¶ Of the chambres of the temple for the preastes, and the holy thynges. CAPI. XLII.
[ A] THen caryed he me oute in to the fore courte towarde the north and brought me into the chambre that stode ouer a∣gaynste the dacke buylding northward, whi∣che had the length of an .C .cubytes whose dore turned towarde the north. The wide∣nesse contayned .l .cubites: ouer againste the xx .cubites of the innermer court▪ and against the paued worke that was in the fore court. Besyde all these thre, there stode pyllers, one ouer agaynst an other: And before this cham¦bre, there was a walkynge place of .x cubites wyde, and within was a waye of one cubite wyde, and their dores towarde the north. Thus the hyghest chambres were alway na tower then the lowest and mydlemost of the buyldyng: for they bare chambre vpon chā∣bre & stode thre togyther one vpon an other not hauynge pyllers lyke the fore court: ther¦fore were they smaller then those beneth & in the myddest, to reken frome the grounde vpwarde.
[ B] The wall without that stode by the cham¦bres towarde the vttermost court vpon the foresyde of the chambres, was i .cubytes lōg for the length of the vttermost chābres in the fore courte was .l .cubytes also: but the lēgth therof before the temple was an .C .cubites. These chambres had vnder thē and intraun••e of the east syde, wherby a man myght go in to them oure of the fore courte, thoro••e the thicke wall of the fore courte toward ye cast, ryght ouer agaynste the seperated buylding. Before ye same buylding vpō this syde there were chambres also whiche had away vnto them, lyke as ye chambres on the north syde, of the same length & wydenesse.
Their intraunce, fashyon and dores were [ C] also of the same maner. Yea euen lyke as the other chambre dores were, so were those also of the southside. And before the way toward the syngers steppes on ye east syde, there stode a dore to go in at. Then sayde he vnto me: The chambers towarde the northe and the south which stand before the backe buylding those be holye habytacions, wherin the pre∣stes that do seruyce before the Lorde, muste eate the moste holy offringes: and there must they laye the most holy offeringes: meat of∣ferynges, synne offrynges & trespaceoffringes for it is an holy place. Whē the prestes come therin, they shall not go oute in to the fore court: but (seinge they be holye) they shall leaue the clothes of their mynystracion, and put on other garmētes, when they haue any thynge to do with the people.
Now when he had measured all the inner¦mer [ D] house, he brought me forth thorowe the easte porte, and measured the same rounde a¦bout. He measured the east side with ye mete∣rod, whiche rounde aboute conteyned fyue C. meteroddes. And the north syde measured he, whiche conteyned rounde about euen so moche. The other two sides also toward the south and the west (which he measured) con∣teyned eyther of them .v.C. meteroddes. So he measured all the foure sydes where there went a wall rounde about .v.C. meteroddes longe, and as brode also which separated the holy from the vnholy.