Division of the Land
1“Here is the list of the tribes of Israel and the territory each is to receive. The territory of Dan is in the extreme north. Its boundary line follows the Hethlon road to Lebo-hamath and then runs on to Hazar-enan on the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the north. Dan’s territory extends all the way across the land of Israel from east to west.
2“Asher’s territory lies south of Dan’s and also extends from east to west.
3Naphtali’s land lies south of Asher’s, also extending from east to west.
4Then comes Manasseh south of Naphtali, and its territory also extends from east to west.
5South of Manasseh is Ephraim,
6and then Reuben,
7and then Judah, all of whose boundaries extend from east to west.
8“South of Judah is the land set aside for a special purpose. It will be 8-1/3 miles48:8 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers]. wide and will extend as far east and west as the tribal territories, with the Temple at the center.
9“The area set aside for the Lord’s Temple will be 8-1/3 miles long and 6-2/3 miles wide.48:9 As in one Greek manuscript and the Greek reading in 45:1: 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers] long and 20,000 [cubits] [10.6 kilometers] wide; Hebrew reads 25,000 [cubits] long and 10,000 [cubits] [3-1/3 miles or 5.3 kilometers] wide. Similarly in 48:13b. Compare 45:1-5; 48:10-13.
10For the priests there will be a strip of land measuring 8-1/3 miles long by 3-1/3 miles wide,48:10 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers] long by 10,000 [cubits] [5.3 kilometers] wide; also in 48:13a. with the Lord’s Temple at the center.
11This area is set aside for the ordained priests, the descendants of Zadok who served me faithfully and did not go astray with the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites.
12It will be their special portion when the land is distributed, the most sacred land of all. Next to the priests’ territory will lie the land where the other Levites will live.
13“The land allotted to the Levites will be the same size and shape as that belonging to the priests—8-1/3 miles long and 3-1/3 miles wide. Together these portions of land will measure 8-1/3 miles long by 6-2/3 miles wide.48:13 See note on 48:9.
14None of this special land may ever be sold or traded or used by others, for it belongs to the Lord; it is set apart as holy.
15“An additional strip of land 8-1/3 miles long by 1-2/3 miles wide,48:15 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers] long by 5,000 [cubits] [2.65 kilometers] wide. south of the sacred Temple area, will be allotted for public use—homes, pasturelands, and common lands, with a city at the center.
16The city will measure 1-1/2 miles48:16 Hebrew 4,500 [cubits] [2.4 kilometers]; also in 48:30, 32, 33, 34. on each side—north, south, east, and west.
17Open lands will surround the city for 150 yards48:17 Hebrew 250 [cubits] [133 meters]. in every direction.
18Outside the city there will be a farming area that stretches 3-1/3 miles to the east and 3-1/3 miles to the west48:18 Hebrew 10,000 [cubits] [5.3 kilometers] to the east and 10,000 [cubits] to the west. along the border of the sacred area. This farmland will produce food for the people working in the city.
19Those who come from the various tribes to work in the city may farm it.
20This entire area—including the sacred lands and the city—is a square that measures 8-1/3 miles48:20 Hebrew 25,000 [cubits] [13.3 kilometers]; also in 48:21. on each side.
21“The areas that remain, to the east and to the west of the sacred lands and the city, will belong to the prince. Each of these areas will be 8-1/3 miles wide, extending in opposite directions to the eastern and western borders of Israel, with the sacred lands and the sanctuary of the Temple in the center.
22So the prince’s land will include everything between the territories allotted to Judah and Benjamin, except for the areas set aside for the sacred lands and the city.
23“These are the territories allotted to the rest of the tribes. Benjamin’s territory lies just south of the prince’s lands, and it extends across the entire land of Israel from east to west.
24South of Benjamin’s territory lies that of Simeon, also extending across the land from east to west.
25Next is the territory of Issachar with the same eastern and western boundaries.
26“Then comes the territory of Zebulun, which also extends across the land from east to west.
27The territory of Gad is just south of Zebulun with the same borders to the east and west.
28The southern border of Gad runs from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh48:28a Hebrew waters of Meribath-kadesh. and then follows the Brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean.48:28b Hebrew the Great Sea.
29“These are the allotments that will be set aside for each tribe’s exclusive possession. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
The Gates of the City
30“These will be the exits to the city: On the north wall, which is 1-1/2 miles long,
31there will be three gates, each one named after a tribe of Israel. The first will be named for Reuben, the second for Judah, and the third for Levi.
32On the east wall, also 1-1/2 miles long, the gates will be named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan.
33The south wall, also 1-1/2 miles long, will have gates named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun.
34And on the west wall, also 1-1/2 miles long, the gates will be named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.
35“The distance around the entire city will be 6 miles.48:35a Hebrew 18,000 [cubits] [9.6 kilometers]. And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The Lord Is There.’48:35b Hebrew Yahweh Shammah.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
