To The Word – Day 198

₁Next, the man took me into the central room, the Holy Place. He measured the passage leading into it: it was three metres deep ₂and five metres wide, with walls 2.5 metres thick on either side. He measured the room itself: it was twenty metres long, and ten metres wide.

₃Then he went to the innermost room. He measured the passage leading into it: it was one metre deep and three metres wide, with walls on either side 3.5 metres thick. ₄He measured the room itself, and it was ten metres square. This room was beyond the central room. Then he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

₅The man measured the thickness of the inner wall of the temple building, and it was three metres. Against this wall, all round the Temple, was a series of small rooms two metres wide. ₆These rooms were in three storeys, with thirty rooms on each floor. The Temple's outer wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below, so that the rooms could rest on the wall without being anchored into it. ₇And so the temple walls, when seen from the outside, seemed to have the same thickness all the way to the top. Against the Temple's outer wall, on the outside of the rooms, two wide stairways were built, so that it was possible to go from the lower storey to the middle and the upper storeys. _8-11The outside wall of these rooms was 2.5 metres thick; there was one door into the rooms on the north side of the Temple, and one into those on the south side. I saw that there was a terrace 2.5 metres wide all round the Temple; it was three metres above the ground and it was level with the foundation of the rooms by the temple walls. Between the terrace and the buildings used by the priests there was an open space ten metres across, along the sides of the Temple.

₁₂At the far end of the open space on the west side of the Temple there was a building 45 metres long and 35 metres wide; its walls were 2.5 metres thick all round.

₁₃The man measured the outside of the Temple, and it was fifty metres long. And from the back of the Temple, across the open space to the far side of the building to the west, the distance was also fifty metres. ₁₄The distance across the front of the Temple, including the open space on either side, was also fifty metres. ₁₅He measured the length of the building to the west, including its corridors on both sides, and it was also fifty metres.

The entrance room of the Temple, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place ₁₆were all panelled with wood from the floor to the windows. These windows could be covered. ₁₇The inside walls of the Temple, up as high as above the doors, were completely covered with carvings ₁₈of palm trees and winged creatures. Palm trees alternated with creatures, one following the other, all the way round the room. Each creature had two faces: ₁₉a human face that was turned towards the palm tree on one side, and a lion's face that was turned towards the tree on the other side. It was like this all round the wall, ₂₀from the floor to above the doors. ₂₁The doorposts of the Holy Place were square.

In front of the entrance of the Most Holy Place there was something that looked like ₂₂a wooden altar. It was 1.5 metres high and one metre wide. Its cornerposts, its base, and its sides were all made of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table which stands in the presence of the LORD.”

₂₃There was a door at the end of the passage leading to the Holy Place and one also at the end of the passage leading to the Most Holy Place. ₂₄They were double doors that swung open in the middle. ₂₅There were palm trees and winged creatures carved on the doors of the Holy Place, just as there were on the walls. And there was a wooden covering over the outside of the doorway of the entrance room. ₂₆At the sides of this room there were windows, and the walls were decorated with palm trees.

₁Then the man took me into the outer courtyard and led me to a building on the north side of the Temple, not far from the building at the west end of the Temple. ₂This building was fifty metres long and 25 metres wide. ₃On one side it faced the space ten metres wide which was alongside the Temple, and on the other side it faced the pavement of the outer court. It was built on three levels, each one set further back than the one below it. ₄Along the north side of this building was a passage five metres wide and fifty metres long, with entrances on that side. ₅The rooms at the upper level of the building were narrower than those at the middle and lower levels because they were set further back. ₆The rooms at all three levels were on terraces and were not supported by columns like the other buildings in the courtyard. _7-8At the lower level the outer wall of the building was solid for 25 metres, half its length; and there were rooms in the remaining 25 metres. At the top level there were rooms in the entire length of the building. _9-10Below these two rooms at the east end of the building, where the wall of the courtyard began, there was an entrance into the outer courtyard.

At the south side of the Temple there was an identical building not far from the building at the west end of the Temple. ₁₁In front of the rooms there was a passage just like the one on the north side. It had the same measurements, the same design, and the same kind of entrances. ₁₂There was a door under the rooms on the south side of the building, at the east end where the wall began.

₁₃The man said to me, “Both these buildings are holy. In them the priests who enter the LORD's presence eat the holiest offerings. Because the rooms are holy, the priests will place the holiest offerings there: the grain offerings and the sacrifices offered for sin or as repayment offerings. ₁₄When priests have been in the Temple and want to go to the outer courtyard, they must leave in these rooms the holy clothing they wore while serving the LORD. They must put on other clothes before going out to the area where the people gather.”

₁₅When the man had finished measuring inside the temple area, he took me out through the east gate and then measured the outside of the area. ₁₆He took the measuring rod and measured the east side, and it was 250 metres. _17-19Then he measured the north side, the south side, and the west side; each side had the same length, 250 metres, ₂₀so that the wall enclosed a square 250 metres on each side. The wall served to separate what was holy from what was not.

₁The man took me to the gate that faces east, ₂and there I saw coming from the east the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel. God's voice sounded like the roar of the sea, and the earth shone with the dazzling light. ₃This vision was like the one I had seen when God came to destroy Jerusalem, and the one I saw by the River Chebar. Then I threw myself face downwards on the ground. ₄The dazzling light passed through the east gate and went into the Temple.

₅The LORD's spirit lifted me up and took me into the inner courtyard, where I saw that the Temple was filled with the glory of the LORD. ₆The man stood beside me there, and I heard the LORD speak to me out of the Temple: ₇“Mortal man, here is my throne. I will live here among the people of Israel and rule over them for ever. Neither the people of Israel nor their kings will ever again disgrace my holy name by worshipping other gods or by burying the corpses of their kings in this place. ₈The kings built the thresholds and doorposts of their palace right against the thresholds and doorposts of my Temple, so that there was only a wall between us. They disgraced my holy name by all the disgusting things they did, and so in my anger I destroyed them. ₉Now they must stop worshipping other gods and remove the corpses of their kings. If they do, I will live among them for ever.”

₁₀And the LORD continued, “Mortal man, tell the people of Israel about the Temple, and let them study its plan. Make them ashamed of their sinful actions. ₁₁Then if they are ashamed of what they have done, explain the plan of the Temple to them: its design, its entrances and exits, its shape, the arrangement of everything, and all its rules and regulations. Write all this down for them so that they can see how everything is arranged and can carry out all the rules. ₁₂This is the law of the Temple: all the area surrounding it on the top of the mountain is sacred and holy.”

₁₃These are the measurements of the altar, using the same unit of measurement as in measuring the Temple. All round the base of the altar there was a gutter fifty centimetres deep and fifty centimetres wide, with a rim at the outside edge 25 centimetres high. ₁₄The lowest section of the altar, from the top of the base, was one metre high. The next section was set back from the edge fifty centimetres all round, and was two metres high. The section after that was also set back from the edge fifty centimetres all round. ₁₅This top section, on which the sacrifices were burnt, was also two metres high. The projections on the four corners were higher than the rest of the top. ₁₆The top of the altar was a square, six metres on each side. ₁₇The middle section was also a square, seven metres on each side, with a rim at the outside edge 25 centimetres high. (The gutter was fifty centimetres wide.) The steps going up the altar were on the east side.

₁₈The Sovereign LORD said to me, “Mortal man, listen to what I tell you. When the altar is built, you are to dedicate it by burning sacrifices on it and by sprinkling on it the blood of the animals that were sacrificed. ₁₉Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok are the only ones who are to come into my presence to serve me. I, the Sovereign LORD, command this. You will give them a young bull to offer as a sacrifice for sin. ₂₀You are to take some of its blood and put it on the projections on the top corners of the altar, and on the corners of the middle section of the altar, and all round its edges. In this way you will purify the altar and consecrate it. ₂₁You are to take the bull that is offered as a sacrifice for sin and burn it at the specified place outside the temple area. ₂₂The next day you are to take a male goat without any defects and offer it as a sacrifice for sin. Purify the altar with its blood in the same way as you did with the bull. ₂₃When you have finished doing that, take a young bull and a young ram, both of them without any defects, ₂₄and bring them to me. The priests will sprinkle salt on them and burn them as an offering to me. ₂₅Each day for seven days you are to offer a goat, a bull, and a ram as sacrifices for sin. All of them must be without any defects. ₂₆For seven days the priests are to consecrate the altar and make it ready for use. ₂₇When the week is over, the priests are to begin offering on the altar the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings of the people. Then I will be pleased with all of you. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.”

₁The man led me to the outer gate at the east side of the temple area. The gate was closed, ₂and the LORD said to me, “This gate will stay closed and will never be opened. No human being is allowed to use it, because I, the LORD God of Israel, have entered through it. It is to remain closed. ₃The ruling prince, however, may go there to eat a holy meal in my presence. He is to enter and leave the gateway through the entrance room at the inner end.”

₄Then the man took me through the north gate to the front of the Temple. As I looked, I saw that the Temple of the LORD was filled with the dazzling light of his presence. I threw myself face downwards on the ground, ₅and the LORD said to me, “Mortal man, pay attention to everything you see and hear. I am going to tell you the rules and regulations for the Temple. Note carefully which persons are allowed to go in and out of the Temple and which persons are not.

₆“Tell those rebellious people of Israel that I, the Sovereign LORD, will no longer tolerate the disgusting things that they have been doing. ₇They have profaned my Temple by letting uncircumcised foreigners, people who do not obey me, enter the Temple when the fat and the blood of the sacrifices are being offered to me. So my people have broken my covenant by all the disgusting things they have done. ₈They have not taken charge of the sacred rituals in my Temple, but instead have put foreigners in charge.

₉“I, the Sovereign LORD, declare that no uncircumcised foreigner, no one who disobeys me, will enter my Temple, not even a foreigner who lives among the people of Israel.”

₁₀The LORD said to me, “I am punishing those Levites who, together with the rest of the people of Israel, deserted me and worshipped idols. ₁₁They may serve me in the Temple by taking charge of the gates and by performing the work of the Temple. They may kill the animals which the people offer for burnt offerings and for sacrifices, and they are to be on duty to serve the people. ₁₂But because they conducted the worship of idols for the people of Israel and in this way led the people into sin, I, the Sovereign LORD, solemnly swear that they must be punished. ₁₃They are not to serve me as priests or to go near anything that is holy to me or to enter the Most Holy Place. This is the punishment for the disgusting things they have done. ₁₄I am assigning to them the menial work that is to be done in the Temple.”

₁₅The Sovereign LORD said, “Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok, however, continued to serve me faithfully in the Temple when the rest of the people of Israel turned away from me. So now they are the ones who are to serve me and come into my presence to offer me the fat and the blood of the sacrifices. ₁₆They alone will enter my Temple, serve at my altar, and conduct the temple worship. ₁₇When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard of the Temple, they are to put on linen clothing. They must not wear anything made of wool when they are on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple. ₁₈So that they won't perspire, they are to wear linen turbans and linen trousers, but no belt. ₁₉Before they go to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must first take off the clothes they wore on duty in the Temple and leave them in the holy rooms. They are to put on other clothing in order to keep their sacred clothing from harming the people.

₂₀“Priests must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long. They are to keep it a proper length. ₂₁Priests must not drink any wine before going into the inner courtyard. ₂₂No priest may marry a divorced woman; he is to marry only an Israelite virgin or the widow of another priest.

₂₃“The priests are to teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not, and between what is ritually clean and what is not. ₂₄When a legal dispute arises, the priests are to decide the case according to my laws. They are to keep the religious festivals according to my rules and regulations, and they are to keep the Sabbaths holy.

₂₅“A priest is not to become ritually unclean by touching a corpse, unless it is one of his parents, one of his children or a brother or an unmarried sister. ₂₆After he has become clean again, he must wait seven days ₂₇and then go into the inner courtyard of the Temple and offer a sacrifice for his purification, so that he can serve in the Temple again. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.

₂₈“The priests have the priesthood as their share of what I have given Israel to be handed down from one generation to another. They are not to hold property in Israel; I am all they need. ₂₉The grain offerings, the sin offerings and the repayment offerings will be the priests' food, and they are to receive everything in Israel that is set apart for me. ₃₀The priests are to have the best of all the first harvest and of everything else that is offered to me. Each time the people bake bread, they are to give the priests the first loaf as an offering, and my blessing will rest on their homes. ₃₁The priests must not eat any bird or animal that dies a natural death or is killed by another animal.”

₁When the land is divided to give each tribe a share, one part is to be dedicated to the LORD. It is to be 12.5 kilometres long by ten kilometres wide. The entire area will be holy. ₂In this area there is to be a square plot of land for the Temple, 250 metres along each side, entirely surrounded by an open space 25 metres wide. ₃Half of this area, a section 12.5 kilometres by five kilometres, is to be measured off; it will contain the Temple, the holiest place of all. ₄It will be a holy part of the country, set aside for the priests who serve the LORD in his Temple. It will contain their houses and the section of land for the Temple. ₅The other half of the area is to be set aside as the possession of the Levites, who do the work in the Temple. There will be towns there for them to live in.

₆Next to the holy area, another section, 12.5 kilometres long and 2.5 kilometres wide, is to be set aside for a city where any of the people of Israel may live.

₇Land is also to be set aside for the ruling prince. From the western boundary of the holy area it will extend west to the Mediterranean Sea; and from the eastern boundary it will extend to the eastern border of the country, so that its length will be the same as the length of one of the areas allotted to the tribes of Israel. ₈This area will be the share the ruling prince will have in the land of Israel, so that he will no longer oppress the people, but will let the rest of the country belong to the tribes of Israel.

₉The Sovereign LORD said, “You have sinned too long, you rulers of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression. Do what is right and just. You must never again drive my people off their land. I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you this.

₁₀“Everyone must use honest weights and measures:

₁₁“The ephah for dry measure is to be equal to the bath for liquid measure. The standard is the homer. The resulting measures are as follows:

₁₂“Your weights are to be as follows:

_13-15“This is the basis on which you are to make your offerings:

“You are to bring grain offerings, animals to be burnt whole, and animals for fellowship offerings, so that your sins will be forgiven. I, the Sovereign LORD, command it.

₁₆“All the people of the land must take these offerings to the ruling prince of Israel. ₁₇It will be his duty to provide the animals to be burnt whole, the grain offerings, and the wine offerings for the whole nation of Israel at the New Moon Festivals, the Sabbaths, and the other festivals. He is to provide the sin offerings, the grain offerings, the offerings to be burnt whole, and the fellowship offerings, to take away the sins of the people of Israel.”

₁₈The Sovereign LORD said, “On the first day of the first month you are to sacrifice a bull without any defects and purify the Temple. ₁₉The priest will take some of the blood of this sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the Temple, on the four corners of the altar, and on the posts of the gateways to the inner courtyard. ₂₀On the seventh day of the month you are to do the same thing on behalf of anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance. In this way, you will keep the Temple holy.

₂₁“On the fourteenth day of the first month you will begin the celebration of the Passover Festival. For seven days everyone will eat bread made without yeast. ₂₂On the first day of the festival the ruling prince must offer a bull as a sacrifice for his sins and for those of all the people. ₂₃On each of the seven days of the festival he is to sacrifice to the LORD seven bulls and seven rams without any defects and burn them whole. He is also to sacrifice a male goat each day as a sin offering. ₂₄For each bull and each ram that is sacrificed, there is to be an offering of 17.5 litres of corn and three litres of olive oil.

₂₅“For the Festival of Shelters, which begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the prince will offer on each of the seven days the same sacrifice for sin, the same offerings to be burnt whole, and the same offerings of corn and olive oil.”