The Skeptics Annotated Bible (662 page)

19 After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.

20 Then said he unto me,
This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering
; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.

(46.20) How to boil your sin and trespass offerings and bake your meat offerings. “This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering.”

21 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.

22
In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.

(46.22) The holy court dimensions
“In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.”

23 And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about.

24 Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.

(47.1-11) Water starts to flow from under the door of the house. At first it was just a trickle, but soon it got up to the ankles, knees, and finally the loins. The brass man measured it to be a thousand cubits and it became too deep for wading anymore. The water that got to the ocean would be healed, but not the marshes, “they will be given to salt.”

47
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and,
behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house
eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.

(47.1)
“Behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house.”

2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and,
behold, there ran out waters on the right side.

(47.2)
“Behold, there ran out waters on the right side.”

3 And when
the man that had the line in his hand
went forth eastward, he
measured a thousand cubits, and
he brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the ankles
.

(47.3) “The man that had the line in his hand … measured a thousand cubits, and … the waters were to the ankles.”

4
Again he measured a thousand, and
brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and
brought me through;
the waters were to the loins.

(47.4) “Again he measured a thousand, and … the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and … the waters were to the loins.”

5
Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in
, a river that could not be passed over.

(47.5)
“Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in.”

6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.

7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.

8
Then said he unto me, These waters
issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and
go into the sea: which
being brought forth into the sea, the waters
shall be healed.

(47.8) “Then said he unto me, These waters … go into the sea: which … shall be healed.”

9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

11
But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.

(47.11)
“But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.”

12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

13
Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.

(47.13) God gives a huge chunk of land to Israel, dividing it equally among the tribes— except for Joseph, who gets a double portion. (What did the Palestinians get?)
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.”

14 And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.

15 And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad;

16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.

17 And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.

18 And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side.

19 And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.

20 The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.

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

22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.

23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.

48
Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west;
a portion for Dan
.

(48.1)
“A portion for Dan”
84 What were the 12 (or 13) tribes of Israel?

2 And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.

3 And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.

4 And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh.

5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim.

6 And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.

7 And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.

(48.8-35) In the exciting conclusion of the book of Ezekiel, we learn who is going to get what and what the city is going to be named. I’m not going to spoil it for you, though. You have to read it yourself.