Ezekiel 42
Contemporary English Version
The Sacred Rooms for the Priests
42 1-2 After the man and I left the temple and walked back to the outer courtyard, he showed me a set of rooms on the north side of the west building.[a] This set of rooms was 50 meters long and 25 meters wide. 3 On one side of them was the 10 meters of open space that ran alongside the temple,[b] and on the other side was the sidewalk that circled the outer courtyard.[c] The rooms were arranged in three levels 4 with doors that opened toward the north, and in front of them was a walkway five meters wide and 50 meters long.[d] 5 The rooms on the top level were narrower than those on the middle level, and the rooms on the middle level were narrower than those on the bottom level. 6 The rooms on the bottom level supported those on the two upper levels, and so these rooms did not have columns like other buildings in the courtyard. 7-8 To the north was a privacy wall 25 meters long,[e] 9-10 and at the east end of this wall was the door leading from the courtyard to these rooms.
There was also a set of rooms on the south[f] side of the west building. 11 These rooms were exactly like those on the north side, and they also had a walkway in front of them. 12 The door to these rooms was at the east end of the wall that stood in front of them.
13 The man then said to me:
These rooms on the north and south sides of the temple are the sacred rooms where the Lord's priests will eat the most holy offerings. These offerings include the grain sacrifices, the sacrifices for sin, and the sacrifices to make things right. 14 When the priests are ready to leave the temple, they must go through these rooms before they return to the outer courtyard. They must leave their sacred clothes in these rooms and put on regular clothes before going anywhere near other people.
The Size of the Temple Area
15 After the man had finished measuring the buildings inside the temple area, he took me back through the east gate and measured the wall around this area. 16 He used his measuring stick to measure the east side of this wall; it was 250 meters long. 17-19 Then he measured the north side, the south side, and the west side of the wall, and they were each 250 meters long, 20 and so the temple area was a perfect square. The wall around this area separated what was sacred from what was ordinary.
Footnotes
- 42.1,2 he showed me … the west building: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 42.3 the 10 meters of open space … the temple: See 41.10.
- 42.3 the sidewalk that circled the outer courtyard: See 40.17.
- 42.4 50 meters long: Two ancient translations; Hebrew “50 centimeters long.”
- 42.7,8 long: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 5-8.
- 42.9,10 south: One ancient translation; Hebrew “east.”
Ezekiel 42
Legacy Standard Bible
The Chambers
42 Then he (A)brought me out into the (B)outer court, the way (C)toward the north; and he brought me to the (D)chamber which was opposite the (E)separate area and opposite the (F)building toward the north. 2 Along the length, which was [a]one (G)hundred cubits, was the north door; the width was fifty cubits. 3 Opposite the [b](H)twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the (I)pavement which belonged to the outer court, was [c](J)gallery corresponding to [d]gallery in three stories. 4 Before the (K)chambers was an inner walk ten cubits wide, a way of [e]one hundred cubits; and their openings were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were [f]smaller because the [g](L)galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building. 6 For they were in (M)three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper chambers were [h]set back from the ground upward, more than the lower and middle ones. 7 As for the (N)outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, its length was fifty cubits. 8 For the length of the chambers which were in the outer court was fifty cubits; and behold, the length of those facing the temple was one (O)hundred cubits. 9 Below these chambers was the (P)entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.
10 In the [i]thickness of the (Q)wall of the court toward the east, facing the (R)separate area and facing the building, there were (S)chambers. 11 The (T)way in front of them was like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north, according to their length so was their width, and all their exits were both according to their [j]arrangements and openings. 12 Corresponding to the openings of the chambers which were toward the south was an opening at the head of the way, the way in front of the (U)wall toward the east, as one enters them.
13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the (V)separate area, they are the (W)holy chambers where the priests who are (X)near to Yahweh shall eat the (Y)most holy things. There they shall lay the most holy things, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering; for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter, then they shall not go out into the outer court from the sanctuary [k]without (Z)laying there their (AA)garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they shall come near to that which is for the people.”
15 Then he had finished measuring the inner house; he brought me out by the way of the (AB)gate which faced toward the east and measured it all around. 16 He measured on the east [l]side with the measuring reed 500 reeds by the (AC)measuring reed. 17 He measured on the north side 500 reeds by the measuring reed. 18 On the south side he measured 500 reeds with the measuring reed. 19 He turned to the west side and measured 500 reeds with the measuring reed. 20 He measured it [m]on the four sides; it had a (AD)wall all around, the (AE)length 500 and the (AF)width 500, to (AG)divide between the holy and the profane.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 42:2 Approx. 150 ft. long and 75 ft. wide or 45 m and 22.5 m
- Ezekiel 42:3 Approx. 30 ft. or 9 m
- Ezekiel 42:3 Or passageway
- Ezekiel 42:3 Or passageway
- Ezekiel 42:4 Or one cubit in width
- Ezekiel 42:5 Lit shorter
- Ezekiel 42:5 Or passageways
- Ezekiel 42:6 Or reduced
- Ezekiel 42:10 Lit width
- Ezekiel 42:11 Lit judgments
- Ezekiel 42:14 Lit but there they shall lay
- Ezekiel 42:16 Lit spirit, so in ch, cf. 39:29; 43:5
- Ezekiel 42:20 Lit toward the four winds
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