The Holy Reserve
1When you divide the land of Israel among the tribes, set aside a sacred zone, a holy district reserved for the LORD God. It should be about 8 miles long and 6 miles wide. [1] 2Inside that area, set aside some land for the Temple complex, about 280 yards [2] on all sides. Then surround the sacred area with another 30 yards [3] of a buffer zone, beyond the sacred land.3The entire sacred reserve, including and beyond the Temple, is about eight miles long, east to west, and three miles wide, north to south. 4This is where priests will live alongside the Temple. The Temple will be located on their share of the holy reserve.
5Their Levite associates will live on a parallel plug of ground the same size as the priests’ land, eight miles long and three miles wide. This is where they can build their cities and homes. 6Next to the sacred reserve, set aside some land for the people of Israel. The land should measure about eight miles east to west, like the reserve, but about two miles north to south. [4] This is where the city center will be located.
King’s land from sea to sea
7The ruler gets land on both sides of the sacred reserve, east and west. The western land will extend from the west side of the reserve to the Mediterranean Sea. And the eastern land will extend from the eastern side of the reserve to the Dead Sea.8I'm giving this land to the rulers so they’ll stop taking land from the people of Israel. Beyond the king’s land and the sacred reserve, the rest of Israel goes to the tribes. 9You rulers went too far when you stole land and homes from your own people. Stop it. Stop the violence. And stop exploiting them.
Use honest scales, pay taxes
10Use honest scales when you weigh liquid and dry products.11Use a 58-gallon “homer” [5] as your standard measure. The “ephah” for dry measure and the “bath” for liquid will each be 1/10th of a homer, which is 5.8 gallons or about half a bushel.
12When you weigh precious metal, use the half-ounce silver shekel [6] as the standard. It will take 20 gerah to make a shekel, and 50 shekels to make a mina.
13Here’s your share of what Israel pays your ruler as a salary:
Grain. 1 bushel of wheat or barley for every 60 bushels you harvest.
14Olive oil. 1%, which would be a gallon for every 100 gallons your harvest produces.
15Livestock. One sheep or goat for every 200 grazing here in Israel.
16Everyone must pay these taxes, which go to your ruler.
Ruler’s sacrifices
17Here’s what the ruler has to do. He’ll bring sacrificial offerings to the Temple for all religious holidays, including the New Moon observance every month, the Sabbath every week, along with the other sacred holidays. These are the offerings he’ll bring:18Here’s what the Lord of Everyone says: In springtime, on the first day of the new year, [10] the ruler should sacrifice a healthy young bull. This is to purify the Temple for the coming year. 19The high priest will take blood from the bull. He’ll smear some onto the door posts of the gateway leading to the inner courtyard of the Temple. He’ll smear some on all four sides of the altar, on the ledges. And he’ll put some on the doorposts of the Temple entrance.
20The ruler needs to do this once more on the seventh day of the first month, to erase the guilt [11] of anyone who has sinned accidentally. [12] This will purify the Temple.
Passover sacrifices
21Celebrate Passover [13] on the 14th day of the first month of the year. This is a seven-day celebration During that time, the only bread you should eat is yeast-free bread. [14] 22On the first day of Passover the ruler will sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering [15] for himself and for the people of Israel.23Each day throughout the week he should sacrifice as a burnt offering seven healthy young bulls and seven rams—all without defects. Each day he should also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering. 24The ruler needs to add half a bushel [16] of grain as a grain offering to accompany each bull and each ram. And he should add one gallon [17] of olive oil for every half bushel of grain he brings.
25Early in the autumn, during the seventh month of the year, the ruler should repeat these offerings. He should do this on the 15th day of month and continue it for each of the seven days of the Festival of Temporary Shelters. [18] He should provide the burnt offerings and the sin offerings, along with the grain and olive oil offerings.
