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Hesekiel 36:11-38
I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.“‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because some say to you,“ You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,”therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord.No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”Again the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight.So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols.I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them,‘ These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.“ Therefore say to the Israelites,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.“‘ For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!“‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt.The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.They will say,“ This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.”Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep,as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” (niv)
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Hesekiel 37:27-28
My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’” (niv)
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Offenbarung 21:10-27
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (niv)
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Offenbarung 14:1
Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (niv)
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Hebräer 12:22-23
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, (niv)
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Psalm 46:4
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. (niv)
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Psalm 48:2-3
Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. (niv)
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Jeremia 3:14-17
“ Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord,“ for I am your husband. I will choose you— one from a town and two from a clan— and bring you to Zion.Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord,“ people will no longer say,‘ The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. (niv)
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Jesaja 59:20-60:22
“ The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.“ As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord.“ My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants— from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.“ Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.“ Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.“ Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.“ Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession.For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.“ The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet.The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.“ Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well- being your ruler.No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” (niv)
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Jeremia 31:12-13
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well- watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. (niv)
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Psalm 48:11-13
Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. (niv)
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Psalm 125:1-2
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. (niv)
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Jesaja 12:6
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” (niv)
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Jesaja 54:2-10
“ Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.“ Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.“ For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.“ To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (niv)
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Jesaja 61:3-62:12
and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.“ For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest,and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm:“ Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.”Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth:“ Say to Daughter Zion,‘ See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’”They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted. (niv)
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Jesaja 49:14-26
But Zion said,“ The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”“ Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord,“ you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.“ Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing,‘ This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’Then you will say in your heart,‘ Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these— where have they come from?’”This is what the Sovereign Lord says:“ See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce?But this is what the Lord says:“ Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (niv)
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Hesekiel 40:1-49
In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city— on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there.In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city.He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.The man said to me,“ Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.Then he went to the east gate. He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep.The alcoves for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits thick. And the threshold of the gate next to the portico facing the temple was one rod deep.Then he measured the portico of the gateway;it was eight cubits deep and its jambs were two cubits thick. The portico of the gateway faced the temple.Inside the east gate were three alcoves on each side; the three had the same measurements, and the faces of the projecting walls on each side had the same measurements.Then he measured the width of the entrance of the gateway; it was ten cubits and its length was thirteen cubits.In front of each alcove was a wall one cubit high, and the alcoves were six cubits square.Then he measured the gateway from the top of the rear wall of one alcove to the top of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits from one parapet opening to the opposite one.He measured along the faces of the projecting walls all around the inside of the gateway— sixty cubits. The measurement was up to the portico facing the courtyard.The distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the gateway were surmounted by narrow parapet openings all around, as was the portico; the openings all around faced inward. The faces of the projecting walls were decorated with palm trees.Then he brought me into the outer court. There I saw some rooms and a pavement that had been constructed all around the court; there were thirty rooms along the pavement.It abutted the sides of the gateways and was as wide as they were long; this was the lower pavement.Then he measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits on the east side as well as on the north.Then he measured the length and width of the north gate, leading into the outer court.Its alcoves— three on each side— its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.Its openings, its portico and its palm tree decorations had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured from one gate to the opposite one; it was a hundred cubits.Then he led me to the south side and I saw the south gate. He measured its jambs and its portico, and they had the same measurements as the others.The gateway and its portico had narrow openings all around, like the openings of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them; it had palm tree decorations on the faces of the projecting walls on each side.The inner court also had a gate facing south, and he measured from this gate to the outer gate on the south side; it was a hundred cubits.Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others.Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.( The porticoes of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.)Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others.Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others,as did its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico, and it had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings were washed.In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings were slaughtered.By the outside wall of the portico of the gateway, near the steps at the entrance of the north gateway were two tables, and on the other side of the steps were two tables.So there were four tables on one side of the gateway and four on the other— eight tables in all— on which the sacrifices were slaughtered.There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high. On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth long, were attached to the wall all around. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two rooms, one at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south gate and facing north.He said to me,“ The room facing south is for the priests who guard the temple,and the room facing north is for the priests who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.”Then he measured the court: It was square— a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.He brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the entrance was fourteen cubits and its projecting walls were three cubits wide on either side.The portico was twenty cubits wide, and twelve cubits from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs, and there were pillars on each side of the jambs. (niv)
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Hesekiel 36:2
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The enemy said of you,“ Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.”’ (niv)
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Hesekiel 48:1-35
“ These are the tribes, listed by name: At the northern frontier, Dan will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath; Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath will be part of its border from the east side to the west side.“ Asher will have one portion; it will border the territory of Dan from east to west.“ Naphtali will have one portion; it will border the territory of Asher from east to west.“ Manasseh will have one portion; it will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.“ Ephraim will have one portion; it will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west.“ Reuben will have one portion; it will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.“ Judah will have one portion; it will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.“ Bordering the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and its length from east to west will equal one of the tribal portions; the sanctuary will be in the center of it.“ The special portion you are to offer to the Lord will be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide.This will be the sacred portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center of it will be the sanctuary of the Lord.This will be for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites, who were faithful in serving me and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.It will be a special gift to them from the sacred portion of the land, a most holy portion, bordering the territory of the Levites.“ Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. Its total length will be 25,000 cubits and its width 10,000 cubits.They must not sell or exchange any of it. This is the best of the land and must not pass into other hands, because it is holy to the Lord.“ The remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for the common use of the city, for houses and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of itand will have these measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west side 4,500 cubits.The pastureland for the city will be 250 cubits on the north, 250 cubits on the south, 250 cubits on the east, and 250 cubits on the west.What remains of the area, bordering on the sacred portion and running the length of it, will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city.The workers from the city who farm it will come from all the tribes of Israel.The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits on each side. As a special gift you will set aside the sacred portion, along with the property of the city.“ What remains on both sides of the area formed by the sacred portion and the property of the city will belong to the prince. It will extend eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the sacred portion to the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border. Both these areas running the length of the tribal portions will belong to the prince, and the sacred portion with the temple sanctuary will be in the center of them.So the property of the Levites and the property of the city will lie in the center of the area that belongs to the prince. The area belonging to the prince will lie between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin.“ As for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin will have one portion; it will extend from the east side to the west side.“ Simeon will have one portion; it will border the territory of Benjamin from east to west.“ Issachar will have one portion; it will border the territory of Simeon from east to west.“ Zebulun will have one portion; it will border the territory of Issachar from east to west.“ Gad will have one portion; it will border the territory of Zebulun from east to west.“ The southern boundary of Gad will run south from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.“ This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Sovereign Lord.“ These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is 4,500 cubits long,the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.“ On the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan.“ On the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun.“ On the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali.“ The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.“ And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.” (niv)