¹¹ For this is the message (the announcement) which you have heard from the first, that we should love one another,

¹² [And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked and malicious and his brother’s were righteous (virtuous).

¹³ Do not be surprised and wonder, brethren, that the world detests and pursues you with hatred.

¹⁴ We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is ^[a]held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death.

¹⁵ Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (^[b]persevering) within him.

¹⁶ By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [^[c]in Him].

¹⁷ But if anyone has this world’s goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother and ^[d]fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?

¹⁸ Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).

¹⁹ By this we shall come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet, conciliate, and pacify) our hearts in His presence,

²⁰ Whenever our hearts in [^[e]tormenting] self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us. [For ^[f]we are in God’s hands.] For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything [nothing is hidden from Him].

²¹ And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God,

²² And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [^[g]watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [^[h]habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him.

²³ And this is His order (His command, His injunction): that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on) the name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us.

²⁴ All who keep His commandments [who obey His orders and follow His plan, live and continue to live, to stay and] abide in Him, and He in them. [^[i]They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Christ.] And by this we know and understand and have the proof that He [really] lives and makes His home in us: by the [Holy] Spirit Whom He has given us.

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47 Then he [my guide] brought me again to the door of the house [of the Lord—the temple], and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple was toward the east; and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the temple, on the south side of the altar.

² Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around outside to the outer gate by the way that faces east, and behold, waters were running out on the right side.^(A)

³ And when the man went on eastward with the measuring line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were ankle-deep.

⁴ Again he measured a thousand cubits and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that reached to the knees. Again he measured a thousand cubits and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that reached to the loins.

⁵ Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the waters had risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over or through.

⁶ And he said to me, Son of man, have you seen this? Then he led me and caused me to return to the bank of the river.

⁷ Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.

⁸ Then he said to me, These waters pour out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah (the Jordan Valley) and on into the Dead Sea. And when they shall enter into the sea [the sea of putrid waters], the waters shall be healed and made fresh.

⁹ And wherever the double river shall go, every living creature which swarms shall live. And there shall be a very great number of fish, because these waters go there that [the waters of the sea] may be healed and made fresh; and everything shall live wherever the river goes.

¹⁰ The fishermen shall stand on [the banks of the Dead Sea]; from En-gedi even to En-eglaim shall be a place to spread nets; their fish shall be of very many kinds, as the fish of the Great or Mediterranean Sea.

¹¹ But its swamps and marshes will not become wholesome for animal life; they shall [as the river subsides] be left encrusted with salt and given over to it.

¹² And on the banks of the river on both its sides, there shall grow all kinds of trees for food; their leaf shall not fade nor shall their fruit fail [to meet the demand]. Each tree shall bring forth new fruit every month, [these supernatural qualities being] because their waters came from out of the sanctuary. And their fruit shall be for food and their leaves for healing.

¹³ Thus says the Lord God: These shall be the boundaries by which you shall divide the land among the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.

¹⁴ And you shall divide it equally. I lifted up My hand and swore to give it to your fathers, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

¹⁵ And this shall be the boundary of the land on the north side: from the Great or Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon to the entrance of Zedad,

¹⁶ Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath, as far as Hazer-hatticon on the border of Hauran.

¹⁷ So the boundary shall extend from the [Mediterranean] Sea to Hazar-enan, at the boundary of Damascus on the north, together with the boundary of Hamath to the north. This is the north side.

¹⁸ And on the east side you shall measure the boundary from between Hauran and Damascus, and Gilead on one side and the land of Israel on the other, with the Jordan forming the boundary down to the East or Dead Sea. And this [from Damascus to the Dead Sea and including it] is the east side.

¹⁹ And the south side [boundary] southward, from Tamar [near the Dead Sea] shall run as far as the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the Brook of Egypt to the Great or Mediterranean Sea. And this is the south side.

²⁰ On the west side [the boundary] shall be the Great or Mediterranean Sea to a point opposite the entrance of Hamath [north of Mount Hermon]. This is the west side.

²¹ So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel.

²² You shall divide it by allotment as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who reside among you and shall have children born among you. They shall be to you as those born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall inherit with you among the tribes of Israel.

²³ In whatever tribe the foreigner resides, there shall you give him his inheritance, says the Lord God.

48 Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath as far as Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus opposite Hamath, and reaching from the east border to the west, Dan, one [portion].

² And beside the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one [portion].

³ And beside the border of Asher, from the east side to the west side, Naphtali, one [portion].

⁴ And beside the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one [portion].

⁵ And beside the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one [portion].

⁶ And beside the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west side, Reuben, one [portion].

⁷ And beside the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one [portion].

⁸ And beside the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering of land which you shall offer: 25,000 reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west side; and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.

⁹ The portion of land that you shall set apart and offer to the Lord shall be 25,000 [measures] in length and 10,000 in breadth [for each of the two districts].

¹⁰ And for these, even for the priests, shall be this holy offering of land: toward the north 25,000 [measures] in length, and toward the west 10,000 in breadth, and toward the east 10,000 in breadth, and toward the south 25,000 in length, and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst of it.

¹¹ The set-apart and sacred portion shall be for the consecrated priests of the sons of Zadok, who have kept My charge and who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the other Levites did.

¹² And this land offering shall be for the priests as a thing most holy beside the border of the [other] Levites.

¹³ And opposite the border of the priests the [other] Levites shall have 25,000 [measures] in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole length shall be 25,000 and the breadth 10,000.

¹⁴ And they shall not sell any of it or exchange it; they shall not convey or transfer this the firstfruits of the land, for it has been offered to the Lord and is holy to Him.

¹⁵ And the remaining strip of 5,000 [measures] in breadth and 25,000 in length shall be for the city’s secular use, for a place in which to dwell and for open country or suburbs. The city shall be in the midst of the plot.

¹⁶ And these shall be the dimensions of it: the north side 4,500 [measures] and the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500 and the west side 4,500.^(B)

¹⁷ And the city shall have suburbs or open country: toward the north 250 [measures] and toward the south 250, toward the east 250 and toward the west 250.

¹⁸ The remainder of the length along beside the holy portion shall be 10,000 [measures] to the east and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be along beside the holy portion. The produce from it shall be for food for those who work in the city.

¹⁹ And the workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel shall till the open land.

²⁰ The whole portion that you shall set apart as an offering to God shall be 25,000 [measures] by 25,000; you shall set apart the holy portion foursquare, together with the property of the city.

²¹ And what is left unallotted, on both sides of the holy portion and of that possessed by the city, shall belong to the prince. Reaching eastward from the 25,000 [measures] of the holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 [measures] to the west border, parallel to the tribal allotments, it belongs to the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple in its midst,

²² And the possession of the Levites and the property of the city [of Jerusalem] shall be in the midst of that which belongs to the prince. What lies between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall be for the prince.

²³ As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west side, Benjamin, one [portion].

²⁴ And beside the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon, one [portion].

²⁵ And beside the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar, one [portion].

²⁶ And beside the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun, one [portion].

²⁷ And beside the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad, one [portion].

²⁸ And beside the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall extend from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh and on along the Brook [of Egypt] to the Great or Mediterranean Sea.

²⁹ This is the land which you shall divide by allotment among the tribes of Israel as their inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord God.

³⁰ And these shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to extend 4,500 measures,

³¹ Three gates: one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi, the gates of the city being called after the names of the tribes of Israel;

³² And on the east side’s 4,500 measures, three gates: one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan;

³³ And on the south side’s 4,500 measures, three gates: one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun;

³⁴ On the west side’s 4,500 measures, three gates: one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.

³⁵ The distance around the city shall be 18,000 [4 x 4,500] measures; and the name of the city from that day and ever after shall be, the lord is there.^(C)