Sermon Central
Ezekiel 1:1-48:35
View Full Chapter4I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 8Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, 10Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 12Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.
14The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. 17As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went.
21When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome.
24When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty,
Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet
1He said to me, “Son of man,
1And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 5You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—
Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman 16At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 20“Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 25And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. 27But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.
Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized 1“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
3Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.
5I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.
6“After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.
9“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.
10Weigh out twenty shekels
13The LORD said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”
15“Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”
God’s Razor of Judgment 1“Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. 2When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. 3But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.
4Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.
6Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees.
7“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even
7Your people will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am the LORD . 12One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath on them. 13And they will know that I am the LORD, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak—places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.
The End Has Come 1The word of the LORD came to me:
2“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to the land of Israel: “ ‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land!
5“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘Disaster! Unheard-of
9I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. “ ‘Then you will know that it is I the LORD who strikes you.
14“ ‘They have blown the trumpet, they have made all things ready, but no one will go into battle, for my wrath is on the whole crowd.
17Every hand will go limp; every leg will be wet with urine.
18They will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror. Every face will be covered with shame, and every head will be shaved.
19“ ‘They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean. Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD ’s wrath. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, for it has caused them to stumble into sin.
20They took pride in their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols. They made it into vile images; therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.
23“ ‘Prepare chains! For the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence.
25When terror comes, they will seek peace in vain.
Idolatry in the Temple 1In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came on me there.
5Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy. 7Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall.
8He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there. 17He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!
2And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar. 3Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side
6Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. 7Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 9He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’
10So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.” 4Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the LORD .
5The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty
8(Under the wings of the cherubim could be seen what looked like human hands.)
11As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about
14Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River. 21Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what looked like human hands. 22Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River. Each one went straight ahead. 2The LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city.
4Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, son of man.” 7“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it. 8You fear the sword, and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign LORD . 11This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.
The Promise of Israel’s Return 14The word of the LORD came to me:
15“Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the LORD ; this land was given to us as our possession.’ 22Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.
24The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia
9“Son of man, did not the Israelites, that rebellious people, ask you, ‘What are you doing?’
16But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the LORD .”
17The word of the LORD came to me:
18“Son of man, tremble as you eat your food, and shudder in fear as you drink your water.
19Say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.
22“Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?
24For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel.
3This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish
16those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign LORD .” ’
19You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live. 21I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the LORD . 22Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, 23therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the LORD .’ ”
Idolaters Condemned 1Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.
5I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’
6“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! 10They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him.
14even if these three men—Noah, Daniel
16as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.
18as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
20as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness. 22Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 2“Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest?
5If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?
4On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.
6“ ‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”
8“ ‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
13So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.
16You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.
22In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood. 23“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign LORD . In addition to all your other wickedness, 26You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity. 28You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.
29Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,
42Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry. 45You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom. 47You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.
48As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
55And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.
56You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride,
57before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom
Two Eagles and a Vine 1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.
4he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
6and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
8It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’ 9“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots. 13Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
18He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape. 22“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 24All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “ ‘I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’ ”
2“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “ ‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.
18But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people. 21“But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. 26If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. 27But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. 32For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD . Repent and live!
A Lament Over Israel’s Princes 1“Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel
3She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater.
5“ ‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion.
6He prowled among the lions, for he was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater.
7He broke down
12But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. 2Then the word of the LORD came to me:
3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign LORD .’
7And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”
12Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy. 15Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands— 16because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols. 17Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness. 19I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
20Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.” 21“ ‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. 33As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. 35I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. 36As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign LORD .
Prophecy Against the South 45The word of the LORD came to me: 47Say to the southern forest: ‘Hear the word of the LORD . This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it.
48Everyone will see that I the LORD have kindled it; it will not be quenched.’ ”
49Then I said, “Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’ ”
7And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD .”
9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished—
10sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! “ ‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.
12Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people; it is against all the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword along with my people. Therefore beat your breast.
13“ ‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign LORD .’ 22Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works.
23It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive.
24“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive. 25“ ‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, 26this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low.
29Despite false visions concerning you and lying divinations about you, it will be laid on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax.
30“ ‘Let the sword return to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your ancestry, I will judge you.
31I will pour out my wrath on you and breathe out my fiery anger against you; I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men, men skilled in destruction.
Judgment on Jerusalem’s Sins 1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices 8You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. 9In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts. 10In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. 11In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. 13“ ‘I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. 15I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness.
16When you have been defiled
Two Adulterous Sisters 1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.
4The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors 6clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen.
10They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.
13I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.
19Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt.
22“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stir up your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side—
24They will come against you with weapons,
34You will drink it and drain it dry and chew on its pieces— and you will tear your breasts. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD .
35“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.” 37for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. 38They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths.
39On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.
41You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and olive oil that belonged to me. 44And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. 48“So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.
Jerusalem as a Cooking Pot 1In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.
3Tell this rebellious people a parable and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it.
4Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones;
5take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.
6“ ‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Take the meat out piece by piece in whatever order it comes.
9“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the wood high.
11Then set the empty pot on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows, so that its impurities may be melted and its deposit burned away.
Ezekiel’s Wife Dies 15The word of the LORD came to me: 16“Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.
18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.
19Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us? Why are you acting like this?”
22And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.
23You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of
24Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD .’ 27At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD .” 2“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 5I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD .
7therefore I will stretch out my hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will wipe you out from among the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the LORD .’ ” 9therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its frontier towns—Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim—the glory of that land.
11and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD .’ ”
A Prophecy Against Edom 12“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because Edom took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so, 13therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill both man and beast. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword.
14I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign LORD .’ ” 16therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will wipe out the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the coast. 5Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD . She will become plunder for the nations,
6and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD .
7“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar
14I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD . 15“This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands tremble at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan and the slaughter takes place in you?
18Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; the islands in the sea are terrified at your collapse.’
A Lament Over Tyre 1The word of the LORD came to me:
7Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail and served as your banner; your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah.
8Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors.
9Veteran craftsmen of Byblos were on board as shipwrights to caulk your seams. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade for your wares.
11Men of Arvad and Helek guarded your walls on every side; men of Gammad were in your towers. They hung their shields around your walls; they brought your beauty to perfection.
12“ ‘Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise.
14“ ‘Men of Beth Togarmah exchanged chariot horses, cavalry horses and mules for your merchandise.
17“ ‘Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections,
19and casks of wine from Izal in exchange for your wares: wrought iron, cassia and calamus.
20“ ‘Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you.
21“ ‘Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats. 23“ ‘Harran, Kanneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Ashur and Kilmad traded with you.
26Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. But the east wind will break you to pieces far out at sea.
30They will raise their voice and cry bitterly over you; they will sprinkle dust on their heads and roll in ashes.
32As they wail and mourn over you, they will take up a lament concerning you: “Who was ever silenced like Tyre, surrounded by the sea?”
4By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
6“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god,
7I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.
12“Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
15You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
23I will send a plague upon you and make blood flow in your streets. The slain will fall within you, with the sword against you on every side. Then you will know that I am the LORD .
24“ ‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD . 25“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. 26They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’ ” 2“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
9Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD . “ ‘Because you said, “The Nile is mine; I made it,”
10therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush.
12I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. 15It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations.
16Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD .’ ”
19Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army.
21“On that day I will make a horn
2“Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!”
4A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush.
5Cush and Libya, Lydia and all Arabia, Kub and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.
8Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are crushed.
11He and his army—the most ruthless of nations— will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.
12I will dry up the waters of the Nile and sell the land to an evil nation; by the hand of foreigners I will lay waste the land and everything in it. I the LORD have spoken.
14I will lay waste Upper Egypt, set fire to Zoan and inflict punishment on Thebes.
15I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and wipe out the hordes of Thebes.
16I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will writhe in agony. Thebes will be taken by storm; Memphis will be in constant distress.
Pharaoh’s Arms Are Broken 20In the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day, the word of the LORD came to me: 21“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. It has not been bound up to be healed or put in a splint so that it may become strong enough to hold a sword.
4The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall; their streams flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field. 10“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height,
14Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead. 15“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away. 16I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below.
A Lament Over Pharaoh 1In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month on the first day, the word of the LORD came to me:
14Then I will let her waters settle and make her streams flow like oil, declares the Sovereign LORD .
16“This is the lament they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign LORD .”
21From within the realm of the dead the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.’ 22“Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword.
23Their graves are in the depths of the pit and her army lies around her grave. All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.
28“You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword. 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 7“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
9But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
11Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’
16None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. 17“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 19And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so.
20Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”
22Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the LORD was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent. 23Then the word of the LORD came to me: 24“Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ 31My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.
32Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. 4You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.
10This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
11“ ‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.
12As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
14I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD .
17“ ‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.
18Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
25“ ‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.
26I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.
A Prophecy Against Edom 1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir; prophesy against it 6therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 8I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines.
9I will make you desolate forever; your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD . 10“ ‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them,” even though I the LORD was there, 6Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations. 8“ ‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. 10and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
12I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children. 13“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because some say to you, “You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,”
15No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign LORD .’ ”
23I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. 25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
32I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD . Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel! 33“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 38as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD .” 2He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
3He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”
6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD .’ ” 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ”
10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
14I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD .’ ”
One Nation Under One King 15The word of the LORD came to me: 18“When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ 19say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’ 20Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 21and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. 24“ ‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 28Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’ ” 7“ ‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.
9You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
10“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme.
12I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.
13Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages
16You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. 22I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 2I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. 3Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand.
11“ ‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.
14People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground. “ ‘After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search.
20At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign LORD . 21“I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay on them. 26They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. 27When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. 28Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.
The East Gate to the Outer Court
5I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits,
7The alcoves for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits
The North Gate 20Then he measured the length and width of the north gate, leading into the outer court. 22Its openings, its portico and its palm tree decorations had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.
23There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured from one gate to the opposite one; it was a hundred cubits.
31Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.
32Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others.
39In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings
46and the room facing north is for the priests who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the LORD to minister before him.”
47Then he measured the court: It was square—a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.
1Then the man brought me to the main hall and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits
2The entrance was ten cubits
4And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”
5Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits
14The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.
15Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries on each side; it was a hundred cubits. The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, 16as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered. 18were carved cherubim and palm trees. Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces: 19the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple.
20From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.
21The main hall had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar.
23Both the main hall and the Most Holy Place had double doors.
2The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.
14Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.”
15When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate and measured the area all around:
18He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod.
20So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.
4The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east.
7He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings
11and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations
The Great Altar Restored
13“These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits,
21You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary. 25“For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.
The Priesthood Restored 1Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut.
4Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the LORD filling the temple of the LORD, and I fell facedown. 7In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant. 8Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary. 11They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them. 12But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign LORD .
14And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.
16They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards. 17“ ‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple.
19When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated through contact with their garments.
24“ ‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals, and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy. 31The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead or torn by wild animals.
Israel Fully Restored
1“ ‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you are to present to the LORD a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits
8This land will be his possession in Israel. And my princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes.
12The shekel
17It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths—at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings,
1“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened. 3On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the LORD at the entrance of that gateway. 6On the day of the New Moon he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect. 7He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil for each ephah. 9“ ‘When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. 16“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance. 17If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. 19Then the man brought me through the entrance at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north, which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end.
20He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to cook the guilt offering and the sin offering
The River From the Temple 1The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 4He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist.
6He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 9Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.
12Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
The Boundaries of the Land 13This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “These are the boundaries of the land that you will divide among the twelve tribes of Israel as their inheritance, with two portions for Joseph.
15“This is to be the boundary of the land: “On the north side it will run from the Mediterranean Sea by the Hethlon road past Lebo Hamath to Zedad,
18“On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the Dead Sea and as far as Tamar.
19“On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern boundary.
20“On the west side, the Mediterranean Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the western boundary. 21“You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 23In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign LORD .
2“Asher will have one portion; it will border the territory of Dan from east to west.
5“Ephraim will have one portion; it will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west.
8“Bordering the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits
22So the property of the Levites and the property of the city will lie in the center of the area that belongs to the prince. The area belonging to the prince will lie between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin.
26“Zebulun will have one portion; it will border the territory of Issachar from east to west.
29“This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Sovereign LORD .
35“The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.