- Ezekiel
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45
1 When you allocate the land ownership by lot, you are to make a provision for the Lord, a holy allocation of the land that measures 25,000 cubits long and 20,000* “20,000.” Septuagint reading. The Hebrew is “10,000,” but since this allocation is divided into two sections of 10,000 cubits each, the Septuagint is likely correct. cubits wide. This whole area is holy.
2 Inside this there is the section for the sanctuary that measures 500 cubits square, with an open area around it 50 cubits wide.
3 From this holy allocation, measure out a section that is 25,000 cubits by 10,000 cubits. This will contain the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 This area is a holy allocation of the land which will be used by the priests who serve in the sanctuary, who come before the Lord to minister. It will be where they can live, and a holy place for the sanctuary.
5 The other section measuring 25,000 cubits by 10,000 cubits will be assigned the Levites who work in the Temple where they can live.† “Where they can live”: literally, “property for twenty rooms.”
6 Allocate to the city an area 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long beside the sanctuary section. It is for the all the people of Israel.
7 The prince will be assigned the territory on both sides of the area that includes the holy section and that of the city. It will extend to the western border of the country from the west side and to the eastern border from the east side, in the same way as the allocation to the tribes. 8 This territory will be his to own in the country of Israel. My princes won't exploit my people anymore, and will make sure the people of Israel occupy the country according to their tribal allocations.
9 This is what the Lord God says: You've done enough damage, princes of Israel! Stop using violence and mistreating people! Do what is good and right. Stop evicting people and stealing their property, declares the Lord God.
10 You must use correct methods of measurement—whether it's weights on scales, or ephah for measuring solids, and a bath for measuring liquids. 11 The ephah and the bath shall be the same quantity of volume. The bath will be equivalent to a tenth of a homer, and the ephah will also be equivalent to a tenth of a homer. The homer is to be the fundamental measurement. 12 Twenty gerahs make one shekel. Sixty‡ “Sixty”: given as 20 plus 25 plus 15. No reason for this is clear. shekels make one mina.
13 These are the taxes§ The taxes are to be paid to the prince for the operating costs of the Temple. you are to contribute: one sixth of an ephah from every homer of wheat or barley. 14 In the case of olive oil, one tenth of a bath from every cor. (The measurement is based on baths, and a cor consists of ten baths or one homer, since ten baths equal one homer.) 15 In addition one sheep is to be supplied from every flock of two hundred from the green pastures of Israel. These are to provide for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to set the people right, declares the Lord God.
16 Everyone in the country has to make these contributions to the prince in Israel. 17 The prince's role is to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the religious festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths—in fact for all the regular religious festivals of the people of Israel. He is to provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings to set the people of Israel right.
18 This is what the Lord God says: On the first day of the first month you are to sacrifice a young bull that has no defects to purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest shall take some of the blood from the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the Temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner courtyard. 20 You are also to do this on the seventh day of the month on behalf of anyone who does wrong unintentionally or in ignorance. By doing this you purify the Temple.
21 You are to keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. This is a religious festival that lasts seven days, during which time bread made without yeast is to be eaten. 22 On that day the prince will provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for everyone on the country. 23 Every day for the seven days of the festival, he will provide seven bulls and seven rams without defects as a burnt offering to the Lord, together with a male goat for a sin offering. 24 He will also provide an ephah of grain and a hin of olive oil as an offering to accompany each bull and each ram. 25 For the seven days of the festival* The Festival of Shelters. that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he is to provide the same number of sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and olive oil.

- Ezekiel
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- 45
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*45:1 “20,000.” Septuagint reading. The Hebrew is “10,000,” but since this allocation is divided into two sections of 10,000 cubits each, the Septuagint is likely correct.

†45:5 “Where they can live”: literally, “property for twenty rooms.”

‡45:12 “Sixty”: given as 20 plus 25 plus 15. No reason for this is clear.

§45:13 The taxes are to be paid to the prince for the operating costs of the Temple.

*45:25 The Festival of Shelters.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher