Ezekiel 47:13–48:34

The Boundaries of the Land

¹³The Sovereign Lord said, “These are the boundaries of the land that is to be divided among the twelve tribes, with the tribe of Joseph receiving two sections.^{u 14}I solemnly promised your ancestors that I would give them possession of this land; now divide it equally among you.

¹⁵“The northern boundary runs eastwards from the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Hethlon, to Hamath Pass, to the city of Zedad,^{v 16}to the cities of Berothah and Sibraim (they are located between the territory of the kingdom of Damascus and that of the kingdom of Hamath), and to the city of Ticon (located by the border of the district of Hauran). ¹⁷So the northern boundary runs from the Mediterranean eastwards to the city of Enon, with the border regions of Damascus and Hamath to the north of it.

¹⁸“The eastern boundary runs south from a point between the territory of Damascus and that of Hauran, with the River Jordan forming the boundary between the land of Israel on the west and Gilead on the east, as far as Tamar^w on the Dead Sea.

¹⁹“The southern boundary runs south-west from Tamar to the oasis of Kadesh Meribah, and then north-west along the Egyptian border to the Mediterranean Sea.

²⁰“The western boundary is formed by the Mediterranean and runs north to a point west of Hamath Pass.

²¹“Divide this land among your tribes; ²²it is to be your permanent possession. The foreigners who are living among you and who have had children born here are also to receive their share of the land when you divide it. They are to be treated like full Israelite citizens and are to draw lots for shares of the land along with the tribes of Israel. ²³Foreign residents will receive their share with the people of the tribe among whom they are living. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.”

The Division of the Land among the Tribes

48The northern boundary of the land runs eastwards from the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Hethlon, to Hamath Pass, to the city of Enon, to the boundary between the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. Each tribe is to receive one section of land extending from the eastern boundary westwards to the Mediterranean Sea,^x in the following order from north to south:

Dan;

Asher;

Naphtali;

Manasseh;

Ephraim;

Reuben;

Judah.

The Special Section in the Centre of the Land

⁸The next section of the land is to be set apart for special use. It is to be twelve and a half kilometres wide from north to south, and the same length from east to west as the sections given to the tribes. The Temple will be in this section.

⁹In the centre of this section, a special area twelve and a half kilometres by ten kilometres^y is to be dedicated to the Lord. ¹⁰The priests are to have a portion of this holy area. From east to west their portion is to measure twelve and a half kilometres, and from north to south, five kilometres. The Temple of the Lord is to be in the middle of this area. ¹¹This holy area is to be for the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They served me faithfully and did not join the rest of the Israelites in doing wrong, as the other members of the tribe of Levi did. ¹²So they are to have a special area next to the area belonging to the Levites, and it will be the holiest of all. ¹³The Levites also are to have a special area, south of that of the priests. It too is to be twelve and a half kilometres from east to west, by five kilometres from north to south. ¹⁴The area dedicated to the Lord is the best part of all the land, and none of it may be sold or exchanged or transferred to anyone else. It is holy and belongs to the Lord.

¹⁵The part of the special area that is left, twelve and a half kilometres by two and a half kilometres, is not holy, but is for the general use of the people. They may live there and use the land. The city is to be in the centre of it, ¹⁶and it will be a square, measuring 2,250 metres on each side. ¹⁷All round the city on each side there will be an open space 125 metres across. ¹⁸The land that is left after the city has been built in the area immediately to the south of the holy area—five kilometres by two and a half kilometres on the east and five kilometres by two and a half kilometres on the west—is to be used as farm land by the people who live in the city. ¹⁹Anyone who lives in the city, no matter which tribe he comes from, may farm that land.

²⁰And so the total area in the centre of the section which was set apart will be a square measuring twelve and a half kilometres on each side, and it will include the area occupied by the city.

^21–22To the east and to the west of this area which contains the Temple, the priests’ land, the Levites’ land, and the city, the remaining land belongs to the ruling prince. It extends eastwards to the eastern boundary and westwards to the Mediterranean Sea, and is bounded on the north by the section belonging to Judah and on the south by the section belonging to Benjamin.

Land for the Other Tribes

^23–27South of this special section, each of the remaining tribes is to receive one section of land running from the eastern boundary westwards to the Mediterranean Sea, in the following order from north to south:

Benjamin;

Simeon;

Issachar;

Zebulun;

Gad.

²⁸On the south side of the portion given to the tribe of Gad, the boundary runs south-west from Tamar to the oasis of Kadesh, and then north-west along the Egyptian border to the Mediterranean Sea.

²⁹The Sovereign Lord said, “That is the way the land is to be divided into sections for the tribes of Israel to possess.”

The Gates of Jerusalem

^30–34*There are twelve entrances to the city of Jerusalem. Each of the four walls measures 2,250 metres and has three gates in it, each named after one of the tribes. The gates in the north wall are named after Reuben, Judah, and Levi; those in the east wall, after Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; those in the south wall, after Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun; and those in the west wall are named after Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.