Ezekiel 47

The Life-Giving River

47Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. ^c2Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. ³As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, ^dhe measured off a third of a mile ^eand led me through the water. It came up to my ankles. ⁴Then he measured off a third of a mile ^fand led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile ^gand led me through the water. It came up to my waist. ⁵Again he measured off a third of a mile ^h, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.

⁶He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank. ⁱ⁸He said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, ^jkthe water of the sea becomes fresh. ^l9Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, ^mand there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. ¹⁰Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. ⁿThese will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. ^o11Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt. ¹²All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. ^pEach month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine.” ^q

The Borders of the Land

¹³This is what the Lord God says: “This is ^rthe border you will use to divide the land ^sas an inheritance for the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares. ^t14You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore ^uto give it to your ancestors. ^vSo this land will fall to you as an inheritance.

¹⁵“This is to be the border of the land:

On the north side ^wit will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad, ^x16Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. ¹⁷So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border ^yof Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.

¹⁸On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. ^zThis will be the eastern side.

¹⁹On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, ^aand on to the Brook of Egypt ^bas far as the Mediterranean Sea. ^cThis will be the southern side.

²⁰On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.

²¹“You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ^d22You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you, ^ewho have fathered children among you. You will treat them ^flike native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. ²³In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will assign his inheritance there.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.