Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 44

The Prince's Privilege

¹ The man then brought me back toward the sanctuary's outer gate that faced east, and it was closed. ² The Lord said to me: "This gate will remain closed. It will not be opened, and no one will enter through it, because the Lord , the God of Israel, has entered through it.^(a) Therefore it will remain closed. ³ The prince himself will sit in the gateway to eat a meal before the Lord .^(b) He must enter by way of the portico^(c) of the gate and go out the same way."

⁴ Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and the glory of the Lord filled His temple.^(d) And I fell facedown.^{(e) 5} The Lord said to me: "Son of man, pay attention;^(f) look with your eyes and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the Lord 's temple.^(g) Take careful note of the entrance of the temple along with all the exits of the sanctuary.

The Levites' Duties and Privileges

⁶ "Say to the rebellious people,^(h) the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: I have had enough⁽ⁱ⁾ of all your detestable practices, house of Israel. ⁷ When you brought in foreigners,^(j) uncircumcised in both heart and flesh,^(k) to occupy My sanctuary, you defiled My temple while you offered My food—the fat and the blood. You^[a] broke My covenant by all your detestable practices. ⁸ You have not kept charge of My holy things^(l) but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.

⁹ "This is what the Lord God says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter My sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites. ¹⁰ Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who strayed from Me after their idols,^(m) will bear the consequences of their sin.^{(n) 11} Yet they will occupy My sanctuary, serving as guards at the temple gates^(o) and ministering at the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings^(p) and other sacrifices for the people and will stand before them to serve them.^{(q) 12} Because they ministered to the house of Israel before their idols and became a sinful stumbling block to them, therefore I swore an oath^[b] against them"^(r)—this is the declaration of the Lord God —"that they would bear the consequences of their sin. ¹³ They must not approach Me to serve Me as priests^(s) or come near any of My holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their disgrace and the consequences of the detestable acts they committed. ¹⁴ Yet I will make them responsible for the duties of the temple^(t)—for all its work and everything done in it.

The Priests' Duties and Privileges

¹⁵ "But the Levitical priests descended from Zadok,^(u) who kept charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, will approach Me to serve Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood." This is the declaration of the Lord God . ¹⁶ "They are the ones who may enter My sanctuary^(v) and draw near to My table to serve Me.^(w) They will keep My mandate. ¹⁷ When they enter the gates of the inner court they must wear linen garments;^(x) they must not have on them anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner court and within it. ¹⁸ They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists.^(y) They are not to put on anything that makes them sweat. ¹⁹ Before they go out to the outer court,^[c] to the people, they must take off the clothes they have been ministering in, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes^(z) so that they do not transmit holiness to the people through their clothes.^(aa)

²⁰ "They may not shave their heads^(ab) or let their hair grow long,^(ac) but must carefully trim their hair. ²¹ No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.^{(ad) 22} He is not to marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin from the offspring of the house of Israel,^(ae) or a widow who is the widow of a priest. ²³ They must teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and explain to them the difference between the clean and the unclean.^(af)

²⁴ "In a dispute, they will officiate as judges and decide the case according to My ordinances.^(ag) They must observe My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed festivals, and keep My Sabbaths holy.^{(ah) 25} A priest may not come near a dead person so that he becomes defiled.^(ai) However, he may defile himself for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister. ²⁶ After he is cleansed, he is to count off seven days for himself.^{(aj) 27} On the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court^(ak) to minister in the sanctuary, he must present his sin offering." This is the declaration of the Lord God .

²⁸ "This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance.^(al) You are to give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession. ²⁹ They will eat the grain offering, the sin offering,^(am) and the restitution offering. Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated to the Lord will belong to them.^{(an) 30} The best of all the firstfruits of every kind and contribution of every kind from all your gifts will belong to the priests.^(ao) You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest^(ap) so that a blessing may rest on your homes.^{(aq) 31} The priests may not eat any bird or animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts.^(ar)

Chapter 45

The Sacred Portion of the Land

¹ "When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance,^(a) you must set aside a donation to the Lord , a holy portion of the land,^(b) 8⅓ miles^[a] long and 6⅔ miles^[b] wide. This entire tract of land will be holy. ² In this area there will be a square section^[c] for the sanctuary, 875 by 875 feet,^[d](c) with 87½ feet^[e] of open space all around it. ³ From this holy portion,^[f] you will measure off an area 8⅓ miles^[g] long and 3⅓ miles^[h] wide, in which the sanctuary, the most holy place,^(d) will stand.^{[i] 4} It 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 .^(e) It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary. ⁵ There will be another area 8⅓ miles^[j] long and 3⅓ miles^[k] wide for the Levites who minister in the temple;^(f) it will be their possession for towns to live in.^[l]

⁶ "As the property of the city, you must set aside an area 1⅔ of a mile^[m] wide and 8⅓ miles^[n] long, adjacent to the holy donation of land.^(g) It will be for the whole house of Israel. ⁷ And 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.^(h) Its length will correspond to one of the tribal portions from the western boundary to the eastern boundary. ⁸ This will be his land as a possession in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress My people⁽ⁱ⁾ 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,^[o](j) princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression and do what is just and right.^(k) 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,^[p] and an honest liquid measure.^{[q](l) 11} The dry measure^[r] and the liquid measure^[s] will be uniform, with the liquid measure containing 5½ gallons^[t] and the dry measure holding half a bushel.^[u] Their measurement will be a tenth of the standard larger capacity measure.^{[v] 12} The shekel will weigh 20 gerahs.^(m) Your mina will equal 60 shekels.

The People's Contribution to the Sacrifices

¹³ "This is the contribution you are to offer: Three quarts^[w] from five bushels^[x] of wheat and^[y] three quarts from five bushels of barley. ¹⁴ The quota of oil in liquid measures^[z] will be one percent of every^[aa] cor. The cor equals 10 liquid measures or one standard larger capacity measure,^[ab] since 10 liquid measures equal one standard larger capacity measure. ¹⁵ And 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."⁽ⁿ⁾ 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. ¹⁷ Then 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. ¹⁹ The 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.^{(o) 20} You must do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for everyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance.^(p) 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.^{(q) 22} On that day the prince will provide a bull as a sin offering on behalf of himself and all the people of the land. ²³ During 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. ²⁴ He will also provide a grain offering of half a bushel^[ac] per bull and half a bushel per ram, along with a gallon^[ad] of oil for every half bushel. ²⁵ At the festival that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,^[ae](r) he will provide the same things for seven days—the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.

Chapter 46

Sacrifices at Appointed Times

¹ "This is what the Lord God says: The gate of the inner court that faces east must be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day^(a) and opened on the day of the New Moon. ² The prince should enter from the outside by way of the gate's portico and stand at the doorpost of the gate while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He will bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be closed until evening. ³ The people of the land will also bow in worship before the Lord at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.

⁴ "The burnt offering that the prince presents to the Lord ^(b) on the Sabbath day is to be six unblemished lambs^(c) and an unblemished ram. ⁵ The grain offering will be half a bushel^[a] with the ram,^(d) and the grain offering with the lambs will be whatever he wants to give, as well as a gallon^[b] of oil for every half bushel. ⁶ On the day of the New Moon, the burnt offering is to be a young, unblemished bull, as well as six lambs and a ram without blemish. ⁷ He will provide a grain offering of half a bushel^[c] with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he can afford with the lambs, together with a gallon^[d] of oil for every half bushel. ⁸ When the prince enters,^(e) he must go in by way of the gate's portico and go out the same way.

⁹ "When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed times,^[e](f) whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship must go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate must go out by way of the north gate. No one must return through the gate by which he entered, but must go out by the opposite gate. ¹⁰ When the people enter, the prince will enter with them, and when they leave, he will leave. ¹¹ At the festivals and appointed times, the grain offering will be half a bushel^[f] with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon^[g] of oil for every half bushel.

¹² "When the prince makes a freewill offering, whether a burnt offering or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to the Lord ,^(g) the gate that faces east must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or fellowship offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate must be closed after he leaves.

¹³ "You must offer an unblemished year-old male lamb as a daily burnt offering to the Lord ; you will offer it every morning.^{(h) 14} You must also prepare a grain offering every morning along with it: three quarts,^[h] with one-third of a gallon^[i] of oil to moisten the fine flour—a grain offering to the Lord . This is a permanent statute to be observed regularly. ¹⁵ They will offer the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.

Transfer of Royal Lands

¹⁶ "This is what the Lord God says: If the prince gives a gift to each of his sons as their inheritance, it will belong to his sons. It will become their property by inheritance. ¹⁷ But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom,⁽ⁱ⁾ when it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it is theirs. ¹⁸ The prince must not take any of the people's inheritance, evicting them from their property.^(j) He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his own property."

The Temple Kitchens

¹⁹ Then he brought me through the entrance^(k) that was at the side of the gate, into the priests' holy chambers, which faced north. I saw a place there at the far western end. ²⁰ He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will boil the restitution offering and the sin offering,^(l) and where they will bake the grain offering,^(m) so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people." ²¹ Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a separate court in each of its corners. ²² In the four corners of the outer court there were enclosed^[j] courts, 70 feet^[k] long by 52½ feet^[l] wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions. ²³ There was a stone wall^[m] around the inside of them, around the four of them, with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides. ²⁴ He said to me: "These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the people's sacrifices."

Chapter 47

The Life-Giving River

¹ Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.^{(a) 2} Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. ³ As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand,^(b) he measured off a third of a mile^[a] and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles. ⁴ Then he measured off a third of a mile^[b] and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile^[c] and led me through the water. It came up to my waist. ⁵ Again he measured off a third of a mile^[d], and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.

⁶ He asked me, "Do you see this, son of man?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.^{(c) 8} He said to me, "This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water,^[e][f] the water of the sea becomes fresh.^{(d) 9} Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows,^[g] and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim.^[h] These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.^{(e) 11} Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt. ¹² All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.^(f) Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine."^(g)

The Borders of the Land

¹³ This is what the Lord God says: "This is^[i] the border you will use to divide the land^(h) as an inheritance for the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.^{(i) 14} You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore^[j] to give it to your ancestors.^(j) So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.

¹⁵ "This is to be the border of the land:

²¹ "You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.^{(o) 22} You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you,^(p) who have fathered children among you. You will treat them^[n] like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. ²³ In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will assign his inheritance there." This is the declaration of the Lord God .

Chapter 48

The Tribal Allotments

¹ "Now these are the names of the tribes:

⁸ "Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate to the Lord , 8⅓ miles^[a] wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west.^(a) The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.

⁹ "The special portion you donate to the Lord will be 8⅓ miles^[b] long and 3⅓ miles^[c] wide. ¹⁰ This holy donation will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be 8⅓ miles^[d] long on the northern side, 3⅓ miles^[e] wide on the western side, 3⅓ miles^[f] wide on the eastern side, and 8⅓ miles^[g] long on the southern side. The Lord 's sanctuary will be in the middle of it. ¹¹ It is for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept My charge^(b) and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray. ¹² It will be a special donation for them out of the holy donation of the land, a most holy place adjacent to the territory of the Levites.

¹³ "Next to the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an area 8⅓ miles^[h] long and 3⅓ miles^[i] wide. The total length will be 8⅓ miles^[j] and the width 3⅓ miles.^{[k](c) 14} They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this choice part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord .^(d)

¹⁵ "The remaining area, 1⅔ of a mile^[l] wide and 8⅓ miles^[m] long, will be for common use by the city,^(e) for both residential and open space. The city will be in the middle of it. ¹⁶ These are the city's measurements:

¹⁷ The city's open space will extend:

¹⁸ "The remainder of the length alongside the holy donation will be 3⅓ miles^[v] to the east and 3⅓ miles^[w] to the west. It will run alongside the holy donation. Its produce will be food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ The city's workers from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it.^{(f) 20} The entire donation will be 8⅓ miles^[x] by 8⅓ miles;^[y] you are to set apart the holy donation along with the city property as a square area.

²¹ "The remaining area on both sides of the holy donation and the city property will belong to the prince.^(g) He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, next to the 8⅓ miles^[z] of the donation as far as the eastern border and^[aa] next to the 8⅓ miles^[ab] of the donation as far as the western border. The holy donation and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it. ²² Except for the Levitical property and the city property in the middle of the area belonging to the prince, the area between the territory of Judah and that of Benjamin will belong to the prince.^(h)

²³ "As for the rest of the tribes:

²⁸ Next to the territory of Gad toward the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters⁽ⁱ⁾ of Meribath-kadesh, to the Brook of Egypt, and out to the Mediterranean Sea. ²⁹ This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to Israel's tribes,^(j) and these will be their portions." This is the declaration of the Lord God .

The New City

³⁰ "These are the exits of the city:

³⁵ The perimeter of the city will be six miles,^[ag] and the name of the city from that day on will be: Yahweh Is There."^(k)