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The Holy District

45 “When you allot the land as an inheritance, you shall set aside for the Lord a portion of the land as a holy district, twenty-five thousand cubits long and twenty[a] thousand cubits wide; it shall be holy throughout its entire extent. Of this, a square plot of five hundred by five hundred cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for an open space around it. In the holy district you shall measure off a section twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide, in which shall be the sanctuary, the most holy place. It shall be a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests who minister in the sanctuary and approach the Lord to minister to him, and it shall be both a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.(A) Another section, twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand cubits wide, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their holding for cities to live in.[b](B)

“Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district you shall assign as a holding for the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand cubits long; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.(C)

“And to the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the holding of the city, alongside the holy district and the holding of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions and extending from the western to the eastern boundary(D) of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no longer oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.(E)

“Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Cease your evictions of my people, says the Lord God.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 45.1 Gk: Heb ten
  2. 45.5 Gk: Heb as their holding, twenty chambers

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”