Chronological
Rules for Worship
46 “‘This is what the Lord God says: The east gate of the inner courtyard will stay shut on the six working days, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon. 2 The ·ruler [prince] will enter from outside through the ·porch [portico] of the gateway and stand by the gatepost, while the priests offer the ·ruler’s [prince’s] burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1]. The ruler will ·worship [bow down] at the ·entrance [threshold] of the gateway, and then he will go out. But the gate will not be shut until evening. 3 The people of the land will worship at the entrance of that gateway ·in the presence of [before] the Lord on the Sabbaths and New Moons. 4 This is the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] the ruler will offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day: six male lambs ·that have nothing wrong with them [without blemish/defect] and a ·male sheep [ram] ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. 5 He must give a ·half-bushel [L ephah; 45:11] ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering with the male sheep, but he ·may [or will] give as much grain offering with the lambs as ·he pleases [or he is able; L a gift of his hand]. He must also give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each ·half bushel [L ephah] of grain. 6 On the day of the New Moon he must offer a young bull ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. He must also offer six lambs and a male sheep ·that have nothing wrong with them [all without blemish/defect]. 7 The ruler must give a ·half-bushel [L ephah] ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with the bull and ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] with the ·male sheep [ram]. With the lambs, he ·may [or will] give as much grain ·as he pleases [or as he is able; L a gift of his hand]. But he must give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each half bushel of grain. 8 When the ·ruler [prince] enters, he must go in through the ·porch [portico] of the gateway, and he must go out the same way.
9 “‘When the people of the land come ·into the Lord’s presence [before the Lord] at the ·special feasts [appointed festivals], those who enter through the north gate to worship must go out through the south gate. Those who enter through the south gate must go out through the north gate. They must not return the same way they entered; everyone must go out ·the opposite way [straight ahead]. 10 The ·ruler [prince] will go in with the people when they go in and go out with them when they go out.
11 “‘At the feasts and ·regular times of worship [appointed festivals] ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] of grain must be offered with a young bull, and ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] of grain must be offered with a ·male sheep [ram]. But with an offering of lambs, the ruler may give as much grain as ·he pleases [or he is able; L a gift of his hand]. He should give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each ·half bushel [L ephah] of grain. 12 The ·ruler [prince] may give an ·offering as a special gift to the Lord [freewill offering]; it may be a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] or ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1]. When he gives it to the Lord, the ·inner east gate [gate facing east] is to be opened for him. He must offer his burnt offering or his ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1] as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate will be shut after he has left.
13 “‘Every day you will give a year-old lamb ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect] for a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord. Do it ·every morning [morning by morning]. 14 Also, you must offer a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with the lamb ·every morning [morning by morning]. For this you will give ·three and one-third quarts [L a sixth of an ephah] of grain and ·one and one-third quarts [L a third of an ephah] of olive oil, to make the fine flour moist, as a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] to the Lord. This is a ·rule that must be kept from now on [perpetual statute; lasting ordinance]. 15 So you must always give the lamb, together with the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] and the olive oil, ·every morning [morning by morning] as a ·regular [perpetual] burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17].
Rules for the Ruler
16 “‘This is what the Lord God says: If the ·ruler [prince] gives a gift from his ·land [inheritance] to any of his sons, that land will belong to the son and then to the son’s children. It is their property ·passed down from their family [L by inheritance]. 17 But if the ruler gives a gift from his ·land [inheritance] to any of his servants, that land will belong to the servant only until the year of freedom [C the year of Jubilee; Lev. 25:8–15]. Then the land will go back to the ·ruler [prince]. ·Only the ruler’s sons may keep a gift of land from the ruler [L His inheritance shall be only for his sons]. 18 The ·ruler [prince] must not take any of the people’s ·land [inheritance], forcing them out of their land. He must give his sons ·some of his own land [inheritance from his own property] so my people will not be scattered out of their own land.’”
The Special Kitchens
19 The man led me through the entrance at the side of the gateway to the priests’ ·holy rooms [sacred chambers] that face north. ·There I saw [L And look/T behold] a place at the far west end. 20 The man said to me, “This is where the priests will boil the ·meat of the penalty [L penalty; or guilt; reparation] offering [Lev. 5:14—6:7] and ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3] and bake the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 3:1]. Then they will not need to bring these holy offerings into the outer courtyard, ·because that would hurt [L which would transmit holiness to] the people [C the purity of God’s holiness would destroy sinful human beings; Lev. 16:2].”
21 Then the man brought me out into the outer courtyard and led me to its four corners. [L And look/T behold] In each corner of the courtyard was a smaller courtyard. 22 Small courtyards were in the four corners of the courtyard. Each small courtyard was the same size, ·seventy feet [L forty cubits] long and ·fifty-two and one-half feet [L thirty cubits] wide. 23 A ·stone wall [L row] was around each of the four small courtyards, and ·places for cooking [fireplaces; boiling places] were built in each of the ·stone walls [rows]. 24 The man said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who ·work [minister] in the Temple will boil the sacrifices offered by the people.”
The River from the Temple
47 The man led me back to the door of the ·Temple [L house], and ·I saw [L look; T behold] water coming out from under the ·doorway [threshold] and flowing east. (The Temple faced east.) The water flowed down from the south side wall of the Temple and then south of the altar. 2 The man brought me out through the outer north gate and led me around outside to the outer east gate. ·I found [L And look/T behold] the water ·coming [trickling] out on the south side of the gate.
3 The man went toward the east with a measuring line in his hand and measured ·about one-third of a mile [L a thousand cubits]. Then he led me through water that came up to my ankles. 4 The man measured ·about one-third of a mile [L a thousand] again and led me through water that came up to my knees. Then he measured ·about one-third of a mile [L a thousand] again and led me through water up to my waist. 5 The man measured ·about one-third of a mile [L a thousand] again, but it was now a river that I could not cross. The water had risen too high; it was deep enough for swimming; it was a river that no one could cross. 6 The man asked me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], do you see this?”
Then the man led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw many trees on both sides of the river. 8 The man said to me, “This water will flow toward the eastern areas and go down into the ·Jordan Valley [L Arabah]. When it enters the ·Dead Sea [L Sea], it will ·become fresh [L be healed; C the Dead Sea has no fish or other living creatures due to its high mineral content]. 9 Everywhere the river goes, there will be many fish. Wherever this water goes the ·Dead Sea [L Sea] will become fresh, and so where the river goes there will be ·many [swarms of] living things. 10 Fishermen will stand by ·the Dead Sea [L it]. From En Gedi [C midway along the western side of the Dead Sea] all the way to En Eglaim [C an unknown location, perhaps on the east bank of the Dead Sea] there will be places to spread fishing nets. There will be many kinds of fish there, as many as in the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will ·be left for salt [or remain salty]. 12 All kinds of fruit trees will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not ·dry and die [wither] and ·there will always be fruit on them [L their fruit will not fail]. The trees will bear fruit every month, because the water for them comes from the ·Temple [sanctuary]. The fruit from the trees will be used for food, and their leaves for ·medicine [L healing].”
Borders of the Land
13 This is what the Lord God says: “These are the borders of the land to be divided for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will have two parts of land [C the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s two sons adopted by Jacob (Gen. 48:17–20)]. 14 You will divide the land equally. I ·promised [vowed; L swore with uplifted hand] to give it to your ·ancestors [fathers], so this land will ·belong to you as family property [become your inheritance].
15 “This will be the ·border line [boundary] of the land: “On the north side it will start at the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea. It will go through Hethlon, toward ·Lebo Hamath [or Lebo of Hamath; C often identified as the northern limit of Israel; Num. 13:21; Josh. 13:5; 1 Kin. 8:65] and on to the towns of Zedad, 16 Berothah, and Sibraim on the border between Damascus [C capital of Aram (Syria)] and Hamath [C city 120 miles north of Damascus]. Then it will go on to the town of Hazer Hatticon on the border of the country of Hauran. 17 So the border line will go from the ·Mediterranean Sea [L Sea] east to the town of Hazar Enan, where the land belonging to Damascus and Hamath lies on the north side. This will be the north side of the land.
18 “On the east side the border runs south from a point between Hauran and Damascus. It will go along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel and will continue to the town of Tamar [C probaby En-Gedi; 2 Chr. 20:2] on the ·Dead [L eastern] Sea. This will be the east side of the land.
19 “On the south side the border line will go west from Tamar all the way to the waters of Meribah Kadesh [C likely Kadesh Barnea (Num. 34:4), fifty miles south of Beersheba]. Then it will run along the brook of Egypt to the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea. This will be the south side of the land.
20 “On the west side the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea will be the ·border line [boundary] up to a place across from Lebo Hamath [v. 15]. This will be the west side of your land.
21 “You will divide this land among the tribes of Israel. 22 You will divide it as ·family property [an inheritance] for yourselves and for the foreigners who live and have children among you. You are to treat these foreigners the same as people born in Israel; they are to ·share the land [be allotted an inheritance] with the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will give him ·some land [L his inheritance],” says the Lord God.
Dividing the Land
48 “These are the ·areas of the tribes named here [L names of the tribes]: Dan will have one share at the northern border. It will go from the sea through Hethlon to Lebo Hamath [47:15], all the way to Hazar Enan [47:17], ·where Damascus lies to the north. It will stop there next to Hamath [or …which is located on the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath]. This will be Dan’s northern border from the east side to the ·Mediterranean Sea on the west side [L west].
2 “·South of [L Beside] Dan’s border, Asher will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
3 “·South of [L Beside] Asher’s border, Naphtali will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
4 “·South of [L Beside] Naphtali’s border, Manasseh will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
5 “·South of [L Beside] Manasseh’s border, Ephraim will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
6 “·South of [L Beside] Ephraim’s border, Reuben will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
7 “·South of [L Beside] Reuben’s border, Judah will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
8 “·South of [L Beside] Judah’s border will be the ·holy area which you are to give [portion set apart]. It will be ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] wide and as long and wide as one of the tribes’ shares. It will run from the east side to the west side. The ·Temple [L sanctuary] will be in the middle of this area.
9 “The share which you will give the Lord will be ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles [L ten thousand cubits] wide. 10 The ·holy area [sacred allotment] will be divided among these people. The priests will have land ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long on the north and south sides, and ·three miles [L ten thousand cubits] wide on the west and east sides. The ·Temple [sanctuary] of the Lord will be in the middle of it. 11 This land is for the ·priests who are given the holy duty of serving the Lord [L consecrated priests]. ·They [L …who] are the ·descendants [sons] of Zadok who ·did my work [were faithful to me; kept my charge] and did not ·leave me [go astray] when Israel and the Levites ·left me [went astray]. 12 They will have as their share a very holy part of the holy portion of the land. It will be next to the land of the Levites.
13 “Alongside the land for the priests, the Levites will have a share ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles [L ten thousand cubits] wide; its full length will be ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] and its full width ·about three miles [L ten thousand cubits]. 14 The Levites are not to sell or ·trade [exchange] any of this land. They are not to ·let anyone else own [transfer; alienate] any of this best part of the land, because it ·belongs [is set apart/holy] to the Lord.
City Property
15 “The rest of the area will be ·about one and one-half miles [L five thousand cubits] wide and ·seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long. It will ·not be holy but [be for common use and] will belong to the city and be used for homes and pastures. The city will be in the middle of it. 16 These are the city’s measurements: the north side will be ·about one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits], the south side ·about one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits], the east side ·about one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits], and the west side ·about one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits]. 17 The city’s land for pastures will be ·about four hundred thirty-seven feet [L two hundred fifty cubits] on the north, ·four hundred thirty-seven feet [L two hundred fifty cubits] on the south, ·four hundred thirty-seven feet [L two hundred fifty cubits] on the east, and ·four hundred thirty-seven feet [L two hundred fifty cubits] on the west. 18 Along the long side of the holy area there will be left ·three miles [L ten thousand cubits] on the east and ·three miles [L ten thousand cubits] on the west. It will be used to grow food for the city workers. 19 The city workers from all the tribes of Israel will farm this land. 20 This whole area will be square, ·seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] by ·seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits]. You shall give to the Lord the holy share along with the city property.
21 “Land that is left over on both sides of the holy area and city property will belong to the ·ruler [prince]. That land will extend eastward from the ·seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] of the holy area to the eastern border and westward from the ·seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] to the ·Mediterranean Sea [L western border]. Both of these areas run the length of the lands of the tribes, and they belong to the ·ruler [prince]. The holy area with the ·Holy Place [sanctuary] of the ·Temple [L house] will be in the middle. 22 The Levites’ land and the city property will be in the middle of the lands belonging to the ·ruler [prince]. Those lands will be between Judah’s border and Benjamin’s border.
The Other Tribes’ Land
23 “Here is what the rest of the tribes will receive: Benjamin will have one share. It will go from the east side to the ·Mediterranean Sea on the west side [L west side].
24 “·South of [L Beside] Benjamin’s land, Simeon will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
25 “·South of [L Beside] Simeon’s land, Issachar will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
26 “·South of [L Beside] Issachar’s land, Zebulun will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
27 “·South of [L Beside] Zebulun’s land, Gad will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.
28 “The southern border of Gad’s land will go ·east from Tamar on the Dead Sea [L from Tamar; 47:18] to the waters of Meribah Kadesh [47:19]. Then it will run along the brook of Egypt to the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea.
29 “This is the land you will divide among the tribes of Israel to be their shares,” says the Lord God.
The Gates of the City
30 “These will be the ·outside borders [or exits] of the city: The north side will measure ·more than one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits]. 31 There will be three gates facing north: Reuben’s Gate, Judah’s Gate, and Levi’s Gate, named for the tribes of Israel.
32 “The east side will measure ·more than one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits]. There will be three gates facing east: Joseph’s Gate, Benjamin’s Gate, and Dan’s Gate.
33 “The south side will measure ·more than one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits]. There will be three gates facing south: Simeon’s Gate, Issachar’s Gate, and Zebulun’s Gate.
34 “The west side will measure ·more than one mile [L four thousand five hundred cubits]. There will be three gates facing west: Gad’s Gate, Asher’s Gate, and Naphtali’s Gate.
35 “The city will measure ·about six miles around [L eighteen thousand cubits]. From then on the name of the city will be The Lord Is There.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.