Ezekiel 48

1 “Here is a list of the tribes of Israel [and the territory that each tribe is to receive]: [The tribe of] Dan will be allotted land at the northern boundary [of Israel]: It will extend east from the Mediterranean Sea east to Hethlon [city], then from there to Hamath Pass, and on to [the town of] Hazar-Enan south of Damascus, between Damascus and Hamath. The tribe of Dan will receive land on the northern border [of Israel] from the eastern end [of the country] west to the [Mediterranean] Sea.

Now these are the names of the tribes: At the edge, on the north side, along the road on the way to Chethlon, as far as Chamath, Chazar-'enan, the boundary of Damascus northward, alongside of Chamath, there shall be from the east side to the west for Dan one portion.

2 South of their land will be the territory [for the tribe] of Asher.

And by the boundary of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, for Asher one portion.

3 South of their land will be the territory [for the tribe] of Naphtali.

And by the boundary of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, for Naphtali one portion.

4 South of their land will be the territory [for the tribe] of Manasseh.

And by the boundary of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, for Menasseh one portion.

5 South of their land will be the territory [for the tribe] of Ephraim.

And by the boundary of Menasseh, from the east side unto the west side, for Ephraim one portion.

6 South of their land will be the territory [for the tribe] of Reuben.

And by the boundary of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, for Reuben one portion.

7 South of their land will be the territory [for the tribe] of Judah.

And by the boundary of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, for Judah one portion.

8 South of their land will be an area set apart for special use. The temple will be in the center of that area.

And by the boundary of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the oblation which ye shall set aside of five and twenty thousand rods 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 midst of it.

9 It must be (8.3 miles/13.3 km.) long and (6.7 miles/10.6 km.) wide.

The oblation that ye shall set aside unto the Lord shall be in length five and twenty thousand [rods], and in breadth ten thousand.

10 For the priests, there must be a strip of land (8.3 miles/13.3 km.) long and (3.3 miles/5.3 km.) wide. The temple will be in the center of that area.

And to these shall belong the holy oblation, —namely to the priests, toward the north, five and twenty thousand rods [in length], and on the west ten thousand in breadth, and on the east ten thousand in breadth, and on the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst of it.

11 That area is for the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They are ones who served me faithfully and did not turn away from me, like most of the descendants of Levi and the other Israeli people did.

Unto 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.

12 When the land is distributed, that area must be given to the priests; it is land that is very sacred. It will be next to the land that will be given to the other descendants of Levi.

To them shall thus belong the portion set aside of the oblation of the land as a most holy thing by the boundary of the Levites.

13 The land that will be allotted to the [other] descendants of Levi will be the same size as the land allotted to the priests. So together, those two portions of land will be (8.3 miles/13.3 km.) long and (6.6 miles/10.6 km.) wide.

And the Levites shall have alongside the boundary of the priests five and twenty thousand rods in length, and in breadth ten thousand; the whole in length five and twenty thousand, and in breadth ten thousand.

14 None of this special land will ever be permitted to be sold or traded or used by other people, because it belongs to me, Yahweh. It is set apart for me.

But they shall not sell aught thereof, or exchange, or alienate this first portion of the land; for it is holy unto the Lord.

15 The rest [of that sacred area, a strip of land] (8.3 miles/13.3 km.) long and (1.7 miles/2.65 km.) wide will be allotted for other people to use. It will be land where they will be permitted to build homes and have pasturelands. There will be a city at the center.

And the five thousand rods, that are left in the breadth, with a length of five and twenty thousand, shall be an unconsecrated land for the city, for dwelling, and for an open space: and the city shall be in the midst thereof.

16 The city will be square, (1.5 miles/2.4 km.) on each side.

And these shall be its measures: The north side four thousand and five hundred [rods], and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.

17 Around the city there will be an area for farming, that will be (150 yards/135 meters) in each direction.

And the open space of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty [rods], and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.

18 Outside the city, to the east and to the west, there will be a farming area. It will extend (3 miles/4.8 km.) to the east and (3 miles/4.8 km.) to the west. [Men who work there] will produce food for the people who work in the city.

And the produce of the residue in length alongside the holy oblation ten thousand rods eastward, and ten thousand westward, that which is alongside the holy oblation, shall be for food unto the laborers of the city.

19 [Some of] those who come from the various Israeli tribes to work in the city may also work on the farmland.

And the laborers of the city, men taken out of all the tribes of Israel, shall till it.

20 That entire special area, including the sacred lands and the city, will be a square that is (8.3 miles/13.3 km.) on each side.

All the oblation, five and twenty thousand [rods] by five and twenty thousand square, shall ye set apart as the holy oblation, with the possession of the city.

21 The areas to the east and to the west of the sacred area and the city will belong to the king. One area will extend east to the eastern boundary of Israel and the other will extend west to the Mediterranean Sea. The sacred area in which the temple is located will be in the middle.

And the residue shall belong to the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, alongside of the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the eastern boundary, and westward alongside the five and twenty thousand toward the western boundary, alongside the portions [of the tribes]; for the prince [shall it be]: and so shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof.

22 The area that belongs to the king will be between the land [of the tribe] of [to the north] and the land [of the tribe] of Benjamin [to the south].

And both the possession of the Levites, and the possession of the city, shall be in the midst of that which belongeth to the prince: between the boundary of Judah and the boundary of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.

23 South of that special area, each of the other tribes must be allotted one portion of land that extends from the eastern [boundary of Israel] west [to the Mediterranean Sea]. [Beginning at the north] will be land for [the tribe of] Benjamin.

As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, shall be for Benjamin one portion.

24 South of their land will be the territory for [the tribe of] Simeon.

And by the boundary of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, for Simeon one portion.

25 South of their land will be the territory for [the tribe of] Issachar.

And by the boundary of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, for Issachar one portion.

26 South of their land will be the territory for [the tribe of] Zebulun.

And by the boundary of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, for Zebulun one portion.

27 South of their land will be the territory for [the tribe of] Gad.

And by the boundary of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, for Gad one portion.

28 The southern boundary of [the tribe of] Gad will extend south from Tamar to the springs at Meribah-Kadesh, and from there [to the west] along the dry riverbed at the border of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.

And by the boundary of Gad, on the southern side toward the south, shall be the boundary from Thamar unto the waters of contention of Kadesh, unto the brook by the Great Sea.

29 That is the land that you must allot to the tribes of Israel, to belong to them permanently. [That is what I], Yahweh the Lord, declare.”

This is the land which ye shall divide by lot for an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these are their allotted divisions, saith the Lord Eternal.

30 These will be the exits from the city: On the north side, which will be (1.5 miles/2.4 km.) long,

And these are the outlines of the city: On the north side, five hundred and four thousand rods, by the measure.

31 there must be three gates; each one will have the name of one of the tribes of Israel. The first one will be named for Reuben, the next for Judah, the next for Levi.

And of the gates of the city, being after the names of the tribes of Israel, shall be three gates on the north: the gate of Reuben one, the gate of Judah one, the gate of Levi one.

32 On the east side, [also] (1.5 miles/2.4 km.) long, will be gates named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan.

And on the east side, five hundred and four thousand rods, with three gates: namely, the gate of Joseph one, the gate of Benjamin one, the gate of Dan one.

33 On the south side, [also] (1.5 miles/2.4 km.) long, will be gates named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun.

And the south side, five hundred and four thousand rode by the measure, with three gates: the gate of Simeon one, the gate of Issachar one, the gate of Zebulun one.

34 On the west side, [also] (1.5 miles/2.4 km.) long, will be gates named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

The west side, five hundred and four thousand rods, with their three gates: the gate of Gad one, the gate of Asher one, the gate of Naphtali one.

35 [So] the distance around the city will thus be (6 miles/9.6 km.). And from that time on, the name of the city will be ‘Yahweh Is There’.’

All around it shall be eighteen thousand rods: and the name of the city shall be from that day “The Lord is there.”