Open English Translation EZE Chapter 47

47 Then the man took me back to the temple entrance, and there was water flowing out from under the front edge of the building toward the east, and the water was flowing down the south side of the temple, to the right of the altar.[ref] 2 So he took me out through the northern gate and led me around the outside to the eastern gate, and look, the water was flowing from this gate on its south side. 3 As the man started walking toward the east holding his measuring line in his hand, he measured off five hundred metres and led me through the water, which was ankle-deep. 4 Then he measured another five hundred metres and led me through the water, which was now knee-deep, and then after another five hundred metres it was up to the waist. 5 Finally he measured off another five hundred metres, but the water had become deep enough to swim in and too deep to cross—it was now a river that couldn’t be walked through. 6 The man asked me, “Humanity’s child, have you taken note of all this?”

Then he led me out and had me return along the riverbank. 7 As I walked back, wow, now the riverbank had many trees on each side. 8 The man told me, “This water flows eastward and down into the Rift Valley. It’ll flow into the Dead Sea and will make it into fresh water. 9 As a result, every kind of living creature that swarms will live where that water flows. There’ll be lots of fish when that water flows into the Dead Sea as it causes the salty water to become fresh water—everything will live wherever that river goes. 10 Then the fishermen from Eyn-Gedi will stand there by the water, and there’ll be a place to dry out the fishing nets near Eyn-Eglaim. There’ll be many kinds of fish in the Dead Sea—plentiful just like the fish in the Mediterranean Sea. 11 However, the Dead Sea’s swamps and marshes won’t be made fresh—they’ll be for providing salt. 12 Beside that river on both banks, all kinds of fruit trees will grow. Their leaves will never wilt, and they’ll never fail to fruit—in fact they’ll bear fruit every month because that water from the temple flows to them. Their fruit will be good to eat, and their leaves will help with healing.[ref]

13 The master Yahweh says that this will be the way that you divide the land up for Yisrael’s twelve tribes: Yosef (Joseph) will have a double allocation. 14 You’re to equally divide the land that I took action to give to your ancestors—from now on that land will come to you Israelis as an inheritance.

15 These will be the land boundaries: On the north side, it’ll extend from the Mediterranean Sea east along the road towards Hetlon, and then on to Tsedad, 16 to Berotah, and then on to Sivrayim, which is on the border between Damascus and Hamat. The boundary will run as far as Hatser-Hattikon, which is on the border of the Havran region. 17 So the boundary will extend from the Mediterranean Sea to Hatsar-Enan on the border between Hamat to the north and Damascus to the south. That’ll be the northern boundary.

18 On the eastern side, the boundary will extend between Havran and Damascus, south along the Yordan River between the Gilead region and Yisrael’s territory, along the Dead Sea as far as Tamar.[fn] That’ll be the eastern boundary.

19 On the southern side, the boundary will extend from Tamar to the springs near Merivat-Kadesh. Then it’ll extend west along the brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. That’ll be the southern boundary.

20 On the western side, the boundary will be the Mediterranean Sea, north to a point near Levo-Hamat.

21 This is how you’ll divide this land for yourselves among Yisrael’s tribes: 22 You must assign the land as a permanent possession for yourselves and also for any foreigners who are living and raising their children among you. You must consider them to be like native born Israelis, and they must be assigned land among Yisrael’s tribes. 23 Wherever foreigners are living, you must give them some land to belong to them permanently. That’s the master Yahweh’s declaration.”