3 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites[a] were living[b] in their[c] towns, the people assembled[d] in[e] Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak[f] and his priestly colleagues[g] and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues[h] started to build[i] the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by[j] the law of Moses the man of God.

2 [a] These are the people[b] of the province who were going up,[c] from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

1 [a] In the first[b] year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the Lord’s message spoken through[c] Jeremiah,[d] the Lord motivated[e] King Cyrus of Persia to issue[f] a proclamation[g] throughout his kingdom and also to put it in writing. It read:[h] 2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:

48 “These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo Hamath, as far as Hazar Enan (which is on the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east side to the west, Dan will have one portion.

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court that faces east[a] will be closed six working days, but on the Sabbath day it will be opened and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. 2 The prince will enter by way of the porch of the gate from the outside and will stand by the doorpost of the gate. The priests will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he will bow down at the threshold of the gate and then go out. But the gate will not be closed until evening.

47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed[a] that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, from south of the altar.

45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment[a] to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be 8¼ miles[b] and the width 3⅓ miles.[c] This entire area will be holy.[d] 2 Of this area a square 875 feet[e] by 875 feet will be designated for the sanctuary, with 87½ feet[f] set aside for its open space round about. 3 From this measured area you will measure a length of 8¼ miles[g] and a width of 3⅓ miles;[h] in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

44 Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faces east, but it was shut. 2 The Lord said to me: “This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut. 3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal[a] before the Lord; he will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way.”