Ezekiel Chapter 47
Showing all 23 verses for Ezekiel Chapter 47.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. "
"He brought Ezekiel back to the entrance of the temple, and there, flowing out from under the threshold of the building, was water heading east — since the temple faced east — trickling out from under the south side of the altar."
Don't despise small beginnings in your own life. What starts as a trickle from the most sincere, unnoticed part of you can grow into something that changes everything around it.
"Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. "
"Then he led Ezekiel out through the north gate and round the outside to the outer east gate — and there, water was running out on the right-hand side."
Sometimes understanding what's really happening in your life takes going the long way round, patiently tracing the source, rather than expecting the whole picture at once.
"And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. "
"As the man with the measuring line walked eastward, he measured off a thousand cubits (roughly 500 metres) and led Ezekiel through the water — it came up to his ankles."
Every deep thing in your life started shallow enough to step into safely. Don't be afraid of the first small step just because you can already sense it will lead somewhere deeper.
"Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. "
"He measured another thousand cubits and led Ezekiel through — now the water reached his knees. He measured a further thousand and led him through again — now it reached his waist."
Growth in trust rarely happens all at once. It deepens gradually, a stage at a time, giving you room to adjust before it asks more of you.
"Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. "
"He measured once more, and now it was a river Ezekiel could not cross on foot — the water had risen so high it could only be swum in; it had become a river no one could wade across."
There comes a point where you can't manage everything on your own effort any more — and that's not a failure, it's an invitation. Let go of the bottom and let yourself be carried; that's not weakness, that's grace doing what effort alone never could.
"And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. "
"The guide asked Ezekiel, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought him back to the riverbank."
I ask you the same thing: have you actually noticed what's growing in your life because of the good that's quietly flowing through it? Slow down long enough to really see it.
"Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. "
"When Ezekiel came back to the bank, he saw a great many trees growing along both sides of the river."
Notice what's growing around the good things in your life. Genuine goodness doesn't stay contained — it spreads outward and feeds what's near it.
"Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. "
"The guide told him: "This water flows out towards the eastern region, goes down through the desert, and empties into the Dead Sea — and when it reaches that sea, its waters become fresh and healthy.""
I'm not put off by the parts of you or your life that feel dead, poisoned, or beyond saving. That's exactly where I choose to flow.
"And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. "
"Wherever the river flows, every living creature that moves in it will live — there will be a huge abundance of fish, because these waters bring healing wherever they go; everything lives, wherever the river reaches."
Wherever I'm genuinely allowed in, life follows — not because you've earned it, but because that's simply what living water does when it's given room to flow.
"And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. "
"Fishermen will stand along the shore from Engedi all the way to Eneglaim, spreading their nets — the fish will be plentiful and varied, just like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea."
Real change in your life doesn't just stay a private, inward feeling — it shows up in your work, your ability to provide, your everyday circumstances too.
"But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. "
"But the swamps and marshes around it won't be healed — they'll be left salty, set aside for producing salt."
Not every part of you needs to become something else to be valuable. Some things about you can simply stay as they are, still useful, still good, without needing to be transformed to earn their place.
"And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. "
"Along both banks of the river, every kind of fruit tree will grow — their leaves will never wither, and their fruit will never run out; they'll produce fresh fruit every month, because their water flows straight out of the sanctuary. The fruit will be for food, and the leaves for healing."
I don't give you one blessing and then leave you to make it last. Come back to the source again and again — there's always more, and healing is woven right into the ordinary, repeated rhythm of it.
"Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. "
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: this will be the border by which you divide the land among the twelve tribes of Israel — with Joseph receiving two shares instead of one."
I make sure there's a place kept for everyone, even accounting for old family history and old mistakes. No one gets left out of the plan because of what happened generations before them.
"And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. "
"You are to inherit it equally, one tribe the same as another — because I swore with a raised hand to give this land to your ancestors, and now it's falling to you as your inheritance."
What I promise, I keep — even if it takes far longer than you'd ever expect. Don't measure my faithfulness by how quickly things arrive; measure it by whether they arrive at all.
"And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad; "
"This is the northern border of the land: starting from the Mediterranean Sea (called "the great sea"), it runs along the road to Hethlon, towards Zedad."
What I promise you isn't meant to stay a comforting feeling — it's meant to actually show up, specifically, in your real, everyday life.
"Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran. "
"The border continues through Hamath, Berothah, and Sibraim (which lies between the territories of Damascus and Hamath), on to Hazarhatticon on the border of Hauran."
Reliability is usually found in the details, not just the big promises. Being precise and specific with people is its own form of honesty.
"And the border from the sea shall be Hazarenan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. "
"So the border runs from the sea to Hazarenan, along the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the north. This is the north side."
Clear boundaries, honestly stated, bring peace rather than conflict. Knowing exactly where you stand with someone is a gift, not a limitation.
"And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side. "
"The eastern border is measured from Hauran and Damascus, along Gilead and the land of Israel by the Jordan river, down to the Dead Sea ("the east sea"). This is the east side."
I mark out even the boundary lines of your life with care - your circumstances, your calling, the very border of your days. Nothing about your place in this world escapes my attention or is left to chance. When you feel hemmed in by your circumstances, trust that I have measured them for your good, to give you a home and not a cage.
"And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward. "
"The southern border runs from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh, then along the river to the Mediterranean Sea. This is the south side."
The place where you once failed doesn't have to define the rest of your story. It can simply become a landmark you pass on the way to somewhere whole, not the destination itself.
"The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side. "
"The western border is simply the Mediterranean Sea itself, from the northern point down to opposite Hamath. This is the west side."
Some limits in life don't need justifying or explaining — they simply are what they are. Peace often comes from accepting a boundary rather than fighting it.
"So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. "
"So you are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel."
After all the careful planning, there comes a moment to simply act on it. Don't let good plans stay only plans.
"And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. "
"You are to divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you who have had children there — treat them exactly as native-born Israelites; they are to receive an inheritance among the tribes right alongside you."
I don't care where you started or where you came from. If you've made your home among my people and put down real roots there, you belong fully — no second-class status, no permanent outsider tag.
"And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD. "
"Whatever tribe's territory a foreigner is living in, that is where you are to give him his inheritance, says the Sovereign LORD."
Belonging isn't earned by where you were born — it's confirmed by where you've planted your life and rooted your commitment.