallon of oil is to be given with each half bushel of flour. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
12 |
Whenever the prince offers a voluntary burnt offering or peace offering to the LORD, the east gateway to the inner courtyard will be opened for him to enter, and he will offer his sacrifices just as he does on Sabbath days. Then he will turn and leave the way he entered, and the gateway will be shut behind him. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
13 |
"Each morning a year-old lamb with no physical defects must be sacrificed as a burnt offering to the LORD. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
14 |
With the lamb, a grain offering must also be given to the LORD--about two and a half quarts of flour with a third of a gallon of olive oil to moisten the flour. This will be a permanent law for you. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
15 |
The lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil must be given as a daily sacrifice every morning without fail. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
16 |
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: If the prince gives a gift of land to one of his sons, it will belong to him and his descendants forever. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
17 |
But if he gives a gift of land to one of his servants, the servant may keep it only until the Year of Jubilee, which comes every fiftieth year. At that time the servant will be set free, and the land will return to the prince. Only the gifts given to the prince's sons will be permanent. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
18 |
And the prince may never take anyone's property by force. If he gives property to his sons, it must be from his own land, for I do not want any of my people unjustly evicted from their property." |
Ezekiel |
46 |
19 |
Then the man brought me through the entrance beside the gateway and led me to the sacred rooms assigned to the priests, which faced toward the north. He showed me a place at the extreme west end of these rooms. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
20 |
He explained, "This is where the priests will cook the meat from the guilt offerings and sin offerings and bake the flour from the grain offerings into bread. They will do it here to avoid carrying the sacrifices through the outer courtyard and harming the people by transmitting holiness to them." |
Ezekiel |
46 |
21 |
Then he brought me back to the outer courtyard and led me to each of its four corners. In each corner I saw an enclosure. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
22 |
Each of these enclosures was 70 feet long and 52 1/2 feet wide, surrounded by walls. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
23 |
Along the inside of these walls was a ledge of stone with fireplaces under the ledge all the way around. |
Ezekiel |
46 |
24 |
The man said to me, "These are the kitchens to be used by the Temple assistants to boil the sacrifices offered by the people." |
Ezekiel |
47 |
1 |
Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing eastward from beneath the Temple threshold. This stream then passed to the right of the altar on its south side. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
2 |
The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the stream flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
3 |
Measuring as he went, he led me along the stream for 1,750 feet and told me to go across. At that point the water was up to my ankles. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
4 |
He measured off another 1,750 feet and told me to go across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
5 |
Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to cross without swimming. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
6 |
He told me to keep in mind what I had seen; then he led me back along the riverbank. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
7 |
Suddenly, to my surprise, many trees were now growing on both sides of the river! |
Ezekiel |
47 |
8 |
Then he said to me, "This river flows east through the desert into the Jordan Valley, where it enters the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will heal the salty waters of the Dead Sea and make them fresh and pure. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
9 |
Everything that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. Wherever this water flows, everything will live. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
10 |
Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea, fishing all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim. The shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean! |
Ezekiel |
47 |
11 |
But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will be sources of salt. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
12 |
All kinds of fruit trees will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, without fail! For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing." |
Ezekiel |
47 |
13 |
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Follow these instructions for dividing the land for the twelve tribes of Israel: The tribe of Joseph will be given two shares of land. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
14 |
Otherwise each tribe will receive an equal share. I swore that I would give this land to your ancestors, and it will now come to you as your inheritance. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
15 |
"The northern border will run from the Mediterranean toward Hethlon, then on through Lebo-hamath to Zedad; |
Ezekiel |
47 |
16 |
then it will run to Berothah and Sibraim, which are on the border between Damascus and Hamath, and finally to Hazer-hatticon, on the border of Hauran. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
17 |
So the northern border will run from the Mediterranean to Hazar-enan, on the border between Hamath to the north and Damascus to the south. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
18 |
"The eastern border starts at a point between Hauran and Damascus and runs southward along the Jordan River between Israel and Gilead, past the Dead Sea and as far south as Tamar. This will be the eastern border. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
19 |
"The southern border will go west from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh and then follow the course of the brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean. This will be the southern border. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
20 |
"On the west side the Mediterranean itself will be your border from the southern border to the point where the northern border begins, opposite Lebo-hamath. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
21 |
"Divide the land within these boundaries among the tribes of Israel. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
22 |
Distribute the land as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who have joined you and are raising their families among you. They will be just like native-born Israelites to you, and they will receive an inheritance among the tribes. |
Ezekiel |
47 |
23 |
All these immigrants are to be given land within the territory of the tribe with whom they now live. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken! |
Ezekiel |
48 |
1 |
"Here is the list of the tribes of Israel and the territory each is to receive. The territory of Dan is in the extreme north. Its boundary line follows the Hethlon road to Lebo-hamath and then runs on to Hazar-enan on the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the north. Dan's territory extends all the way across the land of Israel from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
2 |
Asher's territory lies south of Dan's and also extends from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
3 |
Naphtali's land lies south of Asher's, also extending from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
4 |
Then comes Manasseh south of Naphtali, and its territory also extends from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
5 |
South of Manasseh is Ephraim, |
Ezekiel |
48 |
6 |
and then Reuben, |
Ezekiel |
48 |
7 |
and then Judah, all of whose boundaries extend from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
8 |
"South of Judah is the land set aside for a special purpose. It will be 8 1/3 miles wide and will extend as far east and west as the tribal territories, with the Temple at the center. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
9 |
"The area set aside for the LORD's Temple will be 8 1/3 miles long and 6 2/3 miles wide. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
10 |
For the priests there will be a strip of land measuring 8 1/3 miles long by 3 1/3 miles wide, with the LORD's Temple at the center. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
11 |
This area is set aside for the ordained priests, the descendants of Zadok who obeyed me and did not go astray when the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites did. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
12 |
It will be their special portion when the land is distributed, the most sacred land of all. Next to the priests' territory will lie the land where the other Levites will live. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
13 |
The land allotted to the Levites will be the same size and shape as that belonging to the priests--8 1/3 miles long and 3 1/3 miles wide. Together these portions of land will measure 8 1/3 miles long by 6 2/3 miles wide. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
14 |
None of this special land will ever be sold or traded or used by others, for it belongs to the LORD; it is set apart as holy. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
15 |
"An additional strip of land 8 1/3 miles long by 1 2/3 miles wide, south of the sacred Temple area, will be allotted for public use--homes, pasturelands, and common lands, with a city at the center. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
16 |
The city will measure 1 1/2 miles on each side. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
17 |
Open lands will surround the city for 150 yards in every direction. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
18 |
Outside the city there will be a farming area that stretches 3 1/3 miles to the east and 3 1/3 miles to the west along the border of the sacred area. This farmland will produce food for the people working in the city. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
19 |
Those who come from the various tribes to work in the city may farm it. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
20 |
This entire area--including the sacred lands and the city--is a square that measures 8 1/3 miles on each side. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
21 |
"The areas that remain, to the east and to the west of the sacred lands and the city, will belong to the prince. Each of these areas will be 8 1/3 miles wide, extending in opposite directions to the eastern and western borders of Israel. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
22 |
So the prince's land will include everything between the territories allotted to Judah and Benjamin, except for the areas set aside for the sacred lands and the city. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
23 |
"These are the territories allotted to the rest of the tribes. Benjamin's territory lies just south of the prince's lands, and it extends across the entire land of Israel from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
24 |
South of Benjamin's territory lies that of Simeon, also extending across the land from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
25 |
Next is the territory of Issachar with the same eastern and western boundaries. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
26 |
Then comes the territory of Zebulun, which also extends across the land from east to west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
27 |
The territory of Gad is just south of Zebulun with the same borders to the east and west. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
28 |
The southern border of Gad runs from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh and then follows the brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
29 |
These are the allotments that will be set aside for each tribe's inheritance, says the Sovereign LORD. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
30 |
"These will be the exits to the city: On the north wall, which is 1 1/2 miles long, |
Ezekiel |
48 |
31 |
there will be three gates, each one named after a tribe of Israel. The first will be named for Reuben, the second for Judah, and the third for Levi. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
32 |
On the east wall, also 1 1/2 miles long, the gates will be named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
33 |
The south wall, also 1 1/2 miles long, will have gates named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
34 |
And on the west wall, also 1 1/2 miles long, the gates will be named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali. |
Ezekiel |
48 |
35 |
"The distance around the entire city will be six miles. And from that day the name of the city will be `The LORD Is There.'" |