Ezekiel 48

The Sanctuary of God at the Center

1 "These are the tribes: "Dan: one portion, along the northern boundary, following the Hethlon road that turns off to the entrance of Hamath as far as Hazor-enon so that the territory of Damascus lies to the north alongside Hamath, the northern border stretching from east to west.2 "Asher: one portion, bordering Dan from east to west.

3  "Naphtali: one portion, bordering Asher from east to west.

4  "Manasseh: one portion, bordering Naphtali from east to west.

5  "Ephraim: one portion, bordering Manasseh from east to west.

6  "Reuben: one portion, bordering Ephraim from east to west.

7  "Judah: one portion, bordering Reuben from east to west.

8-9  "Bordering Judah from east to west is the consecrated area that you will set aside as holy: a square approximately seven by seven miles, with the Sanctuary set at the center. The consecrated area reserved for God is to be seven miles long and a little less than three miles wide.

10-12  "This is how it will be parceled out. The priest will get the area measuring seven miles on the north and south boundaries, with a width of a little more than three miles at the east and west boundaries. The Sanctuary of God will be at the center. This is for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites who stayed true in their service to me and didn't get off track as the Levites did when Israel wandered off the main road. This is their special gift, a gift from the land itself, most holy ground, bordering the section of the Levites.

13-14  "The Levites get a section equal in size to that of the priests, roughly seven by three miles. They are not permitted to sell or trade any of it. It's the choice part of the land, to say nothing of being holy to God.

15-19  "What's left of the 'sacred square'—each side measures out at seven miles by a mile and a half—is for ordinary use: the city and its buildings with open country around it, but the city at the center. The north, south, east, and west sides of the city are each about a mile and a half in length. A strip of pasture, one hundred twenty-five yards wide, will border the city on all sides. The remainder of this portion, three miles of countryside to the east and to the west of the sacred precinct, is for farming. It will supply food for the city. Workers from all the tribes of Israel will serve as field hands to farm the land.

20  "This dedicated area, set apart for holy purposes, will be a square, seven miles by seven miles, a 'holy square,' which includes the part set aside for the city.

21-22  "The rest of this land, the country stretching east to the Jordan and west to the Mediterranean from the seven-mile sides of the 'holy square,' belongs to the prince. His land is sandwiched between the tribal portions north and south, and goes out both east and west from the 'sacred square' with its Temple at the center. The land set aside for the Levites on one side and the city on the other is in the middle of the territory assigned to the prince. The 'sacred square' is flanked east and west by the prince's land and bordered on the north and south by the territories of Judah and Benjamin, respectively.

23  "And then the rest of the tribes:
"Benjamin: one portion, stretching from the eastern to the western boundary.

24  "Simeon: one portion, bordering Benjamin from east to west.

25  "Issachar: one portion, bordering Simeon from east to west.

26  "Zebulun: one portion, bordering Issachar from east to west.

27  "Gad: one portion, bordering Zebulun from east to west.

28  "The southern boundary of Gad will run south from Tamar to the waters of Meribah-kadesh, along the Brook of Egypt and then out to the Great Mediterranean Sea.

29  "This is the land that you are to divide up among the tribes of Israel as their inheritance. These are their portions." Decree of God, the Master.

30-31  "These are the gates of the city. On the north side, which is 2,250 yards long (the gates of the city are named after the tribes of Israel), three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, the gate of Levi.

32  "On the east side, measuring 2,250 yards, three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, the gate of Dan.

33  "On the south side, measuring 2,250 yards, three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, the gate of Zebulun.

34  "On the west side, measuring 2,250 yards, three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, the gate of Naphtali.

35  "The four sides of the city measure to a total of nearly six miles.
"From now on the name of the city will be Yahweh-Shammah:
"God-Is-There."

Ezekiel 48

The Tribal Portions

1 “These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east side to the west, Dan will have one portion.2 Next to the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, Ashers will have one portion.3 Next to the border of Asher from the east side to the west, Naphtali will have one portion.4 Next to the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west, Manasseh will have one portion.5 Next to the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west, Ephraim will have one portion.6 Next to the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west, Reuben will have one portion.

7 Next to the border of Reuben from the east side to the west, Judahs will have one portion.
8 “Next to the border of Judah from the east side to the west will be the allotment you must set apart. It is to be eight and a quarter milest wide, and the same length as one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west; the sanctuary will be in the middle of it.9 The allotment you set apart to the Lord will be eight and a quarter milest in length and three and one-third milest in width.10 These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward the north eight and a quarter milest in length, toward the west three and one-third milest in width, toward the east three and one-third milest in width, and toward the south eight and a quarter milest in length; the sanctuary of the Lord will be in the middle.11 This will be for the priests who are set apart from the descendants of Zadok who kept my charge and did not go astray when the people of Israel strayed off, like the Levites did.t

12 It will be their portion from the allotment of the land, a most holy place, next to the border of the Levites.
13 “Alongside the border of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment eight and a quarter milest in length and three and one-third milest in width. The whole length will be eight and a quarter milest and the width three and one-third miles.t

14 They must not sell or exchange any of it; they must not transfer this choice portion of land, for it is set apartt to the Lord.
15 “The remainder, one and two-thirds milest in width and eight and a quarter milest in length, will be for common use by the city, for houses and for open space. The city will be in the middle of it;16 these will be its measurements: The north side will be one and one-half miles,t the south side one and one-half miles, the east side one and one-half miles, and the west side one and one-half miles.17 The city will have open spaces: On the north there will be 437½ feet,t on the south 437½ feet, on the east 437½ feet, and on the west 437½ feet.18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment will be three and one-third milest to the east and three and one-third miles toward the west, and it will be beside the holy allotment. Its produce will be for food for the workers of the city.19 The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it.

20 The whole allotment will be eight and a quarter milest square, you must set apart the holy allotment with the possession of the city.
21 “The rest, on both sides of the holy allotment and the property of the city, will belong to the prince. Extending from the eight and a quarter milest of the holy allotment to the east border, and westward from the eight and a quarter milest to the west border, alongside the portions, it will belong to the prince. The holy allotment and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.

22 The property of the Levites and of the city will be in the middle of that which belongs to the prince. The portion between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin will be for the prince.
23 “As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west side, Benjamin will have one portion.24 Next to the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon will have one portion.25 Next to the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar will have one portion.26 Next to the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun will have one portion.27 Next to the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad will have one portion.28 Next to the border of Gad, at the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the Stream of Egyptt and on to the Great Sea.

29 This is the land which you will allot to the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the sovereign Lord.
30 “These are the exits of the city: On the north side, one and one-half milest by measure,31 the gates of the citys will be named for the tribes of Israel; there will be three gates to the north: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi.32 On the east side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan.33 On the south side, one and one-half miles by measure, there will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun.34 On the west side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali.

35 The circumference of the city will be six miles.t The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The Lord Is There.’”s