« | Ezekiel 42 | » |
1 Then he led me out into the inner court, toward the north, and he brought me to the chambers which were opposite the temple yard and opposite the building on the north.
2 The length of the building which was on the north side was a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty cubits.
3 Adjoining the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and facing the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories.
4 And before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long, and their doors were on the north.
5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers in the building.
6 For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the outer court; hence the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones.
7 And there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, fifty cubits long.
8 For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite the temple were a hundred cubits long.
9 Below these chambers was an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court,
10 where the outside wall begins. On the south also, opposite the yard and opposite the building, there were chambers
11 with a passage in front of them; they were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits and arrangements and doors.
12 And below the south chambers was an entrance on the east side, where one enters the passage, and opposite them was a dividing wall.
13 Then he said to me, "The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings; there they shall put the most holy offerings -- the cereal offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, for the place is holy.
14 When the priests enter the holy place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy; they shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people."
15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate which faced east, and measured the temple area round about.
16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred cubits by the measuring reed.
17 Then he turned and measured the north side, five hundred cubits by the measuring reed.
18 Then he turned and measured the south side, five hundred cubits by the measuring reed.
19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, five hundred cubits by the measuring reed.
20 He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common.
The Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is a widely respected English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1952 by the National Council of Churches. It was developed as a revision of the American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901, with the primary aim of providing a more accurate and readable text while retaining the literary qualities of its predecessor. The RSV sought to modernize the language of the ASV without sacrificing its faithfulness to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, making it a significant milestone in the history of English Bible translations.
One of the key features of the RSV is its commitment to formal equivalence, or a word-for-word translation approach. This method ensures that the translation closely mirrors the structure and wording of the original texts, allowing readers to engage more directly with the biblical languages. The translators of the RSV were guided by the latest biblical scholarship of their time, and they endeavored to produce a text that was both accurate and elegant. This combination of precision and literary quality has made the RSV a popular choice for both academic study and liturgical use.
The RSV also stands out for its ecumenical appeal. It was one of the first translations to be accepted across a wide range of Christian denominations, including Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions. This broad acceptance was partly due to the inclusive approach of the translation committee, which included scholars from various religious backgrounds. The RSV’s ecumenical nature helped it gain widespread usage in churches, seminaries, and universities, fostering a greater sense of unity among different Christian communities.
Despite its many strengths, the RSV has faced some criticism over the years. Some conservative scholars and readers have expressed concerns about certain translation choices, arguing that they reflect modernist theological perspectives. Additionally, the RSV’s use of archaic language in certain passages has been a point of contention for those seeking a more contemporary rendering of the Bible. Nonetheless, the Revised Standard Version remains a highly respected and influential translation, valued for its accuracy, literary excellence, and broad ecumenical acceptance. It continues to serve as a foundation for later revisions and translations, such as the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the English Standard Version (ESV).