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,

Then the man led me out northward into the outer court, and he brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple courtyard and the outer wall on the north side.

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

The building with the door facing north 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.

Gallery faced gallery in three levels opposite the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court.

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 chambers was an inner walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors were on 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.

Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the lower and middle floors 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.

For they were arranged in three stories, and unlike the courts, they had no pillars. So the upper chambers were set back further than the lower and middle floors.

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

An outer wall in front of the chambers was fifty cubits long and ran parallel to the chambers and the outer court.

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

For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those facing the temple were a hundred cubits long.

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

And below these chambers was the entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

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

On the south side along the length of the wall of the outer court were chambers adjoining the courtyard and opposite the building,

11 And the walk was in front of them, according to the measures of the chambers towards 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.

with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that were on the north. They had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions.

12 [So were the measures] of the chambers towards 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.

And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, there was a door in front of the walkway that was parallel to the wall extending eastward.

13 And he said to me, The chambers towards the north, and the chambers towards 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.

Then the man said to me, “The north and south chambers facing the temple courtyard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy.

14 None shall go in there except the priests, [and] they shall not go forth of the holy place into the outer court, that they that draw near [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 the holy area, they must not go out into the outer court until they have left behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the places that are for the people.”

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.

Now when the man had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and he measured the area all around:

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

With a measuring rod he measured the east side to be 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 to be 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 to be 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 to be 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 the area on all four sides. It had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.