44. There were two rooms in the inner courtyard. One was by the north gate facing south. The other room was by the south gate facing north.
45. The man said to me, “The room that looks to the south is for the priests who are on duty and serving in the Temple area.
46. But the room that looks to the north is for the priests who are on duty and serving at the altar. The priests are from the tribe of Levi. But the priests in this second group are the descendants of Zadok. They are the only people who can carry the sacrifices to the altar to serve the Lord.”
47. The man measured the inner courtyard. The courtyard was a perfect square. It was 100 cubits long and 100 cubits wide. The altar was in front of the Temple.
48. Then the man led me to the porch of the Temple and measured the walls on either side of the porch. Each side wall was 5 cubits thick and 3 cubits wide. The opening between them was 14 cubits.
49. The porch was 20 cubits wide and 12 cubits long. Ten steps went up to the porch. There were two columns for the walls on either side of the porch—one at each wall.