- In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was smitten, in the selfsame day, the hand of the Lord was upon me and brought me there. In the visions of God he brought me into the land of Israel and set me upon a very high mountain by which was as the frame of a city on the south, and he brought me there.
- And behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed, and he stood in the gate. And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you. For the intent that I might show them unto you are you brought here. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.
- And behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits long, by the cubit and a hand breadth. So he measured the breadth of the building, one reed, and the height, one reed. Then came he unto the gate which looks toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad, and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad.
- And every little chamber was one reed long and one reed broad, and between the little chambers were five cubits. And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed. He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed. Then he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits, and the posts thereof, two cubits. And the porch of the gate was inward.
- And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side and three on that side. They three were of one measure, and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits, and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side. And the little chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side. He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another; the breadth was twenty-five cubits, door against door.
- He made also posts of sixty cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate. And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits. And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches and windows were round about inward. And upon each post were palm trees.
- Then he brought me into the outward court, and behold, there were chambers and a pavement made for the court round about. Thirty chambers were upon the pavement. And the pavement by the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates, was the lower pavement. Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court outside, a hundred cubits eastward and northward.
- And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof and the breadth thereof, and the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side. And the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits. And their windows and their arches and their palm trees were after the measure of the gate that looks toward the east, and they went up unto it by seven steps. And the arches thereof were before them. And the gate of the inner court was opposite the gate toward the north, and toward the east. And he measured from gate to gate a hundred cubits.
- After that, he brought me toward the south, and behold, a gate toward the south. And he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures. And there were windows in it, and in the arches thereof round about like those windows; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits. And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them. And it had palm trees, one on this side and another on that side, upon the posts thereof. And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south, and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits.
- And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate. And he measured the south gate according to these measures, and the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof according to these measures. And there were windows in it, and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits broad, and the arches round about were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad. And the arches thereof were toward the outer court, and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, and the ascent to it had eight steps.
- And he brought me into the inner court toward the east, and he measured the gate according to these measures, and the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof were according to these measures. And there were windows therein, and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits broad. And the arches thereof were toward the outward court, and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side and on that side, and the ascent to it had eight steps.
- And he brought me to the north gate and measured it according to these measures, the little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about; the length was fifty cubits and the breadth twenty-five cubits. And the posts thereof were toward the outer court, and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side and on that side, and the ascent to it had eight steps. And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates where they washed the burnt offering.
- And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering. And at the side outside, as one goes up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables, and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables. Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side — by the side of the gate, eight tables — whereupon they slew their sacrifices. And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and a half long and a cubit and a half broad and one cubit high, whereupon also they laid the instruments with which they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice. And within were hooks, a hand broad, fastened round about; and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
- And outside the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court which was at the side of the north gate, and their prospect was toward the south — one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north. And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests — the keepers of the charge of the house. And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests — the keepers of the charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi who come near to the Lord to minister unto him.
- So he measured the court — a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, square — and the altar that was before the house. And he brought me to the porch of the house and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side. And the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side. The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits. And he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it, and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side and another on that side.
- Afterward, he brought me to the temple and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. And the breadth of the door was ten cubits, and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side and five cubits on the other side. And he measured the length thereof, forty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits. Then went he inward and measured the post of the door, two cubits, and the door, six cubits, and the breadth of the door, seven cubits. So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple. And he said unto me, This is the most holy place.
- After, he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side. And the side chambers were three, one over another and thirty in order, and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold; but they had not hold in the wall of the house. And there was an enlarging and a winding about still upward to the side chambers, for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house. Therefore, the breadth of the house was still upward and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the middle.
- I saw also the height of the house round about. The foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. The thickness of the wall which was for the side chamber outside was five cubits, and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within. And between the chambers was the width of twenty cubits round about the house on every side. And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north and another door toward the south, and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about.
- Now the building that was before the separate place, at the end toward the west, was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits. So he measured the house, a hundred cubits long, and the separate place and the building with the walls thereof, a hundred cubits long; also, the breadth of the face of the house and of the separate place toward the east, a hundred cubits. And he measured the length of the building facing the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, a hundred cubits.
- With the inner temple and the porches of the court, the thresholds and the narrow windows and the galleries round about on their three stories, opposite the door, paneled with wood round about and from the ground up to the windows (and the windows were covered), to that above the door, even unto the inner house and outside, and by all the wall round about, within and without, by measure; and it was made with cherubim and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub. And every cherub had two faces, so that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side; it was made through all the house round about. From the ground unto above the door were cherubim and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple.
- The doorposts of the temple were squared, and the face of the sanctuary, the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other. The altar of wood was three cubits high and the length thereof two cubits, and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof were of wood. And he said unto me, This is the table that is before the Lord.
- And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves: two leaves for the one door and two leaves for the other door. And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubim and palm trees like were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch outside. And there were narrow windows, and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.
- Then he brought me forth into the outer court, the way toward the north. And he brought me into the chamber that was opposite the separate place and which was before the building toward the north. Before the length of a hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits. Opposite the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and opposite the pavement which was for the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit, and their doors toward the north. Now the upper chambers were shorter, for the galleries were higher than these — than the lower and than the middlemost of the building — for they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts. Therefore, the building was narrowed more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground. And the wall that was outside, opposite the chambers toward the outer court, on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits. For the length of the chambers that were in the outer court was fifty cubits, and behold, before the temple were a hundred cubits. And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.
- The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separate place and opposite the building. And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they and as broad as they, and all their exits were both according to their fashions and according to their doors. And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one enters into them.
- Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers which are before the separate place, they are holy chambers where the priests that approach unto the Lord shall eat the most holy things. There shall they lay the most holy things, and the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy. When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister, for they are holy, and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people.
- Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east and measured it round about. He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds with the measuring reed round about. He measured the north side, five hundred reeds with the measuring reed round about. He measured the south side, five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. He turned about to the west side and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. He measured it by the four sides. It had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the common place.
- Afterward, he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east, and his voice was like a noise of many waters, and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar. And I fell upon my face, and the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
- And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house (and the man stood by me), and he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile — neither they nor their kings — by their whoredom, nor by the carcasses of their kings in their high places. In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their doorpost by my doorposts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed; wherefore, I have consumed them in my anger. Now let them put away their whoredom and the carcasses of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
- You son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. And let them measure the pattern, and if they are ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house and the fashion thereof, and the exits thereof, and the entrances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof; and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
- This is the law of the house: upon the top of the mountain, the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
- And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits (the cubit is a cubit and a hand breadth): even the bottom shall be a cubit and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span; and this shall be the higher place of the altar. And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser ledge even to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. So the altar shall be four cubits. And from the altar and upward shall be four horns. And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit, and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about, and his stairs shall look toward the east.
- And he said unto me, Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances of the altar, in the day when they shall make it to offer burnt offerings thereon and to sprinkle blood thereon. And you shall give to the priests — the Levites that are of the seed of Zadok who approach unto me to minister unto me, says the Lord God — a young bullock for a sin offering. And you shall take of the blood thereof and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the ledge, and upon the border round about. Thus shall you cleanse and purge it. You shall take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house outside the sanctuary.
- And on the second day, you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall cleanse the altar as they did cleanse it with the bullock. When you have made an end of cleansing it, you shall offer a young bullock without blemish and a ram out of the flock without blemish. And you shall offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
- Seven days shall you prepare every day a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bullock and a ram out of the flock without blemish. Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it, and they shall consecrate themselves. And when these days are expired, it shall be that upon the eighth day and so forward the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, says the Lord God.
- Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looks toward the east, and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened and no man shall enter in by it, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore, it shall be shut. It is for the prince — the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord. He shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
- Then he brought me the way of the north gate before the house, and I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; and I fell upon my face. And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I say unto you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and all the laws thereof. And mark well the entering in of the house with every exit of the sanctuary. And you shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O you house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, in that you have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when you offer my bread, the fat and the blood; and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. And you have not kept the charge of my holy things, but you have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. Thus says the Lord God: No stranger, uncircumcised in heart nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.
- And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, who went astray away from me after their idols, they shall even bear their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house and ministering to the house. They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, says the Lord God, and they shall bear their iniquity. And they shall not come near unto me to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things in the most holy place, but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof and for all that shall be done therein.
- But the priests the Levites — the sons of Zadok that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me — they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God. They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
- And it shall come to pass that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them while they minister in the gates of the inner court and within. They shall have linen caps upon their heads and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat. And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
- Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long. They shall only trim their heads. Neither shall any priest drink wine when they enter into the inner court. Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is divorced, but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
- And in controversy they shall stand in judgment, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. And they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my assemblies, and they shall hallow my Sabbaths. And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that has had no husband, they may defile themselves. And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. And in the day that he goes into the sanctuary, unto the inner court to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, says the Lord God.
- And it shall be unto them for an inheritance — I am their inheritance. And you shall give them no possession in Israel — I am their possession. They shall eat the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering, and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every offering of all, of every sort of your offerings, shall be the priests’. You shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in your house. The priests shall not eat of anything that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.
- Moreover, when you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an offering unto the Lord, a holy portion of the land. The length shall be the length of twenty-five thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. Of this, there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length with five hundred in breadth, square round about, and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof. And of this measure shall you measure the length of twenty-five thousand and the breadth of ten thousand, and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place. The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who shall come near to minister unto the Lord. And it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. And the twenty-five thousand of length and the ten thousand of breadth shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, have for themselves for a possession, for twenty chambers.
- And you shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad and twenty-five thousand long, alongside the offering of the holy portion. It shall be for the whole house of Israel.
- And a portion shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other side of the offering of the holy portion and of the possession of the city, before the offering of the holy portion and before the possession of the city, from the west side, westward, and from the east side, eastward. And the length shall be corresponding to one of the portions from the west border unto the east border. In the land shall be his possession in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
- Thus says the Lord God: Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel, remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice. Take away your exactions from my people, says the Lord God. You shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of a homer, and the ephah the tenth part of a homer. The measure thereof shall be after the homer. And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, fifteen shekels shall be your maneh.
- This is the offering that you shall offer: the sixth part of an ephah of a homer of wheat, and you shall give the sixth part of an ephah of a homer of barley. Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, you shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor (which is a homer of ten baths, for ten baths are a homer). And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel, for a meal offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation for them, says the Lord God. All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel. And it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and drink offerings in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the Sabbaths. In all solemnities of the house of Israel, he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meal offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
- Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, in the first day of the month, you shall take a young bullock without blemish and cleanse the sanctuary. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering and put it upon the doorposts of the house, and upon the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court. And so you shall do the seventh day of the month, for everyone that errs and for him that is simple. So shall you reconcile the house.
- In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days. Unleavened bread shall be eaten. And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering. And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily, the seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. And he shall prepare a meal offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and a hin of oil for an ephah.
- In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meal offering, and according to the oil.
- Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days, but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate outside, and shall stand by the post of the gate. And the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go forth, but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. Likewise, the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the Lord in the Sabbaths and in the new moons. And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the Lord in the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish. And the meal offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meal offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. And in the day of the new moon, it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs and a ram — they shall be without blemish. And he shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah for a bullock and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and a hin of oil to an ephah. And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
- But when the people of the land shall come before the Lord in the solemn feasts, he that enters in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate. And he that enters by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate. He shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth opposite it. And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in shall go in, and when they go forth shall go forth. And in the feasts and in the solemnities, the meal offering shall be an ephah to a bullock and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
- Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the Lord, one shall then open him the gate that looks toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go forth, and after his going forth, one shall shut the gate.
- You shall daily prepare a burnt offering unto the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it every morning. And you shall prepare a meal offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah and the third part of a hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour — a meal offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the Lord. Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meal offering, and the oil every morning for a continual burnt offering.
- Thus says the Lord God: If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons’, it shall be their possession by inheritance. But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after, it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall be his sons’ for them. Moreover, the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession, but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession, that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
- After, he brought me through the entry which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests which looked toward the north; and behold, there was a place on the two sides westward. Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meal offering, that they bear them not out into the outer court, to sanctify the people.
- Then he brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and behold, in every corner of the court, there was a court. In the four corners of the court, there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad; these four corners were of one measure. And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about. Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
- Afterward, he brought me again unto the door of the house, and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward — for the forefront of the house stood toward the east — and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house at the south side of the altar. Then he brought me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way outside unto the outer gate by the way that looks eastward; and behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
- And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters (the waters were to the ankles). Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters (the waters were to the knees). Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through (the waters were to the loins). Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass over, for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, have you seen this?
- Then he brought me and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea — which, being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that everything that lives, which moves, wherever the rivers shall come, shall live. And there shall be a very great multitude of fish because these waters shall come there, for they shall be healed. And everything shall live where the river comes. And it shall come to pass that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim. They shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceedingly many. But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
- And by the river, upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for food — whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed. It shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
- Thus says the Lord God: This shall be the border whereby you shall inherit the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel — Joseph shall have two portions, and you shall inherit it, one as well as another — concerning which I lifted up my hand to give it unto your fathers; and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.
- And this shall be the border of the land: toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon as men go to Zedad, Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), Hazar-Hatticon (which is by the border of Hauran). And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-Enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.
- And the east side you shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side.
- And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.
- The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, until a man come opposite Hamath. This is the west side.
- So shall you divide this land unto you, according to the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass that you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you who shall beget children among you, and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel. They shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass that in what tribe the stranger sojourns, there shall you give him his inheritance, says the Lord God.
- Now these are the names of the tribes: from the north end to the border of the way of Hethlon as one goes to Hamath, Hazar-Enan, the border of Damascus northward to the border of Hamath — for these are his sides east and west — a portion for Dan. And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah. And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which you shall offer of twenty-five thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side; and the sanctuary shall be in the center of it.
- The offering that you shall offer unto the Lord shall be of twenty-five thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length; and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center thereof. It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok who have kept my charge, who went not astray when the children of Israel went astray as the Levites went astray. And this offering of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy, by the border of the Levites.
- And alongside the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand in length and ten thousand in breadth. All the length shall be twenty-five thousand and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land, for it is holy unto the Lord.
- And what remains, the five thousand in the breadth by the twenty-five thousand, shall be a common place for the city, for dwelling and for suburbs; and the city shall be in the middle thereof. And these shall be the measures thereof: the north side, four thousand five hundred, and the south side, four thousand five hundred, and on the east side, four thousand five hundred, and the west side, four thousand five hundred.
- And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north, two hundred fifty, and toward the south, two hundred fifty, and toward the east, two hundred fifty, and toward the west, two hundred fifty. And the residue in length alongside the offering of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward and ten thousand westward, and it shall be alongside the offering of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel. All the offering shall be twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand. You shall offer the holy offering square with the possession of the city.
- And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy offering and of the possession of the city — alongside the twenty-five thousand of the offering, toward the east border, and westward alongside the twenty-five thousand, toward the west border, alongside the portions for the prince. And it shall be the holy offering, and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the center thereof. Moreover, from the possession of the Levites and from the possession of the city, being in the center of that which is the prince’s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.
- As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.
- This is the land which you shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, says the Lord God.
- And these are the exits of the city. On the north side, four thousand five hundred measures (and the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel), three gates northward: one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east side, four thousand five hundred, and three gates: and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at the south side, four thousand five hundred measures, and three gates: one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. At the west side, four thousand five hundred, with their three gates: one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
- It was round about eighteen thousand measures, and the name of the city from that day shall be called holy, for the Lord shall be there.
Chapter 21