The Healing Waters and Trees

47 Then he brought me back to the door of the ^[a]temple; and there was ^(A)water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. ² He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces ^(B)east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

³ And when ^(C)the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. ⁴ Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. ⁵ Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. ⁶ He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

⁷ When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many ^(D)trees on one side and the other. ⁸ Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the ^[b]valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. ⁹ And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever ^[c]the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. ¹⁰ It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish ^(E)of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. ¹¹ But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. ^12 (F)Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; ^(G)their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for ^(H)medicine.”^[d]

Borders of the Land^(I)

¹³ Thus says the Lord God: “These are the ^(J)borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. ^(K)Joseph shall have two portions. ¹⁴ You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I ^(L)raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall ^(M)fall to you as your inheritance.

¹⁵ “This shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea, by ^(N)the road to Hethlon, as one goes to ^(O)Zedad, ^16 (P)Hamath, ^(Q)Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran). ¹⁷ Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea to ^(R)Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.

¹⁸ “On the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea. This is the east side.

¹⁹ “The south side, toward the ^[e]South, shall be from Tamar to ^(S)the waters of ^[f]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south side, toward the South.

²⁰ “The west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side.

²¹ “Thus you shall ^(T)divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ²² It shall be that you will divide it by ^(U)lot as an inheritance for yourselves, ^(V)and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. ^(W)They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. ²³ And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God.

Division of the Land

48 “Now these are the names of the tribes: ^(X)From the northern border along the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one section for ^(Y)Dan from its east to its west side; ² by the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(Z)Asher; ³ by the border of Asher, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(AA)Naphtali; ⁴ by the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(AB)Manasseh; ⁵ by the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(AC)Ephraim; ⁶ by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(AD)Reuben; ⁷ by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one section for ^(AE)Judah; ⁸ by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be ^(AF)the district which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east side to the west, with the ^(AG)sanctuary in the center.

⁹ “The district that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. ¹⁰ To these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center. ^11 (AH)It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, ^(AI)as the Levites went astray. ¹² And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a thing most ^(AJ)holy by the border of the Levites.

¹³ “Opposite the border of the priests, the ^(AK)Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. ^14 (AL)And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

^15 (AM)“The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be ^(AN)for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. ¹⁶ These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred. ¹⁷ The common-land of the city shall be: to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two hundred and fifty. ¹⁸ The rest of the length, alongside the district of the holy section, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west. It shall be adjacent to the district of the holy section, and its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. ^19 (AO)The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. ²⁰ The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.

^21 (AP)“The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy district and of the city’s property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy district, ^(AQ)and the sanctuary of the ^[g]temple shall be in the center. ²² Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of ^(AR)Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

²³ “As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin shall have one section; ²⁴ by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, ^(AS)Simeon shall have one section; ²⁵ by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west, ^(AT)Issachar shall have one section; ²⁶ by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west, ^(AU)Zebulun shall have one section; ²⁷ by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, ^(AV)Gad shall have one section; ²⁸ by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the ^[h]South, the border shall be from Tamar to ^(AW)the waters of ^[i]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the ^(AX)Great Sea. ^29 (AY)This is the land which you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions,” says the Lord God.

The Gates of the City and Its Name

³⁰ “These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits ^31 (AZ)(the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; ³² on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; ³³ on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; ³⁴ on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. ³⁵ All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; ^(BA)and the name of the city from that day shall be: ^(BB)THE^[j] LORD IS THERE.”

Christ Born of Mary^(A)

2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ^2 (B)This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to ^(C)the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, ^(D)because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, ^(E)his betrothed ^[a]wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And ^(F)she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a ^[b]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And ^[c]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, ^(G)and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, ^(H)“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy ^(I)which will be to all people. ^11 (J)For there is born to you this day in the city of David ^(K)a Savior, ^(L)who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a ^[d]manger.”

^13 (M)And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made ^[f]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ^19 (Q)But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and ^(R)praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus

^21 (S)And when eight days were completed ^[g]for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called ^(T)Jesus, the name given by the angel ^(U)before He was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

²² Now when ^(V)the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ^23 (W)(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ^(X)“Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ^(Y)“A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation

²⁵ And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, ^(Z)waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^(AA)see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ So he came ^(AB)by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

^33 [h]And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the ^(AF)fall and rising of many in Israel, and for ^(AG)a sign which will be spoken against ³⁵ (yes, ^(AH)a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer

³⁶ Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of ^(AI)Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; ³⁷ and this woman was a widow ^[i]of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers ^(AJ)night and day. ³⁸ And coming in that instant she gave thanks to ^[j]the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who ^(AK)looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Family Returns to Nazareth

³⁹ So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ^40 (AL)And the Child grew and became strong ^[k]in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Scholars

⁴¹ His parents went to ^(AM)Jerusalem ^(AN)every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the ^(AO)custom of the feast. ⁴³ When they had finished the ^(AP)days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And ^[l]Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴ but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶ Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And ^(AQ)all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸ So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be ^(AR)about ^(AS)My Father’s business?” ⁵⁰ But ^(AT)they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor

⁵¹ Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was ^[m]subject to them, but His mother ^(AU)kept all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus ^(AV)increased in wisdom and stature, ^(AW)and in favor with God and men.