< Ezekiel 42 >
1 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north.
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 Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.
The building with the north-facing door was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.
3 Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery against gallery in three stories.
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 before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.
In front of the rooms was an inside walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors opened to the north.
5 Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
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 in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost 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 the wall that was without over against the chambers, toward the utter court on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof 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 that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an 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 from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.
Below these rooms was an entrance on the east side coming from the outer courtyard.
10 The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building.
Along the wall on the south side of the outer courtyard were rooms next to the courtyard and opposite the building.
11 And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, 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 And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them.
Similarly there was an entrance under the rooms on the south side of the building, coming from the east side.
13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto Yhwh shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the grain offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for 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 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for 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 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about.
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 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
Using the measuring rod he measured the east side. It was five hundred cubits long.
17 He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
He measured the north side. It was five hundred cubits long.
18 He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.
He measured the south side. It was five hundred cubits long.
19 He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.
And he came around and measured the west side. It was five hundred cubits long.
20 He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.
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.