וַיּוֹצִיאֵנִי אֶל־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה הַדֶּרֶךְ דֶּרֶךְ הַצָּפוֹן וַיְבִאֵנִי אֶל־הַלִּשְׁכָּה אֲשֶׁר נֶגֶד הַגִּזְרָה וַאֲשֶׁר נֶגֶד הַבִּנְיָן אֶל־הַצָּפוֹן

The man, who was actually an angel, led Ezekiel outside. He brought me out to the outer courtyard via the northward way, and he brought me to the chamber that was opposite the conspicuous structure, the tall Sanctuary building, and that was also opposite the chamber building next to the Sanctuary, to the north,

אֶל־פְּנֵי אֹרֶךְ אַמּוֹת הַמֵּאָה פֶּתַח הַצָּפוֹן וְהָרֹחַב חֲמִשִּׁים אַמּוֹת

to before the length of one hundred cubits. The chamber in the courtyard was one hundred cubits long, equal to the length of the Sanctuary building and the chambers complex combined, and it was situated parallel to them, to the northern entrance, and the width of this chamber was fifty cubits.

נֶגֶד הָעֶשְׂרִים אֲשֶׁר לֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִי ונֶגֶד רִצְפָה אֲשֶׁר לֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה אַתִּיק אֶל־פְּנֵי־אַתִּיק בַּשְּׁלִשִׁים

The chamber was located opposite the twenty that were of the inner courtyard. An open space of twenty cubits separated the chamber and the Sanctuary building. And on its outer side, the chamber was opposite the paved area of the outer courtyard, one supporting structure, on one side of the chamber, facing another, on the other side of the chamber, in three stories.

וְלִפְנֵי הַלְּשָׁכוֹת מַהֲלַךְ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת רֹחַב אֶל הַפְּנִימִית דֶּרֶךְ אַמָּה אֶחָת וּפִתְחֵיהֶם לַצָּפוֹן

Before the chambers, on their east side, was a passageway, ten cubits in width, leading to the inner area, toward the inner courtyard, by way, via a passage or entrance, of one cubit, and their entrances, the entrances to the chambers, were to the north.

וְהַלְּשָׁכוֹת הָעֶלְיוֹנֹת קְצֻרוֹת כִּי־יוֹכְלוּ אַתִּיקִים מֵהֵנָּה מֵהַתַּחְתֹּנוֹת וּמֵהַתִּיכוֹנוֹת בִּנְיָן

The upper chambers were narrower than the middle and lower chambers, as the supporting structures took from these more space than was taken from the lowest ones and from the middle ones of the building.

כִּי מְשֻׁלָּשׁוֹת הֵנָּה וְאֵין לָהֶן עַמּוּדִים כְּעַמּוּדֵי הַחֲצֵרוֹת עַל־כֵּן נֶאֱצַל מֵהַתַּחְתֹּנוֹת וּמֵהַתִּיכֹנוֹת מֵהָאָרֶץ

For they, the chambers, were of three stories, and they did not have pillars like the pillars of the courtyards; therefore, as the structure rose, they were diminished relative to the lowest ones and the middle ones, as the upper story was narrower than the lower and middle stories, more than the ground. The upper story required support by external galleries, which took space from the chambers themselves.

וְגָדֵר אֲשֶׁר־לַחוּץ לְעֻמַּת הַלְּשָׁכוֹת דֶּרֶךְ הֶחָצֵר הַחִצוֹנָה אֶל־פְּנֵי הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אָרְכּוֹ חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה

The outer wall of the courtyard was opposite the chambers that were in the courtyard, and the wall continued via the outer courtyard in front of the chambers of the outer courtyard. Its length, the length of the walled court, was fifty cubits.

כִּי־אֹרֶךְ הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֶחָצֵר הַחִצוֹנָה חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה וְהִנֵּה עַל־פְּנֵי הַהֵיכָל מֵאָה אַמָּה

For the length of the chambers of the outer courtyard, at the front of the outer courtyard, was fifty cubits, and behold, the wall continued past these chambers that were before, parallel to, the length of the Sanctuary building, so that they were one hundred cubits in length.

וּמִתַּחַת הַלְּשָׁכוֹת הָאֵלֶּה הַמֵּבִיא מֵהַקָּדִים בְּבֹאוֹ לָהֵנָּה מֵהֶחָצֵר הַחִצֹנָה

On a level below these chambers, the western chambers that were near the Sanctuary and were previously described in detail (verses 1–6), as one comes from the east when one comes to these from the outer courtyard,

בְּרֹחַב גֶּדֶר הֶחָצֵר דֶּרֶךְ הַקָּדִים אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה וְאֶל־פְּנֵי הַבִּנְיָן לְשָׁכוֹת

along the width of the wall of the outer courtyard to the east, in front of the conspicuous structure, the Sanctuary, and in front of the building, there were additional chambers along the way. One who approached the chambers on the west, coming from the eastern slope of the mountain, would find additional chambers on the route,

וְדֶרֶךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם כְּמַרְאֵה הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אֲשֶׁר דֶּרֶךְ הַצָּפוֹן כְּאָרְכָּן כֵּן רָחְבָּן וְכֹל מוֹצָאֵיהֶן וּכְמִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶן וּכְפִתְחֵיהֶן

with a passage before them, before these chambers, which were with an appearance like that of the chambers that were to the north gate, but unlike those inner chambers, which were one hundred by fifty cubits, their, the chambers’, length was like their width, their length and width were equal. And they were also like all their, the northern chambers’, exits, and like their dimensions, and like their entrances

וּכְפִתְחֵי הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אֲשֶׁר דֶּרֶךְ הַדָּרוֹם פֶּתַח בְּרֹאשׁ דָּרֶךְ דֶּרֶךְ בִּפְנֵי הַגְּדֶרֶת הֲגִינָה דֶּרֶךְ הַקָּדִים בְּבוֹאָן

were the entrances of the chambers that were to the south, in that there was an entrance at the head of the passage, which opened onto a walkway, the passage that was before the beautiful platform. There was an aesthetic stone elevation facing this walkway; perhaps it was a platform on which musical instruments were played. It was situated to the east as they enter. The chambers were located in the four corners of the courtyard: two long, rectangular chambers in the west and two square ones in the east.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לִשְׁכוֹת הַצָּפוֹן לִשְׁכוֹת הַדָּרוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה הֵנָּה לִשְׁכוֹת הַקֹּדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר יֹאכְלוּ־שָׁם הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר־קְרוֹבִים לַה' קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים שָׁם יַנִּיחוּ קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים וְהַמִּנְחָה וְהַחַטָּאת וְהָאָשָׁם כִּי הַמָּקוֹם קָדֹשׁ

Then he, the man, said to me: The northern chambers and the southern chambers that are in front of the conspicuous structure, the northern and southern chambers that are to the west, in front of the Sanctuary, they are the sacred chambers where the priests who are close to the Lord, the descendants of Tzadok, who will serve in the Temple, eat the sacred sacraments, the offerings that may be eaten only in the sacred area and only by priests. There, in these chambers, they shall place the sacred sacraments, the meal offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, as the place is holy.

בְּבֹאָם הַכֹּהֲנִים וְלֹא יֵצְאוּ מֵהַקֹּדֶשׁ אֶל־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה וְשָׁם יַנִּיחוּ בִגְדֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר־יְשָׁרְתוּ בָהֶן כִּי־קֹדֶשׁ הֵנָּה וְלָבְשׁוּ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וְקָרְבוּ אֶל־אֲשֶׁר לָעָם

When the priests enter the Temple, they shall not exit the Sanctuary to the outer courtyard in their priestly vestments; rather, they shall place there their vestments in which they serve there, in the eastern chambers, adjacent to the outer courtyard, as they, the vestments, are sacred; and they shall don other, non-sacred garments, and they shall approach that area, which is designated for the people.

וְכִלָּה אֶת־מִדּוֹת הַבַּיִת הַפְּנִימִי וְהוֹצִיאַנִי דֶּרֶךְ הַשַּׁעַר אֲשֶׁר פָּנָיו דֶּרֶךְ הַקָּדִים וּמְדָדוֹ סָבִיב סָבִיב

He, the man, concluded the measurements of the inner house, and he brought me out via the gate that faced eastward, which was the gate through which we had entered, and he measured it, the Temple premises, all around.

מָדַד רוּחַ הַקָּדִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה סָבִיב

He measured the east side with the measuring rod in his hand, and its length was five hundred rods, with the measuring rod all around.

מָדַד רוּחַ הַצָּפוֹן חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה סָבִיב

He measured the north side, five hundred rods, with the measuring rod all around.

אֵת רוּחַ הַדָּרוֹם מָדָד חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה

He measured the south side, five hundred rods, with the measuring rod.

סָבַב אֶל־רוּחַ הַיָּם מָדַד חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה

He turned to the west side, and he measured five hundred rods with the measuring rod.

לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת מְדָדוֹ חוֹמָה לוֹ סָבִיב סָבִיב אֹרֶךְ חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וְרֹחַב חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ לְחֹל

On four sides he measured it; it had a wall all around, and its dimensions were five hundred rods in length and five hundred in width. The purpose of the wall was to separate between the sacred area on the Temple Mount, and the non-sacred areas. However, there was no square walled area with a perimeter of 1,500 m in either Solomon’s Temple or in the Second Temple. It is hard to know whether there would have been room for a square that large on the Temple Mount in those days.