Jezekiel 42

1 And he brought me into the inner court eastward, opposite the northern gate: and he brought me in, and behold five chambers near the vacant space, and near the northern partition,

The man took me out through the north gate to the outer courtyard into the rooms on the far side of the Temple courtyard by the northern external wall.

2 a hundred cubits in length toward the north, and in breadth fifty,

The building with the north-facing door was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.

3 ornamented accordingly as the gates of the inner court, and arranged accordingly as the peristyles of the outer court, [with] triple porticos fronting one another.

It had three floors of open halls on both sides, one facing the twenty-cubit area of the inner courtyard and one facing the pavement of the outer courtyard.

4 And in front of the chambers was a walk ten cubits in breadth, the length [reaching] to a hundred cubits; and their doors were northward.

In front of the rooms was an inside walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors opened to the north.

5 And the upper walks were in like manner: for the peristyle projected from it, [even] from the range of columns below, and [there was] a space between; so [were there] a peristyle and a space between, and so [were there] two porticos.

The upper rooms were smaller because of the space taken up by the open halls on the lower and middle levels of the building.

6 For they were triple, and they had not pillars like the pillars of the outer ones: therefore they projected from the lower ones and the middle ones from the ground.

Since they didn't have pillars like the courtyards, the upper rooms were set farther back than the lower and middle levels.

7 And [there was] light without, corresponding to the chambers of the outer court looking toward the front of the northern chambers; the length [of them was] fifty cubits.

An external wall ran in front of the rooms for fifty cubits long parallel to the outer courtyard.

8 For the length of the chambers looking toward the inner court was fifty cubits, and these are the ones that front the others; the whole was a hundred cubits.

The rooms on the outer courtyard extended for fifty cubits, but those that faced the Temple were a hundred cubits long.

9 And [there were] doors of these chambers for an outlet toward the east, so that one should go through them out of the outer court,

Below these rooms was an entrance on the east side coming from the outer courtyard.

10 by the opening of the walk at the corner; and the south parts were toward the south, toward the remaining space, and toward the partition, and [so were] the chambers.

Along the wall on the south side of the outer courtyard were rooms next to the courtyard and opposite the building.

11 And the walk was in front of them, according to the measures of the chambers toward the north, both according to the length of them, and according to the breadth of them, and according to all their openings, an according to all their turnings, and according to their lights, and according to their doors.

There was a walkway in front of them, just like the rooms on the north side. These rooms had the same length and width, the same doors, floor plan, and exits.

12 [So were the measures] of the chambers toward the south, and according to the doors at the entrance of the walk, as it were the distance of a reed for light, and eastward as one went in by them.

Similarly there was an entrance under the rooms on the south side of the building, coming from the east side.

13 And he said to me, The chambers toward the north, and the chambers toward the south, in front of the void spaces, these are the chambers of the sanctuary, wherein the priests the sons of Sadduc, who draw night to the Lord, shall eat the most holy things: and there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat-offering, and the sin-offerings, and the trespass-offerings; because the place is holy.

The man told me, “The north and south rooms that face the Temple courtyard are holy rooms where the priests who go before the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. They will place the most holy offerings there because the place is holy, and include the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings.

14 None shall go in thither except the priests, [and] they shall not go forth of the holy place into the outer court, that they that draw nigh [to me] may be continually holy, and may not touch their garments in which they minister, [with defilement], for they are holy; and they shall put on other garments whenever they come in contact with the people.

Once the priests have entered these rooms, they are not to go to the outer courtyard before leaving their priestly clothes, because these are holy. They must change into other clothes before go where the ordinary people are.”

15 So the measurement of the house within was accomplished: and he brought me forth by the way of the gate that looks eastward, and measured the plan of the house round about in order.

After the man finished measuring inside of the Temple area, he took me out through the east gate, and he measured the surrounding area as well.

16 And he stood behind the gate looking eastward, and measured five hundred [cubits] with the measuring reed.

Using the measuring rod he measured the east side. It was five hundred cubits long.

17 And he turned to the north and measured in front of the north [side] five hundred cubits with the measuring reed.

He measured the north side. It was five hundred cubits long.

18 And he turned to the west, and measured in front of the west side, five hundred [cubits] with the measuring reed.

He measured the south side. It was five hundred cubits long.

19 And he turned to the south, and measured in front of the south side, five hundred [cubits] by the measuring reed.

And he came around and measured the west side. It was five hundred cubits long.

20 The [four sides he measured] by the same reed, and he marked out the house and the circumference of the parts round about, [a space] of five hundred [cubits] eastward, and a breadth of five hundred cubits, to make a division between the sanctuary and the outer wall, that [belonged to] the design of the house.

So he measured all four sides. There was a wall surrounding it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, separating the holy from the common.