Chambers for the Priests

1And he brought me into the inner court eastward, opposite the northern gate: and he brought me in, and behold five chambers near the vacant space, and near the northern partition, 2a hundred cubits in length toward the north, and in breadth fifty, 3ornamented accordingly as the gates of the inner court, and arranged accordingly as the peristyles of the outer court, with triple porticos fronting one another. 4And in front of the chambers was a walk ten cubits in breadth, the length reaching to a hundred cubits; and their doors were northward. 5And the upper walks were in like manner: for the peristyle projected from it, even from the range of columns below, and there was a space between; so were there a peristyle and a space between, and so were there two porticos. 6For they were triple, and they had not pillars like the pillars of the outer ones: therefore they projected from the lower ones and the middle ones from the ground. 7And there was light without, corresponding to the chambers of the outer court looking toward the front of the northern chambers; the length of them was fifty cubits. 8For the length of the chambers looking toward the inner court was fifty cubits, and these are the ones that front the others; the whole was a hundred cubits. 9And there were doors of these chambers for an outlet toward the east, so that one should go through them out of the outer court,

10by the opening of the walk at the corner; and the south parts were toward the south, toward the remaining space, and toward the partition, and so were the chambers. 11And the walk was in front of them, according to the measures of the chambers toward the north, both according to the length of them, and according to the breadth of them, and according to all their openings, an according to all their turnings, and according to their lights, and according to their doors. 12So were the measures of the chambers toward the south, and according to the doors at the entrance of the walk, as it were the distance of a reed for light, and eastward as one went in by them.

13And he said to me, The chambers toward the north, and the chambers toward the south, in front of the void spaces, these are the chambers of the sanctuary, wherein the priests the sons of Sadduc, who draw night to the Lord, shall eat the most holy things: and there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat-offering, and the sin-offerings, and the trespass-offerings; because the place is holy. 14None shall go in thither except the priests, and they shall not go forth of the holy place into the outer court, that they that draw nigh to me may be continually holy, and may not touch their garments in which they minister, with defilement, for they are holy; and they shall put on other garments whenever they come in contact with the people.

The Outer Measurements

15So the measurement of the house within was accomplished: and he brought me forth by the way of the gate that looks eastward, and measured the plan of the house round about in order. 16And he stood behind the gate looking eastward, and measured five hundred cubits with the measuring reed. 17And he turned to the north and measured in front of the north side five hundred cubits with the measuring reed. 18And he turned to the west, and measured in front of the west side, five hundred cubits with the measuring reed. 19And he turned to the south, and measured in front of the south side, five hundred cubits by the measuring reed. 20The four sides he measured by the same reed, and he marked out the house and the circumference of the parts round about, a space of five hundred cubits eastward, and a breadth of five hundred cubits, to make a division between the sanctuary and the outer wall, that belonged to the design of the house.