Ezekiel 47:1–12

The Healing Waters and Trees

47Then he brought me back to the door of the ¹temple; and there was ^awater, 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. ²He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces ^beast; and there was water, running out on the right side.

³And when ^cthe 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. ⁴Again 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. ⁵Again 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. ⁶He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

⁷When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many ^dtrees on one side and the other. ⁸Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the ²valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. ⁹And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever ³the 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. ¹⁰It 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 ^eof the Great Sea, exceedingly many. ¹¹But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. ^12fAlong the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; ^gtheir 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 ^hmedicine.” ⁴