Eze 45 | HCSB | STEP | “When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance , you must set aside a donation to the Lord , a holy portion of the land , 8 1 / 3 miles long and 6 2 / 3 miles wide . This entire tract of land will be holy .

Ezekiel 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 8¹/₃ miles ^{▼▼Lit 25,000 [cubits]} long and 6²/₃ miles ^{▼▼LXX reads 20,000 [cubits]; MT reads 10,000 [cubits]} wide. This entire tract of land will be holy. 2 In this area there will be a square section ^{▼▼Lit square all around} for the sanctuary, 875 by 875 feet, ^{▼▼Lit 500 by 500 [cubits]
,} ^g with 87¹/₂ feet ^{▼▼Lit 50 cubits} of open space all around it. 3 From this holy portion, ^{▼▼Lit this measured [portion]} you will measure off an area 8¹/₃ miles ^{▼▼Lit 25,000 [cubits]} long and 3¹/₃ miles ^{▼▼Lit 10,000 [cubits]} wide, in which the sanctuary, the most holy place, ^l will stand. ^{▼▼Lit be} 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. ⁿ It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary. 5 There will be another area 8¹/₃ miles ^{▼▼Lit 25,000 [cubits]} long and 3¹/₃ miles ^{▼▼Lit 10,000 [cubits]} wide for the Levites who minister in the temple; ^q it will be their possession for towns to live in. ^{▼▼LXX; MT, Syr, Tg, Vg read possession – 20 chambers}

6 “As the property of the city, you must set aside an area 1²/₃ of a mile ^{▼▼Lit 5,000 [cubits]} wide and 8¹/₃ miles ^{▼▼Lit 25,000 [cubits]} long, adjacent to the holy donation of land. ^u 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. ^v 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 ^w 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, ^{▼▼Lit Enough of you
,} ^y princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression and do what is just and right. ^z 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, ^{▼▼Lit an honest ephah} and an honest liquid measure. ^{▼▼Lit and an honest bath
,} ^ac 11 The dry measure ^{▼▼Lit the ephah} and the liquid measure ^{▼▼Lit the bath} will be uniform, with the liquid measure containing 5¹/₂ gallons ^{▼▼Lit one-tenth of a homer} and the dry measure holding half a bushel. ^{▼▼Lit one-tenth of a homer} Their measurement will be a tenth of the standard larger capacity measure. ^{▼▼Lit be [based] on the homer} 12 The ^{▼▼shekel(s): In the OT the shekel is a measurement of weight that came to be used as money, either gold or silver.}shekel will weigh 20 gerahs. ^aj Your mina will equal 60 shekels.

The People’s Contribution to the Sacrifices

13 “This is the contribution you are to offer: Three quarts ^{▼▼Lit One-sixth of an ephah} from five bushels ^{▼▼Lit a homer} of wheat and ^{▼▼LXX, Vg; MT reads and you are to give} three quarts from five bushels of barley. 14 The quota of oil in liquid measures ^{▼▼Lit oil, the bath, the oil} will be one percent of every ^{▼▼Lit be a tenth of the bath from the} cor. The cor equals 10 liquid measures or one standard larger capacity measure, ^{▼▼Lit 10 baths, a homer} 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 offering(s): An offering given along with animal sacrifices or given by itself. A portion was burnt and the priests and participant ate the remainder.}grain offerings, ^{▼▼burnt offering(s): Or holocaust, an offering completely burned to ashes; it was used in connection with worship, seeking God's favor, expiating sin, or averting judgment.}burnt offerings, and ^{▼▼fellowship sacrifice(s) or offering(s): An animal offering was given to maintain and strengthen a person's relationship with God. It was not required as a remedy for impurity or sin but was an expression of thanksgiving for various blessings. An important function of this sacrifice was to provide meat for the priests and the participants in the sacrifice; it was also called the peace offering or the sacrifice of well-being.}fellowship offerings, to make ^{▼▼atone/ atonement: A theological term for God's provision to deal with human sin. In the OT, it primarily means purification. In some contexts forgiveness, pardon, expiation, propitiation, or reconciliation is included. The basis of atonement is substitutionary sacrifice offered in faith. The OT sacrifices were types and shadows of the great and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.}atonement for the people.” ^au 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 offering: An offering of a specified amount of wine or beer given along with animal sacrifices; it was poured over the sacrifice before it was burned.}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 offering(s): Or purification offering, the sin offering was the most important OT sacrifice for cleansing from impurities. It provided purification from sin and certain forms of ceremonial uncleanness.}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. ^ax 20 You must do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for everyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance. ^ay 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: The Israelite festival celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month in the early spring. It was a celebration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, commemorating the final plague on Egypt when the firstborn were killed.}Passover, a festival of seven days during which unleavened bread will be eaten. ^ba 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 ^{▼▼Lit an ephah} per bull and half a bushel per ram, along with a gallon ^{▼▼Lit a hin} of oil for every half bushel. 25 At the festival that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, ^{▼▼= the Festival of Booths
,} ^be he will provide the same things for seven days – the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.