The Lords Portion of the Land

45 “Now when you (A)divide the land by lot for inheritance, you shall offer [a]an (B)allotment to the Lord, a (C)holy portion of the land; the length shall be a length of twenty-five thousand [b](D)cubits, and the width shall be [c]twenty thousand. It shall be holy within its entire surrounding boundary. Out of this there shall be for the sanctuary a square encompassing (E)five hundred by five hundred cubits, and fifty cubits for its [d](F)open space round about. From this [e]area you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand cubits and a width of ten thousand cubits; and in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It shall be the holy portion of the land; it shall be for the (G)priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who (H)come near to serve the Lord, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. An area (I)twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house, and for their possession [f]cities in which to live.

“And you shall give the (J)city possession of an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand cubits long, alongside the [g]allotment of the holy portion; it shall be for the entire house of Israel.

Portion for the Prince

“And the (K)prince shall have land on either side of the holy [h]allotment and the [i]property of the city, adjacent to the holy [j]allotment and the [k]property of the city, on the west side toward the west and on the east side toward the east, and in length comparable to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border. This shall be his land as a possession in Israel; so My princes shall no longer (L)oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel (M)according to their tribes.”

‘This is what the Lord [l]God says: “(N)Enough, you princes of Israel; get rid of (O)violence and destruction, and (P)practice justice and righteousness. Revoke your (Q)evictions of My people,” declares the Lord God.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 45:1 Or a contribution
  2. Ezekiel 45:1 Each of these cubits equals about 21 in. or 53 cm
  3. Ezekiel 45:1 As in LXX; MT 10,000
  4. Ezekiel 45:2 Or pasture land
  5. Ezekiel 45:3 Lit measure
  6. Ezekiel 45:5 As in LXX; MT twenty chambers
  7. Ezekiel 45:6 Or contribution
  8. Ezekiel 45:7 Or contribution
  9. Ezekiel 45:7 Lit possession
  10. Ezekiel 45:7 Or contribution
  11. Ezekiel 45:7 Lit possession
  12. Ezekiel 45:9 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch

Instructions about Divisions of the Renewed Land

45 And when you allocate the land as an inheritance, you shall provide a contribution for Yahweh as a holy portion from the land, its length being twenty-five thousand cubits[a] and its width ten thousand cubits;[b] it is holy in all its territory, all around. And there shall be from this area five hundred cubits[c] by five hundred cubits, squared all around, for the sanctuary; and fifty cubits[d][e] of open space shall be for it all around it. And from this measured area you shall measure a length of twenty-five[f] thousand cubits[g] and a width of ten thousand cubits,[h] and in it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place.[i] It[j] is a holy portion from the land; it will be for the priests, the servants of the sanctuary who approach[k] to serve Yahweh, and it will be for them a place for houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. And an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width will be for the Levites, the servants of the temple. It will serve as property for them as cities to dwell in.[l] And as property of the city, you must set apart alongside the contribution of the sanctuary a portion five thousand cubits[m] in width and twenty-five thousand cubits[n] in length, and it shall be for the entire house of Israel.

And a portion will be for[o] the prince on both sides[p] of the holy district,[q] and both sides of the property of the city, and alongside[r] the property of the city on the west,[s] and alongside the property on the east.[t] And also its length[u] corresponds to one of the tribal portions to the west[v] running to the eastern border.[w] This shall be to him with respect to the land[x] as property in Israel; and so my princes shall not again oppress my people, but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”

Thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Enough of this for you, the princes of Israel; put away violence and destruction and do justice and righteousness; revoke your acts of dispossession from upon[y] my people!” declares[z] the Lord Yahweh.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 45:1 Or 8.33 miles
  2. Ezekiel 45:1 Hebrew 3.5 miles; LXX reads 6.67 miles in width, or 20,000 cubits (cf. 45:3, 5; 48:9)
  3. Ezekiel 45:2 That is, “875 feet by 875 feet”
  4. Ezekiel 45:2 Hebrew “cubit”
  5. Ezekiel 45:2 That is, “87.5 feet”
  6. Ezekiel 45:3 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
  7. Ezekiel 45:3 That is, 8.33 miles; cf. 45:5
  8. Ezekiel 45:3 That is, 3.5 miles; cf. 45:5
  9. Ezekiel 45:3 Literally “the holiness of holinesses”
  10. Ezekiel 45:4 Or “this area”
  11. Ezekiel 45:4 Literally “the ones who approach”
  12. Ezekiel 45:5 Literally “twenty chambers”
  13. Ezekiel 45:6 That is, 1.67 miles
  14. Ezekiel 45:6 That is, 8.33 miles
  15. Ezekiel 45:7 Hebrew “to”
  16. Ezekiel 45:7 Literally “from this and from this”
  17. Ezekiel 45:7 Literally “the contribution of the holiness”
  18. Ezekiel 45:7 Literally “to the front of”
  19. Ezekiel 45:7 Literally “from/on the side of the sea”
  20. Ezekiel 45:7 Literally “from/on the side of east”
  21. Ezekiel 45:7 Or “portion”
  22. Ezekiel 45:7 Literally “corresponding to one of the portions from the boundary of the sea”
  23. Ezekiel 45:7 Literally “to the boundary of the east”
  24. Ezekiel 45:8 Literally “to the land”
  25. Ezekiel 45:9 Or “against”
  26. Ezekiel 45:9 Literally “declaration of”