Water Flowing from the Temple

47 Then he brought me back to ^(A)the door of the temple, and behold, ^(B)water was issuing from below ^(C)the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of ^(D)the altar. ² Then he brought me out by way of ^(E)the north gate and led me around on the outside to ^(F)the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

³ Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, ^(G)the man measured a thousand cubits,^[a] and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. ⁴ Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. ⁵ Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. ⁶ And he said to me, ^(H)“Son of man, ^(I)have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river ^(J)very many trees on the one side and on the other. ⁸ And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into ^(K)the Arabah, and enters the sea;^[b] when the water flows into ^(L)the sea, the water will become fresh.^{[c] 9} And wherever the river goes,^[d] every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea^[e] may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From ^(M)Engedi to ^(N)Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of ^(O)the Great Sea.^{[f] 11} But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. ¹² And on the banks, ^(P)on both sides of the river, there will grow ^(Q)all kinds of trees for food. ^(R)Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, ^(S)but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and ^(T)their leaves for healing.”

Division of the Land

¹³ Thus says the Lord God: “This is the boundary^[g] by which ^(U)you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. ^(V)Joseph shall have two portions. ¹⁴ And you shall divide equally what ^(W)I swore ^(X)to give to your fathers. ^(Y)This land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

¹⁵ “This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side, from ^(Z)the Great Sea ^(AA)by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, and on to ^(AB)Zedad,^{[h] 16 (AC)}Berothah, Sibraim (which lies on the border between ^(AD)Damascus and ^(AE)Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. ¹⁷ So the boundary shall run from the sea to ^(AF)Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north.^[i] This shall be the north side.^[j]

¹⁸ “On the east side, the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus; along the Jordan between ^(AG)Gilead and the land of Israel; to ^(AH)the eastern sea and as far as Tamar.^[k] This shall be the east side.

¹⁹ “On the south side, it shall run from ^(AI)Tamar as far as ^(AJ)the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along ^(AK)the Brook of Egypt^[l] to ^(AL)the Great Sea. This shall be the south side.

²⁰ “On the west side, the Great Sea shall be the boundary to a point ^(AM)opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be the west side.

^21 (AN)“So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. ^22 (AO)You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and ^(AP)for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. ^(AQ)They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. ²³ In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God.

48 “These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern extreme, beside ^(AR)the way of Hethlon ^(AS)to Lebo-hamath, as far as ^(AT)Hazar-enan (which is on the northern border of ^(AU)Damascus over against Hamath), and extending^[m] from the east side to the west,^{[n] (AV)}Dan, one portion. ² Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, ^(AW)Asher, one portion. ³ Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, ^(AX)Naphtali, one portion. ⁴ Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, Manasseh, one portion. ⁵ Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, Ephraim, one portion. ⁶ Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, Reuben, one portion. ⁷ Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, Judah, one portion.

⁸ “Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be ^(AY)the portion which you shall set apart, 25,000 cubits^[o] in breadth, and in length equal to one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with ^(AZ)the sanctuary in the midst of it. ⁹ The portion that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length, and 20,000^[p] in breadth. ^10 (BA)These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring 25,000 cubits on the northern side, 10,000 cubits in breadth on the western side, 10,000 in breadth on the eastern side, and 25,000 in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the midst of it. ¹¹ This shall be for ^(BB)the consecrated priests, ^(BC)the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, ^(BD)as the Levites did. ¹² And it shall belong to them as a special portion from the holy portion of the land, a most holy place, adjoining the territory of the Levites. ^13 (BE)And alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an allotment 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole length shall be 25,000 cubits and the breadth 20,000.^{[q] 14} They ^(BF)shall not sell or exchange any of it. They shall not alienate ^(BG)this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

^15 (BH)“The remainder, 5,000 cubits in breadth and 25,000 in length, shall be ^(BI)for common use for the city, for dwellings and for ^(BJ)open country. In the midst of it shall be the city, ¹⁶ and these shall be its measurements: ^(BK)the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500, and the west side 4,500. ¹⁷ And the city shall have open land: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250, on the east 250, and on the west 250. ¹⁸ The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be 10,000 cubits to the east, and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. ^(BL)Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it. ²⁰ The whole portion that ^(BM)you shall set apart shall be 25,000 cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.

^21 (BN)“What remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city shall belong to the prince. Extending from the 25,000 cubits of the holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the west border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to the prince. ^(BO)The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple shall be in its midst. ²² It shall be separate from the property of the Levites and the property of the city, which are in the midst of that which belongs to the prince. The portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and the territory of Benjamin.

²³ “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west, Benjamin, one portion. ²⁴ Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon, one portion. ²⁵ Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar, one portion. ²⁶ Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun, one portion. ²⁷ Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad, one portion. ²⁸ And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, the boundary shall run ^(BP)from Tamar to the waters of ^(BQ)Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt^[r] to ^(BR)the Great Sea.^{[s] 29} This is the land that ^(BS)you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Lord God.

The Gates of the City

³⁰ “These shall be ^(BT)the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be ^(BU)4,500 cubits by measure, ^31 (BV)three gates, the gate of ^(BW)Reuben, the gate of ^(BX)Judah, and the gate of ^(BY)Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel. ³² On the east side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. ³³ On the south side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. ³⁴ On the west side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates,^[t] the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. ³⁵ The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And ^(BZ)the name of the city from that time on shall be, ^(CA)The Lord Is There.”

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days ^(A)a decree went out from ^(B)Caesar Augustus that all the world should be ^(C)registered. ² This was the first ^(D)registration when^[a] Quirinius ^(E)was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up ^(F)from Galilee, from the town of ^(G)Nazareth, to Judea, to ^(H)the city of David, which is called ^(I)Bethlehem, ^(J)because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[b] who was with child. ⁶ And ^(K)while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and ^(L)wrapped him in swaddling cloths and ^(M)laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in ^(N)the inn.^[c]

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord ^(O)appeared to them, and ^(P)the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all ^(Q)the people. ¹¹ For ^(R)unto you is born this day in ^(S)the city of David ^(T)a Savior, who is ^(U)Christ ^(V)the Lord. ¹² And ^(W)this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby ^(X)wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel ^(Y)a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby ^(AE)lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But ^(AF)Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, ^(AG)glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹ And ^(AH)at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, ^(AI)he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²² And ^(AJ)when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem ^(AK)to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in ^(AL)the Law of the Lord, ^(AM)“Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in ^(AN)the Law of the Lord, ^(AO)“a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” ²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was ^(AP)righteous and ^(AQ)devout, ^(AR)waiting for ^(AS)the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^(AT)see death before he had seen ^(AU)the Lord's Christ. ²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when ^(AV)the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and ^(AW)blessed God and said,

³³ And ^(BF)his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed ^(BG)for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign ^(BH)that is opposed ³⁵ (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶ And there was ^(BI)a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.^[f] She did not depart from the temple, ^(BJ)worshiping with ^(BK)fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were ^(BL)waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

³⁹ And when they had performed everything according to ^(BM)the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of ^(BN)Nazareth. ^40 (BO)And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

⁴¹ Now ^(BP)his parents went ^(BQ)to Jerusalem every year at ^(BR)the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, ^(BS)they went up according to custom. ⁴³ And when the feast ^(BT)was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. ^(BU)His parents did not know it, ⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, ^(BV)sitting among ^(BW)the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ And when his parents^[g] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, ^(BX)your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” ⁴⁹ And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that ^(BY)I must be in ^(BZ)my Father's house?”^{[h] 50} And ^(CA)they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. ⁵¹ And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And ^(CB)his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus ^(CC)increased in wisdom and in stature^[i] and in ^(CD)favor with God and man.