6
He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man? ” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
7
When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.
8
He said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the
•Arabah
. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water of the sea becomes fresh.
9
Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.
10
Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.
11
Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt.
12
All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine.”
The Borders of the Land
13
This is what the Lord
God
says: “This is the border you will use to divide the land as an inheritance for the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.
14
You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore to give it to your ancestors. So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.
15
“This is to be the border of the land:
On the north side it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad,
16
Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.
17
So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.
18
On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern side.
19
On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and on to the Brook of Egypt as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side.
20
On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.
21
“You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.
22
You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you, who have fathered children among you. You will treat them like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
23
In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will assign his inheritance there.” This is the declaration of the Lord
God
.
Ezekiel
The Tribal Allotments
48
“Now these are the names of the tribes:
From the northern end, along the road of Hethlon, to Lebo-hamath as far as Hazar-enon, at the northern border of Damascus, alongside Hamath and extending from the eastern side to the sea, will be Dan — one portion.
2
Next to the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, will be Asher — one portion.
3
Next to the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, will be Naphtali — one portion.
4
Next to the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, will be Manasseh — one portion.
5
Next to the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, will be Ephraim — one portion.
6
Next to the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, will be Reuben — one portion.
7
Next to the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, will be Judah — one portion.
8
“Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate to the
Lord
, 8
1
/
3
miles wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west. The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
9
“The special portion you donate to the
Lord
will be 8
1
/
3
miles long and 3
1
/
3
miles wide.
10
This holy donation will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be 8
1
/
3
miles long on the northern side, 3
1
/
3
miles wide on the western side, 3
1
/
3
miles wide on the eastern side, and 8
1
/
3
miles long on the southern side. The
Lord
's sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
11
It is for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.
12
It will be a special donation for them out of the holy donation of the land, a most holy place adjacent to the territory of the Levites.
13
“Next to the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an area 8
1
/
3
miles long and 3
1
/
3
miles wide. The total length will be 8
1
/
3
miles and the width 3
1
/
3
miles.
14
They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this choice part of the land, for it is holy to the
Lord
.
15
“The remaining area, 1
2
/
3
of a mile wide and 8
1
/
3
miles long, will be for common use by the city, for both residential and open space. The city will be in the middle of it.
16
These are the city's measurements:
1
1
/
2
miles on the north side;
1
1
/
2
miles on the south side;
1
1
/
2
miles on the east side;
and 1
1
/
2
miles on the west side.
17
The city's open space will extend:
425 feet to the north,
425 feet to the south,
425 feet to the east,
and 425 feet to the west.
18
“The remainder of the length alongside the holy donation will be 3
1
/
3
miles to the east and 3
1
/
3
miles to the west. It will run alongside the holy donation. Its produce will be food for the workers of the city.
19
The city's workers from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it.
20
The entire donation will be 8
1
/
3
miles by 8
1
/
3
miles; you are to set apart the holy donation along with the city property as a square area.
21
“The remaining area on both sides of the holy donation and the city property will belong to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, next to the 8
1
/
3
miles of the donation as far as the eastern border and next to the 8
1
/
3
miles of the donation as far as the western border. The holy donation and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.
22
Except for the Levitical property and the city property in the middle of the area belonging to the prince, the area between the territory of Judah and that of Benjamin will belong to the prince.
23
“As for the rest of the tribes:
From the east side to the west, will be Benjamin — one portion.
24
Next to the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, will be Simeon — one portion.
25
Next to the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, will be Issachar — one portion.
26
Next to the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, will be Zebulun — one portion.
27
Next to the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, will be Gad — one portion.
28
Next to the territory of Gad toward the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the Brook of Egypt, and out to the Mediterranean Sea.
29
This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to Israel's tribes, and these will be their portions.” This is the declaration of the Lord
God
.
The New City
30
“These are the exits of the city:
On the north side, which measures 1
1
/
2
miles,
31
there will be three gates facing north, the gates of the city being named for the tribes of Israel: one, the gate of Reuben; one, the gate of Judah; and one, the gate of Levi.
32
On the east side, which is 1
1
/
2
miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Joseph; one, the gate of Benjamin; and one, the gate of Dan.
33
On the south side, which measures 1
1
/
2
miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Simeon; one, the gate of Issachar; and one, the gate of Zebulun.
34
On the west side, which is 1
1
/
2
miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Gad; one, the gate of Asher; and one, the gate of Naphtali.
35
The perimeter of the city will be six miles, and the name of the city from that day on will be:
•Yahweh
Is There.”
Daniel
Daniel
Daniel's Captivity in Babylon
1
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it.
2
The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.
3
The king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility —
4
young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king's palace — and to teach them the Chaldean language and literature.
5
The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to serve in the king's court.
6
Among them, from the descendants of Judah, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7
The chief official gave them other names: he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.
Faithfulness in Babylon
8
Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself.
9
God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official,
10
yet he said to Daniel, “My lord the king assigned your food and drink. I'm afraid of what would happen if he saw your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age. You would endanger my life with the king.”
11
So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12
“Please test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13
Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king's food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.”
14
He agreed with them about this and tested them for 10 days.
15
At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king's food.
16
So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.
Faithfulness Rewarded
17
God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind.
18
At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
19
The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to serve in the king's court.
20
In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them 10 times better than all the diviner-priests and mediums in his entire kingdom.
21
Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.