Chapter 40

  In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was struck, in the same day, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there. 

  In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the frame of a city on the south. 

  He brought me there; and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. 

  The man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, are you brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel. 

  Behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each: so he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. 

  Then came he to the gate which looks toward the east, and went up the steps of it: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad. 

  Every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and [the space] between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed. 

  He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, one reed. 

  Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts of it, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house. 

  The lodges of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. 

  He measured the breadth of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits; 

  and a border before the lodges, one cubit [on this side], and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. 

  He measured the gate from the roof of the one lodge to the roof of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; door against door. 

  He made also posts, sixty cubits; and the court [reached] to the posts, round about the gate. 

  [From] the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were fifty cubits. 

  There were closed windows to the lodges, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches; and windows were round about inward; and on [each] post were palm-trees. 

  Then brought he me into the outer court; and, behold, there were chambers and a pavement, made for the court round about: thirty chambers were on the pavement. 

  The pavement was by the side of the gates, answerable to the length of the gates, even the lower pavement. 

  Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront of the inner court outside, one hundred cubits, [both] on the east and on the north. 

  The gate of the outer court whose prospect is toward the north, he measured the length of it and the breadth of it. 

  The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts of it and the arches of it were after the measure of the first gate: the length of it was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits. 

  The windows of it, and the arches of it, and the palm-trees of it, were after the measure of the gate whose prospect is toward the east; and they went up to it by seven steps; and the arches of it were before them. 

  There was a gate to the inner court over against the [other] gate, [both] on the north and on the east; and he measured from gate to gate one hundred cubits. 

  He led me toward the south; and, behold, a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts of it and the arches of it according to these measures. 

  There were windows in it and in the arches of it round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits. 

  There were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches of it were before them; and it had palm-trees, one on this side, and another on that side, on the posts of it. 

  There was a gate to the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred cubits. 

  Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures; 

  and the lodges of it, and the posts of it, and the arches of it, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches of it round about; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad. 

  There were arches round about, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits broad. 

  The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were on the posts of it: and the ascent to it had eight steps. 

  He brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures; 

  and the lodges of it, and the posts of it, and the arches of it, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches of it round about; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad. 

  The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were on the posts of it, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps. 

  He brought me to the north gate: and he measured [it] according to these measures; 

  the lodges of it, the posts of it, and the arches of it: and there were windows therein round about; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits. 

  The posts of it were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were on the posts of it, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps. 

  A chamber with the door of it was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt offering. 

  In the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to kill thereon the burnt offering and the sin-offering and the trespass-offering. 

  On the [one] side outside, as one goes up to the entry of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side, which belonged to the porch of the gate, were two tables. 

  Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they killed [the sacrifices]. 

  There were four tables for the burnt offering, of hewn stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high; whereupon they laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 

  The hooks, a handbreadth long, were fastened within round about: and on the tables was the flesh of the offering. 

  Outside of the inner gate were chambers for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north. 

  He said to me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house; 

  and the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to Yahweh to minister to him. 

  He measured the court, one hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was before the house. 

  Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. 

  The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.