The Prophet Ezekiel

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- Chapter 45 -

“And when you will begin to divide the land by lot, separate as first-fruits for the Lord a sanctified portion of the land, in length twenty-five thousand and in width ten thousand. It will be holy within all its borders all around.(a)

And there shall be, out of the entire region, a sanctified portion of five hundred by five hundred, foursquare all around, with fifty cubits for its suburbs on all sides.

And with this measure, you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand, and a width of ten thousand, and within it shall be the temple and the Holy of Holies.

The sanctified portion of the land shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who approach for the ministry of the Lord. And it shall be a place for their houses, and for the holy place of the sanctuary.

Now twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levites, who minister in the house. They shall possess twenty storerooms.

And you shall appoint a possession in the city of five thousand in width, and twenty-five thousand in length, in accord with the separation of the sanctuary, for the entire house of Israel.

The Prince’s Portion

Appoint the same for the prince, on one side and on the other, in the separation of the sanctuary, and in the possession of the city, opposite the face of the separation of the sanctuary, and opposite the face of the possession of the city, from the side of the sea even to the sea, and from the side of the east even to the east. And the length shall be just as in each part, from the western border even to the eastern border.

A portion of the land in Israel shall be for him. And the princes shall no longer plunder my people. Instead, they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

Thus says the Lord God: Let this be sufficient for you, O princes of Israel! Cease from iniquity and robberies, and execute judgment and justice. Separate your confines from my people, says the Lord God.

Honest Scales

(Deuteronomy 25:13–16; Proverbs 11:1–3)

You shall have just scales, and a just unit of dry measure, and a just unit of liquid measure.

The units of dry and liquid measure shall be one uniform measure, so that a bath contains one tenth part of a cor, and an ephah contains one tenth part of a cor; each shall be of equal volume in accord with the measure of a cor.(b)

Now the shekel consists of twenty obols. Furthermore, twenty shekels, and twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels makes one mina.

Offerings and Feasts

And these are the first-fruits that you shall take: a sixth part of an ephah from each cor of wheat, and a sixth part of an ephah from each cor of barley.

Likewise, a measure of oil, a bath of oil, is one tenth part of a cor. And ten baths make one cor. For ten baths complete one cor.

And take one ram from each flock of two hundred, out of those that Israel tends for sacrifice and holocausts and peace offerings, in order to make an expiation for them, says the Lord God.

All the people of the land will take hold of these first-fruits for the prince in Israel.

And concerning the prince, there shall be holocausts and sacrifice and libations, on solemnities and new moons and Sabbaths, and on all the solemnities of the house of Israel. He himself shall offer the sacrifice for sin, and the holocaust, and the peace offerings, in order to make expiation for the house of Israel.

Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first of the month, you shall take an immaculate calf from the herd, and you shall expiate the sanctuary.

And the priest shall take from the blood that will be for the sin offering. And he shall place it on the doorposts of the house, and on the four corners of the rim of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court.

And so shall you do on the seventh day of the month, on behalf of each one who was ignorant or who was deceived by error. And you shall make expiation for the house.(c)

In the first month, the fourteenth day of the month shall be for you the solemnity of the Passover. For seven days, unleavened bread shall be eaten.

And on that day, the prince shall offer, on behalf of himself and on behalf of all the people of the land, a calf for sin.

And during the solemnity of the seven days, he shall offer a holocaust to the Lord of seven immaculate calves and seven immaculate rams, daily for seven days, and a he-goat from among the she-goats, daily for sin.

And he shall offer the sacrifice of an ephah for each calf, and an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil for every ephah.

In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, during the solemnities, he shall do just as was said above for the seven days, as much for the sin offering, as for the holocaust and sacrifice and oil.”

Footnotes

(a)45:1 Twenty-five thousand:Viz., reeds or cubits.(Challoner)

(b)45:11 The ephi and the bate:These measures were of equal capacity, but the bate served for liquids, and the ephi for dry things.(Challoner)

(c)45:20 If you commit an offense against God, without knowing that it was an offense, the act itself is still wrong. You may have some guilt due to culpable ignorance, or due to an error obtained by a less than entirely sincere search for truth. But even if your offense is one of invincible ignorance, the act itself was still a disorder, contrary to the will and plan of God. And so sacrifices are offered even for such offenses.(Conte)

“‘“Moreover, when you divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an offering to the LORD, a holy portion of the land. The length shall be the length of twenty-five thousand reeds, and the width shall be ten thousand. It shall be holy in all its border all around.

Of this there shall be a five hundred by five hundred square for the holy place, and fifty cubits

(a)

for its pasture lands all around.

Of this measure you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand, and a width of ten thousand. In it shall be the sanctuary, which is most holy.

It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD. It shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.

Twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house, as a possession for themselves, for twenty rooms.

“‘“You shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, side by side with the offering of the holy portion. It shall be for the whole house of Israel.

The Prince’s Portion

“‘“What is for the prince shall be on the one side and on the other side of the holy allotment and of the possession of the city, in front of the holy allotment and in front of the possession of the city, on the west side westward, and on the east side eastward, and in length corresponding to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border.

In the land it shall be to him for a possession in Israel. My princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”

“‘The Lord GOD says: “Enough you, princes of Israel! Remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness! Stop dispossessing my people!” says the Lord GOD.

Honest Scales

(Deuteronomy 25:13–16; Proverbs 11:1–3)

“You shall have just balances, a just ephah,(b) and a just bath.

The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain one tenth of a homer,(c) and the ephah one tenth of a homer. Its measure shall be the same as the homer.

The shekel (d) shall be twenty gerahs.(e) Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.(f)

Offerings and Feasts

“‘“This is the offering that you shall offer: the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and you shall give the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of barley,

and the set portion of oil, of the bath of oil, one tenth of a bath out of the cor, which is ten baths, even a homer (for ten baths are a homer),(g)

and one lamb of the flock out of two hundred, from the well-watered pastures of Israel—for a meal offering, for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make atonement for them,” says the Lord GOD.

“All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel.

It shall be the prince’s part to give the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, and the drink offerings, in the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, in all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

“‘The Lord GOD says: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without defect, and you shall cleanse the sanctuary.

The priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the door posts of the house, and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court.

So you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who errs, and for him who is simple. So you shall make atonement for the house.

“‘“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

On that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.

The seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without defect daily the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.

He shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah(h) for a bull, an ephah for a ram, and a hin

(i)

of oil to an ephah.

“‘“In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, during the feast, he shall do like that for seven days. He shall make the same provision for sin offering, the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the oil.”

Footnotes

(a)45:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.

(b)45:10 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel

(d)45:12 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

(e)45:12 a gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains

(f)45:12 A mina is about 600 grams or 1.3 U. S. pounds.

(g)45:14 1 cor is the same as 1 homer in volume, and is about 211 liters, 55.9 gallons, or 6 bushels. 1 bath is about 21.1 liters, 5.59 gallons, or 2.4 pecks.

(h)45:24 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel

(i)45:24 A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons.