Study Desk

"On the 14th day of the first month, you must celebrate the Passover. The Festival of Unleavened Bread begins at this time. It continues for seven days.

At that time the ruler will offer a bull for himself and for all the people of Israel. The bull will be for a sin offering.

During the seven days of the festival, the ruler will offer seven bulls and seven rams that have nothing wrong with them. They will be burnt offerings to the Lord . The ruler will offer one bull on every day of the seven days of the festival, and he will offer a male goat every day for a sin offering.

The ruler will give an ephah of barley as a grain offering with each bull, and an ephah of barley with each ram. He must give a hin of oil for each ephah of grain.

He must do the same thing for the seven days of the Festival of Shelters . This festival begins on the 15th day of the seventh month. These offerings will be the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil offering."

He must give an ephah of grain offering with the ram. As for the grain offering with the lambs, the ruler can give as much as he wants. But he must give 1 hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain.

The ruler must give an ephah of grain as an offering with the bull and an ephah of grain as an offering with the ram. As for the grain offering with the lambs, he can give as much as he wants. But he must give 1 hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain.

"At the festivals and other special meetings, an ephah of grain as an offering must be offered with each young bull, and an ephah of grain as an offering must be offered with each ram. As for the grain offering with the lambs, the ruler can give as much as he wants. But he must give 1 hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain.

"When the ruler gives a freewill offering to the Lord —it might be a burnt offering, a fellowship offering, or a freewill offering—the east gate will be opened for him. Then he will offer his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. After he leaves, the gate will be shut.

"Every day you will provide a year-old lamb that has nothing wrong with it. It will be for a burnt offering to the Lord . You will provide it every morning.

So they will give the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning for a burnt offering forever."

The man led me through the entrance at the side of the gate. He led me to the holy rooms for the priests on the north side. There I saw a place at the west end of the path.

There was a brick wall around each of the four small courtyards, and there were places built into the brick walls for cooking.

The man said to me, "These are the kitchens where those who serve at the Temple cook the sacrifices for the people."

But the swamps and small marshes will not become fresh. They will be left for salt.

All kinds of fruit trees will grow on both sides of the river. Their leaves never will become dry and fall. The fruit will never stop growing on those trees. The trees will produce fruit every month, because the water for the trees comes from the Temple. The fruit from the trees will be for food, and their leaves will be for healing."

This is what the Lord God says: "These are the borders for dividing the land among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will have two parts.

"So you will divide this land among you for the tribes of Israel.

You will divide it as a property for yourselves and for the foreigners who live among you and who have had children among you. These foreigners will be residents—they will be like natural born Israelites. You will divide some land for them among the tribes of Israel.

"The northern border goes east from the Mediterranean Sea to Hethlon to Hamath Pass and then all the way to Hazar Enan. This is on the border between Damascus and Hamath. The land for the tribes in this group will go from the east of these borders to the west. From north to south, the tribes in this area are Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah.