THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

 

Joshua Chapter 21

1 ¶ Then the leaders of the families of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the leaders of the families of the other tribes of the children of Israel;

2 And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by Moses that we should be given cities to dwell in, with their pastures for our cattle.

3 So as the LORD had commanded, the children of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities, out of their inheritance.

4 The first lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: those descendants of Levi, who were descended from Aaron the priest, they received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities.

5 And the rest of Kohath’s descendants received by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and from the tribe of Dan, and from the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.

6 And the children of Gershon received by lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar, and from the tribe of Asher, and from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

7 The children of Merari by their families received from the tribe of Reuben, and from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

8 And the children of Israel gave these cities along with their suburbs to the Levites by lot, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

9 ¶ And they gave from the tribe of the children of Judah, and from the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name,

10 Which went to the descendants of Aaron, who were of the families of the Kohathites, who were descended from Levi: for theirs was the first lot.

11 And they gave them the city of Arba the ancestor of the Anakites, which is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the suburbs around it.

12 But they gave the fields of the city, and its villages, to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

13 Thus they gave Hebron with its suburbs to the descendants of Aaron the priest, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with its pastures,

14 And Jattir with its pastures, and Eshtemoa with its pastures,

15 And Holon with its pastures, and Debir with its pastures,

16 And Ain with its pastures, and Juttah with its pastures, and Bethshemesh with its pastures; nine cities out of those two tribes.

17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pastures, Geba with its pastures,

18 Anathoth with its pastures, and Almon with its pastures; four cities.

19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

20 To the rest of families of the children of Kohath, the Levites descended from Kohath, they gave cities by lot from the tribe of Ephraim.

21 To them they gave Shechem with its suburbs in the hill country of Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with its suburbs,

22 And Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Bethhoron with its suburbs; four cities.

23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs,

24 Aijalon with its suburbs, Gathrimmon with its suburbs; four cities.

25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with its suburbs, and Gathrimmon with its suburbs; two cities.

26 There were ten cities in all with their suburbs given to the families of the children of Kohath that remained.

27 And to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, from the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beeshterah with its suburbs; two cities.

28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with its suburbs, Dabareh with its suburbs,

29 Jarmuth with its suburbs, Engannim with its suburbs; four cities.

30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs,

31 Helkath with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs; four cities.

32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with its suburbs, and Kartan with its suburbs; three cities.

33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

34 And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its suburbs, and Kartah with its suburbs,

35 Dimnah with its suburbs, Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities.

36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, and Jahazah with its suburbs,

37 Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities.

38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

39 Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs; four cities in all.

40 So all the cities given by lot to the children of Merari by their families, which were the remaining the families of the Levites, were twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites within the land possessed by the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs.

42 Each of these cities had its own pastures or suburbs around it: it was the same at all these cities.

43 ¶ And the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers; and they took it, and settled there.

44 And the LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers: and not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45 Of all the good that the LORD had promised to the house of Israel; not one thing failed to be carried out, it all came to pass.