The Chambers for the Priests

1Then he brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the north; and he brought me into the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. 2Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. 3Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the pavement of the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. 4In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. 5Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. 6For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was [a]shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. 7And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. 8The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one hundred cubits. 9At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

10Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. 11There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. 12And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east.

13Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. 14When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.”

Outer Dimensions of the Temple

15Now when he had finished measuring the inner [b]temple, he brought me out through the gateway that faces toward the east, and measured it all around. 16He measured the east side with the [c]measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 17He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 18He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 19He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 20He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy areas from the [d]common.