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Various Laws for the Ruler and the People

46 The Lord said:

The east gate of the inner courtyard must remain closed during the six working days of each week. But on the Sabbath and on the first day of the month, this gate will be opened. Israel's ruler will go from the outer courtyard into the entrance room of this gate and stand in the doorway while the priest offers sacrifices to ask my blessing[a] and sacrifices to please me.[b] The ruler will bow with his face to the ground to show that he has worshiped me. Then he will leave, and the gate will remain open until evening.

Each Sabbath and on the first day of each month, the people of Israel must also come to the east gate and worship me. On the Sabbath, the ruler will bring six lambs and one ram to be offered as sacrifices to please me. There must be nothing wrong with any of these animals. With the ram, he is to offer nine kilograms of grain, and with each of the lambs, he can offer as much as he wants. He must also offer three liters of olive oil with every nine kilograms of grain.

The ruler is to bring six lambs, a bull, and a ram to be offered as sacrifices at the New Moon Festival. There must be nothing wrong with any of these animals. With the bull and the ram, he is to offer nine kilograms of grain, and with each of the lambs, he can offer as much as he wants. He must also offer three liters of olive oil with every nine kilograms of grain. The ruler must come through the entrance room of the east gate and leave the same way.

When my people come to worship me during any festival, they must always leave by the opposite gate from which they came: Those who come in the north gate must leave by the south gate, and those who come in the south gate must leave by the north gate. 10 Their ruler will come in at the same time they do and leave at the same time they leave.

11 At all other festivals and celebrations, nine kilograms of grain will be offered with a bull, and nine kilograms will be offered with a ram. The worshipers can offer as much grain as they want with each lamb. Three liters of olive oil must be offered with every nine kilograms of grain.

12 If the ruler voluntarily offers a sacrifice to please me or to ask my blessing, the east gate of the inner courtyard will be opened for him. He will offer his sacrifices just as he does on each Sabbath; then he will leave, and the gate will be closed.

13 Each morning a year-old lamb that has nothing wrong with it must be offered as a sacrifice to please me. 14 Along with it, two kilograms of fine flour mixed with a liter of olive oil must be offered as a grain sacrifice. This law will never change— 15 the lamb, the flour, and the olive oil will be offered to me every morning for all time.

Laws about the Ruler's Land

16 The Lord God said:

If the ruler of Israel gives some of his land to one of his children, it will belong to the ruler's child as part of the family property. 17 (A) But if the ruler gives some of his land to one of his servants, the land will belong to the servant until the Year of Celebration, when it will be returned to the ruler.[c] Only the ruler's children can keep what is given to them.

18 The ruler must never abuse my people by taking land from them. Any land he gives his children must already belong to him.

The Sacred Kitchens

19 The man who was showing me the temple[d] then took me back to the inner courtyard. We walked to the south side of the courtyard and stopped at the door to the sacred rooms that belonged to the priests. He showed me more rooms at the western edge of the courtyard 20 and said, “These are the kitchens where the priests must boil the meat to be offered as sacrifices to make things right[e] and as sacrifices for sin.[f] They will also bake the grain for sacrifices in these kitchens. That way, these sacred offerings won't have to be carried through the outer courtyard, where someone could accidentally touch them and be harmed.”[g]

21 We went back to the outer courtyard and walked past the four corners. 22 At each corner I saw a smaller courtyard, 20 meters long and 15 meters wide. 23 Around the inside of these smaller courtyards was a low wall of stones, and against the wall were places to build fires.[h] 24 The man said, “These are the kitchens where the temple workers will boil the meat that worshipers offer as sacrifices.”

The Stream Flowing from the Temple

47 (B) The man took me back to the temple, where I saw a stream flowing from under the entrance. It began in the south part of the temple, where it ran past the altar and continued east through the courtyard.

We walked out of the temple area through the north gate and went around to the east gate. I saw the small stream of water flowing east from the south side of the gate.

The man walked east, then took out his measuring stick and measured 500 meters downstream. He told me to wade through the stream there, and the water came up to my ankles. Then he measured another 500 meters downstream, and told me to wade through it there. The water came up to my knees. Another 500 meters downstream the water came up to my waist. Another 500 meters downstream, the stream had become a river that could be crossed only by swimming. The man said, “Ezekiel, son of man, pay attention to what you've seen.”

We walked to the riverbank, where I saw dozens of trees on each side. The man said:

This water flows eastward to the Jordan River valley and empties into the Dead Sea, where it turns the salt water into fresh water. Wherever this water flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish, because it will bring life and fresh water to the Dead Sea. 10 From En-Gedi to Eneglaim, people will fish in the sea and dry their nets along the coast. There will be as many kinds of fish in the Dead Sea as there are in the Mediterranean Sea. 11 But the marshes along the shore will remain salty, so that people can use the salt from them.

12 (C) Fruit trees will grow all along this river and produce fresh fruit every month. The leaves will never dry out, because they will always have water from the stream that flows from the temple, and they will be used for healing people.

The Borders of the Land

13-14 The Lord God said to the people of Israel:

When the land is divided among the twelve tribes of Israel, the Joseph tribe[i] will receive two shares. Divide the land equally, because I promised your ancestors that this land would someday belong to their descendants. These are the borders of the land:

15 The northern border will begin at the Mediterranean Sea, then continue eastward to Hethlon, to Lebo-Hamath, then across to Zedad, 16 Berothah,[j] and Sibraim, which is on the border between the two kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. The border will end at Hazer-Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the northern border will run between the Mediterranean Sea and Hazar-Enon, which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath.[k]

18 The eastern border will begin on the border between the two kingdoms of Hauran and Damascus. It will run south along the Jordan River, which separates the territories of Gilead and Israel, and it will end at the Dead Sea near the town of Tamar.[l]

19 The southern border will begin at Tamar, then run southwest to the springs near Meribath-Kadesh. It will continue along the Egyptian Gorge and will end at the Mediterranean Sea.

20 The western border will run north along the Mediterranean Sea to a point just west of Lebo-Hamath.

21 That is the land to be divided among the tribes of Israel. 22 It will belong to the Israelites and to any foreigners living among them whose children were born in Israel. These foreigners must be treated like any other Israelite citizen, and they will receive 23 a share of the land given to the tribe where they live. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

The Division of Land among Tribes in the North

The Lord said:

48 1-7 Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The northern border of Israel will run along the towns of Hethlon and Lebo-Hamath, and will end at Hazar-Enon, which is on the border between the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah.

The Special Section of Land

The Lord said:

South of Judah's territory will be a special section of land. Its length will be twelve and a half kilometers, and its width will run from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. My temple will be located in this section of land.

An area in the center of this land will belong to me. It will be twelve and a half kilometers long and ten kilometers[m] wide.

10 I, the Lord, will give half of my sacred land to the priests. Their share will be twelve and a half kilometers long and five kilometers wide, and my temple will be right in the middle. 11 Only priests who are descendants of Zadok will receive a share of this sacred land, because they remained faithful to me when the Levites and the rest of the Israelites started sinning. 12 The land belonging to the priests will be the most sacred area and will lie south of the area that belongs to the Levites.

13 I will give the other half of my sacred land to the Levites. Their share will also be twelve and a half kilometers long and five kilometers wide, 14 and they must never sell or trade any of this land—it is the best land and belongs to me.

15 South of my sacred land will be a section twelve and a half kilometers long and three kilometers wide. It will not be sacred, but will belong to the people of Israel and will include the city of Jerusalem, together with its houses and pastureland. 16 The city will be a square: Each side will be two kilometers long, 17 and an open area 125 meters wide will surround the city. 18 The land on the east and west sides of the city limits will be farmland for the people of Jerusalem; both sections will be five kilometers long and three kilometers wide. 19 People from the city will farm the land, no matter which tribe they belong to.

20 And so the center of this special section of land will be for my sacred land, as well as for the city and its property. The land will be a square, twelve and a half kilometers on each side.

21 The regions east and west of this square of land will belong to the ruler of Israel. His property will run east to the Jordan River and west to the Mediterranean Sea. In the very center of his property will be my sacred land, as well as the temple, 22 together with the share belonging to the Levites and the city of Jerusalem. The northern border of the ruler's property will be the land that belongs to Judah, and the southern border will be the land that belongs to Benjamin.

The Division of Land among Tribes in the South

The Lord God said:

23-27 South of this special section will be the land that belongs to the rest of Israel's tribes. Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad.

28 Gad's southern border is also the southern border of Israel. It will begin at the town of Tamar, then run southwest to the springs near Meribath-Kadesh. It will continue along the Egyptian Gorge and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

29 That's how the land of Israel will be divided among the twelve tribes. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

The Gates of Jerusalem

The Lord said:

30-34 (D) The city of Jerusalem will have twelve gates, three on each of the four sides of the city wall. These gates will be named after the twelve tribes of Israel. The gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi will be in the north; Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan will be in the east; Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun will be in the south; Gad, Asher, and Naphtali will be in the west. Each side of the city wall will be two kilometers long, 35 and so the total length of the wall will be ten kilometers. The new name of the city will be “The-Lord-Is-Here!”

Footnotes

  1. 46.2 sacrifices to ask my blessing: See the note at 43.27.
  2. 46.2 sacrifices to please me: See the note at 40.38,39.
  3. 46.17 the Year of Celebration … to the ruler: This was a sacred year for Israel, traditionally called the “Year of Jubilee.” During this year, all property had to go back to its original owner (see Leviticus 25.8-34).
  4. 46.19 The man … temple: See 40.3.
  5. 46.20 sacrifices to make things right: See the note at 40.38,39.
  6. 46.20 sacrifices for sin: See the note at 40.38,39.
  7. 46.20 someone … touch them and be harmed: See the note at 44.19.
  8. 46.23 fires: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 23.
  9. 47.13,14 the Joseph tribe: That is, the two tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph's sons.
  10. 47.15,16 to Lebo-Hamath, then across to Zedad, 16 Berothah: One ancient translation; Hebrew “to Lebo-Zedad, 16 then across to Hamath, Berothah.”
  11. 47.17 which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  12. 47.18 near the town of Tamar: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  13. 48.9 ten: The Hebrew text has “five” (but see 45.1 and the note there).

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court(A) facing east(B) is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon(C) it is to be opened. The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico(D) of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering(E) and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.(F) On the Sabbaths(G) and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway.(H) The burnt offering the prince brings to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah,[a] and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin[b] of olive oil for each ephah.(I) On the day of the New Moon(J) he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect.(K) He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.(L) When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico(M) of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way.(N)

“‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals,(O) whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. 10 The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out.(P) 11 At the feasts and the appointed festivals, the grain offering is to be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and with the lambs as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.(Q)

12 “‘When the prince provides(R) a freewill offering(S) to the Lord—whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings—the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.(T)

13 “‘Every day you are to provide a year-old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord; morning by morning(U) you shall provide it.(V) 14 You are also to provide with it morning by morning a grain offering, consisting of a sixth of an ephah[c] with a third of a hin[d] of oil(W) to moisten the flour. The presenting of this grain offering to the Lord is a lasting ordinance.(X) 15 So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular(Y) burnt offering.(Z)

16 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance.(AA) 17 If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom;(AB) then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. 18 The prince must not take(AC) any of the inheritance(AD) of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that not one of my people will be separated from their property.’”

19 Then the man brought me through the entrance(AE) at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north,(AF) which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end. 20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to cook the guilt offering and the sin offering[e] and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating(AG) the people.”(AH)

21 He then brought me to the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw in each corner another court. 22 In the four corners of the outer court were enclosed[f] courts, forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide;[g] each of the courts in the four corners was the same size. 23 Around the inside of each of the four courts was a ledge of stone, with places for fire built all around under the ledge. 24 He said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple are to cook the sacrifices of the people.”

The River From the Temple

47 The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water(AI) coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.(AJ) He then brought me out through the north gate(AK) and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.

As the man went eastward with a measuring line(AL) in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits[h] and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river(AM) that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross.(AN) He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.(AO) He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah,[i](AP) where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh.(AQ) Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.(AR) 10 Fishermen(AS) will stand along the shore; from En Gedi(AT) to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets.(AU) The fish will be of many kinds(AV)—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.(AW) 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.(AX) 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river.(AY) Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit(AZ) fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary(BA) flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.(BB)

The Boundaries of the Land

13 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “These are the boundaries(BC) of the land that you will divide among the twelve tribes of Israel as their inheritance, with two portions for Joseph.(BD) 14 You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with uplifted hand to give it to your ancestors, this land will become your inheritance.(BE)

15 “This is to be the boundary of the land:(BF)

“On the north side it will run from the Mediterranean Sea(BG) by the Hethlon road(BH) past Lebo Hamath to Zedad, 16 Berothah[j](BI) and Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath),(BJ) as far as Hazer Hattikon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 The boundary will extend from the sea to Hazar Enan,[k] along the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern boundary.(BK)

18 “On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the Dead Sea and as far as Tamar.[l] This will be the eastern boundary.(BL)

19 “On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh,(BM) then along the Wadi of Egypt(BN) to the Mediterranean Sea.(BO) This will be the southern boundary.

20 “On the west side, the Mediterranean Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath.(BP) This will be the western boundary.(BQ)

21 “You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You are to allot it as an inheritance(BR) for yourselves and for the foreigners(BS) residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.(BT) 23 In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord.(BU)

The Division of the Land

48 “These are the tribes, listed by name: At the northern frontier, Dan(BV) will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road(BW) to Lebo Hamath;(BX) Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath will be part of its border from the east side to the west side.

“Asher(BY) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Dan from east to west.

“Naphtali(BZ) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Asher from east to west.

“Manasseh(CA) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.

“Ephraim(CB) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Manasseh(CC) from east to west.(CD)

“Reuben(CE) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.

“Judah(CF) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.

“Bordering the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits[m] wide, and its length from east to west will equal one of the tribal portions; the sanctuary will be in the center of it.(CG)

“The special portion you are to offer to the Lord will be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits[n] wide.(CH) 10 This will be the sacred portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center of it will be the sanctuary of the Lord.(CI) 11 This will be for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites,(CJ) who were faithful in serving me(CK) and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.(CL) 12 It will be a special gift to them from the sacred portion of the land, a most holy portion, bordering the territory of the Levites.

13 “Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. Its total length will be 25,000 cubits and its width 10,000 cubits.(CM) 14 They must not sell or exchange any of it. This is the best of the land and must not pass into other hands, because it is holy to the Lord.(CN)

15 “The remaining area, 5,000 cubits[o] wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for the common use of the city, for houses and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of it 16 and will have these measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits,[p] the south side 4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west side 4,500 cubits.(CO) 17 The pastureland for the city will be 250 cubits[q] on the north, 250 cubits on the south, 250 cubits on the east, and 250 cubits on the west. 18 What remains of the area, bordering on the sacred portion and running the length of it, will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city.(CP) 19 The workers from the city who farm it will come from all the tribes of Israel. 20 The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits on each side. As a special gift you will set aside the sacred portion, along with the property of the city.

21 “What remains on both sides of the area formed by the sacred portion and the property of the city will belong to the prince. It will extend eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the sacred portion to the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border. Both these areas running the length of the tribal portions will belong to the prince, and the sacred portion with the temple sanctuary will be in the center of them.(CQ) 22 So the property of the Levites and the property of the city will lie in the center of the area that belongs to the prince. The area belonging to the prince will lie between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin.

23 “As for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin(CR) will have one portion; it will extend from the east side to the west side.

24 “Simeon(CS) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Benjamin from east to west.

25 “Issachar(CT) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Simeon from east to west.

26 “Zebulun(CU) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Issachar from east to west.

27 “Gad(CV) will have one portion; it will border the territory of Zebulun from east to west.

28 “The southern boundary of Gad will run south from Tamar(CW) to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.(CX)

29 “This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Sovereign Lord.(CY)

The Gates of the New City

30 “These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is 4,500 cubits long, 31 the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.

32 “On the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan.

33 “On the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun.

34 “On the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali.(CZ)

35 “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.[r]

“And the name of the city from that time on will be:

the Lord is there.(DA)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 46:5 That is, probably about 35 pounds or about 16 kilograms; also in verses 7 and 11
  2. Ezekiel 46:5 That is, about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters; also in verses 7 and 11
  3. Ezekiel 46:14 That is, probably about 6 pounds or about 2.7 kilograms
  4. Ezekiel 46:14 That is, about 1 1/2 quarts or about 1.3 liters
  5. Ezekiel 46:20 Or purification offering
  6. Ezekiel 46:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  7. Ezekiel 46:22 That is, about 70 feet long and 53 feet wide or about 21 meters long and 16 meters wide
  8. Ezekiel 47:3 That is, about 1,700 feet or about 530 meters
  9. Ezekiel 47:8 Or the Jordan Valley
  10. Ezekiel 47:16 See Septuagint and 48:1; Hebrew road to go into Zedad, 16 Hamath, Berothah.
  11. Ezekiel 47:17 Hebrew Enon, a variant of Enan
  12. Ezekiel 47:18 See Syriac; Hebrew Israel. You will measure to the Dead Sea.
  13. Ezekiel 48:8 That is, about 8 miles or about 13 kilometers; also in verses 9, 10, 13, 15, 20 and 21
  14. Ezekiel 48:9 That is, about 3 1/3 miles or about 5.3 kilometers; also in verses 10, 13 and 18
  15. Ezekiel 48:15 That is, about 1 2/3 miles or about 2.7 kilometers
  16. Ezekiel 48:16 That is, about 1 1/2 miles or about 2.4 kilometers; also in verses 30, 32, 33 and 34
  17. Ezekiel 48:17 That is, about 440 feet or about 135 meters
  18. Ezekiel 48:35 That is, about 6 miles or about 9.5 kilometers