The River from the Temple

47 The man led me back to the door of the ·Temple [^Lhouse], and ·I saw [^Llook; ^Tbehold] water coming out from under the ·doorway [threshold] and flowing east. (The Temple faced east.) The water flowed down from the south side wall of the Temple and then south of the altar. ² The man brought me out through the outer north gate and led me around outside to the outer east gate. ·I found [^LAnd look/^Tbehold] the water ·coming [trickling] out on the south side of the gate.

³ The man went toward the east with a measuring line in his hand and measured ·about one-third of a mile [^La thousand cubits]. Then he led me through water that came up to my ankles. ⁴ The man measured ·about one-third of a mile [^La thousand] again and led me through water that came up to my knees. Then he measured ·about one-third of a mile [^La thousand] again and led me through water up to my waist. ⁵ The man measured ·about one-third of a mile [^La thousand] again, but it was now a river that I could not cross. The water had risen too high; it was deep enough for swimming; it was a river that no one could cross. ⁶ The man asked me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], do you see this?”

Then the man led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ As I went back, I saw many trees on both sides of the river. ⁸ The man said to me, “This water will flow toward the eastern areas and go down into the ·Jordan Valley [^LArabah]. When it enters the ·Dead Sea [^LSea], it will ·become fresh [^Lbe healed; ^Cthe Dead Sea has no fish or other living creatures due to its high mineral content]. ⁹ Everywhere the river goes, there will be many fish. Wherever this water goes the ·Dead Sea [^LSea] will become fresh, and so where the river goes there will be ·many [swarms of] living things. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand by ·the Dead Sea [^Lit]. From En Gedi [^Cmidway along the western side of the Dead Sea] all the way to En Eglaim [^Can unknown location, perhaps on the east bank of the Dead Sea] there will be places to spread fishing nets. There will be many kinds of fish there, as many as in the ·Mediterranean [^LGreat] Sea. ¹¹ But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will ·be left for salt [or remain salty]. ¹² All kinds of fruit trees will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not ·dry and die [wither] and ·there will always be fruit on them [^Ltheir fruit will not fail]. The trees will bear fruit every month, because the water for them comes from the ·Temple [sanctuary]. The fruit from the trees will be used for food, and their leaves for ·medicine [^Lhealing].”

Borders of the Land

¹³ This is what the Lord God says: “These are the borders of the land to be divided for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will have two parts of land [^Cthe tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s two sons adopted by Jacob (Gen. 48:17–20)]. ¹⁴ You will divide the land equally. I ·promised [vowed; ^Lswore with uplifted hand] to give it to your ·ancestors [fathers], so this land will ·belong to you as family property [become your inheritance].

¹⁵ “This will be the ·border line [boundary] of the land: “On the north side it will start at the ·Mediterranean [^LGreat] Sea. It will go through Hethlon, toward ·Lebo Hamath [or Lebo of Hamath; ^Coften identified as the northern limit of Israel; Num. 13:21; Josh. 13:5; 1 Kin. 8:65] and on to the towns of Zedad, ¹⁶ Berothah, and Sibraim on the border between Damascus [^Ccapital of Aram (Syria)] and Hamath [^Ccity 120 miles north of Damascus]. Then it will go on to the town of Hazer Hatticon on the border of the country of Hauran. ¹⁷ So the border line will go from the ·Mediterranean Sea [^LSea] east to the town of Hazar Enan, where the land belonging to Damascus and Hamath lies on the north side. This will be the north side of the land.

¹⁸ “On the east side the border runs south from a point between Hauran and Damascus. It will go along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel and will continue to the town of Tamar [^Cprobaby En-Gedi; 2 Chr. 20:2] on the ·Dead [^Leastern] Sea. This will be the east side of the land.

¹⁹ “On the south side the border line will go west from Tamar all the way to the waters of Meribah Kadesh [^Clikely Kadesh Barnea (Num. 34:4), fifty miles south of Beersheba]. Then it will run along the brook of Egypt to the ·Mediterranean [^LGreat] Sea. This will be the south side of the land.

²⁰ “On the west side the ·Mediterranean [^LGreat] Sea will be the ·border line [boundary] up to a place across from Lebo Hamath [v. 15]. This will be the west side of your land.

²¹ “You will divide this land among the tribes of Israel. ²² You will divide it as ·family property [an inheritance] for yourselves and for the foreigners who live and have children among you. You are to treat these foreigners the same as people born in Israel; they are to ·share the land [be allotted an inheritance] with the tribes of Israel. ²³ In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will give him ·some land [^Lhis inheritance],” says the Lord God.