Division of the Land

48 “Now these are the names of the tribes: (A)From the northern border along the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one section for (B)Dan from its east to its west side; by the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, one section for (C)Asher; by the border of Asher, from the east side to the west, one section for (D)Naphtali; by the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for (E)Manasseh; by the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for (F)Ephraim; by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for (G)Reuben; by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one section for (H)Judah; by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be (I)the district which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east side to the west, with the (J)sanctuary in the center.

“The district that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. 10 To these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center. 11 (K)It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, (L)as the Levites went astray. 12 And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a thing most (M)holy by the border of the Levites.

13 “Opposite the border of the priests, the (N)Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. 14 (O)And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

15 (P)“The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be (Q)for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. 16 These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred. 17 The common-land of the city shall be: to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two hundred and fifty. 18 The rest of the length, alongside the district of the holy section, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west. It shall be adjacent to the district of the holy section, and its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 (R)The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. 20 The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.

21 (S)“The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy district and of the city’s property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy district, (T)and the sanctuary of the [a]temple shall be in the center. 22 Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of (U)Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

23 “As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin shall have one section; 24 by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, (V)Simeon shall have one section; 25 by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west, (W)Issachar shall have one section; 26 by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west, (X)Zebulun shall have one section; 27 by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, (Y)Gad shall have one section; 28 by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the [b]South, the border shall be from Tamar to (Z)the waters of [c]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the (AA)Great Sea. 29 (AB)This is the land which you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions,” says the Lord God.

The Gates of the City and Its Name

30 “These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits 31 (AC)(the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; 32 on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; 33 on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; 34 on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; (AD)and the name of the city from that day shall be: (AE)THE[d] LORD IS THERE.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 48:21 Lit. house
  2. Ezekiel 48:28 Heb. Negev
  3. Ezekiel 48:28 Lit. Strife
  4. Ezekiel 48:35 Heb. YHWH Shammah

Division of the Land

48 “Now these are the names of the tribes: from the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus, beside Hamath, and running from the east to the west, Dan, one portion. Beside the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one portion. Beside the border of Asher, from the east side to the west side, Naphtali, one portion. Beside the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one portion. Beside the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one portion. Beside the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west side, Reuben, one portion. Beside the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one portion.

“And beside the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the allotment and contribution of land which you shall set apart and offer, 25,000 cubits in width, and in length like one of the [tribal] portions, from the east side to the west side; and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. The allotment [of land] that you shall set apart and offer to the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in width.

Portion for the Priests

10 The holy allotment shall be for these, namely for the priests, toward the north 25,000 cubits in length, and toward the west 10,000 in width, and toward the east 10,000 in width, and toward the south 25,000 in length; and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst of it. 11 It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept My charge, and who did not go astray when the children (descendants) of Israel went astray as the [other] Levites did. 12 And this [land offering] shall be an allotment to them from the allotment of the land, a most holy portion beside the border of the [other] Levites. 13 Alongside the border of the priests, the [other] Levites shall have 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in width. The whole length shall be 25,000 cubits and the width 10,000. 14 And they shall not sell any of it or exchange it, or allow this choice portion of land to pass to others; for it is holy to the Lord.

15 “The remaining [strip of] 5,000 cubits in width and 25,000 in length shall be for the city’s common (secular) use, for a place in which to live and for open country. The city shall be in the midst of it. 16 These shall be the measurements of it: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500, and the west side 4,500.(A) 17 The city shall have open country: toward the north 250 cubits, and toward the south 250, toward the east 250, and toward the west 250. 18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment shall be 10,000 cubits to the east and 10,000 to the west; and it shall be beside the holy allotment. The produce from it shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel shall cultivate it. 20 The whole allotment shall be 25,000 by 25,000 cubits; you shall set apart the holy allotment, a square, with the property of the city.

Portion for the Prince

21 “The remainder, on both sides of the holy allotment and of the property possessed by the city, shall belong to the prince. In front of the 25,000 cubits of the allotment toward the east border and westward in front of the 25,000 toward the west border, alongside the [tribal] portions, it shall be for the prince. The holy allotment with the sanctuary of the temple shall be in the midst of it. 22 Exclusive of the property of the Levites and of the property of the city, which are in the middle of that which belongs to the prince, everything between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall be for the prince.

Portion for Other Tribes

23 “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, Benjamin, one portion. 24 Beside the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon, one portion. 25 Beside the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar, one portion. 26 Beside the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun, one portion. 27 Beside the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad, one portion. 28 And beside the border of Gad, at the south side, southward, the border shall extend from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the Brook [of Egypt], to the Great [Mediterranean] Sea. 29 This is the land which you shall divide by lot among the tribes of Israel as their inheritance, and these are their several portions,” says the Lord God.

The City Gates

30 “These are the exits of the city: on the north side, [which is to extend] 4,500 cubits by measurement, 31 there shall also be gates of the city, named after the names of the tribes of Israel, three gates toward the north: one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. 32 On the east side, 4,500 cubits, also three gates: one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. 33 On the south side, 4,500 cubits, by measurement, also three gates: one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. 34 On the west side, 4,500 cubits, three gates: one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. 35 The distance around the city shall be 18,000 (4 x 4,500) cubits; and the name of the city from that day [and ever after] shall be, ‘The Lord is There.’”(B)

Division of the Land

48 “Here is the list of the tribes of Israel and the territory each is to receive. The territory of Dan is in the extreme north. Its boundary line follows the Hethlon road to Lebo-hamath and then runs on to Hazar-enan on the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the north. Dan’s territory extends all the way across the land of Israel from east to west.

“Asher’s territory lies south of Dan’s and also extends from east to west. Naphtali’s land lies south of Asher’s, also extending from east to west. Then comes Manasseh south of Naphtali, and its territory also extends from east to west. South of Manasseh is Ephraim, and then Reuben, and then Judah, all of whose boundaries extend from east to west.

“South of Judah is the land set aside for a special purpose. It will be 8 1⁄3 miles[a] wide and will extend as far east and west as the tribal territories, with the Temple at the center.

“The area set aside for the Lord’s Temple will be 8 1⁄3 miles long and 6 2⁄3 miles wide.[b] 10 For the priests there will be a strip of land measuring 8 1⁄3 miles long by 3 1⁄3 miles wide,[c] with the Lord’s Temple at the center. 11 This area is set aside for the ordained priests, the descendants of Zadok who served me faithfully and did not go astray with the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites. 12 It will be their special portion when the land is distributed, the most sacred land of all. Next to the priests’ territory will lie the land where the other Levites will live.

13 “The land allotted to the Levites will be the same size and shape as that belonging to the priests—8 1⁄3 miles long and 3 1⁄3 miles wide. Together these portions of land will measure 8 1⁄3 miles long by 6 2⁄3 miles wide.[d] 14 None of this special land may ever be sold or traded or used by others, for it belongs to the Lord; it is set apart as holy.

15 “An additional strip of land 8 1⁄3 miles long by 1 2⁄3 miles wide,[e] south of the sacred Temple area, will be allotted for public use—homes, pasturelands, and common lands, with a city at the center. 16 The city will measure 1 1⁄2 miles[f] on each side—north, south, east, and west. 17 Open lands will surround the city for 150 yards[g] in every direction. 18 Outside the city there will be a farming area that stretches 3 1⁄3 miles to the east and 3 1⁄3 miles to the west[h] along the border of the sacred area. This farmland will produce food for the people working in the city. 19 Those who come from the various tribes to work in the city may farm it. 20 This entire area—including the sacred lands and the city—is a square that measures 8 1⁄3 miles[i] on each side.

21 “The areas that remain, to the east and to the west of the sacred lands and the city, will belong to the prince. Each of these areas will be 8 1⁄3 miles wide, extending in opposite directions to the eastern and western borders of Israel, with the sacred lands and the sanctuary of the Temple in the center. 22 So the prince’s land will include everything between the territories allotted to Judah and Benjamin, except for the areas set aside for the sacred lands and the city.

23 “These are the territories allotted to the rest of the tribes. Benjamin’s territory lies just south of the prince’s lands, and it extends across the entire land of Israel from east to west. 24 South of Benjamin’s territory lies that of Simeon, also extending across the land from east to west. 25 Next is the territory of Issachar with the same eastern and western boundaries.

26 “Then comes the territory of Zebulun, which also extends across the land from east to west. 27 The territory of Gad is just south of Zebulun with the same borders to the east and west. 28 The southern border of Gad runs from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh[j] and then follows the Brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean.[k]

29 “These are the allotments that will be set aside for each tribe’s exclusive possession. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!

The Gates of the City

30 “These will be the exits to the city: On the north wall, which is 1 1⁄2 miles long, 31 there will be three gates, each one named after a tribe of Israel. The first will be named for Reuben, the second for Judah, and the third for Levi. 32 On the east wall, also 1 1⁄2 miles long, the gates will be named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan. 33 The south wall, also 1 1⁄2 miles long, will have gates named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun. 34 And on the west wall, also 1 1⁄2 miles long, the gates will be named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

35 “The distance around the entire city will be 6 miles.[l] And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The Lord Is There.’[m]

Footnotes

  1. 48:8 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers].
  2. 48:9 As in one Greek manuscript and the Greek reading in 45:1: 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers] long and 20,000 [cubits] [10.6 kilometers] wide; Hebrew reads 25,000 [cubits] long and 10,000 [cubits] [3 1⁄3 miles or 5.3 kilometers] wide. Similarly in 48:13b. Compare 45:1-5; 48:10-13.
  3. 48:10 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers] long by 10,000 [cubits] [5.3 kilometers] wide; also in 48:13a.
  4. 48:13 See note on 48:9.
  5. 48:15 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers] long by 5,000 [cubits] [2.65 kilometers] wide.
  6. 48:16 Hebrew 4,500 [cubits] [2.4 kilometers]; also in 48:30, 32, 33, 34.
  7. 48:17 Hebrew 250 [cubits] [133 meters].
  8. 48:18 Hebrew 10,000 [cubits] [5.3 kilometers] to the east and 10,000 [cubits] to the west.
  9. 48:20 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers]; also in 48:21.
  10. 48:28a Hebrew waters of Meribath-kadesh.
  11. 48:28b Hebrew the Great Sea.
  12. 48:35a Hebrew 18,000 [cubits] [9.6 kilometers].
  13. 48:35b Hebrew Yahweh Shammah.