The Chambers for the Priests

42 Then he (A)brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the (B)north; and he brought me into (C)the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the (D)pavement of the outer court, was (E)gallery against gallery in three stories. In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was [a]shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one (F)hundred cubits. At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

10 Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. 11 (G)There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. 12 And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord (H)shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—(I)the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. 14 (J)When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.”

Outer Dimensions of the Temple

15 Now when he had finished measuring the inner [b]temple, he brought me out through the gateway that faces toward the (K)east, and measured it all around. 16 He measured the east side with the [c]measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 17 He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 18 He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 19 He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 20 He measured it on the four sides; (L)it had a wall all around, (M)five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy areas from the [d]common.

The Temple, the Lord’s Dwelling Place

43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate (N)that faces toward the east. (O)And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. (P)His voice was like the sound of many waters; (Q)and the earth shone with His glory. It was (R)like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when [e]I came (S)to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw (T)by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. (U)And the glory of the Lord came into the [f]temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. (V)The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, (W)the glory of the Lord filled the [g]temple.

Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while (X)a man stood beside me. And He said to me, “Son of man, this is (Y)the place of My throne and (Z)the place of the soles of My feet, (AA)where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. (AB)No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their [h]harlotry or with (AC)the carcasses of their kings on their high places. (AD)When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

10 “Son of man, (AE)describe the [i]temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the [j]temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its (AF)ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and (AG)perform them. 12 This is the law of the [k]temple: The whole area surrounding (AH)the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

Dimensions of the Altar

13 “These are the measurements of the (AI)altar in cubits (AJ)(the [l]cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the height of the altar: 14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit. 15 The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four (AK)horns extending upward from the [m]hearth. 16 The altar hearth is twelve cubits long, twelve wide, (AL)square at its four corners; 17 the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and (AM)its steps face toward the east.”

Consecrating the Altar

18 And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing (AN)burnt offerings on it, and for (AO)sprinkling blood on it. 19 You shall give (AP)a young bull for a sin offering to (AQ)the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of (AR)Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God. 20 ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and (AS)burn it in the appointed place of the [n]temple, (AT)outside the sanctuary. 22 On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 When you offer them before the Lord, (AU)the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25 Every day for (AV)seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. 26 Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so [o]consecrate [p]it. 27 (AW)When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will (AX)accept you,’ says the Lord God.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 42:6 Or narrowed
  2. Ezekiel 42:15 Lit. house
  3. Ezekiel 42:16 About 10.5 feet, Ezek. 40:5
  4. Ezekiel 42:20 Or profane
  5. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Heb. mss., Vg. He
  6. Ezekiel 43:4 Lit. house
  7. Ezekiel 43:5 Lit. house
  8. Ezekiel 43:7 Unfaithful idolatry
  9. Ezekiel 43:10 Lit. house
  10. Ezekiel 43:11 Lit. house
  11. Ezekiel 43:12 Lit. house
  12. Ezekiel 43:13 A royal cubit of about 21 inches
  13. Ezekiel 43:15 Heb. ariel
  14. Ezekiel 43:21 Lit. house
  15. Ezekiel 43:26 Lit. fill its hands
  16. Ezekiel 43:26 LXX, Syr. themselves

Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged

Come now, you (A)rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your (B)riches [a]are corrupted, and (C)your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. (D)You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed (E)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and (F)the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of [b]Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and [c]luxury; you have [d]fattened your hearts [e]as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Be Patient and Persevering

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord [f]is at hand.

Do not [g]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be [h]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 (G)My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and (H)patience. 11 Indeed (I)we count them blessed who (J)endure. You have heard of (K)the perseverance of Job and seen (L)the end intended by the Lord—that (M)the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

12 But above all, my brethren, (N)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into [i]judgment.

Meeting Specific Needs(O)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him (P)pray. Is anyone cheerful? (Q)Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, (R)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. (S)And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 [j]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (T)The effective, [k]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man (U)with a nature like ours, and (V)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed (W)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the Erring One

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone (X)turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way (Y)will save [l]a soul from death and (Z)cover a multitude of sins.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. James 5:2 have rotted
  2. James 5:4 Lit., in Heb., Hosts
  3. James 5:5 indulgence
  4. James 5:5 Lit. nourished
  5. James 5:5 NU omits as
  6. James 5:8 has drawn near
  7. James 5:9 Lit. groan
  8. James 5:9 NU, M judged
  9. James 5:12 M hypocrisy
  10. James 5:16 NU Therefore confess your sins
  11. James 5:16 supplication
  12. James 5:20 NU his soul

Meditations on the Excellencies of the Word of God

א ALEPH

119 Blessed are the [a]undefiled in the way,
(A)Who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the (B)whole heart!
(C)They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.
Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!
(D)Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.
I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

ב BETH

How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have (E)sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 (F)Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have (G)declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And [b]contemplate Your ways.
16 I will (H)delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 119:1 blameless
  2. Psalm 119:15 look into

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son,
But a companion of gluttons shames his father.

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends