Ezekiel 36-48

New King James Version

Blessing on Israel

36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the ^(A)mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! ² Thus says the Lord God: “Because ^(B)the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! ^(C)The ^[a]ancient heights ^(D)have become our possession,’ ” ’ ³ therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, ^(E)and you are taken up by the lips of ^(F)talkers and slandered by the people”— ⁴ therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the ^[b]rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which ^(G)became plunder and ^(H)mockery to the rest of the nations all around— ⁵ therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(I)“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, ^(J)who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and ^[c]spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

⁶ “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have ^(K)borne the shame of the nations.” ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have ^(L)raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall ^(M)bear their own shame. ⁸ But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. ⁹ For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. ¹⁰ I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and ^(N)the ruins rebuilt. ^11 (O)I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and ^[d]bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do ^(P)better for you than at your beginnings. ^(Q)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹² Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; ^(R)they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you ^(S)bereave them of children.”

¹³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, ^(T)‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ ¹⁴ therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God. ^15 (U)“Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Renewal of Israel

¹⁶ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, ^(V)they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like ^(W)the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. ¹⁸ Therefore I poured out My fury on them ^(X)for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ So I ^(Y)scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them ^(Z)according to their ways and their deeds. ²⁰ When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they ^(AA)profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ ²¹ But I had concern ^(AB)for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, ^(AC)but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am ^(AD)hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For ^(AE)I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ^25 (AF)Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you ^(AG)from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a ^(AH)new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My ^(AI)Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ^28 (AJ)Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; ^(AK)you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will ^(AL)deliver you from all your uncleannesses. ^(AM)I will call for the grain and multiply it, and ^(AN)bring no famine upon you. ^30 (AO)And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then ^(AP)you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you ^(AQ)will ^[e]loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. ^32 (AR)Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

³³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, ^(AS)and the ruins shall be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. ³⁵ So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of ^(AT)Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. ^(AU)I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

³⁷ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(AV)“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will ^(AW)increase their men like a flock. ³⁸ Like a ^[f]flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its ^[g]feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

The Dry Bones Live

37 The ^(AX)hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out ^(AY)in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ³ And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, ^(AZ)You know.”

⁴ Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will ^(BA)cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. ^(BB)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the ^[h]breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(BC)“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, ^(BD)and ^[i]breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the ^(BE)whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ^(BF)‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, ^(BG)O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and ^(BH)bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I ^(BI)will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”

One Kingdom, One King

¹⁵ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “As for you, son of man, ^(BJ)take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for ^(BK)the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then ^(BL)join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

¹⁸ “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ^(BM)‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— ^19 (BN)say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take ^(BO)the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’ ²⁰ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand ^(BP)before their eyes.

²¹ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely ^(BQ)I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and ^(BR)I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and ^(BS)one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. ^23 (BT)They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but ^(BU)I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

^24 (BV)“David My servant shall be king over them, and ^(BW)they shall all have one shepherd; ^(BX)they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. ^25 (BY)Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, ^(BZ)forever; and ^(CA)My servant David shall be their prince forever. ²⁶ Moreover I will ^[j]make ^(CB)a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and ^(CC)multiply them, and I will set My ^(CD)sanctuary in their midst forevermore. ^27 (CE)My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be ^(CF)their God, and they shall be My people. ^28 (CG)The nations also will know that I, the Lord, ^(CH)sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

Gog and Allies Attack Israel

38 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^2 (CI)“Son of man, ^(CJ)set your face against ^(CK)Gog, of the land of ^(CL)Magog, ^[k]the prince of Rosh, ^(CM)Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, ³ and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. ^4 (CN)I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and ^(CO)lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, ^(CP)all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. ⁵ Persia, ^[l]Ethiopia, and ^[m]Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; ^6 (CQ)Gomer and all its troops; the house of ^(CR)Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

^7 (CS)“Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. ^8 (CT)After many days ^(CU)you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword ^(CV)and gathered from many people on ^(CW)the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them ^(CX)dwell safely. ⁹ You will ascend, coming ^(CY)like a storm, covering the ^(CZ)land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

¹⁰ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: ¹¹ You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of ^(DA)unwalled villages; I will ^(DB)go to a peaceful people, ^(DC)who dwell ^[n]safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— ¹² to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, ^(DD)and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. ^13 (DE)Sheba, ^(DF)Dedan, the merchants ^(DG)of Tarshish, and all ^(DH)their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(DI)“On that day when My people Israel ^(DJ)dwell safely, will you not know it? ^15 (DK)Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. ¹⁶ You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may ^(DL)know Me, when I am ^(DM)hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” ¹⁷ Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

Judgment on Gog

¹⁸ “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face. ¹⁹ For ^(DN)in My jealousy ^(DO)and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ^(DP)‘Surely in that day there shall be a great ^[o]earthquake in the land of Israel, ²⁰ so that ^(DQ)the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. ^(DR)The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ ²¹ I will ^(DS)call for ^(DT)a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. ^(DU)“Every man’s sword will be against his brother. ²² And I will ^(DV)bring him to judgment with ^(DW)pestilence and bloodshed; ^(DX)I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, ^(DY)great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. ²³ Thus I will magnify Myself and ^(DZ)sanctify Myself, ^(EA)and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

Gog’s Armies Destroyed

39 “And ^(EB)you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, ^[p]the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; ² and I will ^(EC)turn you around and lead you on, ^(ED)bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. ³ Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. ^4 (EE)You shall ^[q]fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; ^(EF)I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. ⁵ You shall ^[r]fall on ^[s]the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord God. ^6 (EG)“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live ^[t]in security in ^(EH)the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. ^7 (EI)So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them ^(EJ)profane My holy name anymore. ^(EK)Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. ^8 (EL)Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord God. “This is the day ^(EM)of which I have spoken.

⁹ “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the ^[u]javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years. ¹⁰ They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; ^(EN)and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,” says the Lord God.

The Burial of Gog

¹¹ “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of ^[v]Hamon Gog. ¹² For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, ^(EO)in order to cleanse the land. ¹³ Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain ^(EP)renown for it on the day that ^(EQ)I am glorified,” says the Lord God. ¹⁴ “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of ^[w]a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order ^(ER)to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. ¹⁵ The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall ^[x]set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. ¹⁶ The name of the city will also be ^[y]Hamonah. Thus they shall ^(ES)cleanse the land.” ’

A Triumphant Festival

¹⁷ “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ^(ET)‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field:

Israel Restored to the Land

^21 (FB)“I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and ^(FC)My hand which I have laid on them. ^22 (FD)So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward. ^23 (FE)The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore ^(FF)I hid My face from them. I ^(FG)gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. ^24 (FH)According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’

²⁵ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(FI)‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the ^(FJ)whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name— ^26 (FK)after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they ^(FL)dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. ^27 (FM)When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I ^(FN)am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, ^28 (FO)then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them ^[z]captive any longer. ^29 (FP)And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have ^(FQ)poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.”

A New City, a New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after ^(FR)the city was ^[aa]captured, on the very same day ^(FS)the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there. ^2 (FT)In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and ^(FU)set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city. ³ He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was ^(FV)like the appearance of bronze. ^(FW)He had a line of flax ^(FX)and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

⁴ And the man said to me, ^(FY)“Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and ^[ab]fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. ^(FZ)Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.” ⁵ Now there was ^(GA)a wall all around the outside of the ^[ac]temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six ^[ad]cubits long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod.

The Eastern Gateway of the Temple

⁶ Then he went to the gateway which faced ^(GB)east; and he went up its stairs and measured the threshold of the gateway, which was one rod wide, and the other threshold was one rod wide. ⁷ Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide; between the gate chambers was a space of five cubits; and the threshold of the gateway by the vestibule of the inside gate was one rod. ⁸ He also measured the vestibule of the inside gate, one rod. ⁹ Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and the gateposts, two cubits. The vestibule of the gate was on the inside. ¹⁰ In the eastern gateway were three gate chambers on one side and three on the other; the three were all the same size; also the gateposts were of the same size on this side and that side.

¹¹ He measured the width of the entrance to the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. ¹² There was a ^[ae]space in front of the gate chambers, one cubit on this side and one cubit on that side; the gate chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side. ¹³ Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the other; the width was twenty-five cubits, as door faces door. ¹⁴ He measured the gateposts, sixty cubits high, and the court all around the gateway extended to the gatepost. ¹⁵ From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the vestibule of the inner gate was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ There were ^(GC)beveled window frames in the gate chambers and in their intervening archways on the inside of the gateway all around, and likewise in the vestibules. There were windows all around on the inside. And on each gatepost were ^(GD)palm trees.

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into ^(GE)the outer court; and there were ^(GF)chambers and a pavement made all around the court; ^(GG)thirty chambers faced the pavement. ¹⁸ The pavement was by the side of the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the front of the inner court exterior, one hundred cubits toward the east and the north.

The Northern Gateway

²⁰ On the outer court was also a gateway facing north, and he measured its length and its width. ²¹ Its gate chambers, three on this side and three on that side, its gateposts and its archways, had the same measurements as the first gate; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. ²² Its windows and those of its archways, and also its palm trees, had the same measurements as the gateway facing east; it was ascended by seven steps, and its archway was in front of it. ²³ A gate of the inner court was opposite the northern gateway, just as the eastern gateway; and he measured from gateway to gateway, one hundred cubits.

The Southern Gateway

²⁴ After that he brought me toward the south, and there a gateway was facing south; and he measured its gateposts and archways according to these same measurements. ²⁵ There were windows in it and in its archways all around like those windows; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. ²⁶ Seven steps led up to it, and its archway was in front of them; and it had palm trees on its gateposts, one on this side and one on that side. ²⁷ There was also a gateway on the inner court, facing south; and he measured from gateway to gateway toward the south, one hundred cubits.

Gateways of the Inner Court

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court through the southern gateway; he measured the southern gateway according to these same measurements. ²⁹ Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁰ There were archways all around, ^(GH)twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. ³¹ Its archways faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts, and going up to it were eight steps.

³² And he brought me into the inner court facing east; he measured the gateway according to these same measurements. ³³ Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; and there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁴ Its archways faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side; and going up to it were eight steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gateway and measured it according to these same measurements— ³⁶ also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways. It had windows all around; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. ³⁷ Its gateposts faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side, and going up to it were eight steps.

Where Sacrifices Were Prepared

³⁸ There was a chamber and its entrance by the gateposts of the gateway, where they ^(GI)washed the burnt offering. ³⁹ In the vestibule of the gateway were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slay the burnt offering, ^(GJ)the sin offering, and ^(GK)the trespass offering. ⁴⁰ At the outer side of the vestibule, as one goes up to the entrance of the northern gateway, were two tables; and on the other side of the vestibule of the gateway were two tables. ⁴¹ Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the gateway, eight tables on which they slaughtered the sacrifices. ⁴² There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, one cubit and a half long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high; on these they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. ⁴³ Inside were hooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened all around; and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables.

Chambers for Singers and Priests

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate were the chambers for ^(GL)the singers in the inner court, one facing south at the side of the northern gateway, and the other facing north at the side of the ^[af]southern gateway. ⁴⁵ Then he said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for ^(GM)the priests who have charge of the temple. ⁴⁶ The chamber which faces north is for the priests ^(GN)who have charge of the altar; these are the sons of ^(GO)Zadok, from the sons of Levi, who come near the Lord to minister to Him.”

Dimensions of the Inner Court and Vestibule^(GP)

⁴⁷ And he measured the court, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, foursquare. The altar was in front of the temple. ⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the ^(GQ)vestibule of the temple and measured the doorposts of the vestibule, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the width of the gateway was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side. ^49 (GR)The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; and by the steps which led up to it there were ^(GS)pillars by the doorposts, one on this side and another on that side.

Dimensions of the Sanctuary

41 Then he ^(GT)brought me into the ^[ag]sanctuary and measured the doorposts, six cubits wide on one side and six cubits wide on the other side—the width of the tabernacle. ² The width of the entryway was ten cubits, and the side walls of the entrance were five cubits on this side and five cubits on the other side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits.

³ Also he went inside and measured the doorposts, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits high; and the width of the entrance, seven cubits. ^4 (GU)He measured the length, twenty cubits; and the width, twenty cubits, beyond the sanctuary; and he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

The Side Chambers on the Wall

⁵ Next, he measured the wall of the ^[ah]temple, six cubits. The width of each side chamber all around the temple was four cubits on every side. ^6 (GV)The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty chambers in each story; they rested on ^[ai]ledges which were for the side chambers all around, that they might be supported, but ^(GW)not fastened to the wall of the temple. ⁷ As one went up from story to story, the side chambers ^(GX)became wider all around, because their supporting ledges in the wall of the temple ascended like steps; therefore the width of the structure increased as one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the middle one. ⁸ I also saw an elevation all around the temple; it was the foundation of the side chambers, ^(GY)a full rod, that is, six cubits high. ⁹ The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits, and so also the remaining terrace by the place of the side chambers of the ^[aj]temple. ¹⁰ And between it and the wall chambers was a width of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. ¹¹ The doors of the side chambers opened on the terrace, one door toward the north and another toward the south; and the width of the terrace was five cubits all around.

The Building at the Western End

¹² The building that faced the separating courtyard at its western end was seventy cubits wide; the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

Dimensions and Design of the Temple Area

¹³ So he measured the temple, one ^(GZ)hundred cubits long; and the separating courtyard with the building and its walls was one hundred cubits long; ¹⁴ also the width of the eastern face of the temple, including the separating courtyard, was one hundred cubits. ¹⁵ He measured the length of the building behind it, facing the separating courtyard, with its ^(HA)galleries on the one side and on the other side, one hundred cubits, as well as the inner ^[ak]temple and the porches of the court, ¹⁶ their doorposts and ^(HB)the beveled window frames. And the galleries all around their three stories opposite the threshold were paneled with ^(HC)wood from the ground to the windows—the windows were covered— ¹⁷ from the space above the door, even to the inner ^[al]room, as well as outside, and on every wall all around, inside and outside, by measure.

¹⁸ And it was made ^(HD)with cherubim and ^(HE)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Each cherub had two faces, ^19 (HF)so that the face of a man was toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion toward a palm tree on the other side; thus it was made throughout the temple all around. ²⁰ From the floor to the space above the door, and on the wall of the sanctuary, cherubim and palm trees were carved.

²¹ The ^(HG)doorposts of the temple were square, as was the front of the sanctuary; their appearance was similar. ^22 (HH)The altar was of wood, three cubits high, and its length two cubits. Its corners, its length, and its sides were of wood; and he said to me, “This is ^(HI)the table that is ^(HJ)before the Lord.”

^23 (HK)The temple and the sanctuary had two doors. ²⁴ The doors had two ^(HL)panels apiece, two folding panels: two panels for one door and two panels for the other door. ²⁵ Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the temple just as they were carved on the walls. A wooden canopy was on the front of the vestibule outside. ²⁶ There were ^(HM)beveled window frames and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the vestibule—also on the side chambers of the temple and on the canopies.

The Chambers for the Priests

42 Then he ^(HN)brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the ^(HO)north; and he brought me into ^(HP)the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. ² Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. ³ Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the ^(HQ)pavement of the outer court, was ^(HR)gallery against gallery in three stories. ⁴ In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. ⁵ Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. ⁶ For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was ^[am]shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. ⁷ And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. ⁸ The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one ^(HS)hundred cubits. ⁹ At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

¹⁰ Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. ^11 (HT)There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. ¹² And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east.

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord ^(HU)shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—^(HV)the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. ^14 (HW)When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.”

Outer Dimensions of the Temple

¹⁵ Now when he had finished measuring the inner ^[an]temple, he brought me out through the gateway that faces toward the ^(HX)east, and measured it all around. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with the ^[ao]measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. ¹⁷ He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. ¹⁸ He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ¹⁹ He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ²⁰ He measured it on the four sides; ^(HY)it had a wall all around, ^(HZ)five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy areas from the ^[ap]common.

The Temple, the Lord’s Dwelling Place

43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate ^(IA)that faces toward the east. ^2 (IB)And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. ^(IC)His voice was like the sound of many waters; ^(ID)and the earth shone with His glory. ³ It was ^(IE)like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when ^[aq]I came ^(IF)to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw ^(IG)by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. ^4 (IH)And the glory of the Lord came into the ^[ar]temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. ^5 (II)The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, ^(IJ)the glory of the Lord filled the ^[as]temple.

⁶ Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while ^(IK)a man stood beside me. ⁷ And He said to me, “Son of man, this is ^(IL)the place of My throne and ^(IM)the place of the soles of My feet, ^(IN)where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. ^(IO)No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their ^[at]harlotry or with ^(IP)the carcasses of their kings on their high places. ^8 (IQ)When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. ⁹ Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰ “Son of man, ^(IR)describe the ^[au]temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the ^[av]temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ^(IS)ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and ^(IT)perform them. ¹² This is the law of the ^[aw]temple: The whole area surrounding ^(IU)the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

Dimensions of the Altar

¹³ “These are the measurements of the ^(IV)altar in cubits ^(IW)(the ^[ax]cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the height of the altar: ¹⁴ from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit. ¹⁵ The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four ^(IX)horns extending upward from the ^[ay]hearth. ¹⁶ The altar hearth is twelve cubits long, twelve wide, ^(IY)square at its four corners; ¹⁷ the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and ^(IZ)its steps face toward the east.”

Consecrating the Altar

¹⁸ And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing ^(JA)burnt offerings on it, and for ^(JB)sprinkling blood on it. ¹⁹ You shall give ^(JC)a young bull for a sin offering to ^(JD)the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of ^(JE)Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God. ²⁰ ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. ²¹ Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and ^(JF)burn it in the appointed place of the ^[az]temple, ^(JG)outside the sanctuary. ²² On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴ When you offer them before the Lord, ^(JH)the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ²⁵ Every day for ^(JI)seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. ²⁶ Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so ^[ba]consecrate ^[bb]it. ^27 (JJ)When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will ^(JK)accept you,’ says the Lord God.”

The East Gate and the Prince

44 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary ^(JL)which faces toward the east, but it was shut. ² And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, ^(JM)because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. ³ As for the ^(JN)prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to ^(JO)eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”

Those Admitted to the Temple

⁴ Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the ^[bc]temple; so I looked, and ^(JP)behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; ^(JQ)and I fell on my face. ⁵ And the Lord said to me, ^(JR)“Son of man, ^[bd]mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ^(JS)ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

⁶ “Now say to the ^(JT)rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “O house of Israel, ^(JU)let Us have no more of all your abominations. ^7 (JV)When you brought in ^(JW)foreigners, ^(JX)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered ^(JY)My food, ^(JZ)the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations. ⁸ And you have not ^(KA)kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.” ⁹ Thus says the Lord God: ^(KB)“No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

Laws Governing Priests

^10 (KC)“And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. ¹¹ Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, ^(KD)as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; ^(KE)they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and ^(KF)they shall stand before them to minister to them. ¹² Because they ministered to them before their idols and ^(KG)caused^[be] the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have ^(KH)raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity. ^13 (KI)And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall ^(KJ)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. ¹⁴ Nevertheless I will make them ^(KK)keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.

^15 (KL)“But the priests, the Levites, ^(KM)the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary ^(KN)when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they ^(KO)shall stand before Me to offer to Me the ^(KP)fat and the blood,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶ “They shall ^(KQ)enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near ^(KR)My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. ¹⁷ And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that ^(KS)they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. ^18 (KT)They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. ¹⁹ When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, ^(KU)they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall ^(KV)not sanctify the people.

^20 (KW)“They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow ^(KX)long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. ^21 (KY)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. ²² They shall not take as wife a ^(KZ)widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

²³ “And ^(LA)they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to ^(LB)discern between the unclean and the clean. ^24 (LC)In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, ^(LD)and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

²⁵ “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves. ^26 (LE)After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him. ²⁷ And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, ^(LF)he must offer his sin offering ^(LG)in the inner court,” says the Lord God.

²⁸ “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I ^(LH)am their inheritance. You shall give them no ^(LI)possession in Israel, for I am their possession. ^29 (LJ)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; ^(LK)every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. ³⁰ The ^(LL)best^[bf] of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you ^(LM)shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, ^(LN)to cause a blessing to rest on your house. ³¹ The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that ^(LO)died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.

The Holy District

45 “Moreover, when you ^(LP)divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall ^(LQ)set apart a district for the Lord, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around. ² Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, ^(LR)five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty cubits around it for an open space. ³ So this is the district you shall measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; ^(LS)in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. ⁴ It shall be ^(LT)a holy section of the land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the Lord; it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. ^5 (LU)An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the ^[bg]temple; they shall have ^(LV)twenty^[bh] chambers as a possession.

Properties of the City and the Prince

^6 (LW)“You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, adjacent to the district of the holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

^7 (LX)“The prince shall have a section on one side and the other of the holy district and the city’s property; and bordering on the holy district and the city’s property, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the east side, the length shall be side by side with one of the tribal portions, from the west border to the east border. ⁸ The land shall be his possession in Israel; and ^(LY)My princes shall no more oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel, according to their tribes.”

Laws Governing the Prince

⁹ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(LZ)“Enough, O princes of Israel! ^(MA)Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people,” says the Lord God. ¹⁰ “You shall have ^(MB)honest scales, an honest ephah, and an honest bath. ¹¹ The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer. ¹² The ^(MC)shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

¹³ “This is the offering which you shall offer: you shall give one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley. ¹⁴ The ordinance concerning oil, the bath of oil, is one-tenth of a bath from a kor. A kor is a homer or ten baths, for ten baths are a homer. ¹⁵ And one lamb shall be given from a flock of two hundred, from the rich pastures of Israel. These shall be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, ^(MD)to make atonement for them,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶ “All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel. ¹⁷ Then it shall be the ^(ME)prince’s part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

Keeping the Feasts^(MF)

¹⁸ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and ^(MG)cleanse the sanctuary. ^19 (MH)The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the ^[bi]temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the gate of the inner court. ²⁰ And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month ^(MI)for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.

^21 (MJ)“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. ²² And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land ^(MK)a bull for a sin offering. ²³ On the ^(ML)seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, ^(MM)and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. ^24 (MN)And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah.

²⁵ “In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the ^(MO)feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.”

The Manner of Worship

46 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six ^(MP)working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. ^2 (MQ)The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. ³ Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the Lord on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. ⁴ The burnt offering that ^(MR)the prince offers to the Lord on the ^(MS)Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish; ^5 (MT)and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, ^[bj]as much as he wants to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah. ⁶ On the day of the New Moon it shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish. ⁷ He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, ^[bk]as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah. ^8 (MU)When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.

⁹ “But when the people of the land ^(MV)come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north ^(MW)gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate. ¹⁰ The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out. ¹¹ At the festivals and the appointed feast days ^(MX)the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.

¹² “Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to the Lord, the gate that faces toward the east ^(MY)shall then be opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut.

^13 (MZ)“You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it ^[bl]every morning. ¹⁴ And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the Lord. ¹⁵ Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a ^(NA)regular burnt offering every morning.”

The Prince and Inheritance Laws

¹⁶ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. ¹⁷ But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until ^(NB)the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. ¹⁸ Moreover ^(NC)the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.” ’ ”

How the Offerings Were Prepared

¹⁹ Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy ^(ND)chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and there a place was situated at their extreme western end. ²⁰ And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall ^(NE)boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall ^(NF)bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court ^(NG)to sanctify the people.”

²¹ Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there was another court. ²² In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size. ²³ There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and ^[bm]cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all around. ²⁴ And he said to me, “These are the ^[bn]kitchens where the ministers of the ^[bo]temple shall ^(NH)boil the sacrifices of the people.”

The Healing Waters and Trees

47 Then he brought me back to the door of the ^[bp]temple; and there was ^(NI)water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. ² He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces ^(NJ)east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

³ And when ^(NK)the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. ⁴ Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. ⁵ Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. ⁶ He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

⁷ When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many ^(NL)trees on one side and the other. ⁸ Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the ^[bq]valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. ⁹ And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever ^[br]the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. ¹⁰ It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish ^(NM)of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. ¹¹ But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. ^12 (NN)Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; ^(NO)their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for ^(NP)medicine.”^[bs]

Borders of the Land^(NQ)

¹³ Thus says the Lord God: “These are the ^(NR)borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. ^(NS)Joseph shall have two portions. ¹⁴ You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I ^(NT)raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall ^(NU)fall to you as your inheritance.

¹⁵ “This shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea, by ^(NV)the road to Hethlon, as one goes to ^(NW)Zedad, ^16 (NX)Hamath, ^(NY)Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran). ¹⁷ Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea to ^(NZ)Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.

¹⁸ “On the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea. This is the east side.

¹⁹ “The south side, toward the ^[bt]South, shall be from Tamar to ^(OA)the waters of ^[bu]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south side, toward the South.

²⁰ “The west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side.

²¹ “Thus you shall ^(OB)divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ²² It shall be that you will divide it by ^(OC)lot as an inheritance for yourselves, ^(OD)and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. ^(OE)They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. ²³ And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God.

Division of the Land

48 “Now these are the names of the tribes: ^(OF)From the northern border along the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one section for ^(OG)Dan from its east to its west side; ² by the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(OH)Asher; ³ by the border of Asher, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(OI)Naphtali; ⁴ by the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(OJ)Manasseh; ⁵ by the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(OK)Ephraim; ⁶ by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(OL)Reuben; ⁷ by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(OM)Judah; ⁸ by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be ^(ON)the district which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east side to the west, with the ^(OO)sanctuary in the center.

⁹ “The district that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. ¹⁰ To these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center. ^11 (OP)It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, ^(OQ)as the Levites went astray. ¹² And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a thing most ^(OR)holy by the border of the Levites.

¹³ “Opposite the border of the priests, the ^(OS)Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. ^14 (OT)And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

^15 (OU)“The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be ^(OV)for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. ¹⁶ These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred. ¹⁷ The common-land of the city shall be: to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two hundred and fifty. ¹⁸ The rest of the length, alongside the district of the holy section, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west. It shall be adjacent to the district of the holy section, and its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. ^19 (OW)The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. ²⁰ The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.

^21 (OX)“The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy district and of the city’s property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy district, ^(OY)and the sanctuary of the ^[bv]temple shall be in the center. ²² Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of ^(OZ)Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

²³ “As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin shall have one section; ²⁴ by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, ^(PA)Simeon shall have one section; ²⁵ by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west, ^(PB)Issachar shall have one section; ²⁶ by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west, ^(PC)Zebulun shall have one section; ²⁷ by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, ^(PD)Gad shall have one section; ²⁸ by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the ^[bw]South, the border shall be from Tamar to ^(PE)the waters of ^[bx]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the ^(PF)Great Sea. ^29 (PG)This is the land which you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions,” says the Lord God.

The Gates of the City and Its Name

³⁰ “These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits ^31 (PH)(the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; ³² on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; ³³ on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; ³⁴ on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. ³⁵ All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; ^(PI)and the name of the city from that day shall be: ^(PJ)THE^[by] LORD IS THERE.”