12. It will be their special portion when the land is distributed, the most sacred land of all. Next to the priests’ territory will lie the land where the other Levites will live.
13. “The land allotted to the Levites will be the same size and shape as that belonging to the priests—81/3 miles long and 31/3 miles wide. Together these portions of land will measure 81/3 miles long by 62/3 miles wide.
14. None of this special land may ever be sold or traded or used by others, for it belongs to the lord; it is set apart as holy.
15. “An additional strip of land 81/3 miles long by 12/3 miles wide, south of the sacred Temple area, will be allotted for public use—homes, pasturelands, and common lands, with a city at the center.
16. The city will measure 11/2 miles on each side—north, south, east, and west.
17. Open lands will surround the city for 150 yards in every direction.
18. Outside the city there will be a farming area that stretches 31/3 miles to the east and 31/3 miles to the west along the border of the sacred area. This farmland will produce food for the people working in the city.