The Holy District

45 “When (A)you allot the land as an inheritance, (B)you shall set apart for the Lord a portion of the land as a holy district, 25,000 cubits[a] long and 20,000[b] cubits broad. It shall be holy throughout its whole extent. (C)Of this a square plot of 500 by 500 cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for (D)an open space around it. And (E)from this measured district you shall measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 broad, (F)in which shall be the sanctuary, (G)the Most Holy Place. (H)It shall be the holy portion of the land. It shall be for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and approach the Lord to minister to him, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. (I)Another section, 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits broad, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their possession for cities to live in.[c]

“Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district (J)you shall assign for the property of the city an area 5,000 cubits broad and 25,000 cubits long. (K)It shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

The Portion for the Prince

(L)“And to (M)the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And (N)my princes shall no more oppress my people, but (O)they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

“Thus says the Lord God: (P)Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease (Q)your evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.

10 (R)“You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath.[d] 11 The ephah and the bath shall be (S)of the same measure, (T)the bath containing one tenth of a homer,[e] and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure. 12 (U)The shekel shall be twenty gerahs;[f] twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.[g]

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 45:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  2. Ezekiel 45:1 Septuagint; Hebrew 10,000
  3. Ezekiel 45:5 Septuagint; Hebrew as their possession, twenty chambers
  4. Ezekiel 45:10 An ephah was about 3/5 of a bushel or 22 liters; a bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters
  5. Ezekiel 45:11 A homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
  6. Ezekiel 45:12 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams; a gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram
  7. Ezekiel 45:12 A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram

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