Joshua 21 AMPC

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.