Read Ezekiel 45-48

45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be 8¼ miles and the width 3⅓ miles. This entire area will be holy. 2 Of this area a square 875 feet by 875 feet will be designated for the sanctuary, with 87½ feet set aside for its open space round about. 3 From this measured area you will measure a length of 8¼ miles and a width of 3⅓ miles; in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 It will be a holy portion of the land; it will be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary who approach the Lord to minister to him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. 5 An area 8¼ miles in length and 3⅓ miles in width will be for the Levites, who minister at the temple, as the place for the cities in which they will live.

6 “‘Alongside the portion set apart as the holy allotment, you will allot for the city an area 1⅔ miles wide and 8¼ miles long; it will be for the whole house of Israel.

7 “‘For the prince there will be land on both sides of the holy allotment and the allotted city, on the west side and on the east side; it will be comparable in length to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border 8 of the land. This will be his property in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people, but the land will be allotted to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

9 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put away violence and destruction and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 10 You must use just balances, a just dry measure (an ephah), and a just liquid measure (a bath). 11 The dry and liquid measures will be the same: The bath will contain a tenth of a homer, and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure. 12 The shekel will be 20 gerahs. Sixty shekels will be a mina for you.

13 “‘This is the offering you must offer: a sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, a sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley, 14 and as the prescribed portion of olive oil, one-tenth of a bath from each cor (which is ten baths or a homer, for ten baths make a homer); 15 and one sheep from each flock of 200, from the watered places of Israel, for a grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offering, to make atonement for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 All the people of the land will contribute to this offering for the prince of Israel. 17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offering, and the drink offering at festivals, on the new moons and Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he will provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.

18 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you must take an unblemished young bull and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on the doorpost of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the doorpost of the gate of the inner court. 20 This is what you must do on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins inadvertently or through ignorance; so you will make atonement for the temple.

21 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you will celebrate the Passover, and for the seven days of the festival bread made without yeast will be eaten. 22 On that day the prince will provide for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. 23 And during the seven days of the feast he will provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven bulls and seven rams, all without blemish, on each of the seven days, and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 He will provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a gallon of olive oil for each ephah of grain. 25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he will make the same provisions for the sin offering, burnt offering, and grain offering, and for the olive oil, for the seven days.

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court that faces east will be closed six working days, but on the Sabbath day it will be opened and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. 2 The prince will enter by way of the porch of the gate from the outside and will stand by the doorpost of the gate. The priests will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he will bow down at the threshold of the gate and then go out. But the gate will not be closed until evening. 3 The people of the land will bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince will offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day will be six unblemished lambs and one unblemished ram. 5 The grain offering will be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs will be as much as he is able to give, and a gallon of olive oil with an ephah. 6 On the day of the new moon he will offer an unblemished young bull and six lambs and a ram, all without blemish. 7 He will provide a grain offering: an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wishes, and a gallon of olive oil with each ephah of grain. 8 When the prince enters, he will come by way of the porch of the gate and will go out the same way.

9 “‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship will go out by way of the south gate; whoever enters by way of the south gate will go out by way of the north gate. No one will return by way of the gate they entered but will go out straight ahead. 10 When they come in, the prince will come in with them, and when they go out, he will go out.

11 “‘At the festivals and at the appointed feasts the grain offering will be an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as one is able, and a gallon of olive oil with each ephah of grain. 12 When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a voluntary offering to the Lord, the gate facing east will be opened for him, and he will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings just as he did on the Sabbath. Then he will go out, and the gate will be closed after he goes out.

13 “‘You will provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering daily to the Lord; morning by morning he will provide it. 14 And you will provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of an ephah and a third of a gallon of olive oil to moisten the choice flour, as a grain offering to the Lord; this is a perpetual statute. 15 Thus they will provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil morning by morning as a perpetual burnt offering.

16 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince should give a gift to one of his sons as his inheritance, it will belong to his sons; it is their property by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will be his until the year of liberty; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance will only remain with his sons. 18 The prince will not take away any of the people’s inheritance by oppressively removing them from their property. He will give his sons an inheritance from his own possessions so that my people will not be scattered, each from his own property.’”

19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which faced north. There I saw a place at the extreme western end. 20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out to the outer court to transmit holiness to the people.”

21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me past the four corners of the court, and I noticed that in every corner of the court there was another court. 22 In the four corners of the court were small courts, 70 feet in length and 52½ feet in width; the four were all the same size. 23 There was a row of masonry around each of the four courts, and places for boiling offerings were made under the rows all around. 24 Then he said to me, “These are the houses for boiling, where the ministers of the temple boil the sacrifices of the people.”

47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, from south of the altar. 2 He led me out by way of the north gate and brought me around the outside of the outer gate that faces toward the east; I noticed that the water was trickling out from the south side.

3 When the man went out toward the east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured 1,750 feet, and then he led me through water, which was ankle deep. 4 Again he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was now knee deep. Once more he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was waist deep. 5 Again he measured 1,750 feet, and it was a river I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. 6 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I had returned, I noticed a vast number of trees on the banks of the river, on both sides. 8 He said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the rift valley; when they enter the Dead Sea, where the sea is stagnant, the waters become fresh. 9 Every living creature that swarms where the river flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh, and everything will live where the river flows. 10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from En Gedi to En Eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty. 12 On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

13 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Here are the borders you will observe as you allot the land to the 12 tribes of Israel. (Joseph will have two portions.) 14 You must divide it equally just as I vowed to give it to your forefathers; this land will be assigned as your inheritance.

15 “This will be the border of the land: On the north side, from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to the entrance of Zedad; 16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath, as far as Hazer Hattikon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 The border will run from the sea to Hazar Enan, at the border of Damascus, and on the north is the border of Hamath. This is the north side. 18 On the east side, between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, will be the Jordan. You will measure from the border to the eastern sea. This is the east side. 19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, the river, to the Great Sea. This is the south side. 20 On the west side the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This is the west side.

21 “This is how you will divide this land for yourselves among the tribes of Israel. 22 You must allot it as an inheritance among yourselves and for the resident foreigners who live among you, who have fathered sons among you. You must treat them as native-born among the people of Israel; they will be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the resident foreigner lives, there you will give him his inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

48 “These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo Hamath, as far as Hazar Enan (which is on the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east side to the west, Dan will have one portion. 2 Next to the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher will have one portion. 3 Next to the border of Asher from the east side to the west side, Naphtali will have one portion. 4 Next to the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west side, Manasseh will have one portion. 5 Next to the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west side, Ephraim will have one portion. 6 Next to the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west side, Reuben will have one portion. 7 Next to the border of Reuben from the east side to the west side, Judah will have one portion.

8 “Next to the border of Judah from the east side to the west side will be the allotment you must set apart. It is to be 8¼ miles wide and the same length as one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west side; the sanctuary will be in the middle of it. 9 The allotment you set apart to the Lord will be 8¼ miles in length and 3⅓ miles in width. 10 These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward the north 8¼ miles in length, toward the west 3⅓ miles in width, toward the east 3⅓ miles in width, and toward the south 8¼ miles in length; the sanctuary of the Lord will be in the middle. 11 This will be for the priests who are set apart from the descendants of Zadok who kept my charge and did not go astray when the people of Israel strayed off, as the Levites did. 12 It will be their portion from the allotment of the land, a Most Holy Place, next to the border of the Levites.

13 “Alongside the border of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment 8¼ miles in length and 3⅓ miles in width. The whole length will be 8¼ miles and the width 3⅓ miles. 14 They must not sell or exchange any of it; they must not transfer this choice portion of land, for it is set apart to the Lord.

15 “The remainder, 1⅔ miles in width and 8¼ miles in length, will be for common use by the city, for houses and for open space. The city will be in the middle of it; 16 these will be its measurements: The north side will be 1½ miles, the south side 1½ miles, the east side 1½ miles, and the west side 1½ miles. 17 The city will have open spaces: On the north there will be 437½ feet, on the south 437½ feet, on the east 437½ feet, and on the west 437½ feet. 18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment will be 3⅓ miles to the east and 3⅓ miles toward the west, and it will be beside the holy allotment. Its produce will be for food for the workers of the city. 19 The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it. 20 The whole allotment will be 8¼ miles square; you must set apart the holy allotment with the possession of the city.

21 “The rest, on both sides of the holy allotment and the property of the city, will belong to the prince. Extending from the 8¼ miles of the holy allotment to the east border and westward from the 8¼ miles to the west border, alongside the portions, it will belong to the prince. The holy allotment and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it. 22 The property of the Levites and of the city will be in the middle of that which belongs to the prince. The portion between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin will be for the prince.

23 “As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west side, Benjamin will have one portion. 24 Next to the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon will have one portion. 25 Next to the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar will have one portion. 26 Next to the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun will have one portion. 27 Next to the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad will have one portion. 28 Next to the border of Gad, at the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, to the Stream of Egypt, and on to the Great Sea. 29 This is the land that you will allot to the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Sovereign Lord.

30 “These are the exits of the city: On the north side, 1½ miles by measure, 31 the gates of the city will be named for the tribes of Israel. There will be three gates to the north: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi. 32 On the east side, 1½ miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan. 33 On the south side, 1½ miles by measure, there will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun. 34 On the west side, 1½ miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 The circumference of the city will be 6 miles. The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The Lord Is There.’”

Read Psalms 44

44 For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song.

O God, we have clearly heard;

our ancestors have told us

what you did in their days,

in ancient times.

2 You, by your power, defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land;

you crushed the people living there and enabled our ancestors to occupy it.

3 For they did not conquer the land by their swords,

and they did not prevail by their strength,

but rather by your power, strength, and good favor,

for you were partial to them.

4 You are my king, O God.

Decree Jacob’s deliverance.

5 By your power we will drive back our enemies;

by your strength we will trample down our foes.

6 For I do not trust in my bow,

and I do not prevail by my sword.

7 For you deliver us from our enemies;

you humiliate those who hate us.

8 In God we boast all day long,

and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)

9 But you rejected and embarrassed us.

You did not go into battle with our armies.

10 You made us retreat from the enemy.

Those who hate us take whatever they want from us.

11 You handed us over like sheep to be eaten;

you scattered us among the nations.

12 You sold your people for a pittance;

you did not ask a high price for them.

13 You made us an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.

14 You made us an object of ridicule among the nations;

foreigners treat us with contempt.

15 All day long I feel humiliated

and am overwhelmed with shame,

16 before the vindictive enemy

who ridicules and insults me.

17 All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you

or violated your covenant with us.

18 We have not been unfaithful,

nor have we disobeyed your commands.

19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs;

you have covered us with darkness.

20 If we had rejected our God,

and spread out our hands in prayer to another god,

21 would not God discover it,

for he knows a person’s secret thoughts?

22 Yet because of you we are killed all day long;

we are treated like sheep at the slaughtering block.

23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?

Wake up! Do not reject us forever.

24 Why do you look the other way,

and ignore the way we are oppressed and mistreated?

25 For we lie in the dirt,

with our bellies pressed to the ground.

26 Rise up and help us.

Rescue us because of your loyal love.