Ezekiel 47
Christian Standard Bible
The Life-Giving River
47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing 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 threshold of the temple, south of the altar.(A) 2 Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. 3 As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand,(B) he measured off a third of a mile[a] and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles. 4 Then he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my waist. 5 Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.
6 He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.(C) 8 He said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water,[b][c] the water of the sea becomes fresh.(D) 9 Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows,[d] and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim.[e] These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.(E) 11 Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt. 12 All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.(F) Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for eating and their leaves for healing.”(G)
The Borders of the Land
13 This is what the Lord God says: “This is[f] the border you will use to divide the land(H) as an inheritance for the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.(I) 14 You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore[g] to give it to your ancestors.(J) So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.
15 This is to be the border of the land:
On the north side(K) it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad,[h] 16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border(L) of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.
18 On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea.[i] This will be the eastern side.
19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the Waters of Meribath-kadesh,[j] and on to the Brook of Egypt(M) as far as the Mediterranean Sea.(N) This will be the southern side.
20 On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.
21 “You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.(O) 22 You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens residing among you,(P) who have fathered children among you. You will treat them[k] like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the alien resides, you will assign his inheritance there.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.
Footnotes
- 47:3 Lit 1,000 cubits, also in vv. 4,5
- 47:8 Or enters the sea, being brought out to the sea; Hb obscure
- 47:8 = the Dead Sea
- 47:9 LXX, Vg; MT reads the two rivers flow
- 47:10 Two springs near the Dead Sea
- 47:13 Tg, Vg; Syr reads The valley of
- 47:14 Lit lifted my hand
- 47:15 LXX; MT reads and Lebo to Zedad, Hamath; Ezk 48:1
- 47:18 = the Dead Sea
- 47:19 = Kadesh-barnea
- 47:22 Lit They will be to you
Ezekiel 47
New Living Translation
The River of Healing
47 In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. 2 The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.
3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet[a] and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
6 He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. 8 Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea.[b] The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. 9 There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows.[c] Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.[d] 11 But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”
Boundaries for the Land
13 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Divide the land in this way for the twelve tribes of Israel: The descendants of Joseph will be given two shares of land.[e] 14 Otherwise each tribe will receive an equal share. I took a solemn oath and swore that I would give this land to your ancestors, and it will now come to you as your possession.
15 “These are the boundaries of the land: The northern border will run from the Mediterranean toward Hethlon, then on through Lebo-hamath to Zedad; 16 then it will run to Berothah and Sibraim,[f] which are on the border between Damascus and Hamath, and finally to Hazer-hatticon, on the border of Hauran. 17 So the northern border will run from the Mediterranean to Hazar-enan, on the border between Hamath to the north and Damascus to the south.
18 “The eastern border starts at a point between Hauran and Damascus and runs south along the Jordan River between Israel and Gilead, past the Dead Sea[g] and as far south as Tamar.[h] This will be the eastern border.
19 “The southern border will go west from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh[i] and then follow the course of the Brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean. This will be the southern border.
20 “On the west side, the Mediterranean itself will be your border from the southern border to the point where the northern border begins, opposite Lebo-hamath.
21 “Divide the land within these boundaries among the tribes of Israel. 22 Distribute the land as an allotment for yourselves and for the foreigners who have joined you and are raising their families among you. They will be like native-born Israelites to you and will receive an allotment among the tribes. 23 These foreigners are to be given land within the territory of the tribe with whom they now live. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
Footnotes
- 47:3 Hebrew 1,000 cubits [530 meters]; also in 47:4, 5.
- 47:8 Hebrew the sea.
- 47:9 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads of these two rivers flow.
- 47:10 Hebrew the Great Sea; also in 47:15, 17, 19, 20.
- 47:13 It was important to retain twelve portions of land. Since Levi had no portion, the descendants of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, received land as two tribes.
- 47:15-16 As in Greek version; Masoretic Text reads then on through Lebo to Zedad; 16 then it will run to Hamath, Berothah, and Sibraim.
- 47:18a Hebrew the eastern sea.
- 47:18b As in Greek version; Hebrew reads you will measure.
- 47:19 Hebrew waters of Meribath-kadesh.
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