The LORD's sacred land

The LORD said:

1When the land of Israel is divided among the twelve tribes, you must set aside an area that will belong to me. This sacred area will be twelve and a half kilometres long and ten45.1 ten: One ancient translation; Hebrew “five”. kilometres wide. 2The temple will be on a piece of land two hundred and fifty-five metres square, and the temple will be completely surrounded by an open space twenty-five metres wide.

3-4I will give half of my sacred land, a section twelve and a half kilometres long and five kilometres wide, to the priests who serve in the temple. Their houses will be in this half, as well as my temple, which is the most sacred place of all.

5I will give the other half of my land to the Levites who work in my temple, and the towns45.5 the towns: One ancient translation; Hebrew “the twenty rooms”. where they will live will be there.

6Next to my sacred land will be an area twelve and a half kilometres long and three kilometres wide. This will belong to the people of Israel and will include the city of Jerusalem.

Land for Israel's ruler

The LORD said:

7-8The regions west and east of my sacred land and the city of Jerusalem will belong to the ruler of Israel. He will be given the region between the western edge of my land and the Mediterranean Sea, and between the eastern edge of my land and the River Jordan. This will mean that the length of his property will be the same as the sections of land given to the tribes.

This property will belong to every ruler of Israel, so they will always be fair to my people and will let them live peacefully in the land given to their tribes.

Israel's rulers must be honest

9The LORD God said:

You leaders of Israel have robbed and cheated my people long enough! I want you to stop sinning and start doing what is right and fair. You must never again force my people off their own land. I, the LORD, have spoken.

10So from now on, you must use honest weights and measures.45.10: Lv 19.36. 11The ephah will be the standard dry measure, and the bath will be the standard liquid measure. Their size will be based on the homer, which will equal ten ephahs or ten baths.45.11 the homer…ten ephahs…ten baths: A homer was either a dry or a liquid measure and equalled about one hundred and seventy-five litres; an ephah would be about nine kilogrammes, and a bath would be about seventeen and a half litres.

12The standard unit of weight will be the shekel.45.12 the shekel: The shekel was about eleven grammes. One shekel will equal twenty gerahs, and sixty shekels will equal one mina.

13Leaders of Israel, the people must bring you one sixtieth of their grain harvests as offerings to me. 14They will also bring one per cent of their olive oil. These things will be measured according to the bath, and ten baths is the same as one homer or one cor. 15Finally, they must bring one sheep out of every two hundred from their flocks.

These offerings will be used as grain sacrifices, as well as sacrifices to please me45.15 sacrifices to please me: See the note at 40.38,39. and those to ask my blessing.45.15 sacrifices…to ask my blessing: See the note at 43.27. I, the LORD, will be pleased with these sacrifices and will forgive the sins of my people.

16The people of Israel will bring you these offerings. 17But during New Moon Festivals, Sabbath celebrations, and other religious feasts, you leaders will be responsible for providing animals for the sacrifices, as well as the grain and wine. All these will be used for the sacrifices for sin, the grain sacrifices, the sacrifices to please me, and those to ask my blessing. I will be pleased and will forgive the sins of my people.

The festivals

(Exodus 12.1-20; Leviticus 23.33-43)

18The LORD God said:

On the first day of the first month,45.18 the first month: Abib (also called Nisan), the first month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-March to mid-April. a young bull that has nothing wrong with it must be offered as a sacrifice to purify the temple. 19The priest will take some blood from this sacrifice and smear it on the doorposts of the temple, as well as on the four corners of the altar and on the doorposts of the gates that lead into the inner courtyard.

20The same ceremony must also be done on the seventh day of the month, so that anyone who sins accidentally or without knowing it will be forgiven, and so that my temple will remain holy.

21Beginning on the fourteenth day of the first month, and continuing for seven days, everyone will celebrate Passover and eat bread made without yeast.45.21: Ex 12.1-20; Nu 28.16-25. 22On the first day, the ruler will bring a bull to offer as a sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of the people. 23Each day of the festival he is to bring seven bulls and seven rams as sacrifices to please me,45.23 sacrifices to please me: See the note at 40.38,39. and he must bring a goat45.23 goat: See the note at 43.22. as a sacrifice for sin. These animals must have nothing wrong with them. 24He will also provide nine kilogrammes of grain and three litres of olive oil to be offered with each bull and each ram.

25The Festival of Shelters will begin on the fifteenth day of the seventh month45.25 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October. and will continue for seven days. On each day of this festival, the ruler will provide the same number of animals that he did each day during Passover, as well as the same amount of grain and olive oil for the sacrifices.45.25: Lv 23.33-36; Nu 29.12-38.