1 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. 2 Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits. 3 Over 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 . 4 And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building. 6 For 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. 7 And 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. 8 For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits. 9 And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court. 10 The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building. 11 And 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. 12 And 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.
13 ¶ Then 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. 14 When 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.
15 Now 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. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. 17 He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. 18 He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.
19 ¶ He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. 20 He 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.
Los cuartos de los sacerdotes
1 Después aquel hombre me llevó al patio, y me hizo entrar en el edificio de cuartos que estaba hacia el norte, en la parte posterior del templo, frente al patio. 2 Por el lado norte, el edificio medía cincuenta metros de largo y veinticinco metros de ancho. 3 Tenía tres pisos. Por un lado daba al espacio abierto que medía diez metros de ancho, y por el otro daba al piso empedrado del patio exterior. 4 Frente a los cuartos había un pasillo de cinco metros de ancho y cincuenta de largo. Las puertas de los cuartos daban al norte.
5 Los cuartos del piso superior eran más pequeños que los del piso intermedio, y estos eran menores que los de la planta baja, 6 porque el piso de arriba no tenía columnas como el piso de abajo. Por eso se iban haciendo más angostos.
7-8 Los cuartos que daban al patio medían, todos juntos, veinticinco metros de largo, lo mismo que el muro que tenían enfrente. Los cuartos que daban hacia el templo medían, todos juntos, cincuenta metros de largo. 9 A la planta baja de esos cuartos se podía entrar solo por el lado este del patio.
10 Por el lado sur había otro edificio de cuartos. Esos cuartos estaban detrás del templo, y también a lo largo del muro del patio. 11 En todo eran iguales a los del lado norte. 12 A estos cuartos del lado sur se podía entrar solo por el lado este, por donde comenzaba el pasillo frente al muro. 13 Aquel hombre me explicó lo siguiente:
«Los cuartos del lado norte están destinados a un uso especial, lo mismo que los del lado sur, que están frente al patio. Los sacerdotes comen allí las ofrendas que se presentan a Dios. Como son lugares muy especiales, allí también se llevan todas las ofrendas que se presentan a Dios. 14 Cuando los sacerdotes salen de esos cuartos, después de haber cumplido con sus servicios, deben dejar allí sus vestiduras especiales de sacerdotes. No se les permite salir con esas vestiduras al patio donde está el pueblo, sino que tienen que cambiarse de ropa».
15 En cuanto el hombre terminó de medir el templo, me sacó por la puerta que da al este, y empezó a medir la muralla. 16-20 Luego midió los cuatro lados de la muralla, y cada lado medía doscientos cincuenta metros de largo. Esta muralla servía para separar el templo del resto de la ciudad.