Ezekiel Chapter 48
Showing all 35 verses for Ezekiel Chapter 48.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. "
"These are the names of the tribes and their portions of land: starting from the northern edge, along the road through Hethlon towards Hamath, past Hazarenan on the border of Damascus, up to the border of Hamath — running the whole width east to west — is the portion for Dan."
I keep a place for you specifically, with your name on it — not a generic space lumped in with everyone else's. Even the ones history seems to have written off still have a portion waiting.
"And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. "
"Next to Dan's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Asher."
Whatever your particular strength or blessing has been, there's a place for it to keep bearing fruit.
"And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. "
"Next to Asher's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Naphtali."
Freedom and a settled place to belong aren't opposites. You can be both grounded and unrestrained.
"And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. "
"Next to Naphtali's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Manasseh."
I do not forget anyone when I hand out inheritance - every family, every person, has a portion reserved for them in my kingdom, drawn out in order beside their neighbours. You may feel overlooked next to those who seem more prominent, but I number you by name and set aside what is yours.
"And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. "
"Next to Manasseh's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Ephraim."
I know you individually, not as a blur in a crowd - I call your name and mark out exactly what belongs to you, tribe after tribe, one after another. Whatever you feel you have been passed over for, I have not forgotten you; my provision for your life is specific and personal.
"And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. "
"Next to Ephraim's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Reuben."
Losing your former status because of past failure doesn't mean you lose your place altogether. Grace still holds a full share for you.
"And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah. "
"Next to Reuben's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Judah."
I place the humble and the exalted side by side in my kingdom - Reuben, the firstborn who stumbled, and Judah, the line of the coming King, sharing neighbouring ground with equal dignity. Your status or your history does not determine your place in my love; all who follow me stand together as neighbours, not rivals.
"And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. "
"Next to Judah's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the special sacred strip you are to set apart — 25,000 reeds wide, as long as any of the other tribal portions, with the sanctuary at its very centre."
Keep what matters most at the centre of your life, not pushed off to the margins where it's easy to forget.
"The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. "
"The portion you are to set apart for the LORD is to measure 25,000 reeds long and 10,000 reeds wide."
Good intentions matter, but real generosity shows up in specific, tangible commitment — not just a vague feeling of wanting to give.
"And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof. "
"This holy portion belongs to the priests: 25,000 reeds long on the north side, 10,000 wide on the west, 10,000 wide on the east, and 25,000 long on the south — with the LORD's sanctuary at its centre."
Those who give their lives to caring for others deserve to be cared for in return. Provision for the people who serve isn't an afterthought — it's built into the plan.
"It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. "
"This portion is for the priests who are set apart from among the descendants of Zadok — those who kept faithful to my service and did not go astray when the rest of Israel, and even the other Levites, went astray."
Staying faithful when everyone around you is cutting corners doesn't go unnoticed by me. Integrity in a compromised time is worth more than it feels like in the moment.
"And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. "
"So this offering of land, taken from the land as a whole, belongs to them as something "most holy," bordering the Levites' portion."
Handle what's precious to you with real care and intention — not carelessly, and not as an afterthought.
"And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. "
"Alongside the priests' territory, the Levites (the wider group of temple assistants) are to have their own portion — 25,000 reeds long and 10,000 wide, matching the priests' portion in size."
Everyone who serves, whatever their rank or role, deserves real provision — not just the people at the top.
"And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstiruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD. "
"They are not to sell any of this land, exchange it, or let this best portion of the land pass out of their hands — because it is holy, dedicated to the LORD."
Some things in your life should never be for sale — your integrity, your calling, what's genuinely sacred to you. Don't trade them away for a quick, tempting gain.
"And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. "
"The remaining strip — 5,000 reeds wide — is for ordinary, everyday use: for the city, for housing, and for open land around it, with the city itself right in the middle of it."
Your ordinary daily life — your home, your routines, your unremarkable days — isn't second-class compared to your "spiritual" moments. Both have their proper, valued place.
"And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. "
"These are the city's measurements: 4,500 reeds on the north side, 4,500 on the south, 4,500 on the east, and 4,500 on the west — a perfect square."
A well-ordered life doesn't lean too heavily in one direction. Balance itself can be a sign of health.
"And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. "
"The city is to have open land around it: 250 reeds on the north, 250 on the south, 250 on the east, and 250 on the west."
Even a well-planned life needs margin — space to breathe that isn't packed edge to edge with obligation.
"And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. "
"What's left over alongside the holy portion — 10,000 reeds to the east and 10,000 to the west — is farmland, and what it produces is food for the workers who serve the city."
The people doing the unglamorous, daily work that keeps a community running deserve to be fed and looked after too, not forgotten in the plan.
"And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel. "
"The workers who serve the city are drawn from every tribe of Israel."
A healthy community isn't kept running by one group carrying everyone else's weight. It's shared work, from everyone, for everyone.
"All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city. "
"So the whole sacred offering of land is 25,000 reeds by 25,000 reeds — you are to set apart this holy portion as a perfect square, together with the city's own land."
I love order and holiness, but I never separate what is holy from where you actually live - the sacred portion I set apart includes the city, the ordinary dwelling place of ordinary people. I do not ask you to split your life into a sacred part and a secular part; I want to make all of it whole and offered to me.
"And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. "
"Whatever land remains, on either side of the holy portion and the city's territory, belongs to the prince — stretching out east and west alongside the 25,000-reed sacred district, with the sanctuary itself remaining right at the centre of it all."
Protect what's sacred to you, even from your own ambitions. Some boundaries exist not to limit you unfairly, but to protect you from your own appetite for control.
"Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince’s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. "
"So, taking in the Levites' land and the city's land right in the middle of the prince's own territory, everything between the borders of Judah and Benjamin belongs to the prince."
Precise, honestly kept boundaries prevent future conflict. Clarity now saves grief and disputes later.
"As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. "
"As for the rest of the tribes: running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Benjamin."
Being small or seeming insignificant doesn't mean you matter less. The smallest still gets a full and equal share.
"And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. "
"Next to Benjamin's border, running the whole width from east to west, is the portion for Simeon."
Your history doesn't have to be your destiny. What was once broken or scattered in your past can be fully restored, given a genuinely fresh, clean start.
"And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. "
"Next to Simeon's border, running the whole width from east to west, is a portion for Issachar."
Wisdom and discernment deserve a stable place to be lived out, not just admired from a distance.
"And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. "
"Next to Issachar's border, running the whole width from east to west, is a portion for Zebulun."
Your everyday trade or work has its own honoured place — not everything valuable looks overtly religious.
"And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. "
"Next to Zebulun's border, running the whole width from east to west, is a portion for Gad."
Whatever presses hard against you now doesn't get the final word. There's a settled, secure future waiting on the other side of it.
"And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea. "
"Along Gad's southern border, the boundary runs from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh, then along the river to the Mediterranean Sea."
Things that begin properly get properly finished. What I start in your life, I carry all the way through to completion.
"This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD. "
"This is the land which you are to divide by lot among the tribes of Israel as their inheritance, and these are their portions, says the Sovereign LORD."
Let go of needing to control every outcome yourself. Sometimes trusting a fair process — and trusting me with the result — is the more honest way through.
"And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures. "
"These are the exits of the city: on the north side, measuring 4,500 reeds."
I mark out the ways in and out of your life, your comings and goings, with the same careful measure as I give the centre of the city. Even the exits and the everyday paths you walk matter to me; nothing about your daily movement is too small for my attention and care.
"And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. "
"The city's gates are named after the tribes of Israel: three gates on the north side — the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi."
At my table, differences in status from your past don't determine your welcome. Everyone gets a named door.
"And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. "
"On the east side, measuring 4,500 reeds, are three gates — the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan."
I built gates for every family, so that no one is shut out of the city where I choose to dwell. Whatever your tribe, whatever your background, there is a gate bearing your name - come in, for you belong here.
"And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. "
"On the south side, measuring 4,500 reeds, are three gates — the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun."
Even a tribe with a troubled history, like Simeon, receives a gate bearing its name in my city - I do not bar the door because of your past. My welcome is wide enough for every story, and I invite you to walk through fully belonging, not merely tolerated.
"At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. "
"On the west side, measuring 4,500 reeds, are their three gates — the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali."
There's a way in for every single person, named specifically for them. No one is stuck outside without a door meant for them.
"It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there. "
"The whole city measured 18,000 reeds all the way around — and from that day on, the city's name will simply be: "The LORD is there.""
Everything I build in your life — every hard lesson, every boundary, every rebuilding after loss — is only ever in service of one thing: that I would actually be with you. That's the whole point, start to finish. Not the rules, not the achievement, not having it all together — just this: I am here, and I'm not leaving.