They are not to come in contact with a dead body, so they don't defile themselves, except in the case of their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or for an unmarried sister, on whose behalf they may defile themselves.

After he is cleansed from that contact, he is to not to minister for seven days.

On the day that he returns to the sanctuary's inner court to minister, he is to offer his own sin offering," declares the Lord GOD.

They are to eat the grain offerings, sin offering, and guilt offering. Everything consecrated in Israel is to belong to them.

The first portion of all the first fruits of every kind and every offering of any kind is to be for the priests. You are to give the priest the first portion of your grain. As a result a blessing will rest on your household.

"When you divide the land for an inheritance, you are to present a Terumah to the LORD, a consecrated portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide. Everything within this area is to be treated as holy.

A Holy Place is to be dedicated from this area in the form of a square measuring 500 by 500 cubits, with a 50 cubit buffer zone surrounding it.

From this area a measure is to be made 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide, which is to contain the sanctuary, the holiest of holy objects.

It is to be a holy portion of the land, set aside for the priests who serve the sanctuary, who approach the LORD to serve him. It is to be a place for their houses, as well as the Holy Place of the sanctuary.

An area 25,000 cubits long by 10,000 cubits wide is to be set aside for use by the Levite servants of the Temple, 20 parcels for their residential properties.

The land allocation for the city is to be set at 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjacent to the sanctuary district, reserved for the entire house of Israel."

"The Regent Prince is to have a portion on both sides of the consecrated allotment for the sanctuary and the city's land allotment, adjacent to both on the west and the east sides, comparable in length to one of the portions from the west border to the east border.

This property in Israel is to belong to the Regent Prince, so my regent princes will no longer mistreat my nation. The remaining portion of the land is to be allotted to the house of Israel, that is, to its tribes."

"This is what the Lord GOD says, "Enough of you, you regent princes of Israel! Abandon your violence and destruction. Practice what is just and right instead! Stop confiscating property from my people!' declares the Lord GOD.

"You're to use an honest scale, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure!

The ephah and the bath are to be of equal volume; that is, the bath is to contain one tenth of an omer and the ephah one tenth of an omer. The omer is to be the standard on which their volume measurement is to be based.

The shekel is to weigh 20 gerahs. The mina is to be comprised of three coins weighing 20, 25, and fifteen shekels, respectively.'"

"Here are the standards for presenting offerings: a sixth of an ephah that is based on the standard omer of wheat, and a sixth of an ephah based on the standard omer of barley.

The olive oil quota is to be based on the bath, measured at ten baths to each omer, which is equal to one kor.

The sheep quota is to be one from each flock of 200 taken from the pastures of Israel. From all of these you are to present grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them," declares the Lord GOD.

"The entire nation living in the land is to present this offering to the Regent Prince in Israel.

The Regent Prince is to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the festivals, on the New Moons and Sabbaths, and at all of the prescribed festivals of the house of Israel. He is to provide the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings in order to make atonement for the house of Israel."

"This is what the Lord GOD says, "On the first day of the first month, you are to present a young bull without defect in order to cleanse the sanctuary.

The priest is to place some of the blood from the sin offering on the door posts of the Temple, on the four corners of the ledge around the altar, and on the posts of the gate leading to the inner court.

""On the fourteenth day of the first month, you are to observe the Passover as a festival for seven days. Unleavened bread is to be eaten.

On that day, the Regent Prince is to provide, both for himself and for all the people who live in the land, a bull for a sin offering.

Each day during the seven days of the festival, he is to provide a burnt offering to the LORD, consisting of seven bulls and seven rams without defect, offered each day throughout the seven days, along with a male goat offered each day as a sin offering.

""The Regent Prince is also to present a grain offering consisting of an ephah with each bull and an ephah with each ram, along with a hin of olive oil mixed with an ephah of grain.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, during a seven day festival, the Regent Prince is to present these as daily sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings mixed with oil.'"

"This is what the Lord GOD says: "The inner, east-facing courtyard is to remain shut during the six working days of the week, but on the Sabbath day it is to be opened, as well as on the day of the New Moon.

The Regent Prince is to enter through the portico of the gate from outside and is to stand at the doorframe of the gate where the priests are to present the Regent Prince's burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the Regent Prince is to worship at the threshold of the gate and go out. The gate is not to be closed until evening.

""The burnt offering that the Regent Prince is to present to the LORD on the Sabbath day is to consist of six lambs without defect, a ram without defect,

Furthermore, each New Moon there is to be a young bull presented without defect, six male lambs, and a ram without defect.

The Regent Prince is to present an ephah of grain along with the bull, an ephah of grain along with the ram, a grain offering consisting of as much as he is able to give and a hin of olive oil with each ephah of grain.

""The Regent Prince is to enter through the portico of the gate and is to leave the same way he came in.

When the people who live in the land come into the LORD's presence during the festivals, whoever enters through the northern gate is to leave through the southern gate, and whoever enters through the southern gate is to leave through the northern gate. No one is to leave by the same route that he enters, but instead is to go straight out.

The Regent Prince is to enter when they are coming in, and he is to leave when they go out.'"

""The grain offering for the festivals and appointed festivals is to include an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and as much grain with the lambs as the Regent Prince brings with him, along with a hin of oil with each ephah.

Whenever the Regent Prince presents a voluntary offering, burnt offering, or peace offering, he is to present it voluntarily to the LORD, and the east-facing gate is to be opened for him. He is to provide his burnt offering and peace offering as he does on the Sabbath. When he leaves, the gate is to be shut behind him.

He is to present a one year old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD in the morning every day.

In addition, he is to present a grain offering with it every morning, consisting of a sixth of an ephah mixed with one third of a hin of oil. This grain offering is to be offered to the LORD as a permanent ordinance.

They are to present the lamb offering, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as an ongoing burnt offering.'"

"This is what the Lord GOD says: "If the Regent Prince gives a gift to someone, it is to remain with the man's descendants as their own inheritance.

But if he gives a gift to any of his servants, it is to belong to the servant until the Year of Release, at which time it is to be returned to the Regent Prince. His inheritance is to belong only to his sons.

The Regent Prince is not to appropriate the nation's inheritance nor take advantage of them by taking their property from them. Instead, he is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own possessions so that my people will not be separated from their possessions.'"

Then the angel brought me in through an entrance beside the gate into the north-facing chambers dedicated to the priests. As I looked toward the rear of the far western end, I saw a place

about which he said, "This is where the priests will be boiling the guilt and sin offerings and baking the grain offerings so they don't bring them through the outer courtyard, thus diminishing the people's holiness."

all of them the same size; that is, each was 40 cubits long and 30 cubits wide.

He told me, "This is where the ministers of the Temple will be preparing the sacrifices that will be presented by the people.

After this, he brought me back to the doorway to the Temple. To my amazement, there was water flowing out toward the east from beneath the threshold of the Temple! (The Temple faced eastward.) The water flowed down from beneath the right side of the Temple, that is, from the south-facing side where the altar was located.

As the man went out toward the east, he carried a measuring line in his hand. He measured out 1,000 cubits as he led me through water that was ankle-deep.

Then, as he was bringing me back along the river bank, he asked me, "Son of Man, did you see all of this?"

As we were coming back, I was amazed to see that there were many, many trees lining both banks of the river.

It will support all kinds of living creatures that will thrive abundantly wherever the river flows. There will be a great many fish, because this water will flow there and turn the salt water fresh. As a result, everything will live wherever the river flows.

A day will come when fishermen will line its banks from En-gedi to En-eglaim there will be plenty of room to spread out nets. There will be all sorts of species of fish, as abundant as the fish that live in the Mediterranean Sea. There will be lots of them!

This is what the Lord GOD says: "This is to be the territorial border by which you apportion the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel, with Joseph double-portioned.

Apportion it for their inheritances, distributing everything equally as if you were distributing things to your own brother, which is how I promised to give it to your ancestors. This way, the land will fall to you as an inheritance.

"This is to be the border for the land: on the north side, from the Mediterranean Sea by the Hethlon Road to the entrance of Zedad,

Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim (which lies between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), and Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.

The border is to proceed from the Mediterranean Sea to Hazer-enan (a border of Damascus), and on the north facing north is to be the border of Hamath. This is to be the north side.

"The eastern extremity is to proceed from between Hauran and Damascus, then between Gilead, and then through the land of Israel the Jordan River. You are to measure from the northern border to the Dead Sea. This is to be the eastern perimeter.

"You are to determine the southern extremity running from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then from there proceeding to the Wadi, and then to the Mediterranean Sea. This is to be the southern perimeter.

"The western perimeter is to be the Mediterranean Sea, from the southernmost border to a location opposite the entrance to Hamath. This is to be the western perimeter.

"These are the names of the tribes from the northernmost extremity westward along the road from Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar-enan (a border of Damascus) northward to the coast of Hamath. The perimeter is to run east-to-west; the tribe of Dan with one portion;

The Terumah that you are to give to the LORD is to be 25,000 units wide."

"The holy Terumah is to be reserved for these, the priests: Toward the north, 25,000 units in length; toward the west, 10,000 units in width; toward the east, 10,000 units in width; and toward the south, 25,000 units in length. The LORD's sanctuary is to be in its midst.

It is to be for use by priests from the descendants of Zadok, who have observed the things with which I charged them and who did not wander astray when the Israelis went astray, just as the descendants of Levi wandered astray.

It is to be a Terumah for them from the allotment of the land, a Most Holy Place, adjoining the border of the descendants of Levi."

"Alongside the border of the priests, the descendants of Levi are to be allotted 25,000 units in length and 10,000 units in width. The entire length is to be 25,000 units and its width 10,000 units.

Furthermore, they are not to sell or exchange any part of it, nor transfer these first fruits of the land, because it is holy to the LORD.

"The rest, 5,000 units wide and 25,000 units along its front, will serve as a common portion for use by the city for housing and open spaces, since the city is to be in its midst.

The city is to have urban areas set aside: on the north 250 units; on the south, 250 units, on the east, 250 units; and on the west, 250 units.

"The remainder of the length that borders the holy Terumah is to be 10,000 units long eastward and 10,000 units westward. It is to lie adjacent to the holy Terumah. Its harvest will produce food for those who work in the city.

The entire Terumah is to be 25,000 units by 25,000 units you are to reserve it as a holy Terumah in the form of a square within the city limits."

"Now the remainder of the allotment on either side of the holy Terumah is to be for the Regent Prince and for city property adjoining the 25,000 units along the eastern border and adjoining the 25,000 units along the western border, and parallel to the allotments. These are to be for the Regent Prince. The holy Terumah and the sanctuary of the Temple is to stand in the middle of it.

Except for what belongs to the descendants of Levi and the city property, which will stand in the middle of what belongs to the Regent Prince, whatever is between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin is to belong to the Regent Prince."

"Now as to the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, Benjamin is to retain one portion.

Adjacent to the border of Benjamin running from east to west, Simeon is to retain one portion.

Adjacent to the border of Simeon running from east to west, Issachar is to retain one portion.

Adjacent to the border of Issachar running from east to west, Zebulun is to retain one portion.

Adjacent to the border of Zebulun running from east to west, Gad is to retain one portion.

Adjacent to the border of Gad to the south and extending toward the south, the border is to proceed from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then to the Wadi of Egypt, and from there to the Mediterranean Sea.

This is the land that you are to allocate by lottery to the tribes of Israel as their inheritance, and these are their respective divisions," declares the Lord GOD.

A perimeter is to measure 18,000 units, and the name of the city from that time on is to be: "THE LORD IS THERE.'"

"Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge, aptitude for learning, and wisdom. Daniel also could understand all kinds of visions and dreams.

When the king spoke to them, none of them compared to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah as they stood before the king.

During the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him. As a result, he couldn't sleep.

In reply the king told the Chaldeans, "Here is what I have commanded: If you don't tell me both the dream and its meaning, you'll be destroyed and your houses will be reduced to rubble.

But if you do relate the dream to me as well as its meaning, you'll receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. Therefore reveal the dream to me, along with its meaning."

Furthermore, what the king is asking is so difficult that no one can reveal it except the gods and they don't live with human beings."

It is God who alters the times and seasons, and he removes kings and promotes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals what is profoundly mysterious and knows what is in the darkness; with him dwells light.

To you, God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, because you have given me wisdom and power; you have now revealed to me what we asked of you by making known to us what the king commanded."

King Nebuchadnezzar replied by saying to Daniel (whose Babylonian name is Belteshazzar), "Are you able to tell me about the dream and its meaning?"

"None of the advisors, enchanters, diviners, or astrologers can explain the secret that the king has requested to be made known. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he is making known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.

"While you were in bed, the dream and the visions that came to your head were as follows: Your majesty, when you were in bed, thoughts came to your mind about what would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Secrets has made known to you what will take place.

As for me, this secret was made known to me, not because my own wisdom is greater than anyone else alive, but in order that the meaning may be made known to the king, and that you might understand the thoughts of your heart.

"As you were watching, a rock was quarried but not with human hands and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces.

"After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to yours, and then a third kingdom of bronze will arise to rule all the earth.