On top of all this the Lord told Ezekiel, draw straws to see what family gets what part of the land to grow their food on and build their houses on.

 

 

 

First set apart the special place for the Lord and His house and the place for the workers and priests at the Lord's house.

 

 

And then set the next part for the princes to have their houses and grow their food.

And you princes and leaders quit taking too much for yourselves but be happy with the place I give you and stop taking what I give to My other people that you are watching out over.

Stop charging too much money for everything, all of you. I give you enough for everything you need and some over to help out the helpers at My house. Give it to them.

 

 

And do all the special things I showed you that tell how much I love you.

 

 

The inside gate that looks to the East, keep it shut for the six working days and then open it on My rest day.

 

 

The people of the land will come here to visit and be happy in Me, bringing all their food for a big party here at My house.

 

 

 

And every day, do the service that shows how much I love you, in the morning and in the evening.

 

 

 

And when the princes give land to their sons, let it be from their own land,

 

I give them a lot so they will have enough for all their sons. Don’t take someone else’s land for to give to your sons to be theirs forever.

Then the Lord took Ezekiel to see the rooms for the priests and the places to cook the food. They were big places in all four corners for lots of room for everyone.

 

 

 

 

After this the Lord brought Ezekiel to the door of the house where he saw water coming out from under the main step of the on the right side.

 

A man was measuring where the water got deeper and deeper each 1500 feet until it was too deep to walk across but only swim.

Then the Lord asked, Did you see all of this?

Then Ezekiel saw many trees on each side of the river. The river ran down to the sea and made all the waters there living and fresh and new. And everything dead in the waters came back to be alive.

The leaves of the trees by the river will always be fresh and new. They won’t fade and die and fall off.

 

 

And the trees will always be full of fruit that the people will eat and it will never be all used up.

 

 

And the families of My people will get this special land to keep for their very own for always.

The twelve families of Israel will each get their own part of the land. Each part starts in the north and goes clear down to the south boundary.

One family will get their part and then the next family will get their part from the north to the south but their part goes from each to west and north to south in a long strip, Dan and Asher and then Napthali are first from east to west.

 

 

Then Manesseh and then Ephraim and then Reuben. Then Judah and then the Lord’s part for His house to sit right in the middle of the whole nation.

Then after the Lord’s part and the land for the priests and workers at the Lord’s house and the land for the princes of the people will be the land for Benjamin and Simeon and Issachar. Then Zebulun and Gad.

The gates of the city will have the names of the sons of Israel. The three gates leading into the city on the north are named for Reuben, Judah, and Levi. The gates on the east are named for Joseph and Benjamin and Dan. The gates on the south are named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun. And the gates on the west are named for Gad, Asher and Napthali. One gate for each of the sons of Israel.

The city is 18,000 measures around and the name of the city from that day will always be, The Lord is there.