~ Ezekiel Sees a Man With a Linen Cord and a Measuring Rod ~

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile,
at the beginning of the year,
on the tenth of the month,
in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city --
on that very day the hand of the Lord was upon me
and He took me there.
In visions of God
He took me to the land of Israel
and set me on a very high mountain,
on whose south side were some buildings
that looked like a city.
He took me there,
and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze;
he was standing in the gateway
with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.
The man said to me,
"Son of man, look with your eyes
and hear with your ears
and pay attention to everything I am going to show you,
for that is why you have been brought here.
Tell the house of Israel everything you see."

(Ezekiel 40:1-4)