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The Chambers for the Priests
42 Then he brought me out into the outer court, toward the north; and he brought me into the chamber that was opposite the separate yard and which was opposite the building on the north. 2 Before the length of a hundred cubits was the north door, and the width was fifty cubits.[a] 3 Opposite the twenty cubits[b] that belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. 4 In front of the chambers was a passage on the inner side, ten cubits wide and one hundred cubits[c] deep; and their doors faced north. 5 Now the upper chambers were shorter. For the galleries were higher than these, than the lower and the middle ones of the building. 6 For they were in three stories, but had no pillars as the pillars of the courts. Therefore the building was set back more than the lowest and the middle ones from the ground. 7 And a wall that was outside was parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers; its length was fifty cubits. 8 For the length of the chambers that were in the outer court was fifty cubits. And the length of those before the temple was a hundred cubits. 9 From under these chambers was the entrance on the east side as one goes into them from the outer court.
10 The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separate yard and opposite the building, 11 with a passage in front of them; they were like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, of the same length and width. And all their exits and arrangements were according to plan. 12 Corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south was a door at the head of the passage way, the passage 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 before the separate place, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter it, then they shall not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. And they shall put on other garments, and shall approach those things which are for the people.”
15 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner temple, he brought me out by the gate that faces east, and measured it all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred cubits[d] with the measuring reed all around. 17 He measured the north side with the measuring reed round about, five hundred reeds. 18 He measured the south side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds. 19 He turned about to the west side and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. 20 He measured it by the four sides. It had a wall all around, five hundred reeds long and five hundred wide,[e] to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.
God’s Glory Returns to the Temple
43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. And His voice was like a noise of many waters. And the earth shone with His glory. 3 It was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw, when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision that I saw by the River Kebar. And I fell upon my face. 4 The glory of the Lord came into the temple by the way of the gate facing east. 5 So the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court. And the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
6 Then I heard one speaking to me out of the temple. And a man stood by me. 7 He said to me: Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel forever. And My holy name shall the house of Israel defile no more, nor they nor their kings by their harlotry, nor by the corpses of their kings when they die. 8 By setting their threshold by My threshold and their post by My posts and the wall between Me and them, they have even defiled My holy name by their abominations that they have committed. Therefore I have consumed them in My anger. 9 Now let them put away their harlotry and the corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.
10 As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. And let them measure the pattern. 11 If they are ashamed of all that they have done, show them the design of the temple and its fashion and exits and its entrances and all its forms and all its ordinances and all its laws. And write it in their sight so that they may keep its whole form and all its ordinances and do them.
12 This is the law of the temple: The whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. This is the law of the temple.
The Altar Restored
13 These are the measurements of the altar by cubits[f] (the cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth): The base shall be a cubit, and the width a cubit, and its border by its edge all around shall be a span.[g] And this shall be the height of the altar: 14 From the bottom on the ground even to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the width one cubit.[h] And from the lesser ledge even to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the width one cubit.[i] 15 So the altar shall be four cubits. And from the altar and upward shall be four horns. 16 The altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide,[j] square in its four corners. 17 The ledge shall be fourteen cubits[k] long and fourteen wide in the four squares. And the border about it shall be half a cubit.[l] And its bottom shall be a cubit all around. And its stairs shall face east.
18 He said to me: Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it. 19 You shall give to the priests the Levites that are of the seed of Zadok who approach Me to minister to Me, says the Lord God, a young bull as a sin offering. 20 You shall take of its blood and put it on its four horns, and on the four corners of the ledge and on the rim all around. Thus you shall cleanse and purge it. 21 You shall take the bull also of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary.
22 On the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish as a sin offering. And they shall cleanse the altar as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you have made an end of cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram out of the flock without blemish. 24 You shall offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.
25 For seven days you shall prepare every day a goat as a sin offering. They shall also prepare a young bull and a ram out of the flock, without blemish. 26 For seven days they shall purge the altar and purify it. So they shall consecrate it. 27 When they have completed the days, it shall be that on the eighth day and forward, the priests shall present your burnt offerings and your peace offerings upon the altar. And I will accept you, says the Lord God.
Warning to the Rich
5 Come now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures for the last days. 4 Indeed the wages that you kept back by fraud from the laborers who harvested your fields are crying, and the cries of those who harvested have entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5 You have lived in pleasure on the earth and have been wayward. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and killed the righteous man who does not resist you.
Patience and Prayer
7 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Notice how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until he receives the early and late rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is drawing near. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, lest you be condemned. Look, the Judge is standing at the door.
10 My brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them happy who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the purpose of the Lord, that the Lord is very gracious and merciful.
12 But above all things, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No,” that you do not fall into condemnation.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, 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. And if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.
17 Elijah was a man subject to natural passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.
19 Brothers, if any one of you strays from the truth and someone corrects him, 20 let him know that he who converts the sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Psalm 119
א Aleph
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
and who seek Him with all their heart.
3 They also do no wrong;
they walk in His ways.
4 You have commanded us
to keep Your precepts diligently.
5 Oh, that my ways were established
to keep Your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be ashamed,
when I have my focus on all Your commandments.
7 I will praise You with an upright heart,
when I have learned Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes;
do not completely abandon me.
ב Beth
9 How shall a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek You;
do not allow me to wander from Your commandments.
11 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 declare
all the decrees of Your mouth.
14 I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies,
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts
and keep my eyes on Your ways.
16 I will delight in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
6 Better is the poor who walks in his uprightness
than he who is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
7 Whoever keeps the law is a wise son,
but he who is a companion of riotous men shames his father.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.