Joshua 21
21
Cities for the Levites
1The heads of the levitical families approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua, Nun’s son, and the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes. 2They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan: “The LORD gave a command through Moses to give us cities to live in and their pasturelands for our cattle.” 3So the Israelites gave the Levites the following cities and their pasturelands out of their own legacy. This was in agreement with the LORD’s command.
4The lot went out for the clans of the Kohathites. The descendants of Aaron the priest from among the Levites acquired thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5The rest of the descendants of Kohath acquired ten cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half of Manasseh. 6The descendants of Gershon acquired thirteen cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half of Manasseh located in Bashan. 7The descendants of Merari acquired twelve cities for their clans from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 8So the Israelites gave these cities and their pasturelands to the Levites by lot, exactly as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
9They gave the following cities, identified here by name, from the tribe of the Judahites and the tribe of the Simeonites. 10The cities belonged to the descendants of Aaron, one of the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the lot had fallen to them first. 11They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the highlands of Judah and the pastures around it. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 12But they had already given the fields of the city and its surrounding areas to Caleb, Jephunneh’s son, as his property. 13To the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave: Hebron, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures; Libnah and its pastures; 14Jattir and its pastures; Eshtemoa and its pastures; 15Holon and its pastures; Debir and its pastures; 16Ain and its pastures; Juttah and its pastures; and Beth-shemesh and its pastures. Total from these two tribes: nine cities. 17From the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon and its pastures, Geba and its pastures, 18Anathoth and its pastures, and Almon and its pastures. In total: four cities. 19This is the total of all the cities of the priests descended from Aaron: thirteen cities with their pastures.
20Other clans from the levitical descendants of Kohath still remained from among the descendants of Kohath. Some of their allotted cities were from the tribe of Ephraim. 21They gave them: Shechem, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures in the highlands of Ephraim; Gezer and its pastures; 22Kibzaim and its pastures; and Beth-horon and its pastures; in total: four cities. 23From the tribe of Dan: Elteke and its pastures, Gibbethon and its pastures, 24Aijalon and its pastures, Gath-rimmon and its pastures; in total: four cities. 25From half the tribe of Manasseh: Taanach and its pastures, and Gath-rimmon and its pastures; in total: two cities. 26This is the total of all cities for the clans of the remaining descendants of Kohath: ten cities with their pastures.
27To the descendants of Gershon, one of the clans of the Levites, from half the tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures; and Beeshterah and its pastures; in total: two cities. 28From the tribe of Issachar: Kishion and its pastures, Daberath and its pastures, 29Jarmuth and its pastures, En-gannim and its pastures; in total: four cities. 30From the tribe of Asher: Mishal and its pastures, Abdon and its pastures, 31Helkath and its pastures, and Rehob and its pastures; in total: four cities. 32From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, the refuge city for the killer, and its pastures; Hammoth-dor and its pastures; and Kartan and its pastures; in total: three cities. 33This is the total of all cities of the Gershonites for their clans: thirteen cities with their pastures.
34To the clans of the descendants of Merari, the rest of the Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam and its pastures, Kartah and its pastures, 35Dimnah and its pastures, Nahalal and its pastures; in total: four cities. 36From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer and its pastures, Jahaz and its pastures, 37Kedemoth and its pastures, and Mephaath and its pastures; in total: four cities.#21.37 LXX and 1 Chron 6:78-79 (Heb 6:63-64); some Heb manuscripts lack 21:36-37. 38From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures; Mahanaim and its pastures; 39Heshbon and its pastures; Jazer and its pastures; in total: four cities. 40As for the cities of the descendants of Merari for their clans, the remaining clans of the Levites, their total allotment was twelve cities.
41This is the total of all the cities of the Levites within the property of the Israelites: forty-eight cities with their pastures. 42Each of these cities had its pastures around it. This was the case for all these cities.
Summary of the conquest
43The LORD gave to Israel all the land he had pledged to give to their ancestors. They took it over and settled there. 44The LORD gave them rest from surrounding danger, exactly as he had pledged to their ancestors. Not one of all their enemies held out against them. The LORD gave all their enemies into their power. 45Not one of all the good things that the LORD had promised to the house of Israel failed. Every promise was fulfilled.
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Joshua 21: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Joshua 21
21
1 THEN THE heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the Israelite tribes.
2 They said to them at Shiloh in Canaan, The Lord commanded through Moses that we should be given cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands (suburbs) for our cattle.
3 So the Israelites gave to the Levites out of their own inheritance, at the command of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs.
4 The [first] lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin thirteen cities.
5 And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh ten cities.
6 The Gershonites received by lot from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan thirteen cities.
7 The Merarites received according to their families from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun twelve cities.
8 The Israelites gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their pasturelands (suburbs), as the Lord commanded through Moses.
9 They gave from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities here mentioned by name,
10 Which went to the families of the descendants of Aaron, of the Kohathite branch of the Levites, for the lot fell to them first.
11 They gave them [the city of] Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with its pasturelands round about it.
12 But the city's fields and villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his own.
13 Thus to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the slayer, with its pasturelands (suburbs), and together with their suburbs, Libnah,
14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15 Holon, Debir,
16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh; nine cities, each with its suburbs, out of those two tribes.
17 Out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon, Geba,
18 Anathoth, and Almon; four cities, each with its suburbs.
19 The cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen, with their suburbs.
20 The rest of the Kohathites belonging to the Levitical families were allotted cities out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21 To them were given, each with its pasturelands (suburbs), Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, as the city of refuge for the slayer, and Gezer,
22 And Kibzaim, and Beth-horon; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).
23 And out of the tribe of Dan, each with its pasturelands (suburbs), Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).
25 And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach, and [another] Gath-rimmon; two cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).
26 All the cities for the families of the remaining Kohathites were ten, with their pasturelands (suburbs).
27 And to the Gershonites of the families of the Levites they gave out of the other half-tribe of Manasseh the city of Golan in Bashan, as the city of refuge for the slayer, and Be-eshterah; two cities, each with its pasturelands.
28 Out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, Daberath,
29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim; four cities, each with its suburbs.
30 Out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon,
31 Helkath, and Rehob; four cities, each with its pasturelands.
32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, city of refuge for the slayer, and Hammoth-dor, and Kartan; three cities, each with its suburbs.
33 All the cities of the Gershonite families were thirteen, with their pasturelands (suburbs).
34 And to the families of the Merarites, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun were given Jokneam, Kartah,
35 Dimnah, and Nahalal; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).
36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz,
37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).
38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead, as the city of refuge for the slayer, and Mahanaim,
39 Heshbon, and Jazer; four cities in all, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).
40 So all the cities allotted to the Merarite families, that is, the remainder of the Levite families, were twelve cities.
41 The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the Israelites were forty-eight cities in all, with their pasturelands (suburbs).
42 These cities all had their pasturelands (suburbs) around them.
43 And the Lord gave to Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and dwelt in it.
44 The Lord gave them rest round about, just as He had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies withstood them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands.
45 There failed no part of any good thing which the Lord had promised to the house of Israel; all came to pass.
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