The Babylonian Exile

Under these rooms was the entrance to the east side, leading in from the outer courtyard.

In the width of the courtyard wall on the east, facing the separated yard and facing the building, there were rooms,

with a passageway in front of them, similar to the rooms on the north. They were the same length and width and had similarly made exits and entrances.

By the entrances of the rooms on the south there was an entrance at the end of the passage, the passageway right in front of the wall, toward the eastern entrances.

Then he said to me, "The north and south [blocks of] rooms in front of the separated yard are the holy rooms where the cohanim who approach ADONAI will eat the especially holy things. This is where they will put the especially holy things - the grain offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings; for the place is holy.

When the cohanim come, they will not go out of the [Especially] Holy Place into the outer courtyard; rather, they will leave [in these rooms] the clothes they use when ministering, because they are holy. They will put on other clothes and only then approach the areas permitted to the people."

After he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by way of the gate facing east and measured the whole area.

He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.

He measured the north side; it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.

He measured the south side; it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.

He turned to the west side and measured 875 feet with the measuring rod.

He measured its four sides; it had a wall around it; and it was 875 [feet] long and 875 [feet] wide. Thus a division was made between what was holy and what was common.

After this, he brought me to the gate facing east.

There I saw the glory of the God of Isra'el approaching from the east. His voice was like the sound of rushing water, and the earth shone with his glory.

The vision seemed like the vision I had seen when I came to destroy the city; also the visions were like the vision I had seen by the K'var River; and I fell on my face.

ADONAI's glory entered the house through the gate facing east.

Next, a spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and I saw ADONAI's glory fill the house.

I heard someone speaking to me from the house, and a man was standing by me.

He said, "Human being, this is the place for my throne, the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live among the people of Isra'el forever. The house of Isra'el, both they and their kings, will never again defile my holy name by their prostitution, by [burying] the corpses of their kings [on] their high places,

or by placing their threshold next to my threshold and their door-frames next to my door-frames, with only a common wall between me and them. Yes, they defiled my holy name by the disgusting practices they committed; which is why I destroyed them in my anger.

So now, they should put their prostitution at a distance and the corpses of their kings far away from me; then I will live among them forever.

"You, human being, describe this house to the house of Isra'el, so that they will be ashamed of their crimes. And let them measure accurately.

If they become ashamed of all they have done, show them the elevation and plan of the house, its exits and entrances, all its details and decorations, and all its specifications, its design and its Torah. Sketch it for them to see, so that they can observe the entire design with its specifications, and carry them out.

This is Torah for the house: the whole surrounding area on the mountaintop will be especially holy. This is Torah for the house."

These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (a cubit here is defined as a normal cubit [eighteen inches] plus a handbreadth [three inches]): the base, one cubit [twenty-one inches] deep and one cubit wide; with the molding surrounding it at its rim about a hand-span [nine inches] in width. The height of the altar is thus: