Chapter 42

Chambers of the Temple

1 Then he abrought me out into the bouter court, the way ctoward the north; and he brought me to the dchamber which was opposite the eseparate area and opposite the fbuilding toward the north.

2 Along the length, which was a ahundred cubits, was the north door; the width was fifty cubits.

3 Opposite the atwenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the bpavement which belonged to the outer court, was 1cgallery corresponding to 1gallery in three stories.

4 Before the achambers was an inner walk ten cubits wide, a way of one hundred cubits; and their openings were on the north.

5 Now the upper chambers were 1smaller because the 2agalleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building.

6 For they were in athree stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper chambers were 1set back from the ground upward, more than the lower and middle ones.

7 As for the aouter wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, its length was fifty cubits.

8 For the length of the chambers which were in the outer court was fifty cubits; and behold, the length of those facing the temple was a ahundred cubits.

9 Below these chambers was the aentrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.

10 In the 1thickness of the awall of the court toward the east, facing the bseparate area and facing the building, there were cchambers.

11 The away 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 both according to their arrangements and openings.

12 Corresponding 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 awall toward the east, as one enters them.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the aseparate area, they are the bholy chambers where the priests who are cnear to the Lord shall eat the dmost holy things. There they shall lay the most holy things, the grain offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering; for the place is holy.

14 “When the priests enter, then they shall not go out into the outer court from the sanctuary 1without alaying there their bgarments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they shall approach that which is for the people.”

15 Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by the way of the agate which faced toward the east and measured it all around.

16 He measured on the east side with the measuring reed five hundred reeds by the ameasuring reed.

17 He measured on the north side five hundred reeds by the measuring reed.

18 On the south side he measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.

19 He turned to the west side and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.

20 He measured it 1on the four sides; it had a awall all around, the blength five hundred and the bwidth five hundred, to cdivide between the holy and the profane.