Ezekiel 47:1-12
Ezekiel 47:1-12 TPT
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.”