The Prophet's Vision of the Temple

401 In the twenty-fifth e year of our exile , at the beginning of the year , on the tenth of the month , in the fourteenth e year after the city was taken , on that same day the hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me there . 2 In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain , and on it to the south there was a structure like a city . 3 So He brought me there ; and behold , there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze , with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand ; and he was standing in the gateway . 4 The man said to me, " Son of man , see with your eyes , hear with your ears , and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see ."

5 And behold , there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around , and in the man's hand was a measuring rod of six cubits , each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth . So he measured the thickness of the wall , one rod ; and the height , one rod . 6 Then he went to the gate which faced east , went up its steps and measured the threshold of the gate , one rod in width ; and the other threshold was one rod in width . 7 The guardroom was one rod long and one rod wide ; and there were five cubits between the guardrooms . And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate facing inward was one rod . 8 Then he measured the porch of the gate facing inward , one rod . 9 He measured the porch of the gate , eight cubits ; and its side pillars , two cubits . And the porch of the gate was faced inward . 10 The guardrooms of the gate toward the east numbered three on each side ; the three of them had the same measurement . The side pillars also had the same measurement on each side . 11 And he measured the width of the gateway e , ten cubits , and the length of the gate , thirteen e cubits . 12 There was a barrier wall one cubit wide in front of the guardrooms on each side ; and the guardrooms were six cubits square on each side . 13 He measured the gate from the roof of the one guardroom to the roof of the other, a width of twenty-five e cubits from one door to the door opposite . 14 He made the side pillars sixty cubits high; the gate extended round about to the side pillar of the courtyard . 15 From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the inner porch of the gate was fifty cubits . 16 There were shuttered windows looking toward the guardrooms , and toward their side pillars within the gate all around , and likewise for the porches . And there were windows all around inside ; and on each side pillar were palm tree ornaments . 17 Then he brought me into the outer court , and behold , there were chambers and a pavement made for the court all around ; thirty chambers faced the pavement . 18 The pavement (that is, the lower pavement ) was by the side of the gates , corresponding to the length of the gates . 19 Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court , a hundred cubits on the east and on the north . 20 As for the gate of the outer court which faced the north , he measured its length and its width . 21 It had three guardrooms on each side ; and its side pillars and its porches had the same measurement as the first gate . Its length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five e cubits . 22 Its windows and its porches and its palm tree ornaments had the same measurements as the gate which faced toward the east ; and it was reached by seven steps , and its porch was in front of them. 23 The inner court had a gate opposite the gate on the north as well as the gate on the east ; and he measured a hundred cubits from gate to gate . 24 Then he led me toward the south , and behold , there was a gate toward the south ; and he measured its side pillars and its porches according to those same measurements . 25 The gate and its porches had windows all around like those other windows ; the length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five e cubits . 26 There were seven steps going up to it, and its porches were in front of them; and it had palm tree ornaments on its side pillars , one on each side .

27 The inner court had a gate toward the south ; and he measured from gate to gate toward the south , a hundred cubits . 28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate ; and he measured the south gate according to those same measurements . 29 Its guardrooms also, its side pillars and its porches were according to those same measurements . And the gate and its porches had windows all around ; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five e cubits wide . 30 There were porches all around , twenty-five e cubits long and five cubits wide . 31 Its porches were toward the outer court ; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars , and its stairway had eight steps . 32 He brought me into the inner court toward the east . And he measured the gate according to those same measurements . 33 Its guardrooms also, its side pillars and its porches were according to those same measurements . And the gate and its porches had windows all around ; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five e cubits wide . 34 Its porches were toward the outer court ; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars , on each side , and its stairway had eight steps . 35 Then he brought me to the north gate ; and he measured it according to those same measurements , 36 with its guardrooms , its side pillars and its porches . And the gate had windows all around ; the length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five e cubits . 37 Its side pillars were toward the outer court ; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars on each side , and its stairway had eight steps . 38 A chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates ; there they rinse the burnt offering .

39 In the porch of the gate were two tables on each side , on which to slaughter the burnt offering , the sin offering and the guilt offering . 40 On the outer side , as one went up to the gateway e toward the north , were two tables ; and on the other side of the porch of the gate were two tables . 41 Four tables were on each side next to the gate ; or, eight tables on which they slaughter sacrifices. 42 For the burnt offering there were four tables of hewn stone , a cubit and a half long , a cubit and a half wide and one cubit high , on which they lay the instruments with which they slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice . 43 The double hooks , one handbreadth in length, were installed in the house all around ; and on the tables was the flesh of the offering . 44 From the outside to the inner gate were chambers for the singers in the inner court , one of which was at the side of the north gate , with its front toward the south , and one at the side of the south gate facing toward the north . 45 He said to me, "This is the chamber which faces toward the south , intended for the priests who keep charge of the temple ; 46 but the chamber which faces toward the north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar . These are the sons of Zadok , who from the sons of Levi come near to the Lord to minister to Him." 47 He measured the court , a perfect square , a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide ; and the altar was in front of the temple . 48 Then he brought me to the porch of the temple and measured each side pillar of the porch , five cubits on each side ; and the width of the gate was three cubits on each side . 49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits and the width eleven e cubits ; and at the stairway by which it was ascended were columns belonging to the side pillars , one on each side .

411 Then he brought me to the nave and measured the side pillars ; six cubits wide on each side was the width of the side pillar . 2 The width of the entrance was ten cubits and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side . And he measured the length of the nave, forty cubits , and the width , twenty cubits . 3 Then he went inside and measured each side pillar of the doorway , two cubits , and the doorway , six cubits high; and the width of the doorway , seven cubits . 4 He measured its length , twenty cubits , and the width , twenty cubits , before e the nave ; and he said to me, "This is the most holy place." 5 Then he measured the wall of the temple , six cubits ; and the width of the side chambers , four cubits , all around about the house on every side . 6 The side chambers were in three stories, one above another , and thirty in each story ; and the side chambers extended to the wall which stood on their inward side all around , that they might be fastened , and not be fastened into the wall of the temple itself. 7 The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each successive story . Because the structure surrounding the temple went upward by stages on all sides of the temple , therefore e the width of the temple increased as it went higher ; and thus one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the second story. 8 I saw also that the house had a raised platform all around ; the foundations of the side chambers were a full rod of six long cubits in height. 9 The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits . But the free space between the side chambers belonging to the temple 10 and the outer chambers was twenty cubits in width all around the temple on every side . 11 The doorways of the side chambers toward the free space consisted of one doorway toward the north and another doorway toward the south ; and the width of the free space e was five cubits all around .

12 The building that was in front of the separate area at the side toward the west was seventy cubits wide ; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around , and its length was ninety cubits . 13 Then he measured the temple , a hundred cubits long ; the separate area with the building and its walls were also a hundred cubits long . 14 Also the width of the front of the temple and that of the separate areas along the east side totaled a hundred cubits . 15 He measured the length of the building along the front of the separate area behind e it, with a gallery on each side , a hundred cubits ; he also measured the inner nave and the porches of the court . 16 The thresholds , the latticed windows and the galleries round about their three stories, opposite the threshold , were paneled with wood all around , and from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered ), 17 over the entrance , and to the inner house , and on the outside , and on all the wall all around inside and outside , by measurement . 18 It was carved with cherubim and palm trees ; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub , and every cherub had two faces , 19 a man's face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side ; they were carved on all the house all around . 20 From the ground to above e the entrance cherubim and palm trees were carved , as well as on the wall of the nave . 21 The doorposts of the nave were square ; as for the front of the sanctuary , the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other. 22 The altar was of wood , three cubits high and its length two cubits ; its corners , its base and its sides were of wood . And he said to me, "This is the table that is before the Lord ." 23 The nave and the sanctuary each had a double door . 24 Each of the doors had two leaves , two swinging leaves ; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other . 25 Also there were carved on them, on the doors of the nave , cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls ; and there was a threshold of wood on the front of the porch outside e . 26 There were latticed windows and palm trees on one side and on the other , on the sides of the porch ; thus were the side chambers of the house and the thresholds .

The Promise of the Lord's Coming

31 This is now , beloved , the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder , 2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles .

3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking , following after their own lusts , 4 and saying , " Where is the promise of His coming ? For ever since e the fathers fell asleep , all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation ." 5 For when they maintain this , it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water , 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed , being flooded with water . 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire , kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men .

8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice , beloved , that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years , and a thousand years like one day .

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise , as some count slowness , but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance . 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief , in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat , and the earth and its works will be burned up.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way , what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness , 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God , because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning , and the elements will melt with intense heat ! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth , in which righteousness dwells . 14 Therefore , beloved , since you look for these things , be diligent to be found by Him in peace , spotless and blameless , 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation ; just as also our beloved brother Paul , according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters , speaking in them of these things , in which are some things hard to understand , which the untaught and unstable distort , as they do also the rest of the Scriptures , to their own destruction . 17 You therefore , beloved , knowing this beforehand , be on your guard so e that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness , 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . To Him be the glory , both now and to the day of eternity . Amen .