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48
The division of the land
1 “Here is a list of the tribes of Israel and the territory that each tribe is to receive: The tribe of Dan will be allotted land at the northern boundary of Israel: It will extend east from the Mediterranean Sea east to the city of Hethlon city, then from there to Hamath Pass, and on to the gown of Hazar-Enan south of Damascus, between Damascus and Hamath.
The tribe of Dan will receive land on the northern border of Israel from the eastern end of the country west to the Mediterranean Sea.
2 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Asher.
3 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Naphtali.
4 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Manasseh.
5 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Ephraim.
6 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Reuben.
7 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Judah.
8 South of their land will be an area set apart for special use. The temple will be in the center of that area.
9 It must be ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄6.7 miles/10.6 km.► wide. 10 For the priests, there must be a strip of land ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄3.3 miles/5.3 km.► wide. The temple will be in the center of that area. 11 That area is for the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They are ones who served me faithfully and did not turn away from me, like most of the descendants of Levi and the other Israeli people did. 12 When the land is distributed, that area must be given to the priests; it is land that is very sacred. It will be next to the land that will be given to the other descendants of Levi.
13 The land that will be allotted to the other descendants of Levi will be the same size as the land allotted to the priests. So together, those two portions of land will be ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄6.6 miles/10.6 km.► wide. 14 None of this special land will ever be permitted to be sold or traded or used by other people, because it belongs to Yahweh. It is set apart for him.
15 The rest of that sacred area, a strip of land ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄1.7 miles/2.65 km.► wide will be allotted for other people to use. It will be land where they will be permitted to build homes and have pasturelands. There will be a city at the center. 16 The city will be square, ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► on each side. 17 Around the city there will be an area for farming, that will be ◄150 yards/135 meters► in each direction. 18 Outside the city, to the east and to the west, there will be a farming area. It will extend ◄3 miles/4.8 km.► to the east and ◄3 miles/4.8 km.► to the west. Men who work there will produce food for the people who work in the city. 19 Some of those who come from the various Israeli tribes to work in the city may also work on the farmland. 20 That entire special area, including the sacred lands and the city, will be a square that is ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► on each side.
21 The areas to the east and to the west of the sacred area and the city will belong to the king. One area will extend east to the eastern boundary of Israel and the other will extend west to the Mediterranean Sea. The sacred area in which the temple is located will be in the middle. 22 The area that belongs to the king will be between the land of the tribe of Judah to the north and the land of the tribe of Benjamin to the south.
23 South of that special area, each of the other tribes must be allotted one portion of land that extends from the eastern boundary of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea.
Beginning at the north will be land for the tribe of Benjamin.
24 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Simeon.
25 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Issachar.
26 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Zebulun.
27 South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Gad.
28 The southern boundary of the tribe of Gad will extend south from Tamar to the springs at Meribah-Kadesh, and from there to the west along the dry riverbed at the border of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
29 That is the land that you must allot to the tribes of Israel, to belong to them permanently. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.”
The gates of the city
30 These will be the exits from the city: On the north side, which will be ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long, 31 there must be three gates; each one will have the name of one of the tribes of Israel. The first one will be named for Reuben, the next for Judah, the next for Levi.
32 On the east side, also ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long, will be gates named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan.
33 On the south side, also ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long, will be gates named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun.
34 On the west side, also ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long, will be gates named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.
35 So the distance around the city will thus be ◄6 miles/9.6 km.►.
And from that time on, the name of the city will be ❛Yahweh is there❜.'

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© 2008-2016 Ellis W. Deibler, Jr.