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The Tribal Portions

48 “These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo Hamath, as far as Hazar Enan (which is on the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east side to the west, Dan will have one portion. Next to the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher[a] will have one portion. Next to the border of Asher from the east side to the west side, Naphtali will have one portion. Next to the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west side, Manasseh will have one portion. Next to the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west side, Ephraim will have one portion. Next to the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west side, Reuben will have one portion. Next to the border of Reuben from the east side to the west side, Judah[b] will have one portion.

“Next to the border of Judah from the east side to the west side will be the allotment you must set apart. It is to be 8¼ miles[c] wide, and the same length as one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west side; the sanctuary will be in the middle of it. The allotment you set apart to the Lord will be 8¼ miles[d] in length and 3⅓ miles[e] in width. 10 These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward the north 8¼ miles[f] in length, toward the west 3⅓ miles[g] in width, toward the east 3⅓ miles[h] in width, and toward the south 8¼ miles[i] in length; the sanctuary of the Lord will be in the middle. 11 This will be for the priests who are set apart from the descendants of Zadok who kept my charge and did not go astray when the people of Israel strayed off, as the Levites did.[j] 12 It will be their portion from the allotment of the land, a Most Holy Place, next to the border of the Levites.

13 “Alongside the border of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment 8¼ miles[k] in length and 3⅓ miles[l] in width. The whole length will be 8¼ miles[m] and the width 3⅓ miles.[n] 14 They must not sell or exchange any of it; they must not transfer this choice portion of land, for it is set apart[o] to the Lord.

15 “The remainder, 1⅔ miles[p] in width and 8¼ miles[q] in length, will be for common use by the city, for houses and for open space. The city will be in the middle of it; 16 these will be its measurements: The north side will be 1½ miles,[r] the south side 1½ miles, the east side 1½ miles, and the west side 1½ miles. 17 The city will have open spaces: On the north there will be 437½ feet,[s] on the south 437½ feet, on the east 437½ feet, and on the west 437½ feet. 18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment will be 3⅓ miles[t] to the east and 3⅓ miles toward the west, and it will be beside the holy allotment. Its produce will be for food for the workers of the city. 19 The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it. 20 The whole allotment will be 8¼ miles[u] square; you must set apart the holy allotment with the possession of the city.

21 “The rest, on both sides of the holy allotment and the property of the city, will belong to the prince. Extending from the 8¼ miles[v] of the holy allotment to the east border, and westward from the 8¼ miles[w] to the west border, alongside the portions, it will belong to the prince. The holy allotment and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it. 22 The property of the Levites and of the city will be in the middle of that which belongs to the prince. The portion between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin will be for the prince.

23 “As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west side, Benjamin will have one portion. 24 Next to the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon will have one portion. 25 Next to the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar will have one portion. 26 Next to the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun will have one portion. 27 Next to the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad will have one portion. 28 Next to the border of Gad, at the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, to the Stream of Egypt,[x] and on to the Great Sea. 29 This is the land that you will allot to the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Sovereign Lord.

30 “These are the exits of the city: On the north side, 1½ miles[y] by measure, 31 the gates of the city[z] will be named for the tribes of Israel. There will be three gates to the north: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi. 32 On the east side, 1½ miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan. 33 On the south side, 1½ miles by measure, there will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun. 34 On the west side, 1½ miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 The circumference of the city will be 6 miles.[aa] The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The Lord Is There.’”[ab]

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 48:2 sn The tribes descended from Jacob’s maidservants are placed farthest from the sanctuary. See Gen 30.
  2. Ezekiel 48:7 sn The tribe from which the Davidic prince would come is given the most prestigious allotment (see Gen 49:8-12).
  3. Ezekiel 48:8 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  4. Ezekiel 48:9 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  5. Ezekiel 48:9 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  6. Ezekiel 48:10 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  7. Ezekiel 48:10 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  8. Ezekiel 48:10 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  9. Ezekiel 48:10 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  10. Ezekiel 48:11 tn Heb “strayed off.”
  11. Ezekiel 48:13 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  12. Ezekiel 48:13 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  13. Ezekiel 48:13 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  14. Ezekiel 48:13 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
  15. Ezekiel 48:14 tn Or “holy.”
  16. Ezekiel 48:15 tn Heb “5,000 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 kilometers).
  17. Ezekiel 48:15 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  18. Ezekiel 48:16 tn Heb “4,500 cubits” (i.e., 2.36 kilometers); the phrase occurs three more times in this verse.
  19. Ezekiel 48:17 tn Heb “250 cubits” (i.e., 131.25 meters); the phrase occurs three more times in this verse.
  20. Ezekiel 48:18 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers); the phrase occurs again later in this verse.
  21. Ezekiel 48:20 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  22. Ezekiel 48:21 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  23. Ezekiel 48:21 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
  24. Ezekiel 48:28 tn Traditionally “the Brook of Egypt,” although a number of recent translations have “the Wadi of Egypt” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The word “Egypt” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
  25. Ezekiel 48:30 tn Heb “4,500 cubits” (i.e., 2.36 kilometers); the phrase occurs again in vv. 32-34.
  26. Ezekiel 48:31 sn See Rev 21:12-14.
  27. Ezekiel 48:35 tn Heb “18,000 cubits” (i.e., 9.45 kilometers).
  28. Ezekiel 48:35 sn See Rev 21:12-21.

Division of the Land

48 “Now (A)these are the names of the tribes: from the northern extremity, [a]beside the way of Hethlon to [b]Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan at the border of Damascus, toward the north [c]beside Hamath, [d]running from east to west, (B)Dan, one portion. Beside the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, (C)Asher, one portion. Beside the border of Asher, from the east side to the west side, (D)Naphtali, one portion. Beside the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, (E)Manasseh, one portion. Beside the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, (F)Ephraim, one portion. Beside the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west side, (G)Reuben, one portion. Beside the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, (H)Judah, one portion.

“And beside the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the [e]allotment which you shall [f]set apart, twenty-five thousand [g]cubits in width, and in length like one of the portions, from the east side to the west side; and the (I)sanctuary shall be in the middle of it. The allotment that you shall set apart to the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width.

Portion for the Priests

10 The holy allotment shall be for these, namely for the (J)priests, toward the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, toward the west ten thousand in width, toward the east ten thousand in width, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length; and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in its midst. 11 It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the (K)sons of Zadok, who have [h]taken the responsibility I gave them, who did not go astray when the sons of Israel went astray as the (L)Levites went astray. 12 It shall be an allotment to them from the allotment of the land, a most holy reserve, by the border of the Levites. 13 And alongside the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. The entire length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits and the width ten thousand. 14 Moreover, they (M)shall not sell or exchange any of it, or allow this [i]choice portion of land to pass to others; for it is holy to the Lord.

15 “The remainder, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand [j]in length, shall be for (N)common use for the city, for homes and for [k]open spaces; and the city shall be in its midst. 16 And these shall be its measurements: the north side, 4,500 cubits, the south side (O)4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west side, 4,500 cubits. 17 The city shall have [l]open spaces: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250 cubits, on the east 250 cubits, and on the west 250 cubits. 18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment shall be ten thousand cubits toward the east and ten thousand toward the west; and it shall be [m]alongside the holy allotment. And its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 And the workers of the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. 20 The whole allotment shall be twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand cubits; you shall [n]set apart the holy allotment, a [o]square, with the [p]property of the city.

Portion for the Prince

21 “The (P)remainder shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy allotment and of the [q]property of the city; in front of the twenty-five thousand cubits of the allotment toward the east border and westward in front of the twenty-five thousand toward the west border, alongside the portions, it shall be for the prince. And the holy allotment and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the middle of it. 22 And exclusive of the [r]property of the Levites and the [s]property of the city, which are in the middle of that which belongs to the prince, everything between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

Portion for Other Tribes

23 “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, (Q)Benjamin, one portion. 24 Beside the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, (R)Simeon, one portion. 25 Beside the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, (S)Issachar, one portion. 26 Beside the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, (T)Zebulun, one portion. 27 Beside the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, (U)Gad, one portion. 28 And beside the border of Gad, at the south side toward the south, the border shall be from (V)Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the brook of Egypt, to the (W)Great Sea. 29 This is the (X)land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for an inheritance, and these are their several portions,” declares the Lord [t]God.

The City Gates

30 “Now these are the exits of the city: on the (Y)north side, 4,500 cubits by measurement, 31 [u]shall be the gates of the city, [v](Z)named for the tribes of Israel, three gates toward the north: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; and the gate of Levi, one. 32 On the east side, 4,500 cubits, [w]shall be three gates: the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; and the gate of Dan, one. 33 On the south side, 4,500 cubits by measurement, [x]shall be three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; and the gate of Zebulun, one. 34 On the west side, 4,500 cubits, shall be three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; and the gate of Naphtali, one. 35 The city shall be eighteen thousand cubits all around; and the (AA)name of the city from that day shall be, ‘[y]The (AB)Lord is there.’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 48:1 Lit at the hand of
  2. Ezekiel 48:1 Or the entrance of Hamath
  3. Ezekiel 48:1 Lit at the hand of
  4. Ezekiel 48:1 Lit and there shall be to it an east and the west side
  5. Ezekiel 48:8 Or contribution, and so throughout the ch
  6. Ezekiel 48:8 Lit raise
  7. Ezekiel 48:8 Each of these cubits equals about 21 in. or 53 cm
  8. Ezekiel 48:11 Lit kept the duty to Me
  9. Ezekiel 48:14 Lit first; or first fruits
  10. Ezekiel 48:15 Lit in front
  11. Ezekiel 48:15 Or pasture land
  12. Ezekiel 48:17 Or pasture land
  13. Ezekiel 48:18 Or exactly as
  14. Ezekiel 48:20 Lit raise
  15. Ezekiel 48:20 Lit fourth
  16. Ezekiel 48:20 Or possession
  17. Ezekiel 48:21 Or possession
  18. Ezekiel 48:22 Or possession
  19. Ezekiel 48:22 Or possession
  20. Ezekiel 48:29 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  21. Ezekiel 48:31 Lit and the gates
  22. Ezekiel 48:31 Lit according to the names of
  23. Ezekiel 48:32 Lit and three gates
  24. Ezekiel 48:33 Lit and three gates
  25. Ezekiel 48:35 Heb YHWH-shammah