Ezekiel 42

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.

1Then the man led me out into the outer court, on the north side. He brought me to a group of rooms. They stood across from the temple yard and the north building.

2Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.

2This building was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. Its door faced north.

NoteA cubit was about eighteen inches. It was the length of a grown-up's arm from the elbow to the fingertips.

3Over 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.

3Balconies faced other balconies, on three levels. They stood across from the inner court's twenty cubits. They also stood across from the stone floor of the outer court.

4And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.

4In front of the rooms was a walkway. It was ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. The doors of the rooms faced north.

5Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.

5The rooms on the top level were smaller than the others. The balconies took up more space up there. So the lower and middle rooms were larger.

6For 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.

6The rooms were built in three levels. They had no pillars like the courts had. So the top rooms were set back farther than the lower and middle ones.

7And 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.

7Outside, a wall stood in front of the rooms, next to the outer court. That wall was fifty cubits long.

8For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits.

8The rooms beside the outer court were fifty cubits long. The rooms facing the temple were a hundred cubits long.

9And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.

9Below these rooms was a doorway on the east side. People came in there from the outer court.

10The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building.

10On the south side there were more rooms along the wall of the outer court. They faced the temple yard and the building.

11And 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.

11A walkway ran in front of them, just like the one by the north rooms. These rooms were just as long and just as wide. Their doors and exits were the same too.

12And 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.

12The rooms facing south had doors to match. There was a door at the start of the walkway. That walkway ran beside the wall that went out to the east. People came in that way.

13Then 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.

13Then the man said to me, "The north rooms and the south rooms face the temple yard. They are holy rooms. Priests are the men who serve God at the temple. The priests who come near the LORD will eat the most holy gifts there. They will also set the most holy gifts down in those rooms. Those are the grain gifts, the sin gifts, and the guilt gifts. This place is holy."

NoteThe old word "meat offering" did not mean meat. It was a gift of grain, like flour.

14When 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.

14"When the priests go into the holy place, they must not walk straight out to the outer court. First they must take off the clothes they wear when they serve. Those clothes are holy. They must put on other clothes before they go near the things for the people."

15Now 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.

15When the man had finished measuring inside the temple area, he led me out. He took me through the gate that faces east. Then he measured all around the outside.

16He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.

16He measured the east side with his measuring rod. It was five hundred cubits long.

NoteA measuring rod was a long stick used for measuring. Some Bibles say five hundred rods here instead of five hundred cubits.

17He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.

17He measured the north side. It was five hundred cubits long.

18He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.

18He measured the south side with the measuring rod. It was five hundred cubits long.

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

19Then he went around to the west side and measured it. It was five hundred cubits long.

20He 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.

20So he measured all four sides. A wall ran all the way around it. The wall was five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide. It kept the holy place apart from the ordinary place.