Chambers of the Temple

1Then he brought me out into the outer courtyard, the way toward the north; and he brought me to the chamber which was opposite the separate area and opposite the building toward the north. 2Along the length, which was a hundred [a]cubits, was the north door; the width was fifty cubits. 3Opposite the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner courtyard, and opposite the stone pavement which belonged to the outer courtyard, was [b]gallery corresponding to [c]gallery in three stories. 4In front of the chambers was an inner passage ten cubits wide, a way of one hundred cubits; and their openings were on the north. 5Now the upper chambers were [d]smaller because the [e]galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building. 6For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courtyards; for that reason the upper chambers were [f]set back from the ground upward, more than the lower and middle ones. 7As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer courtyard facing the chambers, its length was fifty cubits. 8For the length of the chambers which were in the outer courtyard was fifty cubits; and behold, the length of those facing the main room was a hundred cubits. 9And below these chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer courtyard.

10In the [g]thickness of the wall of the courtyard toward the east, facing the separate area and facing the building, there were chambers. 11And the way in front of them was like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north; according to their length, so was their width, and all their exits were according to their building plans and openings. 12Corresponding to the openings of the chambers which were toward the south was an opening at the head of the way, the way in front of the wall toward the east, as one enters them.

13Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separate area, they are the holy chambers where the priests who are near to the LORD shall eat the most holy things. There they shall set the most holy things, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; for the place is holy. 14When the priests enter, they shall not go out into the outer courtyard from the sanctuary [h]without laying their garments there in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they shall approach that which is for the people.”

15Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by way of the gate which faced east, and measured it all around. 16He measured on the east side with the measuring [i]rod: five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 17He measured on the north side: five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 18On the south side he measured five hundred rods with the measuring rod. 19He turned to the west side and measured five hundred rods with the measuring rod. 20He measured it [j]on the four sides; it had a wall all around, the length five hundred rods and the width five hundred, to divide between the holy and the [k]common.