Ezekiel 41-48

English Standard Version

The Inner Temple

41 Then he brought me to ^(A)the nave and measured the ^(B)jambs. On each side six cubits^[a] was the breadth of the jambs.^{[b] 2} And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. And he measured the length of the nave,^{[c] (C)}forty cubits, and its breadth, ^(D)twenty cubits. ³ Then he went ^(E)into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side^[d] of the entrance, seven cubits. ⁴ And he measured ^(F)the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across ^(G)the nave. And he said to me, “This is ^(H)the Most Holy Place.”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the breadth of ^(I)the side chambers, four cubits, ^(J)all around the temple. ⁶ And the side chambers were in three stories, one over another, ^(K)thirty in each story. There were offsets^[e] all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, ^(L)so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple. ⁷ And it became broader as it wound upward to the side chambers, because the temple was enclosed upward all around the temple. Thus the temple had a broad area upward, and ^(M)so one went up from the lowest story to the top story through the middle story. ⁸ I saw also that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of ^(N)six long cubits. ⁹ The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. ^(O)The free space between the side chambers of the temple and the ^10 (P)other chambers was a breadth of ^(Q)twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. ¹¹ And the doors of the ^(R)side chambers opened on ^(S)the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. And the breadth of the free space was five cubits all around.

¹² The building that was facing ^(T)the separate yard on the west side was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

¹³ Then he measured the temple, ^(U)a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long; ¹⁴ also the breadth of the east front of the temple and the yard, a hundred cubits.

¹⁵ Then he measured the length of ^(V)the building facing the yard that was at the back and ^(W)its galleries^[f] on either side, a hundred cubits.

The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, ^16 (X)the thresholds and ^(Y)the narrow windows and the galleries all around the three of them, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered), ¹⁷ to the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around, inside and outside, was a measured pattern.^{[g] 18} It was carved of ^(Z)cherubim and ^(AA)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces: ^19 (AB)a human face toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around. ²⁰ From the floor to above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved; similarly the wall of the nave.

²¹ The doorposts of ^(AC)the nave were squared, and in front of ^(AD)the Holy Place was something resembling ^22 (AE)an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad.^[h] Its corners, its base,^[i] and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is ^(AF)the table that is before the Lord.” ²³ The nave and the Holy Place had each ^(AG)a double door. ²⁴ The double doors had two leaves apiece, ^(AH)two swinging leaves for each door. ²⁵ And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, ^(AI)such as were carved on the walls. And there was ^(AJ)a canopy^[j] of wood in front of ^(AK)the vestibule outside. ²⁶ And there were ^(AL)narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, ^(AM)the side chambers of the temple, and the ^(AN)canopies.

The Temple's Chambers

42 Then he led me out into ^(AO)the outer court, ^(AP)toward the north, and he brought me to ^(AQ)the chambers that were opposite ^(AR)the separate yard and opposite ^(AS)the building on the north. ² The length of the building whose door faced north was ^(AT)a hundred cubits,^[k] and ^(AU)the breadth fifty cubits. ³ Facing ^(AV)the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing ^(AW)the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was ^(AX)gallery^[l] against gallery in three stories. ⁴ And ^(AY)before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and ^(AZ)a hundred cubits long,^[m] and ^(BA)their doors were on the north. ⁵ Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. ⁶ For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. ⁷ And ^(BB)there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, ^(BC)fifty cubits long. ⁸ For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite ^(BD)the nave^[n] were ^(BE)a hundred cubits long. ⁹ Below these chambers was ^(BF)an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.

¹⁰ In the thickness of ^(BG)the wall of the court, on the south^[o] also, opposite ^(BH)the yard and opposite ^(BI)the building, there were ^(BJ)chambers ¹¹ with ^(BK)a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits^[p] and arrangements and ^(BL)doors, ¹² as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before ^(BM)the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.^[q]

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite ^(BN)the yard are the holy chambers, ^(BO)where the priests who approach the Lord ^(BP)shall eat the ^(BQ)most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—^(BR)the grain offering, ^(BS)the sin offering, and ^(BT)the guilt offering—for the place is holy. ¹⁴ When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court ^(BU)without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. ^(BV)They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.”

¹⁵ Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by ^(BW)the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with ^(BX)the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. ¹⁷ He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. ¹⁸ He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. ¹⁹ Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. ²⁰ He measured it on the four sides. It had ^(BY)a wall around it, ^(BZ)500 cubits long and ^(CA)500 cubits broad, ^(CB)to make a separation between the holy and the common.

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

43 Then he led me to ^(CC)the gate, the gate facing east. ² And behold, ^(CD)the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And ^(CE)the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and ^(CF)the earth shone with his glory. ³ And ^(CG)the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen ^(CH)when he^[r] came to destroy the city, and just like ^(CI)the vision that I had seen ^(CJ)by the Chebar canal. And ^(CK)I fell on my face. ⁴ As ^(CL)the glory of the Lord ^(CM)entered the temple by the gate facing east, ^5 (CN)the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into ^(CO)the inner court; and behold, ^(CP)the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

^6 (CQ)While the man was standing beside me, ^(CR)I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, ⁷ and he said to me, ^(CS)“Son of man, this is ^(CT)the place of my throne and ^(CU)the place of the soles of my feet, ^(CV)where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more ^(CW)defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies^[s] of their kings at their high places,^{[t] 8} by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with ^(CX)only a wall between me and them. They have ^(CY)defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. ⁹ Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, ^(CZ)and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰ “As for you, ^(DA)son of man, ^(DB)describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, ^(DC)make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, ^(DD)its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down ^(DE)in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. ¹² This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of ^(DF)the mountain ^(DG)all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

¹³ “These are the measurements of ^(DH)the altar by cubits (the cubit being ^(DI)a cubit and a handbreadth):^[u] its base shall be one cubit high^[v] and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span^[w] around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: ¹⁴ from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; ¹⁵ and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, ^(DJ)four horns. ¹⁶ The altar hearth shall be ^(DK)square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. ¹⁷ The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. ^(DL)The steps of the altar shall face east.”

¹⁸ And he said to me, ^(DM)“Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and ^(DN)for throwing blood against it, ¹⁹ you shall give to ^(DO)the Levitical priests ^(DP)of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, ^(DQ)a bull from the herd for a sin offering. ²⁰ And ^(DR)you shall take some of its blood and put it on ^(DS)the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon ^(DT)the rim all around. ^(DU)Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. ²¹ You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and ^(DV)it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. ²² And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. ²³ When you have finished ^(DW)purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and ^(DX)a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴ You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests ^(DY)shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ^25 (DZ)For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. ²⁶ Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.^{[x] 27} And when they have completed these days, then ^(EA)from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your ^(EB)peace offerings, and ^(EC)I will accept you, declares the Lord God.”

The Gate for the Prince

44 Then he brought me ^(ED)back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, ^(EE)which faces east. And it was shut. ² And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for ^(EF)the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut. ³ Only ^(EG)the prince may sit in it ^(EH)to eat bread before the Lord. He ^(EI)shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.”

⁴ Then he brought me by way of ^(EJ)the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, ^(EK)the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. And ^(EL)I fell on my face. ⁵ And the Lord said to me, ^(EM)“Son of man, mark well, ^(EN)see with your eyes, ^(EO)and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning ^(EP)all the statutes of the temple of the Lord and all its laws. And mark well ^(EQ)the entrance to the temple and all the exits from the sanctuary. ⁶ And say to ^(ER)the rebellious house,^[y] to the ^(ES)house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O house of Israel, ^(ET)enough of all your abominations, ⁷ in ^(EU)admitting foreigners, ^(EV)uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, ^(EW)profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You^[z] have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations. ⁸ And ^(EX)you have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary.

⁹ “Thus says the Lord God: ^(EY)No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary. ¹⁰ But ^(EZ)the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols ^(FA)when Israel went astray, ^(FB)shall bear their punishment.^{[aa] 11} They shall be ^(FC)ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight ^(FD)at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and ^(FE)they shall stand before the people, to minister to them. ¹² Because they ministered to them before their idols and became ^(FF)a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have ^(FG)sworn concerning them, declares the Lord God, and they shall bear their punishment. ¹³ They ^(FH)shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but ^(FI)they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. ¹⁴ Yet I will appoint them to keep ^(FJ)charge of the temple, ^(FK)to do all its service and all that is to be done in it.

Rules for Levitical Priests

¹⁵ “But ^(FL)the Levitical priests, ^(FM)the sons of Zadok, who kept ^(FN)the charge of my sanctuary ^(FO)when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me ^(FP)to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me ^(FQ)the fat and the blood, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach ^(FR)my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge. ¹⁷ When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear ^(FS)linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within. ¹⁸ They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. ¹⁹ And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering ^(FT)and lay them in the holy chambers. And ^(FU)they shall put on other garments, ^(FV)lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments. ^20 (FW)They shall not shave their heads or ^(FX)let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads. ^21 (FY)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. ^22 (FZ)They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. ^23 (GA)They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and ^(GB)show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. ^24 (GC)In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and ^(GD)they shall keep my Sabbaths holy. ^25 (GE)They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves. ^26 (GF)After he^[ab] has become clean, they shall count seven days for him. ²⁷ And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, ^(GG)into the inner court, to minister in the Holy Place, ^(GH)he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord God.

^28 (GI)“This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ^(GJ)you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. ^29 (GK)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and ^(GL)every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. ^30 (GM)And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. ^(GN)You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, ^(GO)that a blessing may rest on your house. ^31 (GP)The priests shall not eat of ^(GQ)anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn by wild animals.

The Holy District

45 “When ^(GR)you allot the land as an inheritance, ^(GS)you shall set apart for the Lord a portion of the land as a holy district, 25,000 cubits^[ac] long and 20,000^[ad] cubits broad. It shall be holy throughout its whole extent. ^2 (GT)Of this a square plot of 500 by 500 cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for ^(GU)an open space around it. ³ And ^(GV)from this measured district you shall measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 broad, ^(GW)in which shall be the sanctuary, ^(GX)the Most Holy Place. ^4 (GY)It shall be the holy portion of the land. It shall be for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and approach the Lord to minister to him, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. ^5 (GZ)Another section, 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits broad, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their possession for cities to live in.^[ae]

⁶ “Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district ^(HA)you shall assign for the property of the city an area 5,000 cubits broad and 25,000 cubits long. ^(HB)It shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

The Portion for the Prince

^7 (HC)“And to ^(HD)the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary ⁸ of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And ^(HE)my princes shall no more oppress my people, but ^(HF)they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

⁹ “Thus says the Lord God: ^(HG)Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease ^(HH)your evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.

^10 (HI)“You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath.^{[af] 11} The ephah and the bath shall be ^(HJ)of the same measure, ^(HK)the bath containing one tenth of a homer,^[ag] and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure. ^12 (HL)The shekel shall be twenty gerahs;^[ah] twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.^[ai]

^13 (HM)“This is the offering that you shall make: one sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley, ¹⁴ and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one tenth of a bath from each cor^[aj] (the cor, like the homer, contains ^(HN)ten baths).^{[ak] 15} And one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from the watering places of Israel for grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offerings, ^(HO)to make atonement for them, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel. ^17 (HP)It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.

¹⁸ “Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, ^(HQ)on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and ^(HR)purify the sanctuary. ^19 (HS)The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it ^(HT)on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court. ²⁰ You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.

^21 (HU)“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. ²² On that day the prince ^(HV)shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering. ²³ And on ^(HW)the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and ^(HX)a male goat daily for a sin offering. ²⁴ And ^(HY)he shall provide as ^(HZ)a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin^[al] of oil to each ephah. ^25 (IA)In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month and for the seven days of the feast, ^(IB)he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.

The Prince and the Feasts

46 “Thus says the Lord God: ^(IC)The gate of ^(ID)the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and ^(IE)on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. ^2 (IF)The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by ^(IG)the post of the gate. ^(IH)The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at ^(II)the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. ^3 (IJ)The people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. ^4 (IK)The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord ^(IL)on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish. ⁵ And ^(IM)the grain offering with the ram shall be an ephah,^[am] and the grain offering with the lambs shall be ^(IN)as much as he is able, together with a hin^[an] of oil to each ephah. ⁶ On the day of the new moon he shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish, and six lambs and a ram, which shall be without blemish. ⁷ As a grain offering he shall provide an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs ^(IO)as much as he is able, together with a hin of oil to each ephah. ^8 (IP)When the prince enters, he shall enter by the vestibule of the gate, and he shall go out by the same way.

^9 (IQ)“When the people of the land ^(IR)come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead. ¹⁰ When they enter, ^(IS)the prince shall enter with them, and when they go out, he shall go out.

¹¹ “At the feasts and the appointed festivals, ^(IT)the grain offering with a young bull shall be an ephah, and with a ram an ephah, and with the lambs ^(IU)as much as one is able to give, together with a hin of oil to an ephah. ¹² When the prince provides ^(IV)a freewill offering, either a burnt offering or peace offerings as a freewill offering to the Lord, ^(IW)the gate facing east shall be opened for him. And he shall offer his burnt offering or his peace offerings ^(IX)as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out the gate shall be shut.

^13 (IY)“You shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering to the Lord daily; morning by morning you shall provide it. ¹⁴ And ^(IZ)you shall provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, one sixth of an ephah, and one third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour, as a grain offering to the Lord. This is a perpetual statute. ¹⁵ Thus the lamb and the meal offering and the oil shall be provided, morning by morning, for ^(JA)a regular burnt offering.

¹⁶ “Thus says the Lord God: If the prince makes a gift to any of his sons as his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons. It is their property by inheritance. ¹⁷ But if he makes a gift ^(JB)out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to ^(JC)the year of liberty. Then it shall revert to the prince; surely it is his inheritance—it shall belong to his sons. ^18 (JD)The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, ^(JE)thrusting them out of their property. He shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of my people shall be ^(JF)scattered from his property.”

Boiling Places for Offerings

¹⁹ Then he brought me through the entrance, which was ^(JG)at the side of the gate, to the north row of ^(JH)the holy chambers for the priests, and behold, a place was there at the extreme western end of them. ²⁰ And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests ^(JI)shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where ^(JJ)they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so ^(JK)transmit holiness to the people.”

²¹ Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me around to the four corners of the court. And behold, in each corner of the court there was another court— ²² in the four corners of the court were small^[ao] courts, forty cubits^[ap] long and thirty broad; the four were of the same size. ²³ On the inside, around each of the four courts was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around. ²⁴ Then he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who ^(JL)minister at the temple ^(JM)shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”

Water Flowing from the Temple

47 Then he brought me back to ^(JN)the door of the temple, and behold, ^(JO)water was issuing from below ^(JP)the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of ^(JQ)the altar. ² Then he brought me out by way of ^(JR)the north gate and led me around on the outside to ^(JS)the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

³ Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, ^(JT)the man measured a thousand cubits,^[aq] and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. ⁴ Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. ⁵ Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. ⁶ And he said to me, ^(JU)“Son of man, ^(JV)have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river ^(JW)very many trees on the one side and on the other. ⁸ And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into ^(JX)the Arabah, and enters the sea;^[ar] when the water flows into ^(JY)the sea, the water will become fresh.^{[as] 9} And wherever the river goes,^[at] every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea^[au] may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From ^(JZ)Engedi to ^(KA)Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of ^(KB)the Great Sea.^{[av] 11} But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. ¹² And on the banks, ^(KC)on both sides of the river, there will grow ^(KD)all kinds of trees for food. ^(KE)Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, ^(KF)but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and ^(KG)their leaves for healing.”

Division of the Land

¹³ Thus says the Lord God: “This is the boundary^[aw] by which ^(KH)you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. ^(KI)Joseph shall have two portions. ¹⁴ And you shall divide equally what ^(KJ)I swore ^(KK)to give to your fathers. ^(KL)This land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

¹⁵ “This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side, from ^(KM)the Great Sea ^(KN)by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, and on to ^(KO)Zedad,^{[ax] 16 (KP)}Berothah, Sibraim (which lies on the border between ^(KQ)Damascus and ^(KR)Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. ¹⁷ So the boundary shall run from the sea to ^(KS)Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north.^[ay] This shall be the north side.^[az]

¹⁸ “On the east side, the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus; along the Jordan between ^(KT)Gilead and the land of Israel; to ^(KU)the eastern sea and as far as Tamar.^[ba] This shall be the east side.

¹⁹ “On the south side, it shall run from ^(KV)Tamar as far as ^(KW)the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along ^(KX)the Brook of Egypt^[bb] to ^(KY)the Great Sea. This shall be the south side.

²⁰ “On the west side, the Great Sea shall be the boundary to a point ^(KZ)opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be the west side.

^21 (LA)“So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. ^22 (LB)You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and ^(LC)for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. ^(LD)They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. ²³ In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God.

48 “These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern extreme, beside ^(LE)the way of Hethlon ^(LF)to Lebo-hamath, as far as ^(LG)Hazar-enan (which is on the northern border of ^(LH)Damascus over against Hamath), and extending^[bc] from the east side to the west,^{[bd] (LI)}Dan, one portion. ² Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, ^(LJ)Asher, one portion. ³ Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, ^(LK)Naphtali, one portion. ⁴ Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, Manasseh, one portion. ⁵ Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, Ephraim, one portion. ⁶ Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, Reuben, one portion. ⁷ Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, Judah, one portion.

⁸ “Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be ^(LL)the portion which you shall set apart, 25,000 cubits^[be] in breadth, and in length equal to one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with ^(LM)the sanctuary in the midst of it. ⁹ The portion that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length, and 20,000^[bf] in breadth. ^10 (LN)These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring 25,000 cubits on the northern side, 10,000 cubits in breadth on the western side, 10,000 in breadth on the eastern side, and 25,000 in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the midst of it. ¹¹ This shall be for ^(LO)the consecrated priests, ^(LP)the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, ^(LQ)as the Levites did. ¹² And it shall belong to them as a special portion from the holy portion of the land, a most holy place, adjoining the territory of the Levites. ^13 (LR)And alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an allotment 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole length shall be 25,000 cubits and the breadth 20,000.^{[bg] 14} They ^(LS)shall not sell or exchange any of it. They shall not alienate ^(LT)this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

^15 (LU)“The remainder, 5,000 cubits in breadth and 25,000 in length, shall be ^(LV)for common use for the city, for dwellings and for ^(LW)open country. In the midst of it shall be the city, ¹⁶ and these shall be its measurements: ^(LX)the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500, and the west side 4,500. ¹⁷ And the city shall have open land: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250, on the east 250, and on the west 250. ¹⁸ The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be 10,000 cubits to the east, and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. ^(LY)Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it. ²⁰ The whole portion that ^(LZ)you shall set apart shall be 25,000 cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.

^21 (MA)“What remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city shall belong to the prince. Extending from the 25,000 cubits of the holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the west border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to the prince. ^(MB)The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple shall be in its midst. ²² It shall be separate from the property of the Levites and the property of the city, which are in the midst of that which belongs to the prince. The portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and the territory of Benjamin.

²³ “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west, Benjamin, one portion. ²⁴ Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon, one portion. ²⁵ Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar, one portion. ²⁶ Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun, one portion. ²⁷ Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad, one portion. ²⁸ And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, the boundary shall run ^(MC)from Tamar to the waters of ^(MD)Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt^[bh] to ^(ME)the Great Sea.^{[bi] 29} This is the land that ^(MF)you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Lord God.

The Gates of the City

³⁰ “These shall be ^(MG)the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be ^(MH)4,500 cubits by measure, ^31 (MI)three gates, the gate of ^(MJ)Reuben, the gate of ^(MK)Judah, and the gate of ^(ML)Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel. ³² On the east side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. ³³ On the south side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. ³⁴ On the west side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates,^[bj] the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. ³⁵ The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And ^(MM)the name of the city from that time on shall be, ^(MN)The Lord Is There.”