Old/New Testament
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.”
We Are God’s Children
3 ·The Father has loved us so much [L See what sort of love the Father has given us…!] that we are called children of God. ·And we really are his children [L And we are!]. The reason ·the people in the world do [L the world does] not know us is that they have not known him. 2 ·Dear friends [L Beloved], now we are children of God, and ·we have not yet been shown [it has not yet been revealed] what we will be in the future. But we know that when ·Christ comes again [L he/it is revealed], we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this hope in ·Christ [L him] keep themselves pure, just as ·Christ [L he] is pure.
4 ·The person [L Everyone] who ·sins [commits sin] ·breaks God’s law [commits lawlessness/iniquity; C referring to the false teachers; 2:19–20]. Yes, sin is ·living against God’s law [lawlessness; iniquity]. 5 You know that ·Christ came [L he has appeared/was revealed] to take away sins and that there is no sin in ·Christ [L him]. 6 So anyone who ·lives [abides; remains] in ·Christ [L him] does not ·go on sinning [or sin; C the Christian ideal, an implicit call to avoid sin]. Anyone who ·goes on sinning [or sins] has ·never really understood Christ and has never known him [L neither seen him nor known him].
7 Dear children [2:1], do not let anyone ·lead you the wrong way [deceive you]. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as ·Christ [L he] is righteous. 8 Anyone who ·continues to sin [or sins] belongs to the devil [John 8:44], because the devil has been sinning since the beginning. The Son of God ·came [was revealed; appeared] for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work [Matt. 4:1–11; 12:25–29; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; Rev. 12:7–12; 20:1–3].
9 ·Those [L All] who are ·God’s children [L born of/begotten by God; 2:29] do not ·continue sinning [or sin], because ·the new life from God [or God’s message; or God’s Spirit; L his seed/sperm] ·remains [abides] in them. They are not able to ·go on sinning [or sin], because they ·have become children of God [L are born of/begotten by God]. 10 ·So we can see [L In this way it is apparent/revealed/evident] who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are: Those who do not ·do what is right [practice righteousness] are not ·God’s children [L from/of God], and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not ·God’s children [L from/of God].
We Must Love Each Other
11 This is the ·teaching [message] you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other [C as Jesus himself taught: John 13:34–35; 15:12]. 12 Do not be like Cain who belonged to the Evil One and ·killed [murdered] his brother [Gen. 4; John 8:44]. And why did he ·kill [murder] him? Because the things Cain did were evil, and the things his brother did were ·good [righteous; just].
13 Brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], do not ·be surprised [be amazed; wonder] ·when [or that; or if] ·the people of the world hate [L the world hates] you. 14 We know we have ·left death and have come into life [passed/crossed from death to life; John 5:24] because we love ·each other [L the brothers and sisters]. Whoever does not love ·is still dead [abides/remains/continues in death]. 15 Everyone who hates a brother or sister [C fellow believer] is a murderer [C because they have killed that person in their heart; Matt. 5:21–26], and you know that no murderers have eternal life [L abiding; remaining] in them. 16 This is how we know what real love is: ·Jesus [L he] ·gave [laid down] his life for us [John 15:13]. So we should ·give [lay down] our lives for our brothers and sisters [C fellow believers; John 15:12]. 17 Suppose someone has ·enough to live [L the world’s possessions/goods] and sees a brother or sister [C fellow believer] in need, but ·does not help [L closes off his heart/compassion from him]. ·Then God’s love is not living in that person [L How does God’s love abide/remain in him?]. 18 My children [2:1], we should love people not only ·with words and talk [L in word and tongue], but ·by our actions and true caring [or by showing true love through our actions; L in deed and truth].
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