and its outer chambers 20 cubits in width, surrounding the Temple on each side.

The side chamber doorway facing the free space contained a single north-facing doorway and a second south-facing doorway. The width of the free space was five cubits all around the perimeter.

The building that faced the west side of the courtyard was 70 cubits wide, and the building's wall was five cubits thick all around. It was 90 cubits long.

Then he measured the Temple. It was 100 cubits long, and the courtyard, its building, and its walls were 100 cubits long.

Next, he measured 100 cubits as the length of the structure toward the front of the courtyard that stood behind it, where it housed a gallery on each side of it. Then he measured the Temple and the inner porticos of the courtyard,

the thresholds, the shielded windows, and the surrounding three-storied galleries that stood opposite. From the ground to the shielded windows, they were paneled with wood all around,

The altar was made of wood, three cubits high and two cubits long. Its corners, base, and sides were of wood. He told me, "This table stands in the LORD's presence."

It stood 100 cubits long and 50 cubits wide, with a door in the middle.

Opposite the 20 cubits wide inner court, and opposite the paved area that comprised the outer court, there were three stories of galleries that faced each other.

In front of the chambers there was an inner walkway ten cubits wide and 100 cubits wide, the openings to which were on the north.

with a passageway in front of them, similar in appearance to the chambers that were on the north, proportional to their length and width, with all of their exits according to their arrangements and doorways.

Corresponding to the chamber doorways facing the south was an opening at the beginning of the passage; that is, the passage in front of the corresponding part of the wall facing east as one might enter.

Then he told me, "The north and south chamber, which are opposite the courtyard, are consecrated areas where the priests who approach the LORD will eat consecrated offerings and lay the consecrated grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, because the area is holy.

After he had finished measuring the inner temple, he brought me out through the east-facing gate and measured it all around.

He measured the east side at 500 reeds, according to the length of the measuring stick,

the north side at 500 reeds, according to the length of the measuring stick,

the south side at 500 reeds, according to the length of the measuring stick,

and the west side at 500 reeds, according to the length of the measuring stick.

He measured a wall that encompassed all four sides, 500 hundred long and 500 wide, dividing between the sacred and common areas.

His appearance in the vision that I was having was similar to what I observed in the vision where he had come to destroy the city, and also like the visions that I saw by the Chebar River. I fell flat on my face

If they are ashamed of everything that they've done, you are to reveal to them the design of the Temple, its structure, its exits and entrances, its plans, its ordinances, and all of its regulations. Write it down where they can see it and remember all of its designs and regulations, so they will implement them.

"Here are the measurements of the altar in cubits that were a cubit and a handbreadth long: its base is a cubit long and a cubit wide, and its border around the edge at one handbreadth is to be the height of the altar.

From the base on the ground to its lower edge is to be two cubits, with its width to be one cubit. From the lesser ledge to the larger edge is to be four cubits. Its width is to be one cubit.

The hearth is to be twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide; that is, it will be a four-sided square.

It is to have a ledge fourteen cubits long by fourteen cubits wide around the four sides. Its border is to be half a cubit and its base is to be a cubit all around, with its steps facing east."

Then he told me, "This is what the Lord GOD says: "These are the regulations for the altar, starting the day that it is constructed for presenting burnt offerings and sprinkling blood.

You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of its ledge, and on the border that surrounds it, thus cleansing it and making an atonement for it.

You are also to present a bull for a sin offering, incinerating it in the appointed place at the Temple, outside the sanctuary.

"The second day following commencement of offerings, you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering to cleanse the altar the same way they cleansed it with the bull.

For a seven day period they are to make atonement for the altar, purifying it and consecrating it.

Then the Lord GOD brought me back through the east-facing outer gate of the sanctuary. But it was shut.

The LORD told me, "This gate is to remain shut. It will not be opened. No man is to enter through it, because the LORD God of Israel entered through it, so it is to remain shut.

The Regent Prince will be seated there, as Regent Prince, and will dine in the LORD's presence, entering through the portico of the gate and exiting through it also."

"You are to tell the Resistance that is, the house of Israel, "This is what the Lord GOD says: "I've had enough of all of your loathsome behavior, you house of Israel!

"This is what the Lord GOD says, "No foreigner who is both uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the Israelis is to enter my sanctuary.

Nevertheless, I will appoint them to take care of my Temple, including all of its service and everything that is to be done inside of it.'"

"They are to enter my sanctuary, approach my table to minister to me, and carry out my requirements.

Whenever they enter at the gates of the inner court, they are to be clothed with linen garments. They are not to wear wool when they are ministering within the gates of the inner courtyard or in the Temple.

They are not to marry a widow or a divorced woman. Instead, they are to marry virgins from the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest."

"They are to teach my people how to discern what is holy in contrast to what is common, showing them how to discern between what is unclean and clean.

They are to eat the grain offerings, sin offering, and guilt offering. Everything consecrated in Israel is to belong to them.

However, the priests are not to eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or that has been torn apart."

"When you divide the land for an inheritance, you are to present a Terumah to the LORD, a consecrated portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide. Everything within this area is to be treated as holy.

A Holy Place is to be dedicated from this area in the form of a square measuring 500 by 500 cubits, with a 50 cubit buffer zone surrounding it.

From this area a measure is to be made 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide, which is to contain the sanctuary, the holiest of holy objects.

It is to be a holy portion of the land, set aside for the priests who serve the sanctuary, who approach the LORD to serve him. It is to be a place for their houses, as well as the Holy Place of the sanctuary.

An area 25,000 cubits long by 10,000 cubits wide is to be set aside for use by the Levite servants of the Temple, 20 parcels for their residential properties.

The land allocation for the city is to be set at 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjacent to the sanctuary district, reserved for the entire house of Israel."

"This is what the Lord GOD says, "Enough of you, you regent princes of Israel! Abandon your violence and destruction. Practice what is just and right instead! Stop confiscating property from my people!' declares the Lord GOD.

"Here are the standards for presenting offerings: a sixth of an ephah that is based on the standard omer of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah based on the standard omer of barley.

The olive oil quota is to be based on the bath, measured at ten baths to each omer, which is equal to one kor.

The Regent Prince is to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the festivals, on the New Moons and Sabbaths, and at all of the prescribed festivals of the house of Israel. He is to provide the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings in order to make atonement for the house of Israel."

"This is what the Lord GOD says, "On the first day of the first month, you are to present a young bull without defect in order to cleanse the sanctuary.

"This is what the Lord GOD says: "The inner, east-facing courtyard is to remain shut during the six working days of the week, but on the Sabbath day it is to be opened, as well as on the day of the New Moon.

The Regent Prince is to enter through the portico of the gate from outside and is to stand at the doorframe of the gate where the priests are to present the Regent Prince's burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the Regent Prince is to worship at the threshold of the gate and go out. The gate is not to be closed until evening.

The people who live in the land are to worship at the doorway of the gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons in the LORD's presence.'"

When the people who live in the land come into the LORD's presence during the festivals, whoever enters through the northern gate is to leave through the southern gate, and whoever enters through the southern gate is to leave through the northern gate. No one is to leave by the same route that he enters, but instead is to go straight out.

The Regent Prince is to enter when they are coming in, and he is to leave when they go out.'"

Whenever the Regent Prince presents a voluntary offering, burnt offering, or peace offering, he is to present it voluntarily to the LORD, and the east-facing gate is to be opened for him. He is to provide his burnt offering and peace offering as he does on the Sabbath. When he leaves, the gate is to be shut behind him.

In addition, he is to present a grain offering with it every morning, consisting of a sixth of an ephah mixed with one third of a hin of oil. This grain offering is to be offered to the LORD as a permanent ordinance.

"This is what the Lord GOD says: "If the Regent Prince gives a gift to someone, it is to remain with the man's descendants as their own inheritance.

But if he gives a gift to any of his servants, it is to belong to the servant until the Year of Release, at which time it is to be returned to the Regent Prince. His inheritance is to belong only to his sons.

Then he brought me out to the exterior courtyard and led me across to each of the four corners of the courtyard. There in each corner was an enclosed area set aside,

all of them the same size; that is, each was 40 cubits long and 30 cubits wide.

After this, he brought me back to the doorway to the Temple. To my amazement, there was water flowing out toward the east from beneath the threshold of the Temple! (The Temple faced eastward.) The water flowed down from beneath the right side of the Temple, that is, from the south-facing side where the altar was located.

Then he brought me out through the north gateway and around to the one outside that faces toward the east. To my amazement, water was trickling out from that part of the south side, too!

As the man went out toward the east, he carried a measuring line in his hand. He measured out 1,000 cubits as he led me through water that was ankle-deep.

Then he measured out another 1,000 cubits, where he led me through water that was knee-deep. And then he measured out another 1,000 cubits, where the water was waist-deep.

When he had measured out another 1,000 cubits, the water had become deep enough that I wasn't able to ford it. Instead, I would have had to swim through it.

It will support all kinds of living creatures that will thrive abundantly wherever the river flows. There will be a great many fish, because this water will flow there and turn the salt water fresh. As a result, everything will live wherever the river flows.

A day will come when fishermen will line its banks from En-gedi to En-eglaim there will be plenty of room to spread out nets. There will be all sorts of species of fish, as abundant as the fish that live in the Mediterranean Sea. There will be lots of them!

This is what the Lord GOD says: "This is to be the territorial border by which you apportion the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel, with Joseph double-portioned.

Apportion it for their inheritances, distributing everything equally as if you were distributing things to your own brother, which is how I promised to give it to your ancestors. This way, the land will fall to you as an inheritance.

"You are to determine the southern extremity running from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then from there proceeding to the Wadi, and then to the Mediterranean Sea. This is to be the southern perimeter.

dividing it by lottery among yourselves and among the foreigners who live among you and bear children among you. You are to treat them like native-born Israelis. Among you they, too, are to be allotted an inheritance with the tribes of Israel.

"Running along the border of the tribe of Judah from the eastern perimeter to the western perimeter you are to set apart the Terumah, 25,000 units wide, with its east-west length equal to one of the other apportionments, from the eastern perimeter to the western perimeter, with the Temple in the middle of it.

The Terumah that you are to give to the LORD is to be 25,000 units wide."

"The holy Terumah is to be reserved for these, the priests: Toward the north, 25,000 units in length; toward the west, 10,000 units in width; toward the east, 10,000 units in width; and toward the south, 25,000 units in length. The LORD's sanctuary is to be in its midst.

It is to be for use by priests from the descendants of Zadok, who have observed the things with which I charged them and who did not wander astray when the Israelis went astray, just as the descendants of Levi wandered astray.

It is to be a Terumah for them from the allotment of the land, a Most Holy Place, adjoining the border of the descendants of Levi."

"Alongside the border of the priests, the descendants of Levi are to be allotted 25,000 units in length and 10,000 units in width. The entire length is to be 25,000 units and its width 10,000 units.

Furthermore, they are not to sell or exchange any part of it, nor transfer these first fruits of the land, because it is holy to the LORD.

"The rest, 5,000 units wide and 25,000 units along its front, will serve as a common portion for use by the city for housing and open spaces, since the city is to be in its midst.

"The remainder of the length that borders the holy Terumah is to be 10,000 units long eastward and 10,000 units westward. It is to lie adjacent to the holy Terumah. Its harvest will produce food for those who work in the city.

The city workers who cultivate it are to come from all the tribes of Israel.

The entire Terumah is to be 25,000 units by 25,000 units you are to reserve it as a holy Terumah in the form of a square within the city limits."

"Now the remainder of the allotment on either side of the holy Terumah is to be for the Regent Prince and for city property adjoining the 25,000 units along the eastern border and adjoining the 25,000 units along the western border, and parallel to the allotments. These are to be for the Regent Prince. The holy Terumah and the sanctuary of the Temple is to stand in the middle of it.

Except for what belongs to the descendants of Levi and the city property, which will stand in the middle of what belongs to the Regent Prince, whatever is between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin is to belong to the Regent Prince."

Adjacent to the border of Gad to the south and extending toward the south, the border is to proceed from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then to the Wadi of Egypt, and from there to the Mediterranean Sea.

In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it.

The king assigned them fine food and choice wine on a daily basis, ordering them to be trained for three years, at the end of which time they would enter the king's service.

The chief officer told Daniel, "I fear his majesty the king, who has determined what you eat and drink. If he notices that your faces are more pale than the other young men in your group, I will forfeit my head to the king."

"Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

Then compare how we look with the young men who ate the king's rich food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you observe."

So he listened to what Daniel said and tested them for ten days.

At the end of ten days their appearance was better and their faces were well-nourished compared to the young men who ate the king's rich food.

Then at the end of the training period that the king had established, the chief officer brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

So the king gave orders to summon diviners, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to reveal to the king what he had dreamed. When they came and stood before him,

the king told them, "I have dreamed a dream and I will remain troubled until I can understand it."

In reply the king told the Chaldeans, "Here is what I have commanded: If you don't tell me both the dream and its meaning, you'll be destroyed and your houses will be reduced to rubble.