The division of land among tribes in the north

The LORD said:

1-7Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The northern border of Israel will run along the towns of Hethlon and Lebo-Hamath, and will end at Hazar-Enon, which is on the border between the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah.

The special section of land

The LORD said:

8South of Judah's territory will be a special section of land. Its length will be twelve and a half kilometres, and its width will run from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. My temple will be in this section of land.

9An area in the centre of this land will belong to me. It will be twelve and a half kilometres long and ten48.9 ten: The Hebrew text has “five” (but see 45.1 and the note there). kilometres wide.

10I, the LORD, will give half of my sacred land to the priests. Their share will be twelve and a half kilometres long and five kilometres wide, and my temple will be right in the middle. 11Only priests who are descendants of Zadok will receive a share of this sacred land, because they remained faithful to me when the Levites and the rest of the Israelites started sinning. 12The land belonging to the priests will be the most sacred area and will lie south of the area that belongs to the Levites.

13I will give the other half of my sacred land to the Levites. Their share will also be twelve and a half kilometres long and five kilometres wide, 14and they must never sell or trade any of this land—it is the best land and belongs to me.

15South of my sacred land will be a section twelve and a half kilometres long and three kilometres wide. It will not be sacred, but will belong to the people of Israel and will include the city of Jerusalem, together with its houses and pasture land. 16The city will be a square: each side will be two kilometres long, 17and an open area one hundred and twenty-five metres wide will surround the city. 18The land on the east and west sides of the city boundaries will be farmland for the people of Jerusalem; both sections will be five kilometres long and three kilometres wide. 19People from the city will farm the land, no matter which tribe they belong to.

20And so the centre of this special section of land will be for my sacred land, as well as for the city and its property. The land will be a square, twelve and a half kilometres on each side.

21The regions east and west of this square of land will belong to the ruler of Israel. His property will run east to the River Jordan and west to the Mediterranean Sea. In the very centre of his property will be my sacred land, as well as the temple, 22together with the share belonging to the Levites and the city of Jerusalem. The northern border of the ruler's property will be the land that belongs to Judah, and the southern border will be the land that belongs to Benjamin.

The division of land among tribes in the south

The LORD God said:

23-27South of this special section will be the land that belongs to the rest of Israel's tribes. Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad.

28Gad's southern border is also the southern border of Israel. It will begin at the town of Tamar, then run south-west to the springs near Meribath-Kadesh. It will continue along the Egyptian Gorge and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

29That's how the land of Israel will be divided among the twelve tribes. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

The gates of Jerusalem

The LORD said:

30-34The city of Jerusalem will have twelve gates, three on each of the four sides of the city wall. These gates will be named after the twelve tribes of Israel. The gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi will be in the north; Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan will be in the east; Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun will be in the south; Gad, Asher, and Naphtali will be in the west. Each side of the city wall will be two kilometres long,48.30-34: Rev 21.12,13. 35and so the total length of the wall will be ten kilometres. The new name of the city will be “The-LORD-Is-Here!”