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The Temple's Chambers

42 Then he led me out into (A)the outer court, (B)towards the north, and he brought me to (C)the chambers that were opposite (D)the separate yard and opposite (E)the building on the north. The length of the building whose door faced north was (F)a hundred cubits,[a] and (G)the breadth fifty cubits. Facing (H)the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing (I)the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was (J)gallery[b] against gallery in three storeys. And (K)before the chambers was a passage inwards, ten cubits wide and (L)a hundred cubits long,[c] and (M)their doors were on the north. Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. For they were in three storeys, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. And (N)there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, towards the outer court, opposite the chambers, (O)fifty cubits long. For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite (P)the nave[d] were (Q)a hundred cubits long. Below these chambers was (R)an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.

10 In the thickness of (S)the wall of the court, on the south[e] also, opposite (T)the yard and opposite (U)the building, there were (V)chambers 11 with (W)a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits[f] and arrangements and (X)doors, 12 as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before (Y)the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.[g]

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite (Z)the yard are the holy chambers, (AA)where the priests who approach the Lord (AB)shall eat the (AC)most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—(AD)the grain offering, (AE)the sin offering, and (AF)the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court (AG)without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. (AH)They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.”

15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by (AI)the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all round. 16 He measured the east side with (AJ)the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all round. 17 He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all round. 18 He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides. It had (AK)a wall round it, (AL)500 cubits long and (AM)500 cubits broad, (AN)to make a separation between the holy and the common.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 42:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimetres
  2. Ezekiel 42:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 5
  3. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew and a way of one cubit
  4. Ezekiel 42:8 Or temple
  5. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew east
  6. Ezekiel 42:11 Hebrew and all their exits
  7. Ezekiel 42:12 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms(A) opposite the temple courtyard(B) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.(C) The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.[a] Both in the section twenty cubits[b] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery(D) faced gallery at the three levels.(E) In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits[c] long.[d] Their doors were on the north.(F) 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 top 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(G) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

10 On the south side[e] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard(H) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms(I) 11 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 12 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 eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

13 Then he said to me, “The north(J) and south rooms(K) facing the temple courtyard(L) 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,(M) the sin offerings[f](N) and the guilt offerings(O)—for the place is holy.(P) 14 Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments(Q) 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.(R)

15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate(S) and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.[g][h] 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits[i] by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured(T) the area(U) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,(V) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,(W) to separate the holy from the common.(X)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 42:2 That is, about 175 feet long and 88 feet wide or about 53 meters long and 27 meters wide
  2. Ezekiel 42:3 That is, about 35 feet or about 11 meters
  3. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew and one cubit
  4. Ezekiel 42:4 That is, about 18 feet wide and 175 feet long or about 5.3 meters wide and 53 meters long
  5. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew Eastward
  6. Ezekiel 42:13 Or purification offerings
  7. Ezekiel 42:16 See Septuagint of verse 17; Hebrew rods; also in verses 18 and 19.
  8. Ezekiel 42:16 Five hundred cubits equal about 875 feet or about 265 meters; also in verses 17, 18 and 19.
  9. Ezekiel 42:17 Septuagint; Hebrew rods