Part 564 (1/2)

46:15. He shall offer the lamb, and the sacrifice, and the oil morning by morning: an everlasting holocaust.

46:16. Thus saith the Lord G.o.d: If the prince give a gift to any of his sons: the inheritance of it shall go to his children, they shall possess it by inheritance.

46:17. But if he give a legacy out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of release, and it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall go to his sons.

46:18. And the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by violence, nor of their possession: but out of his own possession he shall give an inheritance to his sons: that my people be not dispersed every man from his possession.

46:19. And he brought me in by the entry that was at the side of the gate, into the chambers of the sanctuary that were for the priests, which looked toward the north. And there was a place bending to the west.

46:20. And he said to me: This is the place where the priests shall boil the sin offering, and the trespa.s.s offering: where they shall dress the sacrifice, that they may not bring it out into the outward court, and the people be sanctified.

46:21. And he brought me into the outward court, and he led me about by the four corners of the court: and behold there was a little court in the corner of the court, to every corner of the court there was a little court.

46:22. In the four corners of the court were little courts disposed, forty cubits long, and thirty broad, all the four were of one measure.

46:23. And there was a wall round about compa.s.sing the four little courts, and there were kitchens built under the rows round about.

46:24. And he said to me: This is the house of the kitchens wherein the ministers of the house of the Lord shall boil the victims of the people.

Ezechiel Chapter 47

The vision of the holy waters issuing out from under the temple: the borders of the land to be divided among the twelve tribes.

47:1. And he brought me again to the gate of the house, and behold waters issued out from under the threshold of the house toward the east: for the forefront of the house looked toward the east: but the waters came down to the right side of the temple to the south part of the altar.

Waters... These waters are not to be understood literally (for there were none such that flowed from the temple); but mystically, of the baptism of Christ, and of his doctrine and his grace: the trees that grow on the banks are Christian virtues: the fishes are Christians, that spiritually live in and by these holy waters, the fishermen are the apostles, and apostolic preachers: the fenny places, where there is no health, are such as by being out of the church are separated from these waters of life.

47:2. And he led me out by the way of the north gate, and he caused me to turn to the way without the outward gate to the way that looked toward the east: and behold there ran out waters on the right side.

47:3. And when the man that had the line in his hand went out towards the east, he measured a thousand cubits: and he brought me through the water up to the ankles.

47:4. And again he measured a thousand, and he brought me through the water up to the knees.

47:5. And he measured a thousand, and he brought me through the water up to the loins. And he measured a thousand, and it was a torrent, which I could not pa.s.s over: for the waters were risen so as to make a deep torrent, which could not be pa.s.sed over.

47:6. And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man. And he brought me out, and he caused me to turn to the bank of the torrent.

47:7. And when I had turned myself, behold on the bank of the torrent were very many trees on both sides.

47:8. And he said to me: These waters that issue forth toward the hillocks of sand to the east, and go down to the plains of the desert, shall go into the sea, and shall go out, and the waters shall be healed.

47:9. And every living creature that creepeth whithersoever the torrent shall come, shall live: and there shall be fishes in abundance after these waters shall come thither, and they shall be healed, and all things shall live to which the torrent shall come.

47:10. And the fishers shall stand over these waters, from Engaddi even to Engallim there shall be drying of nets: there shall be many sorts of the fishes thereof, as the fishes of the great sea, a very great mult.i.tude:

47:11. But on the sh.o.r.e thereof, and in the fenny places they shall not be healed, because they shall be turned into saltpits.

47:12. And by the torrent on the banks thereof on both sides shall grow all trees that bear fruit: their leaf shall not fall off, and their fruit shall not fail: every month shall they bring forth firstfruits, because the waters thereof shall issue out of the sanctuary: and the fruits thereof shall be for food, and the leaves thereof for medicine.

47:13. Thus saith the Lord G.o.d: This is the border, by which you shall possess the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: for Joseph hath a double portion.