Ezekiel 45-48

Lexham English Bible

Instructions about Divisions of the Renewed Land

45 And when you allocate the land as an inheritance, you shall provide a contribution for Yahweh as a holy portion from the land, its length being twenty-five thousand cubits^[a] and its width ten thousand cubits;^[b] it is holy in all its territory, all around. ² And there shall be from this area five hundred cubits^[c] by five hundred cubits, squared all around, for the sanctuary; and fifty cubits^[d][e] of open space shall be for it all around it. ³ And from this measured area you shall measure a length of twenty-five^[f] thousand cubits^[g] and a width of ten thousand cubits,^[h] and in it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place.^{[i] 4} It^[j] is a holy portion from the land; it will be for the priests, the servants of the sanctuary who approach^[k] to serve Yahweh, and it will be for them a place for houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. ⁵ And an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width will be for the Levites, the servants of the temple. It will serve as property for them as cities to dwell in.^{[l] 6} And as property of the city, you must set apart alongside the contribution of the sanctuary a portion five thousand cubits^[m] in width and twenty-five thousand cubits^[n] in length, and it shall be for the entire house of Israel.

⁷ And a portion will be for^[o] the prince on both sides^[p] of the holy district,^[q] and both sides of the property of the city, and alongside^[r] the property of the city on the west,^[s] and alongside the property on the east.^[t] And also its length^[u] corresponds to one of the tribal portions to the west^[v] running to the eastern border.^{[w] 8} This shall be to him with respect to the land^[x] as property in Israel; and so my princes shall not again oppress my people, but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”

⁹ Thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Enough of this for you, the princes of Israel; put away violence and destruction and do justice and righteousness; revoke your acts of dispossession from upon^[y] my people!” declares^[z] the Lord Yahweh. ¹⁰ There shall be for you an honest set of scales^[aa] and an honest ephah^[ab] and an honest bath.^{[ac] 11} The ephah and the bath shall be one unit of measurement;^[ad] the tenth part of the homer is the bath, and the tenth of the homer is the ephah; so the homer shall be its^[ae] unit of measurement. ¹² And the shekel shall weigh twenty gerahs, twenty shekels^[af] and five and twenty shekels^[ag] and ten and five shekels,^[ah] that shall make the mina for you.^[ai]

¹³ This is the contribution offering which you shall present: a sixth of the ephah from a^[aj] homer of wheat, and a^[ak] sixth of the ephah from a^[al] homer of barley. ¹⁴ And the quota of the olive oil, the bath of the olive oil, is the tenth part of a bath from a kor, which is ten baths, or a homer—for ten baths are equal to a homer. ¹⁵ And one^[am] sheep from the flock from among two hundred from the pastures of Israel will be taken as a grain offering and as a burnt offering and as a fellowship offering to make atonement for them,” declares^[an] the Lord Yahweh. ¹⁶ “All of the people of the land shall join in^[ao] to this contribution with^[ap] the prince in Israel.

¹⁷ “But on the prince shall be the responsibility for the burnt offerings, and the grain offering, and the libation at the feasts, and at the New Moon festivals, and at^[aq] the Sabbaths at all of the assemblies of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, and the grain offering, and the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering to make atonement for the house of Israel. ¹⁸ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘On the first month on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull, a calf^[ar] without defect, and you shall purify the sanctuary. ¹⁹ And the priest shall take from the blood of the sin offering, and he shall put it on the doorframe of the temple^[as] and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar and on the doorframe of the gate of the inner courtyard. ²⁰ And so you shall do on the seventh day in the month for anyone doing wrong inadvertently or due to ignorance, and so you must make atonement for the temple.^[at]

²¹ In the first month, on the fourteenth^[au] day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast lasting for seven days,^[av] when you shall eat unleavened breads. ²² And the prince shall provide on that day for himself^[aw] and for all of the people of the land a bull as a sin offering. ²³ And during the seven days of the religious feast he shall provide as a burnt offering to Yahweh seven bulls and seven rams without defect for each of the seven days, and as a sin offering a he-goat for each day. ²⁴ And as a grain offering, an ephah for^[ax] the bull and an ephah for^[ay] the ram he must provide, and a hin of olive oil for each^[az] ephah. ²⁵ In the seventh month, on the fifteenth^[ba] day of the month, during the feast, he shall provide just as he has for these seven days, as he did for the sin offering, as he did for the burnt offering, and as he did for the grain offering, and as he did for the olive oil.’”

46 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “The gate of the inner courtyard facing east must be shut on^[bb] the six of the days for work, but on the day of the Sabbath it must be opened and on the day of the new moon it must be opened. ² And the prince shall come by way of the portico of the gate from the outside, and he shall stand at the doorframe of the gate and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings, and he shall bow down at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be closed until the evening. ³ And the people of the land will bow down at the doorway of that gate on the Sabbaths and on the new moons before^[bc] Yahweh.

⁴ And the burnt offering which the prince will offer to Yahweh on the Sabbath day must be six male lambs without defect and a ram without defect. ⁵ And the grain offering he will give shall be an ephah for each ram,^[bd] and for the male lambs the grain offering shall be as much as he wants to give^[be] and a hin of olive oil for each ephah.^{[bf] 6} And on the day of the new moon he will offer a bull, a calf^[bg] without defect and six male lambs and a ram; they must be without defect. ⁷ And an ephah for each bull and an ephah for the ram he must provide as a grain offering, and also for the male lambs as much as he can afford^[bh] and a hin of olive oil for each ephah.

⁸ And when the prince comes, on^[bi] the way of the portico of the gate he shall come and by this^[bj] way he shall go out. ⁹ And when the people of the land come before^[bk] Yahweh at the festivals, the one coming by way of the gate of the north to bow down^[bl] must go out by the way of the gate of the south, and the one coming by way of the gate of the south must go out by the way of the gate of the north, so he must not return by the way of the gate by which he came,^[bm] but before it he^[bn] shall go out opposite it. ¹⁰ And the prince will be in the midst of them; he will come in when they come in, and when they go out he will go out.

¹¹ And at the festivals and at the appointed times, the grain offering will be an ephah with a bull and an ephah with the ram and with the male lambs, as much as he wants to give,^[bo] and a hin of olive oil for each ephah.^{[bp] 12} And when the prince makes a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to Yahweh, the gate facing east will be open for him. And he must offer his burnt offering and his fellowship offering just as^[bq] he does on the day of the Sabbath, and then he must go out and the gate will shut after he goes out.^{[br] 13} And a male lamb, a yearling^[bs] without defect, he must provide as a burnt offering daily^[bt] for Yahweh; every morning^[bu] he must provide it. ¹⁴ And a grain offering he must provide in addition to it every morning,^[bv] a^[bw] sixth of an^[bx] ephah and a third of a hin of olive oil to moisten the finely milled flour as a grain offering to Yahweh as a perpetual statute.^{[by] 15} So they must provide the male lamb and the grain offering and the olive oil every morning^[bz] as a regular burnt offering.”^[ca]

¹⁶ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “If the prince gives a gift to any one from among his sons, it is his inheritance and it will belong^[cb] to his sons; it is their possession as an inheritance. ¹⁷ And if he give a gift from his inheritance to one from among his servants, then it will belong^[cc] to him until the year of release,^[cd] and then it will return to the prince. His inheritance with respect to his sons will be only for them. ¹⁸ But the prince shall not take from the inheritance of the people to rob^[ce] them, separating them from their property; from his own property he shall bestow an inheritance on his sons, so that my people will not be driven away, any one, from his property.”

¹⁹ Then he brought me through the entrance which was on the side of the gate to the holy chambers^[cf] to the priests; the chambers were facing northwards and, look, there was a place at the extreme end westwards. ²⁰ And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering in order not to bring them out to the outer courtyard to make the people holy. ²¹ And he brought me to the outer courtyard and led me past the four corners of the courtyard; and look, there was a courtyard in each corner of the courtyard.^{[cg] 22} In the four corners of the courtyard were small^[ch] courtyards forty cubits in length and thirty cubits in width, each with the same measurements^[ci] for the four of them with corners.^{[cj] 23} And a row was all around inside^[ck] them, and cooking-places were made under the rows of stones^[cl] all around. ²⁴ And he said to me, “These are the houses for^[cm] cooking, where the ones serving the temple shall cook the sacrifices of the people.”

River of the Temple, Division of the Land and Its Boundaries

47 And he brought me back to the doorway of the temple and, look! There was water coming out from under the threshold of the temple eastward, because the face of the temple was eastwards; and the water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, from south of the altar. ² And he brought me out by the way of the north gate and he led me around by the way leading to the outside of the outer gate^[cn] by way of the gate facing east, and look, there was water trickling from the south side. ³ As the man went eastward a measuring line was in his hand, and he measured a thousand cubits.^[co] And he led me through on into the water; it was ankle deep.^{[cp] 4} And he measured a thousand cubits,^[cq] and he brought me over into the waters and it was knee deep.^[cr] And he measured a thousand cubits,^[cs] and he brought me over into the waters and it was waist deep.^{[ct] 5} And he measured a thousand cubits,^[cu] and it became a stream that I was not able to cross, because the water rose, waters a person could swim in,^[cv] and became a stream that could not be crossed. ⁶ And he asked me, “Son of man,^[cw] did you see this?” And he made me go, and he brought me back along the bank of the stream.

⁷ When I returned,^[cx] then look! On the bank of the river were many trees on both sides.^{[cy] 8} And he said to me, “These waters are going out to the eastern region, and they go down to the Jordan Valley,^[cz] and they come to the sea^[da] and flow into the sea where they issue out,^[db] and the waters in the sea will be healed.^{[dc] 9} And then every living creature with which it teems,^[dd] to every place the waters come^[de] it will live; and very many fish will live because these waters came there, and so the water will be healed^[df] and everything will be alive everywhere that^[dg] the stream will come.^{[dh] 10} And then fishers^[di] from En Gedi and on up to En Eglaim will stand beside it, a sea-girt drying yard for nets; their fish for the dragnets will be of every kind,^[dj] like the fish of the great sea,^[dk] and very many. ¹¹ But its marshes and its swamps will not be cured, for they were given for salt. ¹² And along the stream will go up on its banks from both sides^[dl] every tree producing food;^[dm] its leaf will not wither and it will not cease producing its fruit. Every month^[dn] it will bear early fruit, for its waters are going out from the sanctuary, and its fruit will be as food, and its leaf for healing.”

¹³ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “This is the boundary by which you shall distribute the land for the twelve^[do] tribes of Israel: Two shares shall be for Joseph. ¹⁴ And you must take possession of it, each one a share like his brother, of this land which I swore^[dp] to give it to your fathers, and so this land shall fall to you as an inheritance. ¹⁵ And^[dq] this is the boundary of the land: On the north side,^[dr] from the great sea by the way of Hethlon until you come to Zedad,^{[ds] 16} Hamath^[dt] to Berothath to Sibraim, which is^[du] between the boundary of Damascus and the boundary of Hamath, on to Hazer Hatticon, which is on the boundary of Hauran. ¹⁷ And so the boundary will be from the sea^[dv] to Hazar Enan at the boundary of Damascus northwards and the boundary of Hamath to the north, and this is the boundary on the side of the north. ¹⁸ And the eastern boundary^[dw] will be between Hauran and Damascus, and from between Gilead and the land of Israel along the Jordan River from^[dx] the boundary on the eastern sea to Tamar. And^[dy] this is the border on the east.^{[dz] 19} And on the south side the border^[ea] will run from Tamar up to the waters of Meribot Kadesh and along the wadi^[eb] to the Great Sea.^[ec] And this is the boundary to the south.^{[ed] 20} And on the west side^[ee] the Great Sea^[ef] shall be the boundary up to opposite Lebo-Hamath. This is the western boundary.^[eg]

²¹ You shall divide this land for yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ²² And then you shall allocate it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens dwelling as aliens in the midst of you who have children in the midst of you, and so they shall be to you just like full citizens among the Israelites.^[eh] With you they shall be allotted with an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel. ²³ And then in the tribe in which an alien who is with you dwells, there you shall give his inheritance,” declares^[ei] the Lord Yahweh.

The Allotment of the Land and the Gates of the City

48 And^[ej] these are the names of the tribes: At the end of the north, along the way to Hethlon^[ek] from Lebo-hamath to Hazar Enan on the boundary of Damascus beside Hamath northward,^[el] there will be one portion for Dan from the eastern border to the west.^{[em] 2} And next to the territory of Dan, from the eastern border^[en] up to the western border,^[eo] one portion for Asher. ³ And next to the territory of Asher, from the eastern border^[ep] and up to the western border,^[eq] one portion for Naphtali. ⁴ And next to the territory of Naphtali, from the eastern border^[er] up to the western border,^[es] one portion for Manasseh. ⁵ And next to the territory of Manasseh, from the eastern border^[et] up to the western border,^[eu] one portion for Ephraim. ⁶ And next to the territory of Ephraim, from the eastern border^[ev] and up to the western border,^[ew] one portion for Reuben. ⁷ And next to the territory of Reuben, from the eastern border^[ex] up to the western border,^[ey] one portion for Judah.

⁸ And next to the territory of Judah, from the eastern border^[ez] up to the western border,^[fa] shall be located the contribution that you set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits^[fb] in width, and its length just like one of the portions from the eastern border^[fc] up to the western border,^[fd] and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. ⁹ The contribution that you shall set apart for Yahweh, its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits,^[fe] and its width ten thousand cubits.^{[ff] 10} And to these shall be the holy district:^[fg] to the priests northwards twenty-five thousand cubits,^[fh] and westwards its width ten thousand cubits,^[fi] and eastwards its width ten thousand cubits,^[fj] and southwards its length twenty-five thousand cubits,^[fk] and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in the midst of it. ¹¹ To the priests, the ones being consecrated from the descendants^[fl] of Zadok, who took care of my service and who did not go astray^[fm] when the Israelites went astray,^[fn] just as^[fo] the Levites went astray. ¹² And it will be for them a special gift from the contribution of the land as a most holy object^[fp] next to the territory of the Levites. ¹³ And the Levites alongside^[fq] the territory of the priests shall have twenty-five thousand cubits^[fr] in length and in width ten thousand cubits,^[fs] its full length,^[ft] twenty-five thousand cubits^[fu] and its full width, ten thousand cubits.^{[fv] 14} And they shall not sell any part from it, and shall not exchange, and shall not transfer the best of the land, for it is holy to Yahweh.

¹⁵ And the remaining part^[fw] of five thousand cubits^[fx] in the width by^[fy] twenty-five thousand cubits,^[fz] is unholy;^[ga] it is for the city as dwelling and as pastureland; and the city will be located in the middle of it.^{[gb] 16} And these shall be its measurements: on its side to the north, four thousand five hundred cubits;^[gc] and on its side to the south, four thousand five hundred cubits;^[gd] and on the eastern side,^[ge] four thousand five hundred cubits;^[gf] and on the western side,^[gg] four thousand five hundred cubits.^{[gh] 17} And a pastureland shall be for the city northwards, two hundred and fifty cubits,^[gi] southwards two hundred and fifty cubits,^[gj] and eastwards two hundred and fifty cubits,^[gk] and westwards two hundred and fifty cubits.^{[gl] 18} And the rest in its length alongside^[gm] the holy district,^[gn] ten thousand cubits^[go] eastwards and ten thousand^[gp] westwards; and it shall be alongside^[gq] the holy district^[gr] and its yield^[gs] shall be as food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ And the workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel shall cultivate it. ²⁰ All of the contribution, twenty-five thousand by twenty five thousand cubits^[gt] square, you shall set apart as the holy district^[gu] along with the property of the city. ²¹ And the rest shall be to^[gv] the prince, on both sides^[gw] of the holy district^[gx] and of the property of the city extending from^[gy] twenty-five thousand cubits of the contribution up to the boundary of the east, and westwards extending^[gz] twenty-five thousand cubits^[ha] to the boundary of the sea alongside^[hb] the tribal portions. They shall be for the prince, and it shall be the holy district,^[hc] and the sanctuary of the temple^[hd] will be in its middle. ²² And also the property of the Levites and the property of the city will be in the midst of the property which is for the prince; between the territory of Judah and between the territory of Benjamin the land will be for the prince.

²³ And for the remainder of the tribes: From the side on the east up to the side on the west, Benjamin one portion; ²⁴ and next to the territory of Benjamin, from the side on the east up to the side of the sea, Simeon one portion; ²⁵ and next to the territory of Simeon, from the side of the east up to the side of the sea, Issachar one portion; ²⁶ and next to the territory of Issachar, from the side of the east up to the side of the sea, Zebulun one portion; ²⁷ and next to the territory of Zebulun, from the side of the east up to the side of the sea, Gad one portion; ²⁸ and next to the territory of Gad, to the side of the south, southward;^[he] and the territory will be from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, toward the wadi,^[hf] on to the Great Sea.^{[hg] 29} This is the land that you shall allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions,” declares^[hh] the Lord Yahweh.

³⁰ And these shall be the exits of the city: From^[hi] the north side,^[hj] four thousand and five hundred cubits ^[hk] by measurement. ³¹ And the gates of the city shall be according to the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates to the north, the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one. ³² And on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits,^[hl] and three gates, and so the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one. ³³ And on the south side, four thousand five hundred cubits^[hm] by measurement, and so three gates, the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one. ³⁴ And on the west^[hn] side, four thousand five hundred cubits,^[ho] and their gates three, the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one. ³⁵ All around the city is eighteen thousand cubits,^[hp] and the name of the city from that day is “Yahweh Is There”!