The priests' rooms; the outer wall
Then the man led me northwards into the outer court and brought me to the rooms opposite the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall on the north side. The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. Both in the section twenty cubits from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery faced gallery at the three levels. In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors were on the north. Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. The rooms on the upper floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. The lower rooms had an entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court. On the south side along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall, were rooms with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastwards, by which one enters the rooms. Then he said to me, The north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the priests' rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings — the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings — for the place is holy. Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people. When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate and measured the area all around: He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits. He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.
Then the man led me northwards into the outer court and brought me to the rooms opposite the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall on the north side.
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 building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.
Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.
Both in the section twenty cubits from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery faced gallery at the three levels.
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.
In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors were on the north.
And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.
Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building.
Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
The rooms on the upper floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors.
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.
There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits.
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.
While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long.
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 lower rooms had an entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.
And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.
On the south side along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall, were rooms
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.
with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north
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.
were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastwards, by which one enters the rooms.
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.
Then he said to me, The north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the priests' rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings — the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings — for the place is holy.
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 the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.
Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.
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.
When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate and measured the area all around:
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.
He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.
He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod.
He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod.
He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.
Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod.
He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.
So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.
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.