Ezekiel 45
Expanded Bible
The Land Is Divided
45 “‘When you divide the land for the Israelite tribes by throwing lots, you must give a part of the land to belong to the Lord. It will be ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·about six miles [L twenty thousand cubits] wide; all of this land will be holy. 2 From this land, an area ·eight hundred seventy-five feet [L five hundred cubits] square will be for the ·Temple [sanctuary]. There will be an open space around the Temple that is ·eighty-seven and one-half feet [L fifty cubits] wide. 3 In the holy area you will measure a part ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles wide [L ten thousand cubits], and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 This ·holy part [sacred portion] of the land will be for the priests who ·serve [minister] in the ·Temple [sanctuary], who come near to the Lord to ·serve [minister to] him. It will be a place for the priests’ houses and ·for the Temple [L a holy place for the sanctuary]. 5 Another area ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long and ·three miles wide [L ten thousand cubits] will be for the Levites, who ·serve [minister] in the Temple area. It will belong to them so they will have cities in which to live.
6 “‘You must give the city an area that is ·about one and one-half miles [L five thousand cubits] wide and ·about seven miles [L twenty-five thousand cubits] long, along the side of the holy area. It will belong to all the ·people [L house] of Israel.
7 “‘The ·ruler [prince] will have land on both sides of the holy ·area [allotment; contribution] and the city. On the west of the holy area, his land will reach to the eastern border [C apparently the Mediterranean Sea]. On the east of the holy area, his land will reach to the eastern border [C of the country]. It will be as long as the land given to each tribe. 8 Only this land will be the ruler’s ·property [possession] in Israel. So my rulers will not ·be cruel to [oppress] my people anymore [C such a large portion would keep the king from wanting to seize land, as Ahab had done (1 Kin. 21); see v. 9], but they will let each tribe in the ·nation [L house] of Israel have its share of the land.
9 “‘This is what the Lord God says: ·You have gone far enough [Enough!], you ·rulers [princes] of Israel! Stop ·being cruel and hurting people [your violence and oppression], and do what is right and ·fair [just]. Stop ·forcing my people out of their homes [evicting my people], says the Lord God. 10 You must have ·honest [just] scales, an ·honest [just] ·dry measurement [L ephah] and an ·honest [just] ·liquid measurement [L bath]. 11 The dry measure [L ephah] and the liquid measure [L bath] will be the same: The ·liquid measure [L bath] will always be a tenth of a homer [C the Hebrew means “donkey-load,” and was about five bushels of dry measure and 55 gallons of liquid measure], and the dry measure [L ephah] will always be a tenth of a homer. The ·measurement they follow [standard measure] will be the homer. 12 The shekel [C coin weighing about two-fifths of an ounce] will be worth twenty gerahs, and a mina will be worth ·sixty shekels [L twenty shekels and twenty-five shekels and fifteen shekels].
Offerings and Holy Days
13 “‘This is the ·gift [offering] you should offer: a sixth of an ephah [v. 11] from every homer [v. 11] of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah from every homer of barley. 14 The amount of oil you are to offer is a tenth of a bath [v. 11] from each cor. (Ten baths make a homer and also make a cor.) 15 You should give one sheep from each flock of two hundred from the watering places of Israel. All these are to be offered for the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] to ·remove the sins of [make atonement for] the people, says the Lord God. 16 All people in the land will give this special offering to the ·ruler [prince] of Israel. 17 It will be the ·ruler’s [prince’s] responsibility to supply the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], and drink offerings. These offerings will be given at the ·feasts [appointed festivals], at the New Moons, on the Sabbaths, and at all the other feasts of [L the house of] Israel. He will supply the ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings, and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] to pay for the sins of [L the house of] Israel.
18 “‘This is what the Lord God says: On the first day of the first month take a young bull ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. Use it to ·make the Temple pure and ready for God’s service [L purify the sanctuary]. 19 The priest will take some of the blood from this ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3] and put it on the doorposts of the ·Temple [L house], on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate to the inner courtyard. 20 You will do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned ·by accident [unintentionally] or ·without knowing it [through ignorance]. This is how you make ·the Temple pure and ready for God’s service [L atonement for the house].
Passover Feast Offerings
21 “‘On the fourteenth day of the first month you will celebrate the Feast of Passover [Ex. 12:1–20; Lev. 23:4–8; Num. 28:16–25; Deut. 16:1–5]. It will be a feast of seven days when you eat ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread]. 22 On that day the ·ruler [prince] ·must offer [will provide] a bull for himself and for all the people of the land as a ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3]. 23 During the seven days of the feast he ·must offer [will provide] seven bulls and seven ·male sheep [rams] ·that have nothing wrong with them [without blemish/defect]. They will be burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord, which the ruler will offer every day of the seven days of the feast. He must also offer a male goat every day as a ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3]. 24 The ruler ·must give [will provide] as a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] ·one-half bushel [L an ephah; v. 11] for each bull and ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] for each sheep. He must give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each half bushel.
25 “‘Beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you celebrate the ·Feast of Shelters [L Feast/Festival; Lev. 23:33–44; Num. 28:12–40], the ruler will supply the same ·things [provisions] for seven days: the ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3], burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], and the olive oil.
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