Eze 45 | BSB | STEP | When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the LORD, a holy portion of the land 25,000 [cubits] . . . long and 20,000 cubits wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.

Ezekiel 45

Consecration of the Land

1 When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the LORD, a holy portion of the land 25,000 [cubits] ^{▼▼Measured in long cubits, that is about 8.3 miles or 13.25 kilometers; also in verses 3, 5, and 6} . . . long and 20,000 cubits ^{▼▼Measured in long cubits, that is about 6.6 miles or 10.6 kilometers, from LXX (see also verses 3 and 5 and Ezekiel 48:9); Hebrew 10,000 cubits} wide. This entire tract of land will be holy. 2 Within this area there is to be a section for the sanctuary 500 [cubits] ^{▼▼Measured in long cubits, that is about 875 feet or 265 meters} square, with 50 cubits ^{▼▼Measured in long cubits, that is about 87.5 feet or 26.5 meters} around it for open land . 3 From this holy portion, you are to measure off a length of 25,000 [cubits] and a width of 10,000 [cubits] ^{▼▼Measured in long cubits, that is about 3.3 miles or 5.3 kilometers; also in verse 5} , and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy [Place] . 4 It will be a holy portion of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary. 5 [An adjacent area] 25,000 [cubits] long and 10,000 [cubits] wide shall belong to the Levites who minister in the temple; it will be their possession for towns in which to live. ^{▼▼LXX; Hebrew their possession, twenty chambers} 6 As the property of the city, you are to set aside [an area] 5,000 [cubits] ^{▼▼Measured in long cubits, that is about 1.65 miles or 2.65 kilometers} wide and 25,000 [cubits] long, adjacent to the holy district. It will belong to the whole house of Israel.

The Prince's Portion

7 And the prince will have the area bordering each side of the area formed by the holy district and the property of the city, extending westward from the western side and eastward from the eastern side, running lengthwise from the western boundary to the eastern boundary and parallel to one of the [tribal] portions. 8 This land will be his possession in Israel. And My princes will no longer oppress My people, but will give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes. 9 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My people, declares the Lord GOD.’

Honest Scales

10 You must use honest scales, a just ephah, ^{▼▼An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 23 quarts or 22 liters} and a just bath. ^{▼▼A bath was a liquid measure equaling about 5.9 gallons or 22 liters} 11 The ephah and the bath shall be the same quantity so that the bath will contain a tenth of a homer, ^{▼▼That is, about 0.6 bushels or 22 liters} and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure [for both] . 12 The shekel ^{▼▼A shekel weighed about 0.4 ounce or 11.4 grams} will consist of twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels will equal one mina . ^{▼▼That is, 60 shekels total; elsewhere, the common mina was 50 shekels. Sixty shekels weighed about 1.5 pounds or 684 grams}

Offerings and Feasts

13 This is the contribution you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah ^{▼▼That is, about 3.9 quarts or 3.6 liters (probably about 6 pounds or 2.7 kilograms of wheat)} from each homer of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah ^{▼▼That is, about 3.9 quarts or 3.6 liters (probably about 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of barley)} from each homer of barley. 14 The prescribed portion of oil, measured by the bath, [is] a tenth of a bath ^{▼▼That is, about 2.4 quarts or 2.2 liters} from each cor ( which is ten baths [or] one homer; for ten baths equal one homer) . 15 And one sheep shall be given from [each] flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for the people, declares the Lord GOD. 16 All the people of the land must participate in this contribution for the prince in Israel. 17 And it shall be the prince's [part] [to provide] the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths— for all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, ^{▼▼Or purification offerings; also in verses 19, 22, 23, and 25} . . . grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel. 18 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the first day of the first month you are to take a young bull without blemish and purify the sanctuary. 19 And the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering and put [it] on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner court. 20 You must do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally or in ignorance. In this way you will make atonement for the temple. 21 On the fourteenth day of the first month you are to observe the Passover, a feast of seven days, during which unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land. 23 Each day during the seven days of the feast, he shall provide seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, along with a male goat for a sin offering. 24 He shall also provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin ^{▼▼That is, about 0.98 gallons or 3.7 liters} of oil of for each ephah. 25 During the seven days of the feast that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.’