Ezekiel 42

1 He brought me out eastward into the outer court, opposite the north gate. There I saw five rooms near the open space and the northern partition. 2 The structure was 175 feet long on its north side and 87½ feet wide. [a] 3 It was arranged like the gates of the inner court and the colonnades of the outer court, with three levels of porches facing one another. 4 A walkway 17½ feet wide ran in front of the rooms for 175 feet. Their doors faced north. 5 The upper walkways were similar, because the colonnade projected from the row of columns below it, with a space between. So there was a colonnade, then a space, and so with the porches. 6 The three levels did not have pillars like the outer court’s pillars. The upper and middle levels were therefore set back from the level below. 7 Light entered from outside opposite the outer-court rooms and in front of the north-facing rooms. These rooms were 87½ feet long. 8 The rooms facing the outer court were 87½ feet long and faced the others. The whole structure was 175 feet long. 9 The rooms had east-facing exits through which someone could enter them from the outer court. 10 At the opening of the walkway near the corner, rooms stood on the south side, beside the remaining space and the partition. 11 A walkway ran in front of them. Their length, width, openings, turns, windows, and doors matched the north-facing rooms. 12 The south-facing rooms had the same measurements. Their doors opened at the walkway’s entrance, beside a 10½-foot opening for light on the east side. 13 He told me, 13 “The north-facing and south-facing rooms in front of the open spaces are the rooms of the holy place. There the priests descended from Zadok who draw near to the Lord will eat the most holy things. They will place the most holy things there: the sacrifice, the offerings for sin, and the offerings for ignorance, because the place is holy.” 14 “No one except the priests will enter there. They will not go out from the holy place into the outer court, so that those who draw near may always be holy and may not touch the garments in which they serve, because those garments are holy. They will put on other clothing when they touch the people.” 15 When he finished measuring the inside of the temple, he brought me out through the east-facing gate and measured the whole plan all around. 16 Standing beyond the east-facing gate, he measured about 875 feet with the measuring rod. 17 He turned north and measured about 875 feet along the north side with the rod. 18 He turned west and measured about 875 feet along the west side. 19 He turned south and measured about 875 feet along the south side with the rod. 20 He measured all four sides with the same rod. He marked out a boundary about 875 feet long and 875 feet wide around the temple complex, separating the sanctuary from the outer wall that belonged to the temple’s design.