The Outer Courtyard
42 He led me out to the outer courtyard toward the north. He brought me to the chamber that was opposite the separate area and opposite the building toward the north. 2 The length of the building with the door on the north was 100 cubits and the width was 50 cubits. 3 Opposite the 20 cubit space belonging to the inner court and opposite the pavement belonging to the outer court was gallery by gallery in three stories. 4 In front of the chambers was a walkway ten cubits wide and 100 cubits long. Their doorways were toward the north. 5 The upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and the middle ones in the building. 6 For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courtyards; therefore more space was taken away than from the lower and the middle floors, in comparison with the ground. 7 A wall that was outside by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court in front of the chambers, was 50 cubits in length. 8 For the chambers that were toward the outer court were 50 cubits long while those facing the Temple were 100 cubits. 9 Below these chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer courtyard.
10 In the thickness of the wall of the courtyard toward the east, in front of the separate area and in front of the building, there were chambers. 11 The passageway in front of them were similar to the chambers on the north, as long and wide as them, with all their exits and similar arrangements and doors. 12 Corresponding to the doorways of the chambers on the south, there was a doorway at the head of the passageway—a way directly in front of the wall toward the east, as one enters them.
13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate area, they are the holy chambers, where the kohanim who are near to Adonai eat the most holy things. There they will put the most holy things—the grain offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 14 Once the kohanim enter, they are not to go out of the holy place into the outer court without leaving there their garments in which they minister—for they are holy. They will put on other garments and approach the area for the people.”
15 When he had finished measuring the inner House, he brought me out by way of the gate facing east and measured all around. 16 When he measured the east side with the measuring rod, it was 500 rods, with the measuring rod round about. 17 When he measured the north side, it was 500 rods by the measuring rod. 18 When he measured the south side, it was 500 rods, with the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned about to the west side and measured 500 rods with the measuring rod. 20 So he measured the four sides. It had a wall all around—the length was 500 and the width was 500—to make a distinction between the holy and the profane.