Ezekiel 47-48

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 47

The Wonderful Stream.^{[a] 1} Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and there! I saw water flowing out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east. The water flowed out toward the right side of the temple to the south of the altar.^{(A) 2} He brought me by way of the north gate and around the outside to the outer gate facing east; there I saw water trickling from the southern side. ³ When he continued eastward with a measuring cord in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and had me wade through the water; it was ankle-deep. ⁴ He measured off another thousand cubits and once more had me wade through the water; it was up to the knees. He measured another thousand cubits and had me wade through the water; it was up to my waist. ⁵ Once more he measured off a thousand cubits. Now it was a river I could not wade across. The water had risen so high, I would have to swim—a river that was impassable. ⁶ Then he asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?” He brought me to the bank of the river and had me sit down. ⁷ As I was returning, I saw along the bank of the river a great many trees on each side.^{(B) 8} He said to me, “This water flows out into the eastern district, runs down into the Arabah and empties into the polluted waters of the sea^[b] to freshen them.^{(C) 9} Wherever it flows, the river teems with every kind of living creature; fish will abound. Where these waters flow they refresh; everything lives where the river goes. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand along its shore from En-gedi to En-eglaim;^[c] it will become a place for drying nets, and it will abound with as many kinds of fish as the Great Sea.^{(D) 11} Its marshes and swamps shall not be made fresh, but will be left for salt. ¹² Along each bank of the river every kind of fruit tree will grow; their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fresh fruit because the waters of the river flow out from the sanctuary. Their fruit is used for food, and their leaves for healing.”^(E)

The New Israel

Boundaries of the Land.^{[d] 13} Thus says the Lord God: These are the boundaries of the land which you shall apportion among the twelve tribes of Israel, with Joseph having two portions.^{(F) 14} You shall apportion it equally because I swore to give it to your ancestors as a heritage; this land, then, is your heritage.^{(G) 15 (H)}These are the borders of the land: on the northern side, from the Great Sea in the direction of Hethlon, Lebo-hamath to Zedad, ¹⁶ Berothah, and Sibraim, along the frontiers of Damascus and Hamath, to Hazar-enon, on the border of Hauran.^{(I) 17} Thus the border extends from the sea to Hazar-enon, north of the border of Damascus, the frontier of Hamath to the north. This is the northern boundary. ¹⁸ The eastern border shall be between Damascus and Hauran, while the Jordan will form the border between Gilead and the land of Israel down to the eastern sea as far as Tamar. This is the eastern boundary. ¹⁹ The southern border shall go southward from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, on to the Wadi of Egypt, and into the Great Sea. This is the southern boundary.^{(J) 20} The western border shall have the Great Sea as a boundary as far as a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This is the western boundary.

The Northern Portions. ²¹ You shall divide this land according to the tribes of Israel. ^22 (K)You shall allot it as heritage for yourselves and for the resident aliens in your midst who have fathered children among you. You shall treat them like native Israelites; along with you they shall receive a heritage among the tribes of Israel. ²³ In whatever tribe the resident alien lives, there you shall assign his heritage—oracle of the Lord God.

Chapter 48

¹ These are the names^[e] of the tribes:

At the northern end, along the side of the way to Hethlon, Lebo-hamath, and Hazar-enon, the border of Damascus, and northward up to the frontier with Hamath, from the eastern border to the western: Dan, one portion. ² Along the territory of Dan from the eastern border to the western border: Asher, one portion.^{(L) 3} Along the territory of Asher from the eastern border to the western border: Naphtali, one portion.^{(M) 4} Along the territory of Naphtali from the eastern border to the western border: Manasseh, one portion.^{(N) 5} Along the territory of Manasseh from the eastern border to the western border: Ephraim, one portion.^{(O) 6} Along the territory of Ephraim from the eastern border to the western border: Reuben, one portion.^{(P) 7} Along the territory of Reuben from the eastern border to the western border: Judah, one portion.^(Q)

The Sacred Tract. ⁸ Along the territory of Judah from the eastern border to the western border is the tract you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits wide and as long as one of the portions from the eastern border to the western border. The sanctuary shall stand in the center of the tract. ⁹ The tract you set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits long by twenty thousand wide. ¹⁰ The sacred tract will be given to the following: the priests shall have twenty-five thousand cubits on the north, ten thousand on the west, ten thousand on the east, and twenty-five thousand on the south. The sanctuary of the Lord shall be in its center. ¹¹ The consecrated priests, the Zadokites, who fulfilled my service and did not stray with the Israelites as the Levites did, ¹² shall have their own tract set apart, next to the territory of the Levites, separate from the most holy tract. ¹³ The Levites shall have territory corresponding to that of the priests, twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand cubits wide. The whole tract shall be twenty-five thousand cubits long and twenty thousand wide. ¹⁴ They may not sell or exchange or transfer any of it, the best part of the land, for it is sacred to the Lord. ¹⁵ The remaining section, five thousand cubits long and twenty-five thousand cubits wide, is profane land, assigned to the city for dwellings and pasture. The city is at its center. ¹⁶ These are the dimensions of the city: the north side, forty-five hundred cubits; the south side, forty-five hundred cubits; the east side, forty-five hundred cubits; and the west side, forty-five hundred cubits.^{(R) 17} The pasture land for the city extends north two hundred fifty cubits, south two hundred fifty cubits, east two hundred fifty cubits, and west two hundred fifty cubits. ¹⁸ The remaining section runs eastward along the sacred tract for ten thousand cubits and westward ten thousand cubits. Its produce shall provide food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. ²⁰ The entire sacred tract measures twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand cubits; as a square you shall set apart the sacred tract together with the city property.

²¹ The remaining land on both sides of the sacred tract and the property of the city shall belong to the prince, extending eastward twenty-five thousand cubits up to the eastern boundary, and westward twenty-five thousand cubits to the western boundary. This portion belongs to the prince and corresponds to the tribal portions. The sacred tract and the sanctuary of the temple shall be in the middle. ²² Except for the Levites’ property and the city’s property, which are in the middle of the prince’s property, the territory between the portion of Judah and the portion of Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

The Southern Portions. ²³ These are the remaining tribes:

From the eastern border to the western border: Benjamin, one portion.^{(S) 24} Along the territory of Benjamin from the eastern border to the western border: Simeon, one portion.^{(T) 25} Along the territory of Simeon from the eastern border to the western border: Issachar, one portion.^{(U) 26} Along the territory of Issachar from the eastern border to the western border: Zebulun, one portion.^{(V) 27} Along the territory of Zebulun from the eastern border to the western border: Gad, one portion.^{(W) 28} Along the territory of Gad shall be the southern border. This boundary shall extend from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and along the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea. ²⁹ This is the land you shall apportion as a heritage among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions—oracle of the Lord God.

The Gates of the City. ³⁰ These are the exits from the city: On the north side, measuring forty-five hundred cubits— ³¹ the gates are named after the tribes of Israel—on the north, three gates: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; and the gate of Levi, one. ³² On the east side, measuring forty-five hundred cubits, three gates: the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; and the gate of Dan, one. ³³ On the south side, measuring forty-five hundred cubits, three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; and the gate of Zebulun, one. ³⁴ On the west side, measuring forty-five hundred cubits, three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; and the gate of Naphtali, one.^{(X) 35} The circuit of the city shall be eighteen thousand cubits. From now on the name of the city is “The Lord is there.”^(Y)