Ezekiel 47:1-23

Then the shining man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from underneath the temple threshold. It was flowing eastward (for the temple faced east). Water was trickling out from the south side of the temple, south of the altar. Then he took me out by the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate that faces east. And there I saw water flowing out on the right-hand side, south of the gateway. The man holding his measuring line walked east and measured off a thousand cubits. Then he made me wade across the shallow water, and it was ankle deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and told me to wade across the stream again; the water was up to my knees. He measured off another thousand cubits and made me wade across the stream again, and the water was up to my waist. He measured off another thousand; it was now a river over my head, which I was unable to swim across. It was a deep swollen river—a river no one could cross. The shining man said to me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he brought me back to the riverbank. When I got there, I was astonished to see an enormous number of trees on each side of the river. He said, “This water flows east, down to the Jordan Valley and to the Dead Sea. As it flows into the stagnant waters, that water becomes fresh water. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures will live and thrive. Schools of fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the river goes, it brings healing, and everything will come alive! Fishermen will crowd its banks and spread their nets from En-Gedi to En-Eglaim. They will catch as many species of fish as there are in the Great Sea. However, its swamps and marshes will not become healed but will be left for salt. “Along both banks of the river, every kind of fruit tree will flourish. And their leaves will never wither, and abundant fruit will always be on their branches. Each month they will bear a fresh crop of fruit because this life-giving water comes from inside the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat, and the leaves will bring healing.” Lord YAHWEH says: “Behold, here are the territorial boundaries for your distribution of land among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall receive a double portion. You will each have a fair share of it since I swore to your ancestors that I would give it to them. So now, this land will belong to you as family property. “These will be the borders of the land. The northern border starts at the Mediterranean Sea and stretches east along the road to the town of Hethlon, through Hamath Pass, to the town of Zedad, and then on to the towns of Berothah and Sibraim. These two towns are on the border between Damascus and Hamath. It will extend as far as Hazer-ha-Tikon, which is on the border of the region of Hauran. So, your northern frontier will extend from the sea to Hazer-Enon, which is north of Damascus and the border of Hamath on the north. “The Jordan River will serve as your eastern border between Hauran and Damascus, between Gilead and Israel, down to the Dead Sea as far south as Tamar. “Your southern border stretches west from Tamar southward to the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, following the dry riverbed to the Mediterranean Sea; that will be your southern border. And your western boundary will follow the coast of the Mediterranean Sea from the southern border north to the point opposite Hamath Pass; that will be the western frontier. “Divide this land among the tribes of Israel. You must distribute it as an inheritance for yourselves and the resident aliens who live among you, who have their children among you, since you must treat them as citizens of Israel. They must receive a share of the land for their inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the resident alien resides, that is where you will assign his share. I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken.”