I looked and there was a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire, there was a gleam like amber.

The Spirit then lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me—praise the glory of the Lord in His place!—

with the sound of the living creatures’ wings brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.

He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing here, more detestable things that the house of Israel is committing, so that I must depart from My sanctuary? You will see even more detestable things.”

Then He brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked there was a hole in the wall.

So He brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house, and there were about 25 men at the entrance of the Lord’s temple, between the portico and the altar, with their backs to the Lord’s temple and their faces turned to the east. They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.

He answered me: “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity. For they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land; He does not see.’

Now the cherubim were standing to the south of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court.

Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory.

The sound of the cherubim’s wings could be heard as far as the outer court; it was like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.

As for your birth, your umbilical cord wasn’t cut on the day you were born, and you weren’t washed clean with water. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.

You are to say: This is what the Lord God says:

A great eagle with great wings, long pinions,
and full plumage of many colors
came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.

But there was another great eagle
with great wings and thick plumage.
And this vine bent its roots toward him!
It stretched out its branches to him
from its planting bed,
so that he might water it.

You are to say: This is what the Lord God says:

Will it flourish?
Will he not tear out its roots
and strip off its fruit
so that it shrivels?
All its fresh leaves will wither!
Great strength and many people
will not be needed to pull it from its roots.

Pharaoh will not help him with his great army and vast horde in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.

Therefore, son of man, prophesy
and clap your hands together.
Let the sword strike two times, even three.
It is a sword for massacre,
a sword for great massacre—
it surrounds them!

The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Drunkards from the desert were brought in, along with common men. They put bracelets on the women’s hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.

I will execute great vengeance against them with furious rebukes. They will know that I am Yahweh when I take My vengeance on them.”

“Tarshish was your trading partner because of your great wealth of every kind. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise.

Damascus was also your trading partner because of your numerous products and your great wealth of every kind, trading in wine from Helbon and white wool.

By your great skill in trading
you have increased your wealth,
but your heart has become proud
because of your wealth.”

Speak to him and say: This is what the Lord God says:

Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile,
who says, ‘My Nile is my own;
I made it for myself.’

All the birds of the sky
nested in its branches,
and all the animals of the field
gave birth beneath its boughs;
all the great nations lived in its shade.

“Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,

This happened so that no trees planted beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people who descend to the Pit.

I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh”—the declaration of the Lord God—“when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight.

He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.

“Be prepared and get yourself ready, you and all your company who have been mobilized around you; you will be their guard.

Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its rulers will ask you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hordes to carry off plunder, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions, to seize great spoil?’

I swear in My zeal and fiery rage: On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.

“Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals: Assemble and come! Gather from all around to My sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel; you will eat flesh and drink blood.

He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. He was standing by the gate.

Next, he measured the pilasters—105 feet. The gate extended around to the pilaster of the court.

Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a paved surface laid out all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement,

Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet. This was the east; next the north is described.

He measured the gate of the outer court facing north, both its length and width.

The inner court had a gate facing the north gate, like the one on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet.

The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet.

Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others.

Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.

Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others.

Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers: one beside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south gate, facing north.

Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar was in front of the temple.

Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the pilasters; on each side the width of the pilaster was 10½ feet.

The width of the entrance was 17½ feet, and the side walls of the entrance were 8¾ feet wide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet, and the width, 35 feet.

He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet. And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries on each side; it was 175 feet.

The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court—

Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.

The doorposts of the great hall were square, and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance.

The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,

Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy outside, in front of the portico.

Then the man led me out by way of the north gate into the outer court. He brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple yard and opposite the building to the north.

Opposite the 35 foot space belonging to the inner court and opposite the paved surface belonging to the outer court, the structure rose gallery by gallery in three tiers.

A wall on the outside ran in front of the chambers, parallel to them, toward the outer court; it was 87½ feet long.

For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet long, while those facing the great hall were 175 feet long.

At the base of these chambers there was an entryway on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the south, there were chambers facing the temple yard and the western building,

Once the priests have entered, they must not go out from the holy area to the outer court until they have removed the clothes they minister in, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the public area.”

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

When they enter the gates of the inner court they must wear linen garments; they must not have on them anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner court and within it.

Before they go out to the outer court, to the people, they must take off the clothes they have been ministering in, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes so that they do not transmit holiness to the people through their clothes.

No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.

On the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court to minister in the sanctuary, he must present his sin offering.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

The priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering and apply it to the temple doorposts, the four corners of the altar’s ledge, and the doorposts of the gate to the inner court.

“This is what the Lord God says: The gate of the inner court that faces east must be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day and opened on the day of the New Moon.

He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the restitution offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people.”

Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a separate court in each of its corners.

In the four corners of the outer court there were enclosed courts, 70 feet long by 52½ feet wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions.