⁴ Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it,^(A) according to the inheritance of each.^(B) Then they will return to me. ⁵ You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south^(C) and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north.^{(D) 6} After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots^(E) for you in the presence of the Lord our God. ⁷ The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance.^(F) And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.^(G)”

⁸ As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it.^(H) Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh^(I) in the presence of the Lord.” ⁹ So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.

¹² I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

¹³ By night I went out through the Valley Gate^(A) toward the Jackal^[a] Well and the Dung Gate,^(B) examining the walls^(C) of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate^(D) and the King’s Pool,^(E) but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; ¹⁵ so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. ¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

The East Gate to the Outer Court

⁵ I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits,^[a] each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured^(A) the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.

⁶ Then he went to the east gate.^(A) He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep.

² I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”^(A)