The Sacred Portion of the Land
1“When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, Ezk 47:21; 48:29 you must set aside a donation to the Lord, a holy portion of the land, Ezk 48:8-9 8 1/3 miles Lit 25,000 cubits long and 6 2/3 miles LXX reads 20,000 cubits ; MT reads 10,000 cubits wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.
2In this area there will be a square section Lit square all around for the sanctuary, 875 by 875 feet, Lit 500 by 500 cubits Ezk 42:20 with 87 1/2 feet Lit 50 cubits of open space all around it.
3From this holy portion, Lit this measured portion you will measure off an area 8 1/3 miles Lit 25,000 cubits long and 3 1/3 miles Lit 10,000 cubits wide, in which the sanctuary, the most holy place, Ezk 43:12 will stand. Lit be
4It will be a holy area of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who draw near to serve the Lord. Ezk 48:10-11 It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.
5There will be another area 8 1/3 miles Lit 25,000 cubits long and 3 1/3 miles Lit 10,000 cubits wide for the Levites who minister in the temple; Ezk 48:13 it will be their possession for towns to live in. LXX; MT, Syr, Tg, Vg read possession — 20 chambers
6“As the property of the city, you must set aside an area 1 2/3 of a mile Lit 5,000 cubits wide and 8 1/3 miles Lit 25,000 cubits long, adjacent to the holy donation of land. Ezk 48:15-18 It will be for the whole house of Israel.
7And the prince will have the area on each side of the holy donation of land and the city’s property, adjacent to the holy donation and the city’s property, stretching to the west on the west side and to the east on the east side. Ezk 48:21 Its length will correspond to one of the tribal portions from the western boundary to the eastern boundary.
8This will be his land as a possession in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress My people Ezk 19:7; 22:27 but give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
9“This is what the Lord God says: You have gone too far, Lit Enough of you Ezk 44:6 princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Jr 22:3 Put an end to your evictions of My people.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.
10“You must have honest scales, an honest dry measure, Lit an honest ephah and an honest liquid measure. Lit and an honest bath Lv 19:36; Dt 25:15
11The dry measure Lit the ephah and the liquid measure Lit the bath will be uniform, with the liquid measure containing 5 1/2 gallons Lit one-tenth of a homer and the dry measure holding half a bushel. Lit one-tenth of a homer Their measurement will be a tenth of the standard larger capacity measure. Lit be based on the homer
The People’s Contribution to the Sacrifices
13“This is the contribution you are to offer: Three quarts Lit One-sixth of an ephah from five bushels Lit a homer of wheat and LXX, Vg; MT reads and you are to give three quarts from five bushels of barley.
14The quota of oil in liquid measures Lit oil, the bath, the oil will be one percent of every Lit be a tenth of the bath from the cor. The cor equals 10 liquid measures or one standard larger capacity measure, Lit 10 baths, a homer since 10 liquid measures equal one standard larger capacity measure.
15And the quota from the flock is one animal out of every 200 from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings, to make atonement for the people.” Lv 1:4; 6:30 This is the declaration of the Lord God.
16“All the people of the land must take part in this contribution for the prince in Israel.
17Then the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths — for all the appointed times of the house of Israel — will be the prince’s responsibility. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
18“This is what the Lord God says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you are to take a young, unblemished bull and purify the sanctuary.
19The priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering and apply it to the temple doorposts, the four corners of the altar’s ledge, and the doorposts of the gate to the inner court. Ezk 43:20
20You must do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for everyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance. Lv 4:2; 5:17 In this way you will make atonement for the temple.
21“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you are to celebrate the Passover, a festival of seven days during which unleavened bread will be eaten. Ex 12:18; Lv 23:4-8; Nm 28:16-17; Dt 16:1
22On that day the prince will provide a bull as a sin offering on behalf of himself and all the people of the land.
23During the seven days of the festival, he will provide seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord on each of the seven days, along with a male goat each day for a sin offering.
24He will also provide a grain offering of half a bushel Lit an ephah per bull and half a bushel per ram, along with a gallon Lit a hin of oil for every half bushel.
25At the festival that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, = the Festival of Booths Lv 23:33-43; Dt 16:13-15 he will provide the same things for seven days — the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.
Holman Christian Standard Bible®
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009
by Holman Bible Publishers