Ezekiel 47

¹ He brought me back to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream flowed eastwards from under theTemple threshold, for the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south ofthe altar.

² He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side.

³ The man went off to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he thenmade me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles.

⁴ He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reachedmy knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reachedmy waist.

⁵ He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swol enand was now deep water, a river impossible to cross.

⁶ He then said, 'Do you see, son of man?' He then took me and brought me back to the bank on theriver.

⁷ Now, when I reached it, I saw an enormous number of trees on each bank of the river.

⁸ He said, 'This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makesits waters wholesome.

⁹ Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it wil live. Fish wil be very plentiful, forwherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows.

¹⁰ There will be fishermen on its banks. Fishing nets will be spread from En-Gedi to En-Eglaim. Thespecies of fish wil be the same as the fish of the Great Sea.

¹¹ The marshes and lagoons, however, wil not become wholesome, but wil remain salt.

¹² Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruitthat never fails; they wil bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And theirfruit wil be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.'

¹³ 'The Lord Yahweh says this, "This wil be the territory which you must distribute among the twelvetribes of Israel, with two portions for Joseph.

¹⁴ You wil each have a fair share of it, since I swore to your fathers that I would give it to them, and thiscountry now falls to you as your heritage.

¹⁵ These wil be the frontiers of the country. On the north, from the Great Sea, the road from Hethlon tothe Pass of Hamath, Zedad,

¹⁶ Berothah, Sibraim lying between the territories of Damascus and Hamath, to Hazer-ha-Tikon on theborders of Hauran;

¹⁷ the frontier wil extend from the sea to Hazer-Enon, with the territory of Damascus and the territory ofHamath to the north; that wil be the northern frontier.

¹⁸ On the east, the Jordan wil serve as frontier between Hauran and Damascus, between Gilead andIsrael, down to the Eastern Sea as far as Tamar; that wil be the eastern frontier.

¹⁹ On the south, from Tamar southward to the Waters of Meribah in Kadesh, to the Wadi and the GreatSea; that wil be the southern frontier.

²⁰ And to the west, the Great Sea wil serve as frontier up to the point opposite the Pass of Hamath; thatwil be the western frontier.

²¹ You must distribute this country among yourselves, among the tribes of Israel.

²² You must distribute it as a heritage for yourselves and the aliens settled among you who havefathered children among you, since you must treat them as citizens of Israel. They must draw lots for theirheritage with you, among the tribes of Israel.

²³ You wil give the alien his heritage in the tribe where he has settled -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '