Consecration of the Land
1 "When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the LORD, a holy portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide.45:1 LXX; the holy portion was to be approximately 8.3 miles long and 6.6 miles wide (13.3 kilometers long and 10.7 kilometers wide). Hebrew 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 wide. See also verses 3 and 5 and Ezekiel 48:9. This entire tract of land will be holy.
2 Within this area there is to be a section for the sanctuary 500 cubits square,45:2 500 (long) cubits is approximately 875 feet or 266.7 meters. with 50 cubits45:2 50 (long) cubits is approximately 87.5 feet or 26.7 meters. around it for open land.
3 From this holy portion, you are to measure off a length of 25,000 cubits and a width of 10,000 cubits,45:3 The portion was to be approximately 8.3 miles long and 3.3 miles wide (13.3 kilometers long and 5.3 kilometers wide); similarly in verse 5. and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.45:3 Or the Holy of Holies 4 It will be a holy portion of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.
5 An adjacent area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide shall belong to the Levites who minister in the temple; it will be their possession for towns in which to live.45:5 LXX; Hebrew their possession, twenty chambers
6 As the property of the city, you are to set aside an area 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long,45:6 The property of the city was to be approximately 1.7 miles wide and 8.3 miles long (2.7 kilometers wide and 13.3 kilometers long). adjacent to the holy district. It will belong to the whole house of Israel.
The Prince’s Portion
7 Now the prince will have the area bordering each side of the area formed by the holy district and the property of the city, extending westward from the western side and eastward from the eastern side, running lengthwise from the western boundary to the eastern boundary and parallel to one of the tribal portions. 8 This land will be his possession in Israel.
And My princes will no longer oppress My people, but will give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes. 9 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My people, declares the Lord GOD.’
Honest Scales
10 You must use honest scales, a just ephah,45:10 An ephah is a dry measure of approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters. and a just bath.45:10 A bath was a liquid measure of approximately 5.8 gallons or 22 liters.
11 The ephah and the bath shall be the same quantity so that the bath will contain a tenth of a homer, and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure for both.45:11 A homer was a dry measure of approximately 6.24 bushels or 220 liters; also in verses 13 and 14.
12 The shekel will consist of twenty gerahs.45:12 20 gerahs is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams). Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels will equal one mina.45:12 That is, 60 shekels total; elsewhere, the common mina was 50 shekels. Sixty shekels weighed approximately 1.5 pounds or 683.8 grams.
Offerings and Feasts
13 This is the contribution you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley.45:13 That is, a sixtieth of the harvest of wheat and of barley; a sixth of an ephah was approximately 3.3 dry quarts or 3.7 liters. 14 The prescribed portion of oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath from each cor45:14 That is, one percent of one’s oil; a tenth of a bath was approximately 2.3 quarts or 2.2 liters. (a cor consists of ten baths or one homer, since ten baths are equivalent to a homer). 15 And one sheep shall be given from each flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for the people, declares the Lord GOD.
16 All the people of the land must participate in this contribution for the prince in Israel. 17 And it shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths— for all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings,45:17 Or purification offerings; also in verses 19, 22, 23, and 25 grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.
18 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the first day of the first month you are to take a young bull without blemish and purify the sanctuary. 19 And the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner court. 20 You must do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for anyone who strays unintentionally or in ignorance. In this way you will make atonement for the temple.
21 On the fourteenth day of the first month you are to observe the Passover, a feast of seven days, during which unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land. 23 Each day during the seven days of the feast, he shall provide seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, along with a male goat for a sin offering. 24 He shall also provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain.45:24 Literally a hin of oil for each ephah; that is, approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of oil for each ephah of grain 25 During the seven days of the feast that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,45:25 That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering(see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22). he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.’[’’]