The division of the land

1“Here is a list of the tribes of Israel and the territory that each tribe is to receive: The tribe of Dan will be allotted land at the northern boundary of Israel: It will extend east from the Mediterranean Sea east to Hethlon city, then from there to Hamath Pass, and on to the town of Hazar-Enan south of Damascus, between Damascus and Hamath. The tribe of Dan will receive land on the northern border of Israel from the eastern end of the country west to the Mediterranean Sea.

2South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Asher.

3South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Naphtali.

4South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Manasseh.

5South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Ephraim.

6South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Reuben.

7South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Judah.

8South of their land will be an area set apart for special use. The temple will be in the center of that area.

9It must be ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄6.7 miles/10.6 km.► wide.

10For the priests, there must be a strip of land ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄3.3 miles/5.3 km.► wide. The temple will be in the center of that area.

11That area is for the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They are ones who served me faithfully and did not turn away from me, like most of the descendants of Levi and the other Israeli people did.

12When the land is distributed, that area must be given to the priests; it is land that is very sacred. It will be next to the land that will be given to the other descendants of Levi.

13The land that will be allotted to the other descendants of Levi will be the same size as the land allotted to the priests. So together, those two portions of land will be ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄6.6 miles/10.6 km.► wide.

14None of this special land will ever be permitted to be sold or traded or used by other people, because it belongs to me, Yahweh. It is set apart for me.

15The rest of that sacred area, a strip of land ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► long and ◄1.7 miles/2.65 km.► wide will be allotted for other people to use. It will be land where they will be permitted to build homes and have pasturelands. There will be a city at the center.

16The city will be square, ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► on each side.

17Around the city there will be an area for farming, that will be ◄150 yards/135 meters► in each direction.

18Outside the city, to the east and to the west, there will be a farming area. It will extend ◄3 miles/4.8 km.► to the east and ◄3 miles/4.8 km.► to the west. Men who work there will produce food for the people who work in the city.

19Some of those who come from the various Israeli tribes to work in the city may also work on the farmland.

20That entire special area, including the sacred lands and the city, will be a square that is ◄8.3 miles/13.3 km.► on each side.

21The areas to the east and to the west of the sacred area and the city will belong to the king. One area will extend east to the eastern boundary of Israel and the other will extend west to the Mediterranean Sea. The sacred area in which the temple is located will be in the middle.

22The area that belongs to the king will be between the land of the tribe of Judahto the north and the land of the tribe of Benjamin to the south.

23South of that special area, each of the other tribes must be allotted one portion of land that extends from the eastern boundary of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. Beginning at the north will be land for the tribe of Benjamin.

24South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Simeon.

25South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Issachar.

26South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Zebulun.

27South of their land will be the territory for the tribe of Gad.

28The southern boundary of the tribe of Gad will extend south from Tamar to the springs at Meribah-Kadesh, and from there to the west along the dry riverbed at the border of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.

29That is the land that you must allot to the tribes of Israel, to belong to them permanently. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.”

The gates of the city

30These will be the exits from the city: On the north side, which will be ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long,

31there must be three gates; each one will have the name of one of the tribes of Israel. The first one will be named for Reuben, the next for Judah, the next for Levi.

32On the east side, also ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long, will be gates named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan.

33On the south side, also ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long, will be gates named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun.

34On the west side, also ◄1.5 miles/2.4 km.► long, will be gates named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

35So the distance around the city will thus be ◄6 miles/9.6 km.►. And from that time on, the name of the city will be ‘Yahweh Is There’.’