On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, the river, ¹  to the Great Sea. This is the south side.

“Son of man, turn toward ¹  the south, ²  and speak out against the south. ³  Prophesy against the open scrub ⁴  land of the Negev,

Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone ¹  from the south ²  to the north.

By means of divine visions ¹  he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me on a very high mountain, ²  and on it was a structure like a city, to the south.

The city will have open spaces: On the north there will be 437½ feet, ¹  on the south 437½ feet, on the east 437½ feet, and on the west 437½ feet.

Next to the border of Gad, at the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the Stream of Egypt ¹  and on to the Great Sea.

On the south side, one and one-half miles by measure, there will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun.

and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, ¹  I am about to start a fire in you, ²  and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it.

“‘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.

Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed ¹  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.

These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward the north eight and a quarter miles ¹  in length, toward the west three and one-third miles ²  in width, toward the east three and one-third miles ³  in width, and toward the south eight and a quarter miles ⁴  in length; the sanctuary of the Lord will be in the middle.

these will be its measurements: The north side will be one and one-half miles, ¹  the south side one and one-half miles, the east side one and one-half miles, and the west side one and one-half miles.