Life-Giving Water in the New Creation

47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw that water was flowing out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.

² He brought me out through the north gate that led into the inner courtyard and led me around on the outside of the temple to the outer gateway on the east side, and I saw that water was trickling out from its south side. ³ As the man went out toward the east, he had a measuring line in his hand. He measured off a thousand cubits,^[a] and then he led me through the water. The water was ankle-deep. ⁴ Then he measured off another thousand cubits and led me through the water. The water was knee-deep. He measured a thousand more and led me through water that was now waist-deep. ⁵ He measured a thousand more, but now it was a river that I was not able to cross, because the water had risen so much that one would have to swim across it. It was a river that could not be forded.

⁶ Then he asked me, “Have you noticed anything, son of man?” and he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ When I returned there, I noticed that on the banks of the river there were a large number of trees, on both sides.

⁸ Then he said to me, “These waters are flowing out to the eastern part of the land. They go down to the Arabah and go into the sea,^[b] into the sea whose waters are unusable,^[c] and then the waters of the sea are made fresh.^{[d] 9} Every living creature that swarms can live wherever the stream flows. There will be a large number of fish because these waters have come there, and the waters of the sea have been made fresh, so every living creature can live everywhere the river goes. ¹⁰ There will be fishermen standing beside it from En Gedi to En Eglaim, and there will be places for them to spread their nets to dry. There will be all kinds of fish there, like the fish of the Great Sea^[e]—so very many. ¹¹ But its swamps and marshes will not be made fresh. They will be left to provide salt. ¹² Beside the river, on both its banks, every kind of tree will grow for providing food. Their leaves will never wither, and their fruit will never fail. Every month they will bear fruit because their waters flow out from the sanctuary. Its fruit will provide food, and its leaves will be for healing.