Dividing the Land for the Tribes
Ezekiel 48, verse 1. “Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern border of the descent which divides at the entrance of Hamath, the court of Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, of the court, from its east to its west side, there shall be one section for Dan; Ezekiel 48, verse 2. by the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, one section for Asher; Ezekiel 48, verse 3. by the border of Asher, from the east side to the west, one section for Naphtali; Ezekiel 48, verse 4. by the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for Manasseh; Ezekiel 48, verse 5. by the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for Ephraim; Ezekiel 48, verse 6. by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for Reuben; Ezekiel 48, verse 7. by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one section for Judah; Ezekiel 48, verse 8. by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be 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 sanctuary in the center.
A District for the Lord
Ezekiel 48, verse 9. “The firstfruits, the district that you shall set apart for the Lord, shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and twenty-five thousand in width. Ezekiel 48, verse 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 holy mountain shall be in the center. Ezekiel 48, verse 11. It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who keep My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. Ezekiel 48, verse 12. The firstfruit shall be given to them from the firstfruits of the land, even a most holy portion from the borders of the Levites. Ezekiel 48, verse 13. “Next to the territory of the priests, the 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. Ezekiel 48, verse 14. They shall not sell or exchange any of it; neither shall they take away or remove the first produce of the land, for it is holy to the Lord. Ezekiel 48, verse 15. “But the five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for general use by the city, for habitation and common land; and the city shall be in the center. Ezekiel 48, verse 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. Ezekiel 48, verse 17. There shall be common land for the city: 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. Ezekiel 48, verse 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 the firstfruits of the holy section, and its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. Ezekiel 48, verse 19. The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. Ezekiel 48, verse 20. The entire firstfruits district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district from the property of the city. Ezekiel 48, verse 21. “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 be the firstfruits of the holy district, and the sanctuary of the temple shall be in the midst of it. Ezekiel 48, verse 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 leaders, the area between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall belong to the leaders. Ezekiel 48, verse 23. “As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin shall have one section; Ezekiel 48, verse 24. by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon shall have one section; Ezekiel 48, verse 25. by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar shall have one section; Ezekiel 48, verse 26. by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun shall have one section; Ezekiel 48, verse 27. by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad shall have one section; Ezekiel 48, verse 28. by the borders of Gad, from the eastern parts to the southwestern parts, the borders shall be from Teman to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. Ezekiel 48, verse 29. This is the land you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their divisions,” says the Lord God.
Exit Gates of the City
Ezekiel 48, verse 30. “These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits Ezekiel 48, verse 31. (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; Ezekiel 48, verse 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; Ezekiel 48, verse 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; Ezekiel 48, verse 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. Ezekiel 48, verse 35. The circumference shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from the day on which it takes place shall be its name.”