Miscellaneous Regulations

46 “Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall remain closed on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.^{(A) 2} The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his offerings of well-being, and he shall bow down at the entryway of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be closed until evening.^{(B) 3} The people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.^{(C) 4} The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish,^{(D) 5} and the grain offering with the ram shall be an ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be as much as he wishes to give, together with a hin of oil to each ephah.^{(E) 6} On the day of the new moon he shall offer a bull of the herd without blemish and six lambs and a ram, which shall be without blemish;^{(F) 7} as a grain offering he shall provide an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram and with the lambs as much as he wishes, together with a hin of oil to each ephah.^{(G) 8} When the prince enters, he shall come in by the vestibule of the gate, and he shall go out by the same way.^(H)

⁹ “When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and whoever enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: they shall not return by way of the gate by which they entered but shall go out straight ahead.^{(I) 10} When they come in, the prince shall come in with them, and when they go out, he shall go out.

¹¹ “At the festivals and the appointed seasons the grain offering with a bull shall be an ephah and with a ram an ephah and with the lambs as much as one wishes to give, together with a hin of oil to an ephah.^{(J) 12} When the prince provides a freewill offering, either a burnt offering or offerings of well-being as a freewill offering to the Lord, the gate facing east shall be opened for him, and he shall offer his burnt offering or his offerings of well-being as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out the gate shall be closed.^(K)

¹³ “You shall provide a lamb, a yearling, without blemish, for a burnt offering to the Lord daily; morning by morning you shall provide it.^{(L) 14} And you shall provide a grain offering with it morning by morning regularly, one-sixth of an ephah and one-third of a hin of oil to moisten the choice flour, as a grain offering to the Lord; this is the ordinance for all time.^{(M) 15} Thus the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided, morning by morning, as a regular burnt offering.^(N)

¹⁶ “Thus says the Lord God: If the prince makes a gift to any of his sons out of his inheritance,^[a] it shall belong to his sons; it is their holding by inheritance.^{(O) 17} But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall revert to the prince; only his sons may keep a gift from his inheritance.^{(P) 18} The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, thrusting them out of their holding; he shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own holding, so that none of my people shall be dispossessed of their holding.”^(Q)

¹⁹ Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the priests, and there I saw a place at the extreme western end of them.^{(R) 20} He said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the purification offering and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so communicate holiness to the people.”^(S)

²¹ Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me past the four corners of the court, and in each corner of the court there was a court: ²² in the four corners of the court were small^[b] courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; the four were of the same size. ²³ On the inside, around each of the four courts,^[c] was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around. ²⁴ Then he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who serve at the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”^(T)

Water Flowing from the Temple

47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there water was flowing from below the entryway of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east), and the water was flowing down from below the south side of the temple, south of the altar.^{(U) 2} Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east,^[d] and the water was trickling out on the south side.^(V)

³ Going on eastward with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.^{(W) 4} Again he measured one thousand and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand and led me through the water, and it was up to the waist. ⁵ Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. ⁶ He said to me, “Mortal, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back along the bank of the river.^{(X) 7} As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other.^{(Y) 8} He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh.^{(Z) 9} Wherever the river goes,^[e] every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish once these waters reach there. It will become fresh, and everything will live where the river goes. ¹⁰ People will stand fishing beside the sea^[f] from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.^{(AA) 11} But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. ¹² On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”^(AB)

The New Boundaries of the Land

¹³ Thus says the Lord God: These are the boundaries by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions.^{(AC) 14} You shall divide it equally; I swore to give it to your ancestors, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance.^(AD)

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

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

¹⁹ On the south side, it shall run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribath-kadesh, from there along the Wadi of Egypt^[j] to the Great Sea. This shall be the south side.^(AI)

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

²¹ So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. ²² You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who reside among you and have fathered children among you. They shall be to you as native-born of Israel; with you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.^{(AK) 23} In whatever tribe aliens reside, there you shall assign them their inheritance, says the Lord God.

The Tribal Portions

48 These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern border, on the Hethlon road,^[k] to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enon (which is on the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the north), and^[l] extending from the east side to the west,^[m] Dan, one portion.^{(AL) 2} Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher, one portion.^{(AM) 3} Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, Naphtali, one portion. ⁴ Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, Manasseh, one portion.^{(AN) 5} Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, Ephraim, one portion.^{(AO) 6} Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, Reuben, one portion.^{(AP) 7} Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, Judah, one portion.^(AQ)

⁸ Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the portion that you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length equal to one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with the sanctuary in the middle of it.^{(AR) 9} The portion that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and twenty^[n] thousand in width. ¹⁰ These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring twenty-five thousand cubits on the northern side, ten thousand cubits in width on the western side, ten thousand in width on the eastern side, and twenty-five thousand in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the middle of it.^{(AS) 11} As for the consecrated priests, the descendants^[o] of Zadok who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did,^{(AT) 12} they shall have a special portion from the holy portion of the land, a most holy place, adjoining the territory of the Levites.^{(AU) 13} Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an allotment twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. The whole length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits and the width twenty^[p] thousand.^{(AV) 14} They shall not sell or exchange any of it; they shall not transfer this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.^(AW)

¹⁵ The remainder, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand in length, shall be for ordinary use for the city, for dwellings and for pasturelands. In the middle of it shall be the city,^{(AX) 16} and these shall be its dimensions: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred.^{(AY) 17} The city shall have pasturelands: on the north two hundred fifty cubits, on the south two hundred fifty, on the east two hundred fifty, on the west two hundred fifty.^{(AZ) 18} The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city.^{(BA) 19} The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it.^{(BB) 20} The whole portion that you shall set apart shall be twenty-five thousand cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.^(BC)

²¹ What remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city shall belong to the prince. Extending from the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy portion to the east border and westward from the twenty-five thousand cubits to the west border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple in the middle of it,^{(BD) 22} and the property of the Levites and of the city, shall be in the middle 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.^{(BE) 24} Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon, one portion.^{(BF) 25} Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar, one portion.^{(BG) 26} Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun, one portion.^{(BH) 27} Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad, one portion.^{(BI) 28} And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, the boundary shall run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, from there along the Wadi of Egypt^[q] to the Great Sea.^{(BJ) 29} This is the land that you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, says the Lord God.^(BK)

³⁰ These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits by measure,^{(BL) 31} three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel.^{(BM) 32} On the east side, which is to be four thousand five hundred 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 four thousand five hundred 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 four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates:^[r] the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. ³⁵ The circumference of the city shall be eighteen thousand cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.^(BN)

Psalm 132

The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion

A Song of Ascents.

Jesus Heals the Man with Edema

14 On one occasion when Jesus^[a] was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely.^{(A) 2} Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had edema. ³ And Jesus asked the experts in the law and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath or not?”^{(B) 4} But they were silent. So Jesus^[b] took him and healed him and sent him away. ⁵ Then he said to them, “If one of you has a child^[c] or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a Sabbath day?”^{(C) 6} And they could not reply to this.

Humility and Hospitality

⁷ When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable.^{(D) 8} “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host,^{(E) 9} and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.^{(F) 11} For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(G)

¹² He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.^{(H) 14} And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Parable of the Great Dinner

¹⁵ One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”^{(I) 16} Then Jesus^[d] said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. ¹⁷ At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’^{(J) 18} But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ ²⁰ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’^{(K) 21} So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’^{(L) 22} And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ ²³ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I tell you,^[e] none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’ ”^(M)

The Cost of Discipleship

²⁵ Now large crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.^{(N) 27} Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^{(O) 28} For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he cannot, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.^(P)

About Salt

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?^{[f](Q) 35} It is useful neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. If you have ears to hear, then hear!”^(R)