Ezekiel 46–48

46The Lord and King says, “On the six working days of each week you must keep the east gate of the inner courtyard of the temple shut. But open it on Sabbath days and during New Moon Feasts. ²The prince must enter the temple area through the porch of the gateway. He must stand by the gatepost. The priests must sacrifice his burnt offering and friendship offerings. He must worship at the entrance of the gateway. Then he must leave. But the gate will not be shut until evening.

³“On Sabbath days and during New Moon Feasts the people of the land must gather together at the entrance of the temple gateway. That is where they must worship me.

⁴“The prince must bring a burnt offering to me on the Sabbath. It will be six male lambs and a ram. They must not have any flaws. ⁵He must offer a little over half a bushel of grain along with the ram. The grain he offers along with the lambs can be as much as he wants to give. He must also offer four quarts of olive oil for every half bushel of grain.

⁶“On the day of the New Moon Feast the prince must also offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram. They must not have any flaws. ⁷He must offer a little over half a bushel of grain along with the bull or ram. The grain he offers along with the lambs can be as much as he wants to give. He must also offer four quarts of olive oil for every half bushel of grain.

⁸“When the prince enters the temple area, he must go in through the porch of the gateway. He must leave the same way.

⁹“The people of the land must worship me at the appointed feasts. Those who enter through the north gate must leave through the south gate. Those who enter through the south gate must leave through the north gate. They must not leave through the same gate they entered. Each one must go out the opposite gate. ¹⁰The prince must be among them. He must go in when they go in. And he must leave when they leave.

¹¹“At the yearly feasts and other appointed feasts there must be grain offerings. The prince must offer a little over half a bushel of grain along with a bull or ram. The grain he offers along with the lambs can be as much as he wants to give. He must also offer four quarts of olive oil for every half bushel of grain. ¹²He can also bring another offering to me because he chooses to. It might be a burnt offering or friendship offering. When he brings it, the east gate must be opened for him. He will bring his offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will leave. After he has gone out, the gate must be shut.

¹³“Every day you must provide a lamb that is a year old. It must not have any flaws. It is a burnt offering to me. You must provide it every morning. ¹⁴You must also offer grain along with it every morning. Bring 13 and a third cups of grain. Also bring one and a third quarts of olive oil to make the flour a little wet. So you will give the grain offering to me. That will be a law that will last for all time to come. ¹⁵Provide the lamb, grain offering and oil every morning. They will be used for a regular burnt offering.”

¹⁶The Lord and King says, “Suppose the prince makes a gift from his share of land. And he gives it to one of his sons. Then the property will also belong to his sons after him. It will be handed down to them.

¹⁷“But suppose he makes a gift from his share of land to one of his servants. Then the servant can keep it until the Year of Jubilee. After that, it will be returned to the prince. His property can be handed down only to his sons. It belongs to them.

¹⁸“The prince must not take any share of land that belongs to the people. He must not drive them off their property. He must give his sons their share out of his own property. Then my people will not be separated from their property.”

¹⁹The man brought me through the entrance at the side of the north building. That’s where the priests’ sacred rooms were located. He showed me a place west of the building. ²⁰He said to me, “This is where the priests will cook the guilt offerings and sin offerings. They will also bake the grain offerings here. Then they will not have to bring the offerings into the outer courtyard. That will keep the people from touching the offerings and becoming holy.”

²¹Then the man brought me to the outer courtyard. He led me around to its four corners. In each corner I saw another smaller courtyard. ²²So in the four corners of the outer courtyard were walled courtyards. Each one was 70 feet long and 52 and a half feet wide. All of them were the same size. ²³Around the inside of each of the four courtyards was a stone ledge. Places for fire were built all around under each ledge. ²⁴The man said to me, “These are the kitchens. Those who serve at the temple will cook the people’s sacrifices here.”

A River Will Flow From the Temple

47The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple. I saw water flowing east from under a temple gateway. The temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple. It was flowing south of the altar.

²Then he brought me out through the north gate of the outer courtyard. He led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east. The water was flowing from the south side of the east gate.

³Then the man went toward the east. He had a measuring line in his hand. He measured off 1,750 feet. He led me through water that was up to my ankles. ⁴Then he measured off another 1,750 feet. He led me through water that was up to my knees. Then he measured off another 1,750 feet. He led me through water that was up to my waist. ⁵Then he measured off another 1,750 feet. But now it was a river that I could not go across. The water had risen so high that it was deep enough to swim in. ⁶He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷When I arrived there, I saw a large number of trees. They were on both sides of the river.

⁸The man said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern territory. It goes down into the Arabah Valley. There it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into it, the water there becomes fresh. ⁹Large numbers of creatures will live where the river flows. It will have huge numbers of fish. This water flows there and makes the salt water fresh. So where the river flows everything will live.

¹⁰“People will stand along the shore to fish. From En Gedi all the way to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading fishnets. The Dead Sea will have many kinds of fish. They will be like the fish in the Mediterranean Sea.

¹¹“But none of the swamps will have fresh water in them. They will stay salty.

¹²“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not dry up. The trees will always have fruit on them. Every month they will bear fruit. The water from the temple will flow to them. Their fruit will be used for food. And their leaves will be used for healing.”

The Borders of the Land

¹³The Lord and King says, “People of Israel, here are the borders you will have after you divide up the land. Each of the 12 tribes will receive a share. But the family of Joseph will have two shares. ¹⁴Divide the land into equal parts. Long ago I raised my hand and took an oath. I promised to give the land to your people. So all of it will belong to you.

¹⁵“Here are the borders of the land.

“On the north side the border will start at the Mediterranean Sea. It will go by the Hethlon road past Lebo Hamath. Then it will continue on to Zedad, ¹⁶Berothah and Sibraim. Sibraim is between Damascus and Hamath. The border will reach all the way to Hazer Hatticon. It is right next to Hauran. ¹⁷The border will go from the sea to Hazar Enan. It will run north of Damascus and south of Hamath. That will be the north border.

¹⁸“On the east side the border will run between Hauran and Damascus. It will continue along the Jordan River between Gilead and the land of Israel. It will reach to the Dead Sea and all the way to Tamar. That will be the east border.

¹⁹“On the south side the border will start at Tamar. It will reach all the way to the waters of Meribah Kadesh. Then it will run along the Wadi of Egypt. It will end at the Mediterranean Sea. That will be the south border.

²⁰“On the west side, the Mediterranean Sea will be the border. It will go to a point across from Lebo Hamath. That will be the west border.

²¹“You must divide up this land among yourselves. Do it based on the number of men in your tribes. ²²Each of the tribes must receive a share of the land.

“You must also give some land to the outsiders who have settled among you and who have children. Treat them as if they had been born in Israel. Let them have some land among your tribes. ²³Outsiders can settle in any tribe. There you must give them their share,” announces the Lord and King.

The Land Will Be Divided Up

48“Here are the tribes. They are listed by their names. Dan will receive one share of land. It will be at the northern border of Israel. The border will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath. Hazar Enan will be part of the border. So will the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath. Dan’s northern border will run from east to west.

²“Asher will receive one share. It will border the territory of Dan from east to west.

³“Naphtali will receive one share. It will border the territory of Asher from east to west.

⁴“Manasseh will receive one share. It will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.

⁵“Ephraim will receive one share. It will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west.

⁶“Reuben will receive one share. It will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.

⁷“Judah will receive one share. It will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.

⁸“You must give one share as a special gift to me. It will border the territory of Judah from east to west. It will be eight and a fourth miles wide. It will be as long as the border of each of the territories of the tribes. Its border will run from east to west. The temple will be in the center of that strip of land.

⁹“Give that…