Study Desk

Then he ^(C1)brought me out into the ^(C2)outer courtyard, the way ^(C3)toward the north; and he brought me to the ^(C4)chamber which was opposite the ^(C5)separate area and opposite the ^(C6)building toward the north.

Along the length, which was a ^(C1)hundred ^(F1)cubits, was the north door; the width was fifty cubits.

Opposite the ^(C1)twenty cubits which belonged to the inner courtyard, and opposite the ^(C2)stone pavement which belonged to the outer courtyard, was ^(F1)(C3)gallery corresponding to ^(F1)gallery in three stories.

In front of the ^(C1)chambers was an inner passage ten cubits wide, a way of one hundred cubits; and their openings were on the north.

Now the upper chambers were ^(F1)smaller because the ^(F2)(C1)galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building.

For they were in ^(C1)three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courtyards; for that reason the upper chambers were ^(F1)set back from the ground upward, more than the lower and middle ones.

As for the ^(C1)outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer courtyard facing the chambers, its length was fifty cubits.

For the length of the chambers which were in the outer courtyard was fifty cubits; and behold, the length of those facing the main room was a ^(C1)hundred cubits.

And below these chambers was the ^(C1)entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer courtyard.

In the ^(F1)thickness of the ^(C1)wall of the courtyard toward the east, facing the ^(C2)separate area and facing the building, there were ^(C3)chambers.

And the ^(C1)way in front of them was like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north; according to their length, so was their width, and all their exits were according to their building plans and openings.

Corresponding to the openings of the chambers which were toward the south was an opening at the head of the way, the way in front of the ^(C1)wall toward the east, as one enters them.

Then he said to me, "The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the ^(C1)separate area, they are the ^(C2)holy chambers where the priests who are ^(C3)near to the LORD shall eat the ^(C4)most holy things. There they shall set the most holy things, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; for the place is holy.

"When the priests enter, they shall not go out into the outer courtyard from the sanctuary ^(F1)without ^(C1)laying their ^(C2)garments there in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they shall approach that which is for the people."

Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by way of the ^(C1)gate which faced east, and measured it all around.

He measured on the east side with the measuring ^(F1)rod: five hundred rods by the ^(C1)measuring rod.

He measured on the north side: five hundred rods by the measuring rod.

On the south side he measured five hundred rods with the measuring rod.

He turned to the west side and measured five hundred rods with the measuring rod.

He measured it ^(F1)on the four sides; it had a ^(C1)wall all around, the ^(C2)length five hundred rods and the ^(C2)width five hundred, to ^(C3)divide between the holy and the ^(F2)common.

Then he led me to the ^(C1)gate, the gate facing east;

and behold, the ^(C1)glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the ^(C2)east. And His ^(C3)voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth ^(C4)shone from His glory.

And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the ^(C1)vision which I saw when ^(F1)He came to ^(C2)destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the ^(C3)river Chebar; and I ^(C4)fell on my face.

And the glory of the LORD entered the house by way of the gate facing ^(C1)east.

And the ^(C1)Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the ^(C2)glory of the LORD filled the house.

Then I heard Him speaking to me from the house, while a ^(C1)man was standing beside me.

And He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of My ^(C1)throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will ^(C2)dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their prostitution and by the ^(F1)(C3)corpses of their kings ^(F2)when they die,

by putting their threshold by My threshold, and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have ^(C1)defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.

"Now let them ^(C1)remove their prostitution and the ^(F1)corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will ^(C2)dwell among them forever.

"As for you, son of man, ^(C1)inform the house of Israel of the ^(F1)temple, so that they will be ^(C2)ashamed of their wrongdoings; and have them measure the ^(F2)(C3)plan.

"And if they are ashamed of everything that they have done, make known to them the plan of the house, its layout, its ^(C1)exits, its entrances, all its plans, all its ^(F1)statutes, and all its laws. And write it ^(C2)in their sight, so that they may observe its entire plan and all its statutes and ^(C3)execute them.

"This is the ^(F1)law of the house: its entire ^(F2)area on the top of the ^(C1)mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the ^(F1)law of the house.

"And these are the measurements of the ^(C1)altar by cubits (the ^(C2)cubit being a ^(F1)cubit and a hand width): the ^(F2)base shall be a cubit and the width a cubit, and its border on its edge all around one span; and this shall be the height of the ^(F3)base of the altar.

"And from the base on the ground to the lower ^(C1)ledge shall be two cubits, and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits, and the width ^(F1)one cubit.

"The ^(F1)altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the ^(F1)altar hearth shall extend upward four ^(C1)horns.

"Now the ^(F1)altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, ^(C1)square in its four sides.

"And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides, the border around it shall be half a cubit, and its base shall be a cubit all around; and its ^(C1)steps shall ^(F1)(C2)face east."

And He said to me, "^(C1)Son of man, this is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says: 'These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer ^(C2)burnt offerings on it and to ^(C3)sprinkle blood on it.

'You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the descendants of ^(C1)Zadok, who come ^(C2)near to Me to serve Me,' declares the Lord GOD, 'a ^(F1)(C3)bull as a ^(C4)sin offering.

'And you shall take some of its blood and put it on its four ^(C1)horns and on the four corners of the ^(C2)ledge, and on the border all around; so you shall ^(C3)cleanse it and make atonement for it.

'You shall also take the bull as the sin offering, and it shall be ^(C1)burned in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.

'And on the second day you shall offer a ^(C1)male goat without blemish as a sin offering, and they shall ^(C2)cleanse the altar from sin as they cleansed it with the bull.

'When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a ^(F1)(C1)bull without blemish and a ^(C2)ram without blemish from the flock.

'You shall offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall throw ^(C1)salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD.

'^(C1)For seven days you shall prepare a goat as a sin offering daily; also a ^(F1)bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, shall be prepared.

'For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they ^(F1)consecrate it.

'When they have completed the days, it shall be that on the ^(C1)eighth day and onward, the priests shall ^(F1)offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your ^(C2)peace offerings; and I will ^(C3)accept you,' declares the Lord GOD."

Then He brought me back by way of the ^(C1)outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut.

And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the ^(C1)LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.

"As for the ^(C1)prince, he shall sit in it as prince to ^(C2)eat bread before the LORD; he shall ^(C3)enter by way of the ^(C4)porch of the gate and shall go out ^(F1)by the same way."

Then He brought me by way of the ^(C1)north gate to the front of the house; and I looked, and behold, the ^(C2)glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD, and I ^(C3)fell on my face.

And the LORD said to me, "Son of man, ^(F1)(C1)pay attention, see with your eyes and hear with your ears everything that I say to you concerning all the ^(C2)statutes of the house of the LORD and all its laws; and ^(F1)pay attention to the entrance of the house, with all the exits of the sanctuary.

"You shall say to the ^(F1)(C1)rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Lord ^(F2)GOD says: "^(C2)Enough of all your abominations, house of Israel,

when you brought in ^(C1)foreigners, ^(C2)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, My house, when you ^(C3)offered My food, the fat, and the blood and they ^(C4)broke My covenant—this in addition to all your abominations.

"And you have not ^(F1)(C1)taken responsibility for My holy things yourselves, but you have appointed foreigners ^(F2)to take responsibility for My sanctuary."

'This is what the Lord GOD says: "^(C1)No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.

"But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who ^(C1)went astray from Me ^(F1)following their idols, shall ^(C2)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing.

"Yet they shall be ^(C1)ministers in My sanctuary, having ^(C2)oversight at the gates of the house and ^(C3)ministering in the house; they shall ^(C4)slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall ^(C5)stand before them to minister to them.

"Since they ministered to them ^(C1)before their idols and became a ^(C2)stumbling block of wrongdoing to the house of Israel, for that reason I have ^(F1)(C3)sworn against them," declares the Lord GOD, "that they shall ^(C4)suffer the punishment for their wrongdoing.

"And they shall ^(C1)not approach Me to serve as priests for Me, nor approach any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will ^(C2)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.

"Nevertheless I will ^(F1)appoint them ^(F2)to ^(C1)take responsibility for the house, of all its service and of everything that shall be done in it.

"But the ^(C1)Levitical priests, the sons of ^(C2)Zadok, who ^(F1)(C3)took responsibility for My sanctuary when the sons of Israel ^(C4)went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to serve Me; and they shall ^(C5)stand before Me to offer Me the ^(C6)fat and the blood," declares the Lord GOD.

"They shall ^(C1)enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My ^(C2)table to serve Me and ^(F1)assume the responsibility I give them.

"And it shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner courtyard, they shall be clothed with ^(C1)linen garments; and wool shall not ^(F1)be worn by them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner courtyard or in the house.

"Linen ^(C1)turbans shall be on their heads and ^(C2)linen undergarments shall be around their waists; they shall not put on anything that makes them sweat.

"And when they go out into the outer courtyard, into the outer courtyard to the people, they shall ^(C1)take off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments, so that they will ^(C2)not transfer holiness to the people with their garments.

"Also they shall ^(C1)not shave their heads, yet they shall not ^(C2)let their locks ^(F1)grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads.

"^(C1)Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard.

"And they shall not ^(F1)marry a widow or a ^(C1)divorced woman, but shall ^(C2)take virgins from the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.

"Moreover, they shall teach My people the ^(C1)difference between the holy and the ^(F1)common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

"In a dispute ^(C1)they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My ^(C2)appointed feasts, and ^(C3)sanctify My Sabbaths.

"^(F1)(C1)They shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may defile themselves.

"And after he is ^(C1)cleansed, seven days ^(F1)shall elapse for him.

"On the day that he goes into the sanctuary, to the ^(C1)inner courtyard to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his ^(C2)sin offering," declares the Lord GOD.

"And it shall be regarding an inheritance for them, that ^(C1)I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no property in Israel—I am their property.

"They shall ^(C1)eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; and everything ^(C2)banned from secular use in Israel shall be theirs.

"And the first of all the ^(C1)first fruits of every kind and every ^(F1)contribution of every kind, from all your ^(F1)contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the ^(C2)first of your ^(F2)dough, to make a ^(C3)blessing rest on your house.

"The priests shall not eat any bird or animal that has ^(C1)died a natural death or has been torn to pieces by animals.