Joshua 21

1 The heads of the Levite families approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the Israelite tribes’ families.

2 They spoke to them at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan: “The LORD commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pastureland for our livestock.”

3 The Israelites gave the Levites these towns and their pastureland from their inheritance, as the LORD had commanded.

4 The lot fell to the Kohathite clans. By lot, thirteen towns from the tribe of Judah, the Simeonites, and the tribe of Benjamin went to the descendants of Aaron the priest, who were Levites.

5 By lot, ten towns from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe of Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh went to the other descendants of Kohath.

6 By lot, thirteen towns from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, the tribe of Asher, the tribe of Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan went to the descendants of Gershon.

7 The descendants of Merari received twelve towns, according to their clans, from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebulun.

8 The Israelites gave these towns and their pastureland to the Levites by lot, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

9 From the tribe of Judah and the tribe of the Simeonites they gave the towns listed here by name.

10 They went to the descendants of Aaron, from the Kohathite clans and the Levites, because the first lot fell to them.

11 They gave them Kiriath-arba — Arba was the father of Anak — that is, Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with its surrounding pastureland.

12 But the fields of the town and its villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

13 To the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, a city of refuge for anyone who had killed someone, with its pastureland, and Libnah with its pastureland;

14 Jattir with its pastureland, Eshtemoa with its pastureland;

15 Holon with its pastureland, Debir with its pastureland;

16 Ain with its pastureland, Juttah with its pastureland, and Beth-shemesh with its pastureland: nine towns from these two tribes.

17 From the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon with its pastureland, Geba with its pastureland,

18 Anathoth with its pastureland, and Almon with its pastureland: four towns.

19 All the towns of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, numbered thirteen, with their pastureland.

20 The towns allotted to the clans of the other Levites descended from Kohath came from the tribe of Ephraim.

21 They gave them Shechem, a city of refuge for anyone who had killed someone, with its pastureland in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer with its pastureland;

22 Kibzaim with its pastureland, and Beth-horon with its pastureland: four towns.

23 From the tribe of Dan: Elteke with its pastureland, Gibbethon with its pastureland,

24 Aijalon with its pastureland, and Gath-rimmon with its pastureland: four towns.

25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh: Taanach with its pastureland, and Gath-rimmon with its pastureland: two towns.

26 In all, ten towns with their pastureland went to the clans of the other descendants of Kohath.

27 To the descendants of Gershon, from the Levite clans, they gave Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for anyone who had killed someone, with its pastureland, and Beeshterah with its pastureland, from the half-tribe of Manasseh: two towns.

28 From the tribe of Issachar: Kishion with its pastureland, Daberath with its pastureland,

29 Jarmuth with its pastureland, and En-gannim with its pastureland: four towns.

30 From the tribe of Asher: Mishal with its pastureland, Abdon with its pastureland,

31 Helkath with its pastureland, and Rehob with its pastureland: four towns.

32 From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, a city of refuge for anyone who had killed someone, with its pastureland, Hammoth-dor with its pastureland, and Kartan with its pastureland: three towns.

33 All the towns of the Gershonite clans numbered thirteen, with their pastureland.

34 To the clans of the remaining Levites descended from Merari they gave, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pastureland, Kartah with its pastureland,

35 Dimnah with its pastureland, and Nahalal with its pastureland: four towns.

36 From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer with its pastureland, Jahaz with its pastureland,

37 Kedemoth with its pastureland, and Mephaath with its pastureland: four towns.

38 From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for anyone who had killed someone, with its pastureland, and Mahanaim with its pastureland,

39 Heshbon with its pastureland, and Jazer with its pastureland: four towns in all.

40 All the towns allotted to the descendants of Merari, according to their clans, the remaining Levite clans, numbered twelve.

41 All the Levite towns within the Israelites’ territory numbered forty-eight, with their pastureland.

42 Each of these towns had pastureland around it; this was true of all these towns.

43 So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors. They took possession of it and settled there.

44 The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. None of all their enemies could stand against them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them.

45 Not one word of all the good words the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel failed; everything came true.

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