1 Chronicles 8:29–9:1; Daniel 4; Ezekiel 40

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1 Chronicles 8:29–9:1

29 noJeiel1 the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon, and the name of his wife was Maacah. 30 His firstborn son: Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, 32 and Mikloth (he fathered Shimeah). Now these also lived opposite their kinsmen in Jerusalem, with their kinsmen. 33 pNer was the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of qJonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal; 34 and the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal was the father of rMicah. 35 The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36 Ahaz fathered Jehoaddah, and Jehoaddah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri fathered Moza. 37 Moza fathered Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. 38 Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39 The sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. 40 The sons of Ulam were men who were mighty warriors, bowmen, having many sons and grandsons, 150. All these were Benjaminites.

A Genealogy of the Returned Exiles

So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And sJudah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith.


Daniel 4

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all mpeoples, nations, and languages, nthat dwell in all the earth: oPeace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the psigns and wonders that the qMost High God has done for me.

How great are phis signs,

how mighty his pwonders!

rHis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

rand his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

2 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and sthe visions of my head alarmed me. So tI made a decree that uall the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then vthe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but wthey could not make known to me its interpretation. At last Daniel came in before mehe who was named xBelteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ythe spirit of the holy gods3and I told him the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, zchief of the magicians, because I know that ythe spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no amystery is too difficult for you, tell me sthe visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 sThe visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and bbehold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 cThe tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 dIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. eThe beasts of the field found shade under it, and ethe birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 I saw in sthe visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, fa watcher, ga holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He hproclaimed aloud and said thus: iChop down the tree and jlop off its branches, jstrip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. jLet the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; kand let seven periods of time lpass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of fthe watchers, the decision by the word of gthe holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High mrules the kingdom of men nand gives it to whom he will and osets over it the lowliest of men. 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O pBelteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because qall the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for rthe spirit of the holy gods is in you.

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, whose name was pBelteshazzar, was sdismayed for a while, and this thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, umay the dream be for those who hate you uand its interpretation for your enemies! 20 vThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 wwhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived 22 xit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. yYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, yand your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw za watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, aChop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till bseven periods of time pass over him, 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 cthat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made dto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and bseven periods of time shall pass over you, till eyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded fto leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by gpracticing righteousness, hand your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ithat there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, jIs not this great Babylon, which I have built by kmy mighty power as a royal residence and for kthe glory of my majesty? 31 lWhile the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 mand you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, muntil you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. mHe was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

34 nAt the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and omy reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored phim who lives forever,

qfor his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and qhis kingdom endures from generation to generation;

35  rall the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and she does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

tand none can stay his hand

or usay to him, What have you done?

36 At the same time vmy reason returned to me, and for wthe glory of my kingdom, wmy majesty and splendor returned to me. xMy counselors and ymy lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was zadded to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, apraise and extol and honor the bKing of heaven, cfor all his works are right and his ways are just; and dthose who walk in pride he is able to humble.


Ezekiel 40

Vision of the New Temple

wIn the twenty-fifth year xof our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, yin the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, zthe hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city.1 In avisions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on ba very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. When he brought me there, behold, there was ca man whose appearance was dlike bronze, with ea linen cord and fa measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. And the man said to me, gSon of man, hlook with your eyes, and hhear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. iDeclare all that you see to the house of Israel.

The East Gate to the Outer Court

And behold, there was ja wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man’s hand was six long cubits, keach being a cubit and a handbreadth2 in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. Then he went into lthe gateway facing east, mgoing up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.3 And nthe side rooms, one reed long and one reed broad; and the space between the side rooms, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end, one reed. Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, on the inside, one reed. Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; oand its jambs, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. 10 And there were three side rooms on either side of the east gate. pThe three were of the same size, and the jambs on either side were of the same size. 11 Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits. 12 There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side. And the side rooms were six cubits on either side. 13 Then he measured the gate from the ceiling of the one side room to the ceiling of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; the openings faced each other. 14 He measured also qthe vestibule, sixty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.4 15 From the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. 16 And the gateway had rwindows all around, narrowing inwards toward the side rooms and toward their sjambs, and likewise the vestibule had windows all around inside, and on the jambs were tpalm trees.

The Outer Court

17 Then he brought me into uthe outer court. And behold, there were vchambers and a wpavement, all around the court. xThirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 And the pavement ran along the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. This was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court,5 a hundred cubits on the east side and on the north side.6

The North Gate

20 As for ythe gate that faced toward the north, belonging to uthe outer court, he measured its length and its breadth. 21 Its nside rooms, three on either side, and its jambs and its vestibule were of the same size as those of zthe first gate. Its length was afifty cubits, and its breadth btwenty-five cubits. 22 And cits windows, its vestibule, and cits palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. And by seven steps dpeople would go up to it, and find its vestibule before them. 23 And opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to ethe inner court. And fhe measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits.

The South Gate

24 And he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south. And ghe measured its jambs and its vestibule; they had the same size as the others. 25 Both it and its vestibule hhad windows all around, like the windows of the others. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 26 And there were seven steps leading up to it, and its vestibule was before them, and it had ipalm trees on its jambs, one on either side. 27 And there was a gate on the south of jthe inner court. And he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits.

The Inner Court

28 Then he brought me to jthe inner court through the south gate, and khe measured the south gate. It was of the same size as the others. 29 Its lside rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule mhad windows all around. mIts length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 30 And there were vestibules all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad. 31 Its vestibule faced the outer court, and ipalm trees were on its jambs, and nits stairway had eight steps.

32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and ohe measured the gate. It was of the same size as the others. 33 Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 34 pIts vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.

35 Then he brought me to qthe north gate, and rhe measured it. It had the same size as the others. 36 Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others,7 and it had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 37 Its vestibule8 faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.

38 There was sa chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate,9 twhere the burnt offering was to be washed. 39 And in the vestibule of the gate were two utables on either side, on which the vburnt offering and the wsin offering and the xguilt offering were to be slaughtered. 40 And off to the side, on the outside as one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables; and off to the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. 41 yFour tables were on either side of the gate, eight tables, zon which to slaughter. 42 And there were four tables aof hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the vburnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered. 43 And hooks,10 a handbreadth long, were fastened all around within. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid.

Chambers for the Priests

44 On the outside of the inner gateway there were two bchambers11 in the cinner court, one12 at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south13 gate facing north. 45 And he said to me, This chamber that faces south is for the priests dwho have charge of the temple, 46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests ewho have charge of the altar. These are fthe sons of Zadok, who alone14 among the sons of Levi may come gnear to the Lord to minister to him. 47 And he measured the court, ha hundred cubits long and ha hundred cubits broad, a square. And ithe altar was in front of the temple.

The Vestibule of the Temple

48 Then he brought me to jthe vestibule of the temple and measured the kjambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate15 were three cubits on either side. 49 lThe length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve16 cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.17 And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side.