Old/New Testament

River of Life

47 Then he brought me back to the door of the House. Behold, water was flowing out from under the threshold of the House eastward—for the front of the House faced east. The water was flowing down from under the right side of the House, south of the altar. ² He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around outside by the way of the outer gate, the way of the gate looking east. Behold, water was trickling out from the right side.

³ When the man went out eastward with a line in his hand, he measured a 1,000 cubits. Then he led me into the water—water to the ankles. ⁴ Again he measured a 1,000, and led me into the water—water to the knees. Again he measured a 1,000, and he led me into the water—water up to the waist. ⁵ Again he measured a 1,000, and now it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen, water to swim in—a river that could not be crossed. ⁶ He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man?”

Then he brought me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ When I had returned, behold, there were very many trees on one side and on the other, along the bank of the river. ^{[a] 8} Then he said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region. They go down to the Arabah and enter the sea. When they arrive at the sea, the waters of the sea will flow and will become fresh. ^{[b] 9} It will be that every living creature that swarms will live wherever the rivers go. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because this water goes there and makes the salt water fresh. So everything will be healed and live wherever the river goes. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand by it; from En-gedi to En-eglaim, it will be a place for spreading of nets. Their fish will be of many different kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea, a huge quantity. ¹¹ Its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be set aside for salt. ¹² On the river, on its bank, on this side and that side, will grow every kind of tree for food. Its leaf will not wither; its fruit will not fail; it will bear new fruit every month, because its water flows out from the Sanctuary. Its fruit will be for food and its leaf will be for healing.”

Borders of the Holy Land

¹³ Thus says Adonai Elohim, “This will be the border, by which you will divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel, Joseph receiving two portions. ¹⁴ You will inherit it, each one like another, as I lifted My hand to give to your fathers. So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.

¹⁵ “This will be the boundary of the land: on the north side, from the Great Sea, by way of Hethlon, to the entrance of Zedad— ¹⁶ Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath, as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. ¹⁷ So the border from the sea will be Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.

¹⁸ The east side, between Hauran, Damascus, Gilead and the land of Israel, will be by the Jordan. You will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern side.

¹⁹ The south side southward will be from Tamar as far as the waters of Meriboth-kadesh, to the Wadi of Egypt and to the Great Sea. This will be the southern side toward the south.

²⁰ The west side will be the Great Sea, from the southern border as far as the front of the entrance of Hamath. This will be the western side.

²¹ You are to divide this land for yourselves to the tribes of Israel. ²² So you are to divide it by lot for an inheritance for you and for the outsiders who dwell among you, whoever bears children among you. They will be to you like the native-born of Bnei-Yisrael; they will be allotted an inheritance along with you among the tribes of Israel. ²³ In whatever tribe the outsider lives, there you will give him his inheritance.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

48 “Now these are the names of the tribes: Dan’s portion will be from the northern frontier, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar-enan at the northern border of Damascus, beside Hamath, and from eastern side to the sea. ² Next to the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west will be Asher’s one, ³ Next to the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west will be Naphtali’s one. ⁴ Next to the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, will be Manasseh’s one. ⁵ Next to the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west will be Ephraim’s one. ⁶ Next to the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, will be Reuben’s one. ⁷ Next to the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, will be Judah’s one.

⁸ By Judah’s border, from the east side to the west, will be the contribution which you will set aside, 25,000 cubits in width and in length like one of the portions, from the east side to the west. The Sanctuary will be in the midst of it. ⁹ The allotment that you will set apart to Adonai will be 25,000 in length and 10,000 in width. ¹⁰ The holy allotment will be apportioned for these—for the kohanim. Toward the north it will be 25,000 cubits and toward the west 10,000 in width, toward the east 10,000 in width and toward the south 25,000 in length. Adonai’s Sanctuary will be in the midst of it. ¹¹ The sanctified portion will be for the kohanim of the sons of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites went astray when Bnei-Yisrael went astray. ¹² It will be for them a portion set apart from the offering of the land, most holy, by the border of the Levites.

¹³ Alongside the border of the kohanim, the Levites will have 25,000 in length and 10,000 in width. The entire length will be 25,000 and the width 10,000. ¹⁴ They must not sell or exchange any of it or transfer the choice portion of the land, for it is holy to Adonai. ¹⁵ The 5,000 that remain in the width, in front of the 25,000 thousand, will be for common use, for the city, for living and for pastureland.

“The city will be in the midst of it, ¹⁶ and will have these measurements: the north side; 4,500; the south side 4,500; the east side, 4,500; and the west side, 4,500. ¹⁷ The city will have open land: toward the north 250, toward the south 250, toward the east 250, and toward the west 250. ¹⁸ The remainder of the length, according to the holy allotment, will be 10,000 eastward and 10,000 westward. It will be alongside the holy allotment. Its produce will be food for those who serve the city. ¹⁹ Those who serve the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, will till it. ²⁰ The whole allotment will be 25,000 by 25,000, square; you will set apart the holy allotment with the property of the city.

²¹ “What is remaining from this side and on the other of the holy allotment and the city property will be for the prince. What is adjacent to the 25,000 of the allotment toward the eastern border, and westward adjacent to the 25,000 toward the western border, alongside the portions, will be for the prince. The holy allotment and the Sanctuary of the House will be in the midst of it. ²² The property of the Levites and the property of the city will be in the middle of what belongs to the prince; what belongs to the prince will be between Judah’s border and Benjamin’s border.

²³ As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west, will be Benjamin’s one. ²⁴ Next to the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, will be Simeon’s one. ²⁵ Next to the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, will be Issachar’s one. ²⁶ Next to the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, will be Zebulon’s one. ²⁷ Next to the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, will be Gad’s one. ²⁸ Next to the territory of Gad, at the south side southward, the border will be from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the Wadi, to the Great Sea. ²⁹ This is the land that you will divide by lot to the tribes of Israel as an inheritance, and these are their portions.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

³⁰ “These are the exits of the city: on the north side, 4,500 by measure, ³¹ will be the gates of the city named after of the tribes of Israel—three gates northward—the Reuben Gate, one; the Judah Gate, one; the Levi Gate, one. ³² At the east side, 4,500, will be three gates: the Joseph Gate, one; the Benjamin Gate, one; Dan Gate, one. ³³ At the south side, 4,500 by measure, will be three gates: the Simeon Gate, one; the Issachar Gate, one; the Zebulun Gate, one. ³⁴ At the west side, 4,500, with their three gates: the Gad Gate, one; the Asher Gate, one; the Naphtali Gate, one. ³⁵ It will be 18,000 cubits all around.

“From that day on, the name of the city will be: ‘Adonai Is There.’”

3 See how glorious a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children—and so we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. ² Loved ones, now we are God’s children; and it has not yet been revealed what we will be. But we do know that when it’s revealed, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³ Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

⁴ Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness—indeed, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that Yeshua appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who sins has seen Him or known Him. ⁷ Children, let no one mislead you! The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Yeshua is righteous. ⁸ The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. Ben-Elohim appeared for this purpose—to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one born of God practices sin, because God’s seed remains in him. He cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Loving Children Emulate His Actions

¹⁰ It is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil by this—anyone who does not act righteously or love his brother is not of God. ¹¹ For this is the message you have heard from the beginning—we should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, while his brother’s were righteous. ^{[a] 13} Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer—and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. ¹⁶ We have come to know love by this—Yeshua laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ But if someone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him^[b], how does the love of God abide in him? ¹⁸ Children, let us not love with word or talk, but in deed and truth!

¹⁹ By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and set our heart at rest before Him ²⁰ whenever our heart condemns us. For God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹ Loved ones, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; ²² and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. ²³ Now this is His commandment—that we should believe in the name of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another, just as He commanded us. ²⁴ The one who keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him. We know that He abides in us by this—by the Spirit He has given us.