Scrutatio

Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

Ezekiel 48


font

1' "This is the list of the tribes. One portion in the far north by way of Hethlon to the Pass of Hamath, toHazer-Enon, with the territory of Damascus to the north, and marching with Hamath, from the eastern limit to thewestern limit: Dan.2One portion bordering Dan, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Asher.3One portion bordering Asher, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Naphtali.4One portion bordering Naphtali, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Manasseh.5One portion bordering Manasseh, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Ephraim.6One portion bordering Ephraim, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Reuben.7One portion bordering Reuben, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Judah.8One portion bordering Judah, from the eastern limit to the western limit, is the portion which you mustset aside, twenty-five thousand cubits wide, and as long as each of the other portions from the eastern limit tothe western limit. The sanctuary wil be in the centre of it.9"The portion which you must set aside for Yahweh must be twenty-five thousand cubits long and tenthousand cubits wide.10This sacred portion must belong to the priests, being, on the north side, twenty-five thousand cubits;on the west side ten thousand cubits wide, on the east side ten thousand cubits wide and on the south sidetwenty-five thousand cubits long; the sanctuary of Yahweh wil be in the centre of it.11This wil be for the consecrated priests, those of the sons of Zadok who maintained my liturgy and didnot go astray with the straying Israelites, as the Levites went astray.12And so their portion must be taken out of the especial y holy portion of the land, near the territory ofthe Levites.13The territory of the Levites, like the territory of the priests, must be twenty-five thousand cubits longand ten thousand wide -- the whole length being twenty-five thousand and the width ten thousand.14It wil be il egal for them to sell or exchange any part of it, and the domain can never be alienated,since it is consecrated to Yahweh.15As regards the remainder, an area of five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand, this must be forthe common use of the city, for houses and pastures. In the middle wil be the city.16These wil be its dimensions: on the north side, four thousand five hundred cubits; on the south side,four thousand five hundred cubits; on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits; on the west side, fourthousand five hundred cubits.17The pasture land of the city must extend two hundred and fifty cubits to the north, two hundred andfifty to the south, two hundred and fifty to the east, two hundred and fifty to the west.18One strip, contiguous to the sacred portion, must be left over, consisting of ten thousand cubits toeastward and ten thousand to westward, marching with the sacred portion; this wil bring in a revenue for feedingthe municipal workmen.19And the municipal workmen, drawn from al the tribes of Israel, wil farm it.20The portion must have a total area of twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand. You mustal ocate a square area from the sacred portion to constitute the city.21What is left over wil be for the prince, on either side of the sacred portion and of the property of thecity, marching with the twenty-five thousand cubits to eastward to the eastern frontier, and marching with thetwenty-five thousand cubits to westward to the western frontier -- running paral el with the other portions andbelonging to the prince. In the centre wil be the sacred portion and the sanctuary of the Temple.22Thus, apart from the property of the Levites and the property of the city which lie in the middle of theprince's portion, everything between the borders of Judah and the borders of Ben- jamin must belong to theprince.23"As regards the rest of the tribes: One portion from the eastern limit to the western limit: Benjamin.24One portion bordering Benjamin, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Simeon.25One portion bordering Simeon, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Issachar.26One portion bordering Issachar, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Zebulun.27One portion bordering Zebulun, from the eastern limit to the western limit: Gad.28On the southern border of Gad, on the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the Waters ofMeribah in Kadesh, to the Wadi and the Great Sea.29This is how you must distribute the country to the tribes of Israel as their heritage, and these must betheir portions -- declares the Lord Yahweh.30"Here are the exits from the city. On the north side, four thousand five hundred cubits are to bemeasured off.31The gates of the city are to be named after the tribes of Israel. Three gates to the north: one the gateof Reuben; one the gate of Judah; one the gate of Levi.32On the east side, there will be four thousand five hundred cubits and three gates: one the gate ofJoseph; one the gate of Benjamin; one the gate of Dan.33On the south side, four thousand five hundred cubits are to be measured off, and there are to bethree gates: one the gate of Simeon; one the gate of Issachar; one the gate of Zebulun.34On the west side, there wil be four thousand five hundred cubits and three gates: one the gate ofGad; one the gate of Asher; one the gate of Naphtali.35Total perimeter: eighteen thousand cubits. "The name of the city in future must be: Yahweh-is-there."'