(Zechariah 2:1–5)
1
In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, the tenth day of the month, the fourteenth year after the city was destroyed: in the selfsame day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me thither.
2
In the visions of God he brought me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain: upon which there was as the building of a city, bending towards the south.
3
And he brought me in thither, and behold a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed in his hand, and he stood in the gate.
4
And this man said to me: Son of man, see with thy eyes, and hear with thy ears, and set thy heart upon all that I shall shew thee: for thou art brought hither that they may be shewn to thee: declare all that thou seest, to the house of Israel.
The East Gate
5
And behold there was a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits and a handbreadth: and he measured the breadth of the building one reed, and the height one reed.
6
And he came to the gate that looked toward the east, and he went up the steps thereof: and he measured the breadth of the threshold of the gate one reed, that is, one threshold was one reed broad:
7
And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad: and between the little chambers were five cubits:
8
And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within, was one reed.
9
And he measured the porch of the gate eight cubits, and the front thereof two cubits: and the porch of the gate was inward.
10
And the little chambers of the gate that looked eastward were three on this side, and three on that side: all three were of one measure, and the fronts of one measure, on both parts.
11
And he measured the breadth of the threshold of the gate ten cubits: and the length of the gate thirteen cubits:
12
And the border before the little chambers one cubit: and one cubit was the border on both sides: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side and that side.
13
And he measured the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another, in breadth five and twenty cubits: door against door.
14
He made also fronts of sixty cubits: and to the front the court of the gate on every side round about.
15
And before the face of the gate which reached even to the face of the porch of the inner gate, fifty cubits.
16
And slanting windows in the little chambers, and in their fronts, which were within the gate on every side round about: and in like, manner there wore also in the porches windows round about within, and before the fronts the representation of palm trees.
The Outer Court
17
And he brought me into the outward court, and behold there were chambers, and a pavement of stone in the court round about: thirty chambers encompassed the pavement.
18
And the pavement in the front of the gates according to the length of the gates was lower.
19
And he measured the breadth from the face of the lower gate to the front of the inner court without, a hundred cubits to the east, and to the north.
The North Gate
20
He measured also both the length and the breadth of the gate of the outward court, which looked northward.
21
And the little chambers thereof three on this side, and three on that side: and the front thereof, and the porch thereof according to the measure of the former gate, fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
22
And the windows thereof, and the porch, and the gravings according to the measure of the gate that looked to the east, and they went up to it by seven steps, and a porch was before it.
23
And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate of the north, and that of the ease: and he measured from gate to gate a hundred cubits.
The South Gate
24
And he brought me out to the way of the south, and behold the gate that looked to the south: and he measured the front thereof, and the porch thereof according to the former measures.
25
And the windows thereof, and the porches round about, as the other windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
26
And there were seven steps to go up to it: and a porch before the doors thereof: and there were graven palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side in the front thereof.
27
And there was a gate of the inner court towards the south: and he measured from gate to gate towards the south, a hundred cubits.
The Gates of the Inner Court
28
And he brought me into the inner court at the south gate: and he measured the gate according to the former measures.
29
The little chamber thereof, and the front thereof, and the porch thereof with the same measures: and the windows thereof, and the porch thereof round about it was fifty cubits in length, and five and twenty cubits in breadth.
30
And the porch round about was five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.
31
And the porch thereof to the outward court, and the palm trees thereof in the front: and there were eight steps to go up to It.
32
And he brought me into the inner court by the way of the east: and he measured the gate according to the former measures.
33
The little chamber thereof, and the front thereof, and the porch thereof as before: and the windows thereof, and the porches thereof round about it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
34
And the porch thereof, that is, of the outward court: and the graven palm trees in the front thereof on this side and on that side: and the going up thereof was by eight steps.
35
And he brought me into the gate that looked to the north: and he measured according to the former measures.
36
The little chamber thereof, and the front thereof, and the porch thereof, and the windows thereof round about it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
37
And the porch thereof looked to the outward court: and the graving of palm trees in the front thereof was on this side and on that side: and the going up to it was by eight steps.
Eight Tables for Sacrifices
38
And at every chamber was a door in the forefronts of the gates: there they washed the holocaust.
39
And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side: that the holocaust, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering might be slain thereon.
40
And on the outward side, which goeth up to the entry of the gate that looketh toward the north, were two tables. and at the other side before the porch of the gate were two tables.
41
Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side: at the sides of the gate were eight tables, upon which they slew the victims.
42
And the four tables for the holocausts were made of square stones: one cubit and a half long, and one cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high: to lay the vessels upon, in which the holocaust and the victim is slain.
43
And the borders of them were of one handbreadth, turned inwards round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
Chambers for Ministry
44
And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singing men in the inner court, which was on the side of the gate that looketh to the north: and their prospect was towards the south, one at the side of the east gate, which looketh toward the north.
45
And he said to me: This chamber, which looketh toward the south shall be for the priests that watch in the wards of the temple.
46
But the chamber that looketh towards the north shall be for the priests that watch over the ministry of the altar. These are the sons of Sadoc, who among the sons of Levi, come near to the Lord, to minister to him.
The Inner Court
47
And he measured the court a hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad foursquare: and the altar that was before the face of the temple.
48
And he brought me into the porch of the temple: and he measured the porch five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
49
And the length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and there were eight, steps to go up to it. And there were pillars in the fronts: one on this side, and another on that side.