Ezekiel 47

¹Then he brought me back to the door of the temple , and behold , water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east ( for the temple faced east ). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple , south of the altar .

²Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east ; and behold , the water was trickling out on the south side .

³Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand , the man measured a thousand cubits , and then led me through the water , and it was ankle-deep .

⁴Again he measured a thousand , and led me through the water , and it was knee-deep . Again he measured a thousand , and led me through the water , and it was waist-deep .

⁵Again he measured a thousand , and it was a river that I could not pass through , for the water had risen . It was deep enough to swim in , a river that could not be passed through .

⁶And he said to me, Son of man , have you seen this? Then he led me back to the bank of the river .

⁷As I went back , I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other .

⁸And he said to me, This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah , and enters the sea ; when the water flows into the sea , the water will become fresh .

⁹And wherever the river goes , every living creature that swarms will live , and there will be very many fish . For this water goes there , that the waters of the sea may become fresh ; so everything will live where the river goes .

¹⁰Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets . Its fish will be of very many kinds , like the fish of the Great Sea .

¹¹But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh ; they are to be left for salt .

¹²And on the banks , on both sides of the river , there will grow all kinds of trees for food . Their leaves will not wither , nor their fruit fail , but they will bear fresh fruit every month , because the water for them flows from the sanctuary . Their fruit will be for food , and their leaves for healing .

¹³Thus says the Lord God: This is the boundary by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel . Joseph shall have two portions .

¹⁴And you shall divide equally what I swore to give to your fathers . This land shall fall to you as your inheritance .

¹⁵This shall be the boundary of the land : On the north side , from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath , and on to Zedad ,

¹⁶Berothah , Sibraim ( which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath ), as far as Hazer-hatticon , which is on the border of Hauran .

¹⁷So the boundary shall run from the sea to Hazar-enan , which is on the northern border of Damascus , with the border of Hamath to the north . This shall be the north side .

¹⁸On the east side , the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus ; along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel ; to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This shall be the east side .

¹⁹On the south side , it shall run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah-kadesh , from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea . This shall be the south side .

²⁰On the west side , the Great Sea shall be the boundary to a opposite Lebo-hamath . This shall be the west side .

²¹So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel .

²²You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel . With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel .

²³In whatever tribe the sojourner resides , there you shall assign him his inheritance , declares the Lord God.